Rock a Little - a missed opportunity...

[marmotgirl]

...for absolute greatness?

When I first heard RAL I loved it, don't get me wrong. And yeah, I still love it; but of all Stevie's albums I felt it got old the quickest. I don't even think this is solely a result of the very 80s synthy sound - I don't have a problem with that at all. There are just some - as far as I'm concerned, of course - very weak songs on there.

This in itself I could deal with...but then along comes the internet, and I get my paws on a bunch of RAL demos.
*headdesk, headdesk, headdesk*
Woman, what were you thinking when the tracklist was compiled?!

'She Loves Him Still' is one of the most touching things I've ever heard. The RAL demo of 'Greta' (3:48, not the 3:57 version that appears on a lot of Wild HEart demo compilations) might be one of my favourite songs ever...it has this incredible lilting lightness and energy about it that was completely bled out of the SA release. Same with 'Love is Like A River'...the RAL demo has some actual fire and vigor (I love the quiet/loud thing...you caaaaaan't....YOU CAAAAAN'T... ) :D The RAL 'Lady From The Mountain' is just absolute...aaaargh, perfection! 'Prettiest Girl in the World'...if only for that 'you don't know what pain is!': proper ripping, searing stuff. 'Something Exquisite', yet another one with a proper bit of drive to it. I'm not even going to start on 'Running Through The Garden' (although somebody told me that the version everyone's always accepted as a RAL demo might actually be from 1992? A big wtf to that!).

Even the songs that actually made the album are, to my mind, inferior versions. The extended version of 'Rock A Little' gives the song a much better...roundedness, for lack of a better word...I always thought it kind of slunk in, lingered about for a couple of minutes then slunk out again, but the extended version has that wonderful punchy bass part at the end. I know not many people appreciate 'The Nightmare', and I agree that the album version just goes on and on and on...but the alternate version (it was a b-side somewhere), with slightly different lyrics/structure (well this is not the world, not the world, not the real world... ) is totally kicking. The slightest little change makes all the difference.

Anyway. To hand it over after that massive rant :o If you could reconstruct RAL, what would you do with it? Would you do anything with it?

[amber]

you're making me salivate, i haven't heard what you are talking about.
And i really like RAL.
To know it could've been better is...maddening.... :shocked:

[Serrart]

I have more a problem with RAL's sound (the eighties, especially the second part of them musically were mostly a nightmare for me) than with the songs, that I found much better than those on TOSOTM, where I have a problem both with the sound and the tracks.

I have listened some of the demos you were talking about: definitely I would have preferred She loves Him Still instead of Sister Honey, but I'd find a place for it on every Stevie album, it's so beautiful. For the others I'm not so sure.

Romy

[Kelly]

The omission of "She Loves Him Still" has always made me scratch my head. There have been a few times that Stevie has chosen to leave a song off an album that made no sense to me. Space Needle? SLHS has the most beautiful lyrics and RAL could have used the emotion and depth that SLHS expresses. All in all, RAL is not my favorite album..its actually low on my list. When it came out, I remember liking it but thinking it was a huge step down from BellaDonna. I know others will disagree but I see a decline with each one of her solo albums...until TISL...which I view as a huge resurgence of her creativity.
The Nightmare is the worst song ever!

[joe]

RAL is probably the least-listened to Stevie record in my collection. I was not fond of it when it came out but i forced myself cause it was Stevie's record. I was trying to find the "how still my love's" or the "sable on blonde's"
etc etc...i was trying to find a connection and found none.

And i completely agree....when i heard the RAL demos like "she calls you missing," "greta", "running through the garden," and "thousand days" etc etc i couldn't understand why these songs were chopped from the recording sessions. It's like she started working on them and then completely decided to scrap everything and start over with stuff like "sister honey" and "the nightmare".

Yes, the extended "rock a little" is awesome. Now, that's an example of a song on the album that i thought not much of until i got a European import of "I can't wait" in 1986 that had this great extended remix of "rock a little". Same thing with "the nightmare" although not as intense. The alternate version on the 12" "i can't wait" is better than the one on the album.

And to be honest, i really didn't like "talk to me" when it came out. It's grown on me but i don't ever crave to hear it.

Basically, the only songs i would keep are "rock a little", "i can't wait", "no spoken word" and "has anyone ever written..." oh and i think i like "i sing for the things" too. The rest can go. Not that i hate them but they wouldn't be my first choice.

I also would have included "battle of the dragon" and "mirror mirror."

[markolas]

Well again, I'm going to have to speak up for RAL. :D

It and TOSOTM are my two favorite Stevie albums. I don't think the songs on it are weak at all. She Loves Him Still is a great demo, but the others...meh. Although I will say that I love the version of Greta that ended up on Street Angel.

Sister Honey and The Nightmare are two of my favorite songs from RAL, btw. ;) Wouldn't replace either one of them with anything. In fact, the only songs that I could *maybe* do without are If I Were You and Some Become Strangers.

[StevieNicksEO17]

I love RAL. I wouldn't have changed anything about it. I really think it is one of Stevie's best albums. The Nightmare, Imperial Hotel, If I Were You and No Spoken Word are some of my favorite songs of hers. I never get sick of those songs. I really don't understand why no one likes those songs either :confused:

[David]

I know not many people appreciate 'The Nightmare', and I agree that the album version just goes on and on and on...but the alternate version (it was a b-side somewhere), with slightly different lyrics/structure (well this is not the world, not the world, not the real world... ) is totally kicking. The slightest little change makes all the difference.Excellent post, but the version of "The Nightmare" on the album is totally different from the one on the "I Can't Wait" 12-inch: the lyrics are the least of the changes. The track itself & all the instrumentation are all completely different.

I love both versions, but the one on the album -- which seems to strike some people as droning -- is the more powerful to me. I think it's a serious work of Stevie art, & a pumping track by all the other guys.

[MacMan]

RAL was one of my favorite albums for YEARS!!!! I listened to that sucker regulary well into the 90's and didn't get tired of it, or even think it sounded dated... Now, it does abit, but I still like it, and I have to give it to Stevie for changing gears and moving in a completely different direction then Bella Donna and Wild Heart. That's kind of what it's about, not staying in one place and taking some chances... Keeps things interesting.

[HejiraNYC]

Well at least she had the presence of mind to leave off "Mabel Normand," quite possibly the worst demo ever. It ranks up there with "Dial the Number" and "Old Fashioned." :D

[amber]

RAL was one of my favorite albums for YEARS!!!! I listened to that sucker regulary well into the 90's and didn't get tired of it, or even think it sounded dated... Now, it does abit, but I still like it, and I have to give it to Stevie for changing gears and moving in a completely different direction then Bella Donna and Wild Heart. That's kind of what it's about, not staying in one place and taking some chances... Keeps things interesting.
I, too, Love RAL. Currently it's actually my favorite solo album, even though it doesn't contain any of my previous favorite songs. (Edge, SDMHA, Stand Back) except for I Can't Wait. I haven't heard the demo's or anything, but RAL kicks A to me. Sister Honey makes me soooo happy... :woohoo: :nod:

[ontheEdgeof17]

I, too, Love RAL. Currently it's actually my favorite solo album, even though it doesn't contain any of my previous favorite songs. (Edge, SDMHA, Stand Back) except for I Can't Wait. I haven't heard the demo's or anything, but RAL kicks A to me. Sister Honey makes me soooo happy... :woohoo: :nod:


Burn one with those three tracks added. :nod:



I <3 RAL. I Sing For The Things is slowly moving into my top ten favorite songs. ;)

[amber]

Burn one with those three tracks added. :nod:



I <3 RAL. I Sing For The Things is slowly moving into my top ten favorite songs. ;)
I don't think I have those 3 tracks.
I LOVE "I sing for the things"
it reminds me of a quiet, poignant stevie song, in the spirit of "Storms" :nod:

[ontheEdgeof17]

I don't think I have those 3 tracks.



Of course you do.

I was talking about Edge, SB, and Draggin'. Put them on RAL.

[amber]

Of course you do.

I was talking about Edge, SB, and Draggin'. Put them on RAL.
:lol: :laugh: :lol: :laugh:
OH!
But they are already on other albums.... :distress:
Yeah, I'd call it: "Timespace...+ 'I sing for the things' + 'Sister Hony' +Imperial Hotel'" :laugh:

[marmotgirl]

Well at least she had the presence of mind to leave off "Mabel Normand," quite possibly the worst demo ever. It ranks up there with "Dial the Number" and "Old Fashioned." :D


Haha, that is true. 'Impossible Task' falls under that category too IMO...'Night Gallery'...etc. Don't get me wrong, there are some profoundly turgid wastes of tape in amongst the RAL demos, but there was a whole lot of potential in there too.

Equally, I do *like* RAL, quite a bit too :nod: You can't argue with 'I Can't Wait', no matter the version (although again, the version on 'Enchanted' just does in the one on RAL). I just think that a good album could have been a truly stellar one with a different choice of songs. I'm thinking I'll work out my ideal alternative RAL and post a tracklist, get some thoughts.

Man I love this board, I don't know what took me so long to start posting!

[Nixxxed]

The omission of "She Loves Him Still" has always made me scratch my head. There have been a few times that Stevie has chosen to leave a song off an album that made no sense to me. Space Needle? SLHS has the most beautiful lyrics and RAL could have used the emotion and depth that SLHS expresses. All in all, RAL is not my favorite album..its actually low on my list. When it came out, I remember liking it but thinking it was a huge step down from BellaDonna. I know others will disagree but I see a decline with each one of her solo albums...until TISL...which I view as a huge resurgence of her creativity.
The Nightmare is the worst song ever!
I heard a rumour a looooooong time ago about "She Loves Him Still":

Supposedly, Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits) played guitar on it, and possibly co-wrote part of it. He didn't like the way it turned out, or the direction in which it was heading, and either forbade Stevie from using it or asked her not to. Never heard confirmation one way or the other, and all the demo sites don't list Mark as co-writer... Anyone?

I'd also always heard that the original lineup for RAL included stuff like "She Calls You Missing", "Mirror Mirror", and "Thousand Days" (the upbeat sax version), and that she intended a really dark, edgy album. How it turned into a funky, almost-dance album I still don't quite understand 20 years later. :shrug:

I like it though, and I have very very fond memories from listening to it (and forcing it down all my non-Stevie-fan friends' throats. MUWHAHAHAHA). :nod: :laugh:

Oh yeah, AND THE TOUR ROCKED ROCKED ROCKED!!!

[joe]

Oh, *swoon*. I LOVE "She Calls You Missing."

Is that Elisecia on that? It sounds a lot like her, and it could help explain how she ended up on the RAL tour (unless Stevie just saw her on another tour or something). I don't really know who else it could be, but what do I know. :laugh:


Stevie actually met Elisecia on Bob Dylan and Tom Petty's Australian tour early in 1986. She pretty much told that story before introducing Elisecia on her RAL tour that summer. If you recall, that Australian tour was also the same one where Stevie happened to "show up" and made a cameo with them but ended up being forced to leave cause she didn't have a work visa down under.

I'm imagining what RAL would've been like with "She Calls You Missing", "Thousand Days", and "Mirror Mirror". It definately would have been my cup of tea. On the other hand, i can't help but laugh at "Mirror Mirror" when i hear the beginning. Right when that song starts i hear, "coming up on eyewitness news at 11...."

I'm definately drawn to those darker songs. I think that's why RAL isn't one of my favorites. Too upbeat and dancey.

However, in retrospect, i DO give kudos to Stevie for taking a chance and exploring a different avenue that she normally didn't take at that time. Even if she had stuck to her original concept for RAL it still would have done well. Stevie was still pretty popular then.

What was the real story behind this album? I remember an interview on MTV where she said that she recorded a bunch of songs but they weren't right. and then there's the whole jimmy iovine debacle. my hypothesis was that she recorded these "darker" songs with jimmy and they were basically canned after he abandoned the project.

[joe]

OoooOooh yeah. Okay, I remember that now. Brain fart'D! :shrug:


'tsalright.....as long as it's just your brain!

[Nixxxed]

my hypothesis was that she recorded these "darker" songs with jimmy and they were basically canned after he abandoned the project.

I've always thought the same thing. The upbeat (yet sad) version of ISFTT sounds very "Jimmy" to me...

I also remember the little blurb (from Rolling Stone maybe) about RAL just after TWH tour ended. The one where Stevie said something like, "Who says you have to wait 2 or 3 years between albums? I'm gonna do it in 6 months!". :laugh:

And 2 years later? Voila! - RAL came out!

[BombaySapphire3]

The album that eventually became "Rock a Little' was slated to be realeased in July of 1984 .She was so close to releasing it then that ads were taken out in Billboard and Rollingstone in June heralding the lp's release the following month.At the final hour the album was scrapped because Stevie felt the album did not sound right.I know that Joe Walsh had played on some of the tracks one of which surfaced as 'One More Big Time Rock and Roll Star' other tracks rumored to be on it were "Chanel Chanel' and "Battle of the Dragons'.After this stories appeared that Jiimy Iovine had been fired or quit.Later Iovine admitted he had bowed out due to Stevie's esculating cociane use,but it seemed he was called back in to doctor up some tracks toward the end of recording in 1985 .At this point in Stevie's life it would seem even Mother Theresa's patience would have been tried as her record producer.The cocaine and cognac had ceased to give and were now detracting from her art ,and of course as we all know the Klonopin that followed would be no panacea to her waning creativity.I do think TOSOTM was a better album however, her spacy vocals on it actually enhanced the 80s Euro- pop production .I think Rupert Hine had an understanding of what do do with Stevie's material .It's too bad, but not unpredictable ,that they had a falling out so vitriolic that they would never work together again.

[tynan88]

Talk To Me, I Can't Wait and If I Were You and Sister Honey, I absolutely adore, I haven't heard all of RAL unfortunately, still waiting to find it, so hard around here actually, I don't understand any criticism of Stevie's songs, I respect others opinions just totally disagree.

[Moony]

This should have been Rock A Little:

I Can't Wait
Rock A Little
Sister Honey
I Sing For The Things
Imperial Hotel
Battle of the Dragon
Some Become Strangers
Talk To Me
Running Through The Garden
No Spoken Word
Mirror, Mirror

[HejiraNYC]

On the other hand, i can't help but laugh at "Mirror Mirror" when i hear the beginning. Right when that song starts i hear, "coming up on eyewitness news at 11...."


That is so true! "Coming up on Eyewitness News- Big-time Rock n Roll Star caught having coke blown up nether regions with a straw- details at 11" :laugh: :laugh:

I also remember hearing in a Stevie radio interview from way back that Trevor Rabin of Yes had written "Love Will Find a Way" for Stevie back before Yes recorded it for "Big Generator" in 1988. I wonder if there was some kind of an APB for songwriters to contribute to the floundering mess that the RAL recording sessions had become. When I first bought the LP in 1985 I was sooo confused by all of the different producers and songwriters that were used on various tracks. And I could never understand how/why Stevie chose to record such a blatantly cheesy song like "Some Become Strangers." :shrug:

Still, somehow in the end it all turned out to be an amazingly cohesive piece of work.

[SuzeQuze]

I don't think I have those 3 tracks.
I LOVE "I sing for the things"
it reminds me of a quiet, poignant stevie song, in the spirit of "Storms" :nod:

I love that one too, "I've been living on some dreams and some chains".

[marmotgirl]

I also remember hearing in a Stevie radio interview from way back that Trevor Rabin of Yes had written "Love Will Find a Way" for Stevie back before Yes recorded it for "Big Generator" in 1988.

Yeah, Rabin and Chris Squire both mention it on the old Yes Music Videos compilation :nod: I love that song. Would have been interesting to hear Stevie have a go at it.

[Nixxxed]

The album that eventually became "Rock a Little' was slated to be realeased in July of 1984 .She was so close to releasing it then that ads were taken out in Billboard and Rollingstone in June heralding the lp's release the following month.

Are these ads on the web anywhere? I remember hearing about it, but never saw any ads or photos, etc. Was it always called Rock a Little?

[Johnny Stew]

Being my second favorite Stevie album (though tied with 'Trouble In Shangri-La'), 'Rock A Little' is about as close to perfection as an album can come, IMO.

I'd maybe ADD a few tracks, but I definitely wouldn't remove any. They all live and breathe in their own right, and each brings something unique to the album... making it multi-faceted and endlessly interesting to me.

[dissention]

This should have been Rock A Little:

I Can't Wait
Rock A Little
Sister Honey
I Sing For The Things
Imperial Hotel
Battle of the Dragon
Some Become Strangers
Talk To Me
Running Through The Garden
No Spoken Word
Mirror, Mirror

This should have been Rock A Little:

Running Through the Garden
If I Were You
No Spoken Word
Some Become Strangers

Obviously, it would have been an EP. :D

[Moony]

This should have been Rock A Little:

Running Through the Garden
If I Were You
No Spoken Word
Some Become Strangers

Obviously, it would have been an EP. :D

Whatev man, whatev.

:xoxo:

[joe]

The album that eventually became "Rock a Little' was slated to be realeased in July of 1984 .She was so close to releasing it then that ads were taken out in Billboard and Rollingstone in June heralding the lp's release the following month.At the final hour the album was scrapped because Stevie felt the album did not sound right.I know that Joe Walsh had played on some of the tracks...


i remember it was talked about on MTV for the longest time before it was actually released. So, yeah, you're right. And in that interview i mentioned before, Stevie talked about how it wasn't right, "like the wrong pair of shoes" and how "it isn't something i can talk about right now." at the time, i was like, what can't you talk about? what happened? spill the beans already!

and i even remember hearing that Bob Seger was supposed to do a duet on RAL as well. Anyone else recall this?

[strandinthewind]

Though I am not fond of Some Become Strangers and The Nightmare - I like RAL and totally jammed to it in college. I think Talk to Me is one of the best songs she has ever done and she JAMMED to it live.

Interestingly, I wish she had included the Are You Mine duet with Billy Burdette that she recorded for this record.

[Hawkeye]

To me it would've been absolutely insulting to the masterpiece that is Battle of the Dragon if it was included on the awful Rock a Little. just would've stuck out like a golden thumb.

[BombaySapphire3]

originially posted by Joe
"and i even remember hearing that Bob Seger was supposed to do a duet on RAL as well. Anyone else recall this?"
Yes. Jimmy Iovine was also producing Seger at the time he began to work on RAL.Another rumor going around at the time was a duet with Stevie and Bryan Ferry ,the connection being Andy Newmark who played drums on RAL and had played for Ferry and Roxy Music .Now that one I would have liked to hear!

[svnwndrs]

This is extremely interesting. Stevie had supposedly recorded and worked with all these incredible rock stars (Mark Knopfler, Bob Seger, The Heartbreakers, Bryan Ferry, and I even think she got Lindsey in to play on "At The Fair", cause it's sounds like his guitar playing, plus there is a pic of him in the RAL tourbook) and she doesn't even release the music? I wish she would have used a lot of those darker songs, and had Iovine produce the whole thing. But it seems Stevie is notorious within the music industry for having trouble with her producers...

[Christopher]

This is extremely interesting. Stevie had supposedly recorded and worked with all these incredible rock stars (Mark Knopfler, Bob Seger, The Heartbreakers, Bryan Ferry, and I even think she got Lindsey in to play on "At The Fair", cause it's sounds like his guitar playing, plus there is a pic of him in the RAL tourbook) and she doesn't even release the music? I wish she would have used a lot of those darker songs, and had Iovine produce the whole thing. But it seems Stevie is notorious within the music industry for having trouble with her producers...


Yes indeed, This was a very intriging time for Stevie fans during 83-85,...It seemed like this lp would never be released, with all these swirling rumours and juicy gossip tidbits being circulated by radio, MTV and trade magazines...Rock A Little was lauded as the most expensive recording when it did finally see it's release!.....and now that fans can somewhat piece the clues together with her old demos there is still such a chaos about what really went down.......I really wish Stevie would spill the beans about the mystery that became "Rock A Little". Why did they really scap the original recording and what did it comprise of.

During this time it was also mentioned in Rolling Stone's random notes that Bruce Springsteen also contributed a song for Stevie's new cd called "Dont Lose Heart"!!! so in addition to all the aforementioned artists plus some possible Dave Stewart recordings...there is sure to be a gold mine somewhere laying on the cutting room floor :shocked: waiting to be discovered!

[strandinthewind]

This should have been Rock A Little:

Running Through the Garden
If I Were You
No Spoken Word
Some Become Strangers

Obviously, it would have been an EP. :D

You don't like "Talk to Me" :eek: I love it and even more so live :nod:

[dissention]

You don't like "Talk to Me" :eek: I love it and even more so live :nod:

Ugh, no. It's cheesy as hell. Good vocal up until the bridge, that sucker is painful. :p

[strandinthewind]

Ugh, no. It's cheesy as hell. Good vocal up until the bridge, that sucker is painful. :p

I LOVED it when she belted it in concert :eek:

but - to each their own :cool:

[ontheEdgeof17]

I LOVED it when she belted it in concert :eek:

but - to each their own :cool:


Best Version: HOB....I love the extra 'ewh ewh's' with the sax. :thumbsup:

[dissention]

I LOVED it when she belted it in concert :eek:

but - to each their own :cool:

It was pleasant in concert when she was up to snuff vocally, but to me it's just another cheesy, uninspired, and cliched song. "You can talk to me...you can set your secrets free, baby." Makes me cringe. But, alas, I'm not a fan of the beast that is RAL in the first place. :o

[HejiraNYC]

But it seems Stevie is notorious within the music industry for having trouble with her producers...

I know this is getting WAY off topic... but whatever happened to the rumored sessions between 1998-2000 with Rodney Jerkins and Dallas Austin? I know there must be some truth to these rumors since I recall seeing a picture of Stevie sitting behind a mixing board with Dallas Austin... Anyway, it would be VERY interesting to see what came of these recording sessions. Those tapes are probably among the "holy grail" of Stevie boots, I would think. It would rank right up there with her one-off performance of "Black Velvet."

[chiliD]

To me, RAL is kind of schizophrenic. Speaking of the LP, since that's the format I first came to know it. Side One, except for the opening track "I Can't Wait" and to a much lesser extent "Some Become Strangers", just is WAY below par; containing close to the "worst of Stevie Nicks" (which would soon come, IMO, in her contributions to TITN and the entire album TOSOTM...save for "Rooms On Fire").

But, thank GOD for Side Two. "Talk To Me", "The Nightmare", "If I Were You", "No Spoken Word", "HAEWAFY"...just INCREDIBLE!! This is easily (again, IMO) "the Best Of Stevie Nicks". One entire side of a Stevie Nicks solo album in which I found no songs that needed omitting...even the running order was great!

[Christopher]

I know this is getting WAY off topic... but whatever happened to the rumored sessions between 1998-2000 with Rodney Jerkins and Dallas Austin? I know there must be some truth to these rumors since I recall seeing a picture of Stevie sitting behind a mixing board with Dallas Austin... Anyway, it would be VERY interesting to see what came of these recording sessions. Those tapes are probably among the "holy grail" of Stevie boots, I would think. It would rank right up there with her one-off performance of "Black Velvet."

Ah yes!! the Dallas Austin sessions....I salivate just thinking how cool these must have been, but ultimatley TISL took another direction entirely, and they scraped these as well.
Rumor has it that they recorded both Bombay Sapphires and Trouble in Shangri-la and maybe a few others...but then Stevie re-recorded these, in fact she went as far a recording Bombay three different times. I personally think that the Alt version that was leaked late last year is far superior to the one that made TISL. It suits the mellow breeze that is the song, not the over the top one w/ Macy!, but I would love to hear Austins version- she once said in a Interview that it was too "dirge" or something like that, what in the hell does that mean!?

As far a Rock A Little.....Yeah when it came out it was cool as hell, I thought...totally different than what I expected a Stevie Nicks album to be!, but hindsight is 20/20, and now I think of what a missed opportunity it was..Its more apparent looking back that Stevie was in a totally spolied and cushy place...she just came off the tri-fecta that was: Bella Donna; Mirage; and The Wild Heart!!!, back to back...was arguably the most popular female star, rock or otherwise...and she was in a position to do anything, spend as much $$ & time as she felt was needed to get it right...problem was that Stevie and her handlers judgement was soured by the cocaine frenzy and dizzing star heights she had acheived!! And she was stubborn as all hell by now, couldnt work it out w/ people that had strong opinions like Jimmy Iovine or Dave Stewart...instead settling for yes people (and childhood friends) like Rick Nowels-(which RAL started his long career)...and others.

In my humble opinion I think RAL could have been a pivotal career recording, instead in became a bombastic, self indulgent, bi-polar look into the world that became Stevie Nicks, that ultimatley spit and chewed her out as well! :distress:

[whitesoxx]

Apart from containing some of my all-time favorite Stevie songs, I never did care much for the album as a whole either. Too many producers and the sound was just too eighties on a lot of tracks (drum machines galore, I like me some real drums!).

However, because of the postings on Stevie-Nicks.info I have all but rediscovered the album- I must say that the versions posted there are almost all superior to the versions that made the album (bar the instrumentals of course ;-) )

I was especially amazed by "Rock A Little", which sounds so good with the additional backing vocals, and "Some Become Strangers". But even "Talk To Me" sounds better than the original (which I have always loved by the way).

And "Mirror Mirror" is and always has been one of my all-time favorite Stevie songs, the production is amazing, like how more and more instruments are added into the mix, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, I just SO love it!!!!! Why this never made the Enchanted box set I will never ever understand!

Rick

[skcin]

Woah, I didn't know half the stuff I've read on this thread. Very interesting. :nod:

I was never a huge fan of RAL, but over the past month or so it's all I want to listen to. I don't know why. I even watched Red Rocks last night & I rarely do that (mainly because I can't get past the edited-in close-ups or the cheesy "state of the art special effects." :laugh: ) The Nightmare, which I detest, is growing on me. Still don't think the music matches the lyrics, but the lyrics are amazing. :shocked:

Anyway, I agree that if most of the other songs mentioned were put on it, it would be a totally different album than we ended up with. What if...

[amber]

To me, RAL is kind of schizophrenic. Speaking of the LP, since that's the format I first came to know it. Side One, except for the opening track "I Can't Wait" and to a much lesser extent "Some Become Strangers", just is WAY below par; containing close to the "worst of Stevie Nicks" (which would soon come, IMO, in her contributions to TITN and the entire album TOSOTM...save for "Rooms On Fire").

But, thank GOD for Side Two. "Talk To Me", "The Nightmare", "If I Were You", "No Spoken Word", "HAEWAFY"...just INCREDIBLE!! This is easily (again, IMO) "the Best Of Stevie Nicks". One entire side of a Stevie Nicks solo album in which I found no songs that needed omitting...even the running order was great!
That's weird, I like the first five songs on RAL the best. :wavey:

[ontheEdgeof17]

That's weird, I like the first five songs on RAL the best. :wavey:


Ditto. Those 5 are all in my top 25 favs, evah!

[amber]

Ditto. Those 5 are all in my top 25 favs, evah!
:xoxo: Kisses for Curtis. :)

[SuzeQuze]

:xoxo: Kisses for Curtis. :)

Well I really love "I Can't Wait". That video - I wanted to look exactly like that. Man did she look cool. I mean, looking back that hair is dated, but that was my coming of age time and it was the baddest ass hair of anyone at that time.:nod: And the black lace and all, she was just cool. :cool: I also really like the excitement of this song. You want to get moving! I know what Diss means about the bridge, she does sort of blabber it out but I like it. I'm not sure if I would like this song had I not come of age with it, but I did, so we'll never know.

Regarding Rock A Little, I sort of like that song and agree with above poster that the version on stevie-nicks.info is much better with those backups. I really like that version.

Sister Honey is sort of playful but I don't care for it a heck of a lot.

I really like I Sing for the Things.

Imperial Hotel, it's okay.

When I listened to RAL for the first time I was disappointed by the state of Stevie's voice. It's soo different from even The Wild Heart where it had already begun to deepen and become rougher. But by RAL it was sort of a mess. However, some of her songs at that time actually sound really good. I guess she was all over the place and that shows on the record.

[amber]

Well I really love "I Can't Wait". That video - I wanted to look exactly like that. Man did she look cool. I mean, looking back that hair is dated, but that was my coming of age time and it was the baddest ass hair of anyone at that time.:nod: And the black lace and all, she was just cool. :cool: I also really like the excitement of this song. You want to get moving! I know what Diss means about the bridge, she does sort of blabber it out but I like it. I'm not sure if I would like this song had I not come of age with it, but I did, so we'll never know.

I didn't come of age with it, and I love it. I Can't Wait, that is. I had never heard it until I was uh...22 or so? Whenever I got Timespace...maybe...20?
Anyways.

[ontheEdgeof17]

Well I really love "I Can't Wait". That video - I wanted to look exactly like that. Man did she look cool. I mean, looking back that hair is dated, but that was my coming of age time and it was the baddest ass hair of anyone at that time.:nod: And the black lace and all, she was just cool. :cool: I also really like the excitement of this song. You want to get moving! I know what Diss means about the bridge, she does sort of blabber it out but I like it. I'm not sure if I would like this song had I not come of age with it, but I did, so we'll never know.



This is my favorite video. It. is. flawless. Her energy is freaking amazing. Parts of me still wish she was that flamboyant.

[dissention]

This is my favorite video. It. is. flawless. Her energy is freaking amazing. Parts of me still wish she was that flamboyant.

She never had that flamboyance, her white fairy dust did. :laugh:

I really like the video for Every Day. Hate the song, but I think the video is tops. And her black dress makes not one appearance, always a plus. :thumbsup:

[ontheEdgeof17]

She never had that flamboyance, her white fairy dust did. :laugh:


Long lines of crack, cloud my memory

[amber]

Long lines of crack, cloud my memory
:lol: Love the Curtie. :xoxo:

[Johnny Stew]

To, me Rock A Little is Stevie Nicks' Tusk--right down to the tripolar personality, unconvential production, experimentalism and lack of musical homogeneity.

To my ears, on this album Stevie Nicks really let loose, putting her entire fragile soul into the recording because at that point there was really nothing else left to live for.

It is dark, daring, endlessly fascinating...yet somehow also very catchy, even in its most brooding moments. I have really enjoyed everyone's comments on this thread about how Rock A Little's road to release was, well, rocky.

As someone mentioned earlier, the sessions have a schizophrenic quality to them; I am not turned off by this quality, I find it breathtaking. That such spitfire, barbed wire, intensity and vulnerability found their way on a single record is something I am very thankful for.I couldn't agree more with everything you've said here.
I definitely see 'Rock A Little' as Stevie's 'Tusk.' It's unbridled and offbeat. A heady mixture of vulnerability and toughness, at once comfortably familiar and edgy and unsettling.

That the synthesizers and drum machines now sound dated is of no consequence to me. It's still a brilliantly manic album, and its vibrant contrasts hooked me upon my very first listen, and still captivate me to this day. :nod: :D

[amber]

I couldn't agree more with everything you've said here.
I definitely see 'Rock A Little' as Stevie's 'Tusk.' It's unbridled and offbeat. A heady mixture of vulnerability and toughness, at once comfortably familiar and edgy and unsettling.

That the synthesizers and drum machines now sound dated is of no consequence to me. It's still a brilliantly manic album, and its vibrant contrasts hooked me upon my very first listen, and still captivate me to this day. :nod: :D
Thank you! I've said it before, and i'll say it again - so far, RAL is my favorite Stevie solo album. Even though it doesn't have any of the hits i've loved forever. :shrug: What can I say? Apparently, the synth speaks to me! :laugh:

[Johnny Stew]

Thank you! I've said it before, and i'll say it again - so far, RAL is my favorite Stevie solo album. Even though it doesn't have any of the hits i've loved forever. :shrug: What can I say? Apparently, the synth speaks to me! :laugh:

I have to confess that I love synths. Always have, and always will. :nod:
Of course, I prefer when there's a healthy balance of REAL instruments, and the synths are used for color and texture.

For example, 'The Wild Heart' and 'Rock A Little' have the balance that my ears crave... give or take a few moments.
'The Other Side Of The Mirror' doesn't... give or take a few moments.

[amber]

I have to confess that I love synths. Always have, and always will. :nod:
Of course, I prefer when there's a healthy balance of REAL instruments, and the synths are used for color and texture.

For example, 'The Wild Heart' and 'Rock A Little' have the balance that my ears crave... give or take a few moments.
'The Other Side Of The Mirror' doesn't... give or take a few moments.
Ah! I think I will like Wild Heart more eventually, but to me, the first 4 songs or so suck ass. Then, after that? smooth sailing. :) But i'm sure it will grow on me. I have to confess, though, I really like OSOTM as well. Bella Donna has left me mostly cold so far, except that it has two of my fave songs (and I mean FAV.!) ever, EO17 and SDMHA. Maybe it will take just a little longer to grow on me, but I crave the fastness and weird beats that go along with Synth, when I'm listening to BD. :shrug: The album seems pretty meandering to me, without much beat. Actually, though, I should probably listen to it a bit more - Stevie songs besides the really famous ones often take a few listenings to grow on me. But RAL speaks to me, in that way that I love a kick ass beat to walk to. :p What? what's that you say? She'll go FAST like a jetstream and then FAST like a star stream, then she'll hit you with a fury!? :lol: :p But strangely, I used to hate synth, at least in the way I thought of it before. I was a 70's child in an 80's world (ie, vocal, baby, vocal. and guitars). But now I've come to appreciate it much more, when it's done in an unusual and creative way. :nod:
Innyways.... :p

[Livia]

This is my favorite video. It. is. flawless. Her energy is freaking amazing. Parts of me still wish she was that flamboyant.

I LOL every time I see the part of the video that Letterman kept showing over and over again - where she's bent over and the two birds of Rhiannon are about to bust out and she's doing that finger snap move! :D

[svnwndrs]

I'm a synth fan, too. Stevie used them to her advantage in the 80's, and why not? They work perfectly in her songs, enhancing the mystical image and sound we come to expect from her. But now, if "The Wild Heart" was remastered or remixed, it would sound awesome, and I would love it even more. But Shelly Yakus did a terrible job. It is part of the reason why I don't listen to it anymore.

Stevie got a little smarter on RAL. The whole 80's sound is there. Drum machines and synths galore! But it's good because, back then, when the album was released, it was kind of like "She can keep up with today's sounds". When it was released, BD sounded like a 70's album that Stevie had shelved a few years before, and WH sounded fresh when it came out, but like I said before the sound quality is scary. RAL sounds like Stevie coming back with a different outlook on music, a more hardcore and edgier sound, distancing herself from the "airy fairy" image she presented on WH.

[David]

I'm a synth fan, too. Stevie used them to her advantage in the 80's, and why not?Stevie got a little smarter on RAL. The whole 80's sound is there. Drum machines and synths galore!This is like praising Audrey Hepburn for the film editing or the mise en scene of "My Fair Lady." Especially back then, Stevie was no auteur when it came to the sonic landscape of her albums. She just turned to her producer & said, "Make it magical," or some such, & then stamped it "approved."
When it was released, BD sounded like a 70's album that Stevie had shelved a few years beforeI agree. When I first bought it & played it through, it sounded like a 1970s singer-songwriter album by the L.A. Jackson Browne/Linda Ronstadt/Carly Simon crowd. Really retro sound at the time (when everyone was getting off on stuff like Gary Numan & Human League).

[SuzeQuze]

Ah! I think I will like Wild Heart more eventually, but to me, the first 4 songs or so suck ass. Then, after that? smooth sailing. :) But i'm sure it will grow on me. I have to confess, though, I really like OSOTM as well. Bella Donna has left me mostly cold so far, except that it has two of my fave songs (and I mean FAV.!) ever, EO17 and SDMHA. Maybe it will take just a little longer to grow on me, but I crave the fastness and weird beats that go along with Synth, when I'm listening to BD. :shrug: The album seems pretty meandering to me, without much beat. Actually, though, I should probably listen to it a bit more - Stevie songs besides the really famous ones often take a few listenings to grow on me. But RAL speaks to me, in that way that I love a kick ass beat to walk to. :p What? what's that you say? She'll go FAST like a jetstream and then FAST like a star stream, then she'll hit you with a fury!? :lol: :p But strangely, I used to hate synth, at least in the way I thought of it before. I was a 70's child in an 80's world (ie, vocal, baby, vocal. and guitars). But now I've come to appreciate it much more, when it's done in an unusual and creative way. :nod:
Innyways.... :p

When you finally get your car, put Bella Donna in, relax, drive down the Pacific Coast Highway, and it will speak to you. :nod: It's not a walking/dancing record, but driving, yes. It kept me sane during college. No small feat!

[SuzeQuze]

This post is so brilliant, it makes me want to listen to RAL again because of your perspective. I just became so devastated always thinking of how low Stevie had gotten and how sad that was. But I see your point about the good that came out of all of it, and of course now Stevie is triumphant. I love that about her so much.

:laugh: There you go with the fantastic one-liners again, Curtis.

Reading this thread, I guess I should not be surprised that many of the reasons people dislike Rock A Little are my reasons for liking it. To, me Rock A Little is Stevie Nicks' Tusk--right down to the tripolar personality, unconvential production, experimentalism and lack of musical homogeneity. Like that eccentric Fleetwood Mac album, Rock A Little is self-indulgent. During the recording, Ms. Nicks was falling victim to her rapidly escalating cocaine/alcohol abuse; this is very apparent when listening to both the album and the demos/outtakes.

Despite being in a very altered state of mind, Stevie Nicks managed to write some brilliant music during the Rock A Little era. Upon listening to some of the cuts that did not make the album, I discovered that her writing from that period is much deeper and darker than she is given credit for. To my ears, on this album Stevie Nicks really let loose, putting her entire fragile soul into the recording because at that point there was really nothing else left to live for. I am proud to listen to this album, and I think Ms. Nicks should be proud that she released it. The scope of the music is very wide (Imperial Hotel, I Sing For the Things, and Sister Honey on one side?), and everything about the record as a whole is endlessly multifaceted. It is dark, daring, endlessly fascinating...yet somehow also very catchy, even in its most brooding moments. I have really enjoyed everyone's comments on this thread about how Rock A Little's road to release was, well, rocky.

Based upon select Rock A Little-era bootlegs that have been posted on websites, there are almost two different albums present in the recordings. The earlier demos are dark and a little sinister, having the same quality as film noir somehow. Eventually the music became a frenzied, dance-worthy bundle of white-hot energy. Sandwiched between these two extremes are songs that are among the most tender, beautiful, and heartfelt that I have ever heard: "I Sing For The Things," "She Loves Him Still," and "Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You." As someone mentioned earlier, the sessions have a schizophrenic quality to them; I am not turned off by this quality, I find it breathtaking. That such spitfire, barbed wire, intensity and vulnerability found their way on a single record is something I am very thankful for.

Was Rock A Little a missed opportunity? Not quite, in my mind. I am sorry that the unreleased songs never were released on an album, especially "She Loves Him Still," "Joan of Arc," and "Mirror Mirror." The complete take of "Rock A Little (Go Ahead Lily)" is amazing and a creative triumph. "She Calls You Missing", "Greta," and "Love Is Like A River" all found their way into becoming album tracks that I enjoy (though I have yet to hear the demo versions of them from the eighties). The one song on Rock A Little I used to dislike, "Some Become Strangers," is now a favorite. There could be two discs full of songs making up this album, and I'd be very happy. I love Rock A Little that much, and will no doubt listen to it many a time throughout my life, savoring all of the emotions and reflections it contains. :D

[skcin]

She never had that flamboyance, her white fairy dust did. :laugh:

I really like the video for Every Day. Hate the song, but I think the video is tops. And her black dress makes not one appearance, always a plus. :thumbsup:


I hate the rats & stuff, but she is stunning in that vid. The dresses, the hair, the makeup - flawless! :angel:

[amber]

When you finally get your car, put Bella Donna in, relax, drive down the Pacific Coast Highway, and it will speak to you. :nod: It's not a walking/dancing record, but driving, yes. It kept me sane during college. No small feat!
I could see that. Will do. We could expedite this process if someone would get me a car... :lol:

[GeminiCusp82]

[QUOTE=marmotgirl]...for absolute greatness?

Actually...I would change I Sing For the Things. Lately there has been a master floating around of the instrumental of it. It sounds the same as the RAL album version up until the part where if you were listening to the album version it fades. On the instrumental it doesnt fade and it starts jamming out at the end. They could have left it like that. Also..The Nightmare...ugh lol..not one of my favs but it is ok if I am in a RAL mood. If I Were You is probably my favorite song on the album. TOTALLY HATE IMPERIAL HOTEL. PUKE. LOL everything else is ok. Even Sister Honey is very typical mid-80s style and I do not understand why people diss it. Oh well. Everyone has their own Stevie preferences.

[Wild_Heart03]

Coming in fashionably late here, folks.....

I think I would have to say that RAL is probably my favorite of Stevie's solo albums. I mean sure, nowadays the whole synth-and-drum-machines deal is kind of dated, but you can't deny the energy of the album. There's just something about the ecstatic-ness on this thing that totally draws me in. And ok, so I'm a total sucker for some good 80s synth-pop, lol. You still have to admit there's some awesome writing on this album. HAEWAFY remains one of my top 10 Stevie songs, just because of the lyrics and the beauty of the song.

I have to agree with the whole demos deal though, so many of those demos deserved to be on this album. "Love Is Like A River" is an awesome song, as are "She Loves Him Still" and "Joan of Arc". And that demo of "Running Through The Garden", oh don't even get me started.... I once spent 20 minutes explaining to a friend about how awesome RAL would have been with it on there. :lol:

[David]

The Other Side of the Mirror is a different story, however. The balance is gone, and at times the production is too much. The effect I hear is Stevie's on record persona being drowned out by synthesizers and other such bells and whistles. Off-hand, I think the moments where Rupert Hines' production meshed perfectly were "Rooms On Fire," "Ooh My Love," "Doing The Best I Can (Escape From Berlin)," and probably "Ghosts."There's practically no low end on the kick drum on any of those songs.

The sound techs did the same thing to Rick Marotta's drumming on the 1986 tour.

[chiliD]

When it was released, BD sounded like a 70's album that Stevie had shelved a few years before
I agree. When I first bought it & played it through, it sounded like a 1970s singer-songwriter album by the L.A. Jackson Browne/Linda Ronstadt/Carly Simon crowd.

It should...it had basically the same musicians as those other artists you mentioned, David. Well, the same rhythm section, that is...Russ Kunkel & Bob Glaub. :shrug: