Enough Already!

[Lala]

What songs are you totally sick of hearing? Every time they come on, you dive for the skip button.

For me...

Monday Morning - Maybe because it's the first track off both FM and VBOFM, but I feel like I've heard it a lot. It's also one of the first tracks I downloaded when I knew nothing and was just getting into the band. It's a strong track, I'm just sick of it.

Dreams (live) - I have not heard a live version of this song that comes close to living up to the original. The original is just...simple magic. The live versions just seem to always be lacking. Very early, Stevie stopped reaching the high notes on "it's only right", which is so beautiful on the studio version. Obviously the band hears something we don't on stage since they've been playing it live constantly since it came out.

I'll post more as I think of them. Post away!

[Madness Fades]

Sara - I really dont have any apperciation for this song. I goes off as quick as it goes on.

and

Running through the Garden. This always gets the fast foward treatment

[Sahara]

Dreams also. In any form, live or otherwise.

And to a certain though lesser extent, Rhiannon.

[Lala]

Sara - I really dont have any apperciation for this song. I goes off as quick as it goes on.

:shocked:

I couldn't disagree more.

[Jyqm]

Very early, Stevie stopped reaching the high notes on "it's only right", which is so beautiful on the studio version.

Thing is, they're not even really "high notes," per se. They're falsetto. How tough is it to sing a couple words falsetto?

Obviously the band hears something we don't on stage since they've been playing it live constantly since it came out.

You don't really think the reason Stevie and Fleetwood Mac keep performing this in concert has anything to do with anything intrinsic to the song, do you?

[Lala]

You don't really think the reason Stevie and Fleetwood Mac keep performing this in concert has anything to do with anything intrinsic to the song, do you?

So you're saying their logic is that it's one of their biggest hits and only number one song.

(I had to look up intrinsic...I'll admit it)

[goldustsongbird]

Dreams, unless it's The Dance or studio version. If I'm listening to boots, I skip OTR/Dreams (I can't stand OTR at all). My mom suggested I just not download it when I d/l boots, instead of attacking my skip button each time, but I'm a sucker for completion. :p

Don't Stop grates on my nerves. I'll listen to it if I come across it on the radio but other than that...

Piano Rhiannon.

[Jyqm]

So you're saying their logic is that it's one of their biggest hits and only number one song.

Their only number one in the US, anyway. But yes, of course. Stevie herself is on record in the early 80s saying that was all "Dreams"-ed out, or something to that effect. And yet she has continued to perform it every single night without fail for three decades, because she thinks that that's what people want to hear.

[Miss Vicky]

<i>Rumours</i> That's right, the whole damn thing. Except maybe for "Second Hand News;" that one is still tolerable.

"Landslide" I've gotten to the point where I HATE this song and every version of it I've ever heard. Not helped by the fact that the local radio station routinely plays both The Dance version and the cover by The Dixie Bitches.

[Madness Fades]

Miss Vicky Rumours That's right; the whole damn thing.

Thats maybe a tad harsh.

Rumours is nothing but genius in every way.

[The Catdancer]

Landslide. I think she said in Autralia:"The song that just will not die" or something like that. Well, I wish it would. I can't stand it anymore.

[Johnny Stew]

All live versions of "Big Love."

[Miss Vicky]

Rumours is nothing but genius in every way.

To you, maybe.

[GarboSpeaks!]

I agree that Rumours is genius. Sadly it's just one that won't die to then resurface. It just stays and stays in the public eye. Good for FM. Keeps them on the map 24/7. Just for us die-hards, it's become SO tiresome! I listened to it front to back the other day and enjoyed it, but was like "ok, that's my Rumours quota for the year." Then later that day I get into my car. One classic rock station has GYOW playing. Later that evening, same classic rock station...Dreams. ENOUGH ALREADY! lol

If it compltely went away, then came back from time to time, it'd be ok. Like Tusk. It's always there, but every 3 years or so, it "resurfaces" as a gem. The way it ought to. How often do you here Tusk cuts...well NM, when we do, it is Sara I suppose. I'm not tired of that song at all though. I just don't hear it often. Today it's rainy here. Today would be a good "Sara" day. lol

[foxyluva]

I always skip "Don't Stop"

I always skip "Monday Morning"

I always skip "Silver Girl"

Im sure there are others - but can't think of any right now

[redrover86]

I agree with Miss Vicky, I'm so sick of Rumours. The only songs I can tolerate are Second Hand News, Never Going Back Again, and I Don't Want to Know.

Everything else is so overplayed...there's only so many times you can hear "Don't Stop" or "Dreams" without going completely insane.

Other songs...
-I'm So Afraid
-Landslide
-Rhiannon (unless it's live before 1981)

and lastly...I know it's not a FM song, but Edge of Seventeen...seriously, ENOUGH ALREADY! :sorry:

[Jyqm]

All live versions of "Big Love."

Agreed! This was once a major highlight, a totally new and kickass twist on an old song which proved that Lindsey was capable of completely revamping his work in a way that kept it exciting and fresh.

And then he played it every night yet again on the SYW tour... and put it on the Live in Boston CD... and put it on the Soundstage DVD... Enough already!

I'll also throw in a vote for all live versions of "Go Your Own Way." This song is never going to sound like it does on Rumours, and the harder Lindsey tries, the clunkier performances of this song get. This song is actually begging for some type of "Big Love"-esque re-arrangement. And once again, it was totally unnecessary to include it on Soundstage, and on the Live in Boston CD.

Actually, there might have to be a whole thread about just how much the Live in Boston CD sucks balls. What a worthless piece of ****.

[Johnny Stew]

The strange thing is that I never get sick of 'Rumours.' I guess when I listen to it, I can get past the thousands of times the songs have been played on the radio or in concert, and appreciate the music on its own merit.
So when I hear "Dreams" or "Don't Stop" or "Go Your Own Way," I still feel the way I did the very first time I heard them. They remain fresh for me and I'm always impressed by how expertly crafted that album is.

No, it shouldn't be considered the be-all and end-all of Fleetwood Mac's recorded output, but it certainly earns its rightful place as one of the benchmarks in their career.

[Angelick Witch]

The strange thing is that I never get sick of 'Rumours.' I guess when I listen to it, I can get past the thousands of times the songs have been played on the radio or in concert, and appreciate the music on its own merit.
So when I hear "Dreams" or "Don't Stop" or "Go Your Own Way," I still feel the way I did the very first time I heard them. They remain fresh for me and I'm always impressed by how expertly crafted that album is.


Hear, hear! If anyone asked me, I wouldn't say I loved Rumours more than any other album ever on the face of this earth, but I realised that it's about the only one that I don't skip _something_ on time on and time off.

I always skip, to pick just one, When I See You Again. It always seems to go on for too long. That's not because I hear it on the radio too much, because I don't listen to the radio, so I never hear Fleetwood Mac on it!

[David]

So when I hear "Dreams" or "Don't Stop" or "Go Your Own Way," I still feel the way I did the very first time I heard them. They remain fresh for me and I'm always impressed by how expertly crafted that album is.Absolutely. The craftsmanship continues to please. I'm sick of hearing Rumours too, but one has to separate one's fatigue with these ubiquitous songs from one's reasoned appraisal of their strengths, & their strengths are all very real. You know, the Hollywood Bowl concerts feature the Ninth Symphony every summer, too, but that doesn't reflect directly on the composition, it reflects on the programmers. If anything, constantly played music like the Ninth or like Rumours can be even more highly regarded because, if they were lesser artistic creations, their overplay would have utterly killed most of us a long time ago.
No, it shouldn't be considered the be-all and end-all of Fleetwood Mac's recorded output, but it certainly earns its rightful place as one of the benchmarks in their career.I think it's still the best-engineered of all Fleetwood mac albums. The only thing I feel misses the mark is the concert hall reverb on Songbird, but they apparently deliberately did that & wanted that. Everything else on Rumours, in terms of technology & craftsmanship, is so far ahead of other pop music of the era that it's almost like a joke with a weird punchline.

There's some Earth Wind & Fire material from that era which also makes a major craftsmanship statement, but so little else at that level.

[golddustwoman77]

I'm going with "Don't Stop." I almost always skip it. For some reason, it is soooo played out in my mind. :shrug:

[HomerMcvie]

Actually, there might have to be a whole thread about just how much the Live in Boston CD sucks balls. What a worthless piece of ****.
Truer words have never been spoken. I bought it the day it came out, and I have yet to watch it three times. It's craptacular! The background singers......the orchestra......the lead vocals with the 4 note range.......the song selections........
I want a refund! Maybe it'll be out of print someday:D , and some fool will pay me for it.

[equeen102289]

Without a doubt, Don't Stop.
It is WAY over played, and it never was a favorite in the first place. Yeah I know Dreams is played too much too, but for some reason I never get tired of it. Probably because I'm more of a Stevie fan than a Christine.

[chiliD]

<i>Rumours</i> That's right, the whole damn thing.

Well, I still can bear "Go Your Own Way" & "You Make Loving Fun" (I just found out, since I actually listened to the whole friggin' album last week for the first time in about 4 years).

[SortaSavageLike]

I don't care if I never hear Don't Stop or Go Your Own Way again for the rest of my life. So there.

And I'd personally pay every DJ in Connecticut five cents ever time they played Kind of Woman instead of Leather and Lace. They played that damn thing so many times last October you'd think Stevie died, and that was the only song she'd ever written. :rolleyes:

[SortaSavageLike]

Perhaps I shouldn't be participating in this thread, because every time somebody posts negative comments about something I like I just seem to like it more. :p

[Miss Vicky]

I actually listened to the whole friggin' album last week for the first time in about 4 years.

:shocked:

I don't know what to say to this.

Then again, I actually listened to all of Stevie's <i>Timespace</i> the other night, and we all know how much I LOVE her. :rolleyes:

[Lala]

I always skip, to pick just one, When I See You Again. It always seems to go on for too long.

I'm always holding out for Lindsey's part at the end because it's the moment that saves the song from being crap and has the power to make me depressed and emotional.

Go figure.

[elie]

I always skip Don't stop and it's not that I got tired of it - I never ever like it, not even a little bit.
And I usually skip most Christine's songs, but (I 'll probably be flamed for this) I am not a fan of hers at all (with the exception of a few songs I like, esp.You make loving fun)

As to Dreams, I probably never skipped it once in my life. And with Sara, I might press the repeat button when it's over.:)

[elie]

I always skip Don't stop and it's not that I got tired of it - I never ever like it, not even a little bit.
And I usually skip most Christine's songs, but (I 'll probably be flamed for this) I am not a fan of hers at all (with the exception of a few songs I like, esp.You make loving fun)

As to Dreams, I probably never skipped it once in my life. And with Sara, I might press the repeat button when it's over.:)

[HomerMcvie]

I always skip Don't stop and it's not that I got tired of it - I never ever like it, not even a little bit.
And I usually skip most Christine's songs, but (I 'll probably be flamed for this) I am not a fan of hers at all (with the exception of a few songs I like, esp.You make loving fun)

As to Dreams, I probably never skipped it once in my life. And with Sara, I might press the repeat button when it's over.:)
Alas, there's no accounting for taste.......or oddly, lack of taste, either.:shocked:

[elie]

Alas, there's no accounting for taste.......or oddly, lack of taste, either.:shocked:

I usually agree with that sentence myself, however I don't see how it is relevant here :angel:
Does not liking Christine's songs qualify as bad taste?

[macfan 57]

Does not liking Christine's songs qualify as bad taste?

I'll let Homer answer that.;):laugh:

[skcin]

Don't Stop
Landslide
Any live version of Big Love

[TheBlueLamp]

Don't Stop. We had to sing this in school way before I even knew who Fleetwood Mac was. Disliked it then, dislike it now.

Live Rhiannon. It's just dull (these days)

Live Big Love. It's an amazing song but I'd rather hear it done more like the album version.

[HomerMcvie]

I'll let Homer answer that.;):laugh:
Eh, why bother?

[David]

Eh, why bother?I like Christine, so NEENER NEENER.

[elie]

Eh, why bother?

My question was not sarcastic, nor rhetorical, so you could have answered. Seriously.;)

[DavidMn]

Don't Stop

Hold Me

[DavidMn]

In regards to my last post, before all the Christine people tear me to pieces, I do like her very much, just not those 2 songs.:nod:

[JazmenFlowers]

Thing is, they're not even really "high notes," per se. They're falsetto. How tough is it to sing a couple words falsetto?
I don't think it's the ability to sing falsetto but the ability to switch between head and chest voice that's frightens Stevie. maybe. I'm just guessing.

for me, it depends on what the words are before and after the falsetto part that determine how difficult it is to do...with Dreams it would seem pretty easy...there's time to get air, etc. so I don't know how to explain the fear.

but to answer the topic, I don't get tired of any of the songs really. I think that some evolve better than others, but there's always something special about each performance that I can appreciate.

[DavidMn]

Just to be fair, I'll put in some others that I dont really care for too.

Dreams Live.

I'm So Afraid, Rhiannon, studio versions

[Sahara]

I'm always holding out for Lindsey's part at the end because it's the moment that saves the song from being crap and has the power to make me depressed and emotional.

Go figure.

Absolutely. Gets me every single time.

[The Tower]

I don't think it's the ability to sing falsetto but the ability to switch between head and chest voice that's frightens Stevie. maybe. I'm just guessing.

for me, it depends on what the words are before and after the falsetto part that determine how difficult it is to do...with Dreams it would seem pretty easy...there's time to get air, etc. so I don't know how to explain the fear.
Stevie is a throaty-belter-yeller. I don't think she's comfortable at all with the breathiness and lack of power that comes with falsetto. Before Bella Donna- okay, after Bella Donna- no way.

And then it just got Stevie Syndromed out- meaning, Stevie is lazy and if it's easier to sing "Dreams" and "Sorcerer" without the falsetto, then go for it and why bother to change. There are so many things that Stevie chooses not do that she is perfectly capable of pulling off.

[JazmenFlowers]

Stevie is a throaty-belter-yeller. I don't think she's comfortable at all with the breathiness and lack of power that comes with falsetto. Before Bella Donna- okay, after Bella Donna- no way.

And then it just got Stevie Syndromed out- meaning, Stevie is lazy and if it's easier to sing "Dreams" and "Sorcerer" without the falsetto, then go for it and why bother to change. There are so many things that Stevie chooses not do that she is perfectly capable of pulling off.
very true.

I know while preparing for NOTS I was like, f*ck it, I'm not doing this part or that part...what if I screw it up...it'd be much easier to just do this. in the end, I went for it and I'm glad I did. I wish Stevie would just say f*ck it and not be so self-critical or self-concious (or just plain lazy), whichever it is.

[The Tower]

I know while preparing for NOTS I was like, f*ck it, I'm not doing this part or that part...what if I screw it up...it'd be much easier to just do this. in the end, I went for it and I'm glad I did. I wish Stevie would just say f*ck it and not be so self-critical or self-concious (or just plain lazy), whichever it is.
I have this odd feeling that Stevie does a lot of second guessing. Her set lists and vocal performances tend to stay safe and familiar, and I keep wondering to myself, "Where the hell does this concept come from??" Is it Stevie herself, or are there others involved who create these things?

On a side/threadjack note:

Did you do the "OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHAHHHAHHAHHAHHHHHHAWEEEELLLALALAAAAAAHHHHH !!!!!" at the end of the guitar solo ?? ;) That part is soooo shreddy/raggedy! It's fun to just rip that sucker. :nod:

[Jyqm]

I don't think it's the ability to sing falsetto but the ability to switch between head and chest voice that's frightens Stevie. maybe. I'm just guessing.

for me, it depends on what the words are before and after the falsetto part that determine how difficult it is to do...with Dreams it would seem pretty easy...there's time to get air, etc. so I don't know how to explain the fear.

As Tower mentioned, I'm sure part of it is just laziness and worry that she might not hit the notes perfectly, so it's better to play it totally safe than maybe be sorry. I think there's more to it than that, though. Whenever it was that she started training with a vocal coach, whoever that person was, I think they scared her silly about singing with gusto. I think she'd rather play it totally safe sing somewhat boringly for ten more years than sing her heart out and maybe have her voice finally give out before she wants to quit the road.

Plus, we know she still smokes, and we know she idolizes Bob and Joni, and look what's happened to them. Their voices are still all right (although opinions certainly vary on that), but they sure don't sing like they used to.

(By the way, congratulations on your NOTS performance.)

---

As far as people being sick of Rumours completely: As much as I complain about those songs being boring albatrosses in concert, I don't think I could ever tire of the album itself. It's as perfect a pop album as there ever was, and I know it so well, it's like a stuffed animal or a security blanket. It's a comfort album for me. Maybe it's something about all of them turning so much misery and hard times into something so beautiful.

I'm listening to it now.

[JazmenFlowers]

I have this odd feeling that Stevie does a lot of second guessing. Her set lists and vocal performances tend to stay safe and familiar, and I keep wondering to myself, "Where the hell does this concept come from??" Is it Stevie herself, or are there others involved who create these things?
that's exactly what I think/wonder

On a side/threadjack note:

Did you do the "OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHAHHHAHHAHHAHHHHHHAWEEEELLLALALAAAAAAHHHHH !!!!!" at the end of the guitar solo ?? ;) That part is soooo shreddy/raggedy! It's fun to just rip that sucker. :nod:
I did. that's what got the best response and I added an extra one at the very, very end as the music trailed off

[JazmenFlowers]

As Tower mentioned, I'm sure part of it is just laziness and worry that she might not hit the notes perfectly, so it's better to play it totally safe than maybe be sorry. I think there's more to it than that, though. Whenever it was that she started training with a vocal coach, whoever that person was, I think they scared her silly about singing with gusto. I think she'd rather play it totally safe sing somewhat boringly for ten more years than sing her heart out and maybe have her voice finally give out before she wants to quit the road.

Plus, we know she still smokes, and we know she idolizes Bob and Joni, and look what's happened to them. They're voices are still all right (although opinions certainly vary on that), but they sure don't sing like they used to.

(By the way, congratulations on your NOTS performance.)

---

As far as people being sick of Rumours completely: As much as I complain about those songs being boring albatrosses in concert, I don't think I could ever tire of the album itself. It's as perfect a pop album as there ever was, and I know it so well, it's like a stuffed animal or a security blanket. It's a comfort album for me. Maybe it's something about all of them turning so much misery and hard times into something so beautiful.

I'm listening to it now.
I imagine that's true. sometimes I can psych myself out into not thinking I can hit certain notes.

and thanks.

[cliffdweller]

And to a certain though lesser extent, Rhiannon.

Ha! To me, this is Stevie's "Go Your Own Way," i.e., a song I never tire of no matter how many times I hear it, and it always feels like the first time I'm hearing it--it's that fresh and amazing. And I'm talking about the studio version. I love it, I'd put it on repeat if I could get away with it.

The songs I get tired of are Don't Stop and YMLF. These songs are grossly overplayed on the radio.

[cliffdweller]

I'll also throw in a vote for all live versions of "Go Your Own Way." This song is never going to sound like it does on Rumours, and the harder Lindsey tries, the clunkier performances of this song get.


:nod: I concur. Why can't they rock this up good and proper and quit making it sound like some old, tired top 40's adult contemporary snooze-fest? They could really do something searingly rocking with this, I mean really turn it up to 11, but they don't. Talk about your missed opportunities.

[paperflowers]

All live versions of "Big Love."


MEEE TOOOO OY!

I can't stand that song any version of it that and "My little Demon"

[David]

Whenever it was that she started training with a vocal coach, whoever that person was, I think they scared her silly about singing with gusto.Maybe her coach (who started with her in '97) emphasized a perspective that was already there. But Stevie started singing 'safe' on the 1987 tour. That's really when it started, & it has continued unstopped since then. Even during periods when she had a good voice back again, like in 1994 & 1998 & even in 2001 on TV, she was still in her permanent 'safe' mode. I guess by 'safe' I mean that her older style, so heavily dependent on ad libs & concocting different melodic arcs right at the moment of performance, has completely vanished & has been replaced by a firm, square-on, more studied, more diaphragm-reliant projection, with clear intonation & greatly subdued dynamic extremes.
I think she'd rather play it totally safe sing somewhat boringly for ten more years than sing her heart out and maybe have her voice finally give out before she wants to quit the road.That could be it--fear of losing her voice--but I think it's a less rational psychology at work: Singing the way she does today (1987 to the present) seems to be a repression of old memories that have become shameful or even painful, as well as a sublimation of reckless energies that she is convinced now nearly killed her & certainly created pain for her family.

Finally, there's a purely physical reason: Age constricts voice pliability--the voice cord's ability to go from high to low & back in rapid periods of time. With age, a general vocal sluggishness sets in with most people. It might have to do with bones & other parts of the face (all of which play a role in what we sound like) changing with age. The other thing that happens, particularly with anyone who ever smoked, is that lungs have to work harder to process oxygen & carbon dioxide. It all ****s up what you sound like when you sing.

[Mad4stevie]

Oh Daddy. Skip it every time.

Rhiannon - the live BN ones that sound off tune to me.

Silver Girl - BLECH.

Not that Funny - especially that obnoxious Mirage boot version.

[Johnny Stew]

I'm sure part of it is just laziness and worry that she might not hit the notes perfectly, so it's better to play it totally safe than maybe be sorry.I still have a hard time believing it's laziness... no matter how often that word is thrown around. I mean, if the woman were truly lazy, she wouldn't bother to tour at all. She could just sit on a beach somewhere, drink Mojitos, and collect royalty checks.

I think it all comes down to insecurity and a profound worry that her voice will give out, and she'll be back to the blistering reviews of yesteryear.
As fans, it's frustrating for us because we know what she's capable of... but I can also understand where she's coming from.

[Johnny Stew]

I guess by 'safe' I mean that her older style, so heavily dependent on ad libs & concocting different melodic arcs right at the moment of performance, has completely vanished & has been replaced by a firm, square-on, more studied, more diaphragm-reliant projection, with clear intonation & greatly subdued dynamic extremes.Do you think we have different expectation levels for a Stevie Nicks performance than we do for, say, Christine? I can't think of many times (if any) where Christine ad-libbed something significantly different from the written lyrics, or where she threw caution to the wind and tinkered with the vocal melody. Yet I never hear anyone expressing the desire that she would.

Is it harder for someone who's playing an instrument to take those kinds of risks, or is it simply dependant on the performer's demeanor?

[David]

Do you think we have different expectation levels for a Stevie Nicks performance than we do for, say, Christine?Yes, of course. The expectations for high energy are always different for the star of the band.
I can't think of many times (if any) where Christine ad-libbed something significantly different from the written lyrics, or where she threw caution to the wind and tinkered with the vocal melody. Yet I never hear anyone expressing the desire that she would.Makes sense. Chris never generated expectations among her audience that she would sing, move or look like Stevie, so such expectations never influenced people. The expectations for Christine's performances were that she would be the calm in the storm & all that yadda yadda.
Is it harder for someone who's playing an instrument to take those kinds of risks, or is it simply dependant on the performer's demeanor?Just in general, it's probably harder for someone playing an instrument to let loose in the old Stevie Nicks way (not always, though), but in general it's just a difference of personality, I would say. Christine never played parts that required every last drop of concentration. She's just not a Stevie personality.

[Jyqm]

Do you think we have different expectation levels for a Stevie Nicks performance than we do for, say, Christine? I can't think of many times (if any) where Christine ad-libbed something significantly different from the written lyrics, or where she threw caution to the wind and tinkered with the vocal melody. Yet I never hear anyone expressing the desire that she would.

Is it harder for someone who's playing an instrument to take those kinds of risks, or is it simply dependant on the performer's demeanor?

Christine never wrote songs with melodies that required her to do the kinds of vocal gymnastics Stevie did with hers. No one ever expected Christine to belt out "Over my Head" or "Songbird," because that's not the way those songs were written, and that's not how she ever performed them. But you can't blame Stevie's fans for expecting her to howl away and hit the high notes on songs like "Rhiannon" and "Gold Dust Woman" and "Gypsy" when she wrote and performed them that way for years. I don't think anyone has any expectations of Stevie that she didn't bring upon herself.

Also, I think Christine always considered herself more of a pianist than a singer, and always carried herself as such. Whereas Stevie is "just" a singer. And if you're going to bill yourself as a singer and a frontperson of a band, there are going to be some expectations that you can really SING.

[jannieC]

I skip <i>Dreams</i>, and <i>Silver Girl</i>, too.

<i>Edge of Seventeen, Rhiannon</i> (preferably live), <i>Gold Dust Woman, Gypsy, Silver Springs, and Go Your Own Way</i>, are songs I could NEVER tire of.

As far as the debate on whether Stevie is lazy or scared, I'm going to definitely go with scared. I think it's one thing to be able to hit those special notes once in a while, but quite another night after night on a tour. I just think Stevie has always tried to pace herself. It's not something I love to see, but it is what it is.

[Sliztzan]

I don't listen to radio much anymore. The ads drive me crazy. I say Don't Stop has worn out their needle though.

[strandinthewind]

I have this odd feeling that Stevie does a lot of second guessing. Her set lists and vocal performances tend to stay safe and familiar, and I keep wondering to myself, "Where the hell does this concept come from??" Is it Stevie herself, or are there others involved who create these things? . . . .

I also think she is, for want of a better word, lazy. For example, when she and Waddy were talking about doing the song Bella Donna on, I think, the TISL tour - La Nicks responded that they rehearsed it, but they did not remember it being so hard to do live, so they dropped it. Well, hello, when you are one of the best paid and most experienced singers in the world, which she is -- sometimes you gotta work for it. I mean she sings in three part harmony all the time with the girls in other songs. What makes that song so different other than it takes concentration and effort to relearn it as opposed to the rote auto pilot parts on Rhiannnon, Dreams, etc.? I mean she NAILED the If Anyone Falls a capella ending three part harmonies in Vegas (chills on my arms during it) and those essentially are the same as the ones in Bella Donna, though admittedly there are more in the latter. Personally, though it requires more concentration to sing in a tight harmony vocal, it is easier because you have to concentrate - at least that is my experience.

To her credit, she makes millions a year doing what she is doing -- and not listening to my unsolicited advice :laugh:

[Johnny Stew]

Chris never generated expectations among her audience that she would sing, move or look like Stevie, so such expectations never influenced people.My question wasn't in regards to whether audiences should have expected Christine to do anything "like" Stevie, per se, but whether Christine ever did anything that set her own particular bar higher. For those who attended shows, was a Christine McVie performance in 1997 any more or less dynamic than a Christine McVie performance in 1977? Or was it always a totally even keel?

I don't think anyone has any expectations of Stevie that she didn't bring upon herself.I guess that raises another question... did Stevie raise her personal bar to a point where she couldn't help but eventually fail to reach it? Obviously many in her audience are still expecting to see something like they saw 25 years ago, regardless of whether Stevie is physically or vocally up to that challenge.

You know how I feel about the latter discussion... I still think her early '80s to mid-'80s performances are something of an anomaly when compared to footage of her first few tours with FM, where she really only cut loose on one or two tunes, like "Rhiannon." I think her performances today are closer to those performances than anything.

Anyway, I'm hijacking the thread with all of these questions and ponderings. :o

[The Tower]

I guess that raises another question... did Stevie raise her personal bar to a point where she couldn't help but eventually fail to reach it?
The answer is no.

Her personal bar hit a peak around Mirage/The Wild Heart. After that, she decided to lower things gradually for whatever reason. Getting rid of Jimmy Iovine, the whole Rock A Little tour mess, Tango in the Night (:shocked: ), and on down the line until the point where she considers a mediocre album like TISL to be her "masterpiece".

I think if she would have continued concentrating on her songwriting craft, instead of concentrating on her personal desires and drugs, she could have gone further. Mirage was the last gasp of her truly great songwriting- after that, she was "co-writing" material (meaning she had no musical ideas whatsoever, but preferred to caterwaul to others' submitted cassettes of 80's/90's synth-pop) and I feel her creative direction was gone.

[David]

My question wasn't in regards to whether audiences should have expected Christine to do anything "like" Stevie, per se, but whether Christine ever did anything that set her own particular bar higher. For those who attended shows, was a Christine McVie performance in 1997 any more or less dynamic than a Christine McVie performance in 1977? Or was it always a totally even keel?Oh. I'd say she's been consistent (i.e., consistently her same old self) throughout the various eras of her live career. Sure, sometimes there was a creaky night here & there, but that's not what we're talking about, I'm sure you'd agree. We're talking about much larger evolutions: macrocharacteristics.
You know how I feel about the latter discussion... I still think her early '80s to mid-'80s performances are something of an anomaly when compared to footage of her first few tours with FM, where she really only cut loose on one or two tunes, like "Rhiannon." I think her performances today are closer to those performances than anything.Sorry, but I see practically no similarity in vocal delivery, movement or looks between 1975's Stevie & today's Stevie. The 1975 Stevie gives off a charismatic vibe--whether she's letting loose on "Rhiannon" or hanging way back on "Why"--that I feel is simply gone these days. It goes way beyond just those few numbers she Joplinated herself for.

[Johnny Stew]

Sorry, but I see practically no similarity in vocal delivery, movement or looks between 1975's Stevie & today's Stevie....I was meaning more in terms of movement, which I do think is similar in many ways (when she's wearing her boots, at least -- in the Reeboks, she looks weighted down). Obviously her voice has changed, and she's lost a lot of range -- though I think she's largely handled that in a dignified fashion. I also think she's still a very charismatic performer, but in a different way. I can easily see how that vibrant young woman from the '70s would have evolved into the stately middle-aged woman of today. She's just as beautiful and compelling now, in my opinion -- but in a different way.

Anyway, that's just my opinion. We all have varying perceptions and expectations and desires in regards to our favorite performers. I can't say my expectations for Stevie have always been fulfilled, but I'm largely satisfied... and I consider myself lucky in those regards. :)

[Jyqm]

I guess that raises another question... did Stevie raise her personal bar to a point where she couldn't help but eventually fail to reach it? Obviously many in her audience are still expecting to see something like they saw 25 years ago, regardless of whether Stevie is physically or vocally up to that challenge.

I don't think anyone here is expecting Stevie to return to her late 70s/early 80s form. Nobody's being unreasonable. Actually, most of the complaints seem to be prhased along the lines of, "I know she doesn't have that much range now, but..." There are notes that she clearly is still capable of hitting, but she chooses not to.

[Johnny Stew]

I don't think anyone here is expecting Stevie to return to her late 70s/early 80s form. Nobody's being unreasonable. Actually, most of the complaints seem to be prhased along the lines of, "I know she doesn't have that much range now, but..." There are notes that she clearly is still capable of hitting, but she chooses not to.I didn't say anyone was necessarily being unreasonable. I'd like to see her hit some of those notes sometimes, too, since I feel that she can. I simply don't agree that it's out of laziness that she doesn't, and I can see why she would want to preserve her voice on a long tour. I can also see why she wouldn't want to revisit the days when she took vocal chances on stage, but critics wrote blistering reviews regarding the state of her voice when she failed to hit those notes.

Meanwhile, we've gone way off topic! :laugh: