Stevie's vocals

[louielouie2000]

Originally Posted by sorcerer999

But she had already been to rehab and kicked cocaine before she started recording "TITN". Hence, "Welcome To The Room, Sara", which was about her experience at Betty Ford.

While her contributions to this album were lackluster, I think her vocals (with the exception of those few hundred "whassamatta babys") were just fine. Weathered and raspy due to the excesses of the few years prior, but just fine. I love her vocals on "Seven Wonders" and back ups on "Little Lies".

Wasn't her Seven Wonders vocal recorded before rehab, though? Either way, there's no doubt her voice was still very much "coke stained" on Tango. It was raspier & looser than the albums that came later, when her voice must have recovered (to a degree). Just compare Seven Wonders to The Second Time, for instance. The cocaine rasp is fully gone on The Second Time, as is her vocal flexibility, which is a byproduct.

[sorcerer999]

Originally Posted by louielouie2000

Just compare Seven Wonders to The Second Time, for instance. The cocaine rasp is fully gone on The Second Time, as is her vocal flexibility, which is a byproduct.

Completely agree. Ugh...I can't stand "The Second Time" or any of her contributions to "Behind The Mask".

[jwd]

Toss up betwen the White Album and Rumours, but because of all the incredible harmony vocals she provided on the latter, I chose it.

[Dex]

I first fell in love with TISL/SYW-era Stevie's voice and still have an enormous affection for the wizened edge of that sound. But I think Mirage was probably when her voice was at its most intriguing and also most powerful. A tough combo to beat.

I'm still not in love with her voice on the first two/three albums. I completely get why it's amazing, but it just doesn't hit me in the same way as her later singing, y'know?

[mitzo]

Her voice is distinctive and capable of a real range of expression at all stages. She has always needed good production and a certain amount of coaching to get the best results, I think. Without that she can sound flat, grating, shouty, dull. I like the later Stevie voice when it is done well, she really needs to do softer songs.

[bobwelchera]

Originally Posted by ViscountViktor

This has probably been discussed on the Ledge before, but I want to ask which FM album does everyone think Stevie produces her best vocals on. I only say this because Stevie's vocals on FM album's have fluctuated so much, probably gradually decreasing as the addiction gets stronger, that people will probably have different opinions. Here are my views:

Fleetwood Mac: Stevie's vocals on this album are full of punch. Aggressive yet never straying out of tune - mostly. Landslide is the exception, which I think is set way to low for her to sing on the album version anyway. Overall, Stevie's vocals are raw and have character - she attacks her songs.

Rumours: I'm not the biggest fan of Rumours, but this is a weird one for Stevie. You have the powerful vocals of GDW - and then Dreams. Compare Stevie's vocals on Dreams to Rhiannon two years earlier. A massive change! Stevie sounds feeble on Dreams, she can barely hold the tune for more than a couple of seconds. When her other vocals on this album are acceptable, I do wonder what happened on this song.

Tusk: Stevie's voice has become bigger - there's more vibrato in her voice, and yet in Tusk I think we see her best vocals. Powerful, yet tuneful - not overly powerful as her later albums would show. Sisters of the Moon is one of her best ever vocal performances IMO, and overall she is excellent.

Mirage: Stevies well into her cocaine adiction at this point - and it shows. She sings out of tune on many songs - the opening of Gypsy for example. Overall, I think Stevie's voice is starting to go here - and the vibrato is increasing.

Tango in the Night - Stevie is at an all time low here. Addicted to Klonopin, TITN is not a vocal performance to be proud of. Not much to say, except it;s understandable when you realise her circumstances.

Behind the Mask - Stevie vocals are OK. Nothing special. I suppose she's vulnerable as she's starting to wean off the drugs. Not her best however.

The Dance - Not a studio album, but I've included it anyway. Stevie's great on this album. She's lost weight, she's off the drugs, she's happy. It shows in her singing. Although her range is decreasing, she still pulls off a wonderful performance, Landslide being a standout.

Say You Will - Stevie is 55 here, so her vocals are good for her age. However, her range has decreased significantly, and therefore her songs are extremely low, which makes the album quite uniform and plain.

So, I would choose either the Dance or Fleetwood Mac. But what about you Ledgies?

I chose Tusk because of the varying moods she uses in her vocals. I really love that album, I must say.

For the White Album, I think they're beautiful. Her harmonies on "Crystal" kick all kinds of butt.

When it comes to Dreams, the vocal chosen was an early take - it had more emotion than the other ones. I imagine that happens on a lot of albums, but I see no problem with it. "I Don't Want To Know" remains my favorite vocal on there from her.

I think it was a combination of the cocaine *and* Stevie's frequent singing after Tusk that led to its decline. It was one thing to be in a hugely successful band, but then she was promoting Bella Donna (and on,) so something's got to give. I think her vocals on "That's Alright" are friggin' perfect. (Lindsey's experienced the same wear and tear from his absurdly high use.)

You certainly see the "new nasal" - see what I did there? - on display on Tango. Even though she wasn't that involved in the process, I think her contributions were pretty good - "When I See You Again" *definitely* takes the nasal cake, but I always sing along.

I really, really like Stevie's vocals on BTM! I personally think "Freedom" should have been released instead of "Skies The Limit" - love the song, but I don't think it was the correct single. Buuut, "The Second Time" - like "Do You Know" - should not have made it on the album. Her vocal limitations definitely were expressed on that.

She did pretty well on The Dance, for sure - it actually was the first time I saw Fleetwood Mac performing (I'm 25) when it aired on PBS. After looking back on YouTube, I did wish she still could do "Rhiannon" the old way.

I think her vocals on Say You Will are great. Have other people noticed that Stevie actually goes all-in - her present max ability, that is - on albums? For example, you don't hear her hitting high notes like she does in "Everybody Finds Out," "Smile At You," "Illume," an on while live. She's got dynamics still left in the tank - I saw this on In Your Dreams too - but tries to save it. Does she have a vocal coach?

It's kind of funny that the eldest of the vocalists has her voice the most intact. I love Christine.

[brad975]

I recently revisited this short People magazine article from late 1977 (http://www.people.com/people/archive...069899,00.html), mentioning the vocal nodules she had formed by that time. The article says she wasn't smoking and limiting herself to two glasses of wine a night to facilitate her healing (wonder how that long lasted).

Other singers who've had vocal nodules removed (Robert Plant in the mid-'70s, Elton John in the late '80s) never again hit notes as high as in their prime.

In 1986, I bought an unauthorized biography of Stevie Nicks (which unfortunately has long disappeared from my possession) that referenced her nodule problem. But since then, I haven't been able to find an online source that specifically mentions her undergoing nodule surgery.

But surely she had to! I've long wondered if it was sometime during the lengthy recording of Tusk between 78-79. On some songs, she still has some of that high, reedy quality to her voice ("Beautiful Child"), but on "Storms" (and some demos from this era, like "The Dealer") she sounds quite a bit rougher.

Then the lengthy Tusk tour (and poor lifestyle decisions) really took a toll.

Those nodules can reoccur, and I've wondered if she hasn't required a subsequent surgery or two. I believe that modern technology has improved the outcomes of these surgeries (Justin Timberlake had some removed a number of years ago), but scar tissue can be left behind that can limit the cords ability to produce pleasing sounds.

I love Stevie. I was delighted by the high quality of IYD, but I have to admit that The Wild Heart was the end of her sounding consistently good to me (even with the overactive vibrato of that era).

Whatever was going on with her in 1984-85 during the RAL recording (possibly another nodule surgery, cartons of cigarettes, mountains of coke) pretty blew out what was pleasant to my ears.

I rarely listen to anything from the Klonopin years anymore ('87-'94). She's hitting lots of bum notes during that time and sounding like she could care less.

I'm also intrigued by Stevie's seeming vocal transformation between The Dance and TISL. The increasing nasal quality to her voice made it oddly seem like she was simultaneously singing higher and lower at the same time.

I think she did mention that the painful hole in her septum continues to grow, but she won't get it fixed because she's worried it would hurt her voice. I'm not a doctor, but I have to wonder if it wouldn't help to plug it up.

Glad she's been taking better care of her voice and hopefully not smoking. Listen to "The Second Time" (if you can handle it a second time), and you may marvel that she sounds as good as she does today.

[James89]

I agree with some of the comments about Stevie's vocals on 'Say You Will'. I agree with the person who said that they loved her vocal on 'Smile at You' and 'Running Through the Garden'. However, I can't listen to her vocal on the introduction of 'Destiny Rules' as it really annoys me as I think she sounds just like a really heavy smoker. I do love the rest of the song though!!! What I find strange is that I love Stevie's vocals on the 'Trouble in Shangri-La' album and yet three years later she sounds a lot deeper and raspier and she's lost a bit of control. I always get excited when I hear the introduction to 'Trouble in Shangri-La' and when Stevie's vocal comes in.

[bombaysaffires]

Originally Posted by brad975

I recently revisited this short People magazine article from late 1977 (http://www.people.com/people/archive...069899,00.html), mentioning the vocal nodules she had formed by that time. The article says she wasn't smoking and limiting herself to two glasses of wine a night to facilitate her healing (wonder how that long lasted).

Other singers who've had vocal nodules removed (Robert Plant in the mid-'70s, Elton John in the late '80s) never again hit notes as high as in their prime.

In 1986, I bought an unauthorized biography of Stevie Nicks (which unfortunately has long disappeared from my possession) that referenced her nodule problem. But since then, I haven't been able to find an online source that specifically mentions her undergoing nodule surgery.

But surely she had to! I've long wondered if it was sometime during the lengthy recording of Tusk between 78-79. On some songs, she still has some of that high, reedy quality to her voice ("Beautiful Child"), but on "Storms" (and some demos from this era, like "The Dealer") she sounds quite a bit rougher.

Then the lengthy Tusk tour (and poor lifestyle decisions) really took a toll.

Those nodules can reoccur, and I've wondered if she hasn't required a subsequent surgery or two. I believe that modern technology has improved the outcomes of these surgeries (Justin Timberlake had some removed a number of years ago), but scar tissue can be left behind that can limit the cords ability to produce pleasing sounds.

I love Stevie. I was delighted by the high quality of IYD, but I have to admit that The Wild Heart was the end of her sounding consistently good to me (even with the overactive vibrato of that era).

Whatever was going on with her in 1984-85 during the RAL recording (possibly another nodule surgery, cartons of cigarettes, mountains of coke) pretty blew out what was pleasant to my ears.

I rarely listen to anything from the Klonopin years anymore ('87-'94). She's hitting lots of bum notes during that time and sounding like she could care less.

I'm also intrigued by Stevie's seeming vocal transformation between The Dance and TISL. The increasing nasal quality to her voice made it oddly seem like she was simultaneously singing higher and lower at the same time.

I think she did mention that the painful hole in her septum continues to grow, but she won't get it fixed because she's worried it would hurt her voice. I'm not a doctor, but I have to wonder if it wouldn't help to plug it up.

Glad she's been taking better care of her voice and hopefully not smoking. Listen to "The Second Time" (if you can handle it a second time), and you may marvel that she sounds as good as she does today.

I still have that old People article. The no smoking and two glasses of wine a night are clearly an early example of Stevie's self-marketing bullsh$t. She is extremely good at manipulating her public image. (Think of that footage --Rosebud?-- of her wasted hanging out with the crew and then whispering to one of the record execs about how proud she was of herself for only doing this or that drug that night). oy.

Not sure if she ever actually had that surgery; doesn't that article say that she was being all careful so the nodules wouldn't get worse and she could avoid having to have the risky surgery? My sense is she was trying to stop the damage in its tracks. Doubt that lasted for long.

The other thing she talked about in interviews (if I had the time or the energy I might try to dig them out but I don't at the moment) was how she went to doctors to get shots to allow her to keep singing on her badly damage vocal cords. Basically when you overuse your vocal cords they get inflamed and swell up which leaves you hoarse and raspy. That's the body's way of making you shut up and let your vocal cords heal. But when you're on a big money-making tour no one wants you to cancel shows, so you go to a doctor who gives you shots-- I think steroids or some such-- which make the inflammation go down so you can still sorta sing. It doesn't make the damage to the vocal cords go away, it just makes the swelling go down. So you basically go out and shred your already ripped up vocal cords.

In addition to Stevie, I also lay some blame at the feet of the band. They didn't seem particularly sympathetic to saving her voice over the years, especially Lindsey. Best example is that tape of them working out the arrangement of Storms… he's bitchy to her about how she's singing it and you can CLEARLY hear her voice is shot to hell and she says to him something like "I don't have any voice" and he just totally ignores that and starts the song over to make her go thru it again.

She's just soooo lucky she didn't end up like Marianne Faithful.

[TheWILDheart]

I voted "Mirage". I think her vocals were pretty flawless on this album. "That's Alright", "Gypsy" and "Straight Back" are probably her most cohessive offerings to any Fleetwood Mac album IMO. Her range sounds a lot broader on "Mirage"

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by TheWILDheart

I voted "Mirage". I think her vocals were pretty flawless on this album. "That's Alright", "Gypsy" and "Straight Back" are probably her most cohessive offerings to any Fleetwood Mac album IMO. Her range sounds a lot broader on "Mirage"

I love the vocals on Mirage. I love the Mirage Live vocals as well. Her intensity was spot on.

[The Highwayman]

Tusk. Her five songs on that album are all amazing, and Stevie graces them all with her best singing on record. Particularly 'Storms'; fragile, little cracks, but her performance is so warm and weary at the same time. Her singing on 'Sara' is beautiful too.

I also agree on her singing on Mirage. Her voiced dropped, but that only accentuated the songs more. Her vocal on 'That's Alright' is a particular favorite of mine. She sounds so animated. Brings a big grin to my face.

[WildHearted]

Had to go with Tusk. Although I think everything from 1975-1983 is pretty glorious, really.

[bobwelchera]

Originally Posted by The Highwayman

Tusk. Her five songs on that album are all amazing, and Stevie graces them all with her best singing on record. Particularly 'Storms'; fragile, little cracks, but her performance is so warm and weary at the same time. Her singing on 'Sara' is beautiful too.

I also agree on her singing on Mirage. Her voiced dropped, but that only accentuated the songs more. Her vocal on 'That's Alright' is a particular favorite of mine. She sounds so animated. Brings a big grin to my face.

I tend to think the "little cracks" are intentional by Stevie in songs like "Storms." That song wouldn't be as amazing if it were sung in a more straightforward way.

[The Highwayman]

Originally Posted by bobwelchera

I tend to think the "little cracks" are intentional by Stevie in songs like "Storms." That song wouldn't be as amazing if it were sung in a more straightforward way.

I think you're right. Nearly 25 years later, Stevie would sing 'Goodbye Baby' in much the same way on SYW. I was listening to that yesterday and it struck me for the first time just how wonderful that performance is.