Stevie albums...

[TheWILDheart]

This started with an argument between me and Friend: Wild Heart vs. OSOTM. I prefer Wild Heart but she disagreed. I was just intrested to what other's think. My personal Fave is Bella Donna. I love it. I also Love Wild Heart. OSOTM is great. Very, VERY good. But not quite on the same level cos it has the awful "Two Kinds of Love", "Alice" and "I Still Miss Someone" on it. I can't stand Rock a Little...any of it (except I Can't Wait and HAEWAFY) Street Angel is sort of average. I love Blue Denim and Listen to the Rain but it sorta gets boring after a bit. Trouble is just....it's as good as Bella Donna. Very different but i still love it. Ok, so lets get voting.

[chiliD]

It's Trouble In Shangri-la all the way for me. I didn't think she'd ever release an album (in its entirety) that would top Bella Donna ever again, but she sure did.

As far as the best "side" of an album, that would be side 2 of Rock A Little...nothing she's done has topped THAT (on vinyl, that is). For me, it would tough to top:

Talk To Me
The Nightmare
If I Were You
No Spoken Word
Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You

Except if she'd put "I Can't Wait" to open side two and moved "Talk To Me" down a spot and removed "The Nightmare" altogether. (thanks to CD programming capability)

I Can't Wait
Talk To Me
If I Were You
No Spoken Word
Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You

[shackin'up]

bella donna it is.

[DrummerDeanna]

It was a toss-up for me - but I finally went with Bella Donna because it's still the album I listen to most - therefore it must be my favorite :laugh:

I also love Trouble in Shangri-La and The Wild Heart - but the favorite remains Bella Donna.

[Kelly]

Trouble in ShangriLa

Second place is Wild Heart...

[SapphireSister]

Depending on the day, it switches between RAL and TISL. RAL has a few medicore songs but none that I flat out don't like. TISL has more songs that I love than RAL but also has ones I cannot listen to at all. THW would be after those 2.

[Johnny Stew]

I'm going to think about this for a bit before I vote. For me, my "favorite" Stevie album is always a tie between 'The Wild Heart' and 'Rock A Little.' Though 'Shangri-La' nips at their heels.

My fave album will never be 'Bella Donna'... it's too safe and mellow for my ears, and doesn't display near enough of the Stevie-eccentricities that I find so compelling.

[danax6]

I hate this question.

[MacMan]

I hate this question.

I do too, cause I like all the albums for different reasons. They are all so different!

But based on amount played - I'd have to go with Rock-a-Little. Next up would probably have to be Trouble In Shangri-la.

Bella Donna I hadn't listened to in a few years - the whole cd from the start to the finish and not too long ago when I did, it struck me how mellow it actually is. It's good, but mellow.

[mikeschmike]

This changes all the time for me, but currently it's OSOTM. I'm over the big hits for the time being, and this cd is really fitting in with my mood lately.

[witchy-poo]

tisl is her best work.

[BlackWidow]

Trouble In Shangri-LA ROCKS!

[amber]

tisl is her best work.

Um...yeah...:shocked: :laugh: If you like a 4 note range more than, say, a 10 note one...Also if you like that range to be in, say, the tuba area rather than the trumpet area.
:) :wavey:

Welcome to the board. :angel:

First RAL was my favorite, and I didn't like WH, now WH is my favorite. BD is greatness, of course - it has some favorites, but for me right now, WH is that wonderful moment in time, that bridge, between much reduced range (RAL) and a fairly pure voice (BD). In other words, it is vocally strange and erratic, but it still contains some good range. Also, it is coke fueled enough to be more bizarre than BD, but not so coke fueled that it suffered from RALitis. (don't get me wrong, I love RAL).

[macmar71]

I did not get into Fleetwood Mac until 1982 and I know Bella Donna was still unleashing hits into 1982 but I really did not get into Bella Donna so I can never call it a favorite. Wild Heart was my first solo purchase and it was incredible, though radio ran Stand Back into the ground. RAL was special for me as it was the first time I bought her album and then got to see her in concert. I love OSOTM with all its visions and fairytale like world. Street Angel had half a disc's worth of good songs and the other half was flat. But as I sit here I must say TISL is my favorite with RAL & Wild Heart close behind.

[markolas]

Bella Donna is the only one I'd put on a list of my favorite albums in general. I never really liked The Wild Heart much; RAL is better, but I can't say it's as good as Bella Donna, because her lyrics had stopped making sense around the time of...well...The Wild Heart. TOSOTM is too draggy, she sounds tired. Street Angel has a couple of shining moments (the title song and the Dylan cover, namely), but is largely RAL's ugly stepchild. TISL is almost on the level of Bella Donna, but there are some clunkers there that drag it down a notch.

[amber]

Bella Donna is the only one I'd put on a list of my favorite albums in general. I never really liked The Wild Heart much; RAL is better, but I can't say it's as good as Bella Donna, because her lyrics had stopped making sense around the time of...well...The Wild Heart. TOSOTM is too draggy, she sounds tired. Street Angel has a couple of shining moments (the title song and the Dylan cover, namely), but is largely RAL's ugly stepchild. TISL is almost on the level of Bella Donna, but there are some clunkers there that drag it down a notch.

I didn't used to like WH either, but why don't you care for it, If I may ask? Why do you think RAL is better than WH? Why is BD the best?
I used to not like WH much because of the...uh...I dunno, just didn't like a lot of the notes, they seemed major-ey.
And why do you think TISL is on the level of BD?

[foxyluva]

"Trouble in Shangri-La" for me as well. Although, I consider "TISL" "Wild Heart" and "Bella Donna" all 5 star albums...

I may be one of the few here who actually really doesn't care for 'Rock A Little' :shrug:

[amber]

"Trouble in Shangri-La" for me as well. Although, I consider "TISL" "Wild Heart" and "Bella Donna" all 5 star albums...

I may be one of the few here who actually really doesn't care for 'Rock A Little' :shrug:

Good god, there's a massive infiltration of people who think TISL is the most awesome! It defies logic. :confused:

"new, crappy school"

[markolas]

I didn't used to like WH either, but why don't you care for it, If I may ask?

Well, I like it just a little better than I used to, but still not very much. I don't care for the keyboard-y sound, and...I dunno...it just seems a little uneven. It's hard to explain. I do like Sable on Blond now, though. And I Will Run to You.

Why do you think RAL is better than WH?

It just seems more fun. It's funkier. Even though her voice is shaky on several songs.

Why is BD the best?

I'm partial to country-rock, and BD sort of has that sound to it. It's also very cohesive. I can listen to it from start to finish and not feel the overpowering urge to skip songs.

And why do you think TISL is on the level of BD?

It's the one that I can come closest to letting it play all the way through. I have to skip Too Far from Texas and That Made Me Stronger (and maybe Love Changes), so that's what keeps me from giving it the full four stars, or whatever.

[Johnny Stew]

Good god, there's a massive infiltration of people who think TISL is the most awesome! It defies logic. :confused:That's ok -- I can never figure out why so many people choose 'Bella Donna.' :shrug:

[foxyluva]

Good god, there's a massive infiltration of people who think TISL is the most awesome! It defies logic. :confused:

"new, crappy school"

Amber, we disagree on everything about Stevie, and again, this is no exception...

I can never figure out why so many people choose 'Bella Donna.'

Why wouldn't people. "Bella Donna" is brilliant...

[amber]

That's ok -- I can never figure out why so many people choose 'Bella Donna.' :shrug:

*gasps loudly*


Oh, maybe for some kind of Edge of Seventeen, or SDHMA reasons. Myself, I do it for some Kind of Woman reasons, and for Bella Donna and After the Glitter Fades reasons. And mostly, mostleh, for the totally underrated How Still My Love reasons. HSML - a subtle tour de force.

Hello. EDGE. Edge? Heard of it? Edge? :laugh:

I think it is great, although the voice of it is too pure to make me rank it number one. But the mere fact of Edge and SDMHA makes the voice not as pure.
While I'm arguing with you, here, I also have to admit it is nice to meet an old school fan who doesn't put BD first. However....:shocked:

[amber]

Amber, we disagree on everything about Stevie, and again, this is no exception...

Do we? I hadn't noticed. :confused: But we both love her. :nod: I'm totally a Stand Back, Edge kind of chick. Apparently you are a Sorcerer, TISL kind of chick? :laugh:
A lot of the younger fans I have noticed to really like TISL. I can't get over the loss of range and the loss of spontenaeity, though I do love about 5 songs on that album.



Why wouldn't people. "Bella Donna" is brilliant...

Indeedly Doodly.

[Johnny Stew]

"Bella Donna" is brilliant...So many people sure seem to think so, but to me it just sounds like an early '70s Eagles album. It's ultra-mellow and it's the least "Stevie" of all of her solo albums. :shrug:

[amber]

So many people sure seem to think so, but to me it just sounds like an early '70s Eagles album. It's ultra-mellow and it's the least "Stevie" of all of her solo albums. :shrug:

See, I see your point with that. Yet, I can't ignore the Edge, or the SDMHA, or the KOW, or even the BD. Let alone the SOTN (still of the night!)

It's like, in theory I agree, but in practice, that album has a lot of kick ass songs. I'm so torn. lol.

[markolas]

So many people sure seem to think so, but to me it just sounds like an early '70s Eagles album. It's ultra-mellow and it's the least "Stevie" of all of her solo albums. :shrug:

I fail to see how any of this is bad. :laugh: Though I think it's been established that we have very different tastes, for the most part. :D

[Johnny Stew]

Oh, maybe for some kind of Edge of Seventeen, or SDHMA reasons. Myself, I do it for some Kind of Woman reasons, and for Bella Donna and After the Glitter Fades reasons. And mostly, mostleh, for the totally underrated How Still My Love reasons. HSML - a subtle tour de force.

Hello. EDGE. Edge? Heard of it? Edge? :laugh:

I think it is great, although the voice of it is too pure to make me rank it number one. But the mere fact of Edge and SDMHA makes the voice not as pure.
While I'm arguing with you, here, I also have to admit it is nice to meet an old school fan who doesn't put BD first. However....:shocked:Don't get me wrong -- I love all the songs on 'Bella Donna,' but, as a whole, it's just too mellow and MOR to really get me excited.

'Street Angel' is probably her second most mellow album, but the latter-day grit in her voice makes for a more compelling listen, IMO.

Like I said, I prefer the albums that better display Stevie's more eccentric qualities.

[foxyluva]

Do we? I hadn't noticed. :confused: But we both love her. :nod:

You must have noticed. We have disagreed on everything from "Blue Lamp" to "Rose Garden" to "Street Angel" (The Album) and TISL. We do both love her though - just for very different reasons


I'm totally a Stand Back, Edge kind of chick. Apparently you are a Sorcerer, TISL kind of chick? :laugh:

Im totally all about Sorcerer and TISL :laugh: Although I couldn't live without the classics...


A lot of the younger fans I have noticed to really like TISL. I can't get over the loss of range and the loss of spontenaeity, though I do love about 5 songs on that album.

I am a younger fan, which probably explains why I love TISL so much - more my generation. "Say You Will" is also my favourite Mac album...


Indeedly Doodly.

Well, that one thing we agree on - "Bella Donna" is exceptional :thumbsup:


So many people sure seem to think so, but to me it just sounds like an early '70s Eagles album. It's ultra-mellow and it's the least "Stevie" of all of her solo albums.

Really!? Interesting thought. I have to say I disagree for the most part. Sure it is a very natural sounding album, very folkish and country in parts - but it is very Stevie. I think "Street Angel" is the least "Stevie" of all her solo albums - no magic...

[amber]

Don't get me wrong -- I love all the songs on 'Bella Donna,' but, as a whole, it's just too mellow and MOR to really get me excited.

'Street Angel' is probably her second most mellow album, but the latter-day grit in her voice makes for a more compelling listen, IMO.

Like I said, I prefer the albums that better display Stevie's more eccentric qualities.

Wow. We actually agree on that. Which is why I love WH and RAL so much. But I also think BD is great, and the songs I mentioned, IMO, also display her eccentric qualities. As a whole album? Not as much, I agree. I guess that is why I said what I said before:RAL is eccentric, but without quite as much range as WH. WH is the perfect meeting b/t range and eccentricity. RAL is a bizarre masterpiece, to me. I think I'm the "only one" (ha, right!) who really loves RAL, the song, too. So strange, so moody. At first I didn't like it, thought it was too slow. But then, I saw the light. It is deep and strange and dark and lovely. it's structure, etc. is inimitable. But gosh, it sure is hard to choose. It's like everything she did was so strange and cool. I just love her, her weirdness and her vocal talent.

[Johnny Stew]

Admittedly, I'm probably so tough on 'Bella Donna' because of all the people who say "'Bella Donna' is the best album she's ever recorded.'

It's sort of like Lindsey's 'Law & Order'... fantastic songs, but it falls short of showing you what the artist REALLY has to offer. :shrug:

[strandinthewind]

Bella Donna - an era she has never been able to repeat - and THAT VOICE :eek:

WH is also very good and I like much of SA and OSOTM (esp when played alone on the piano) - but Bella Donna is the tops for me!!!!!

On edit - she explored more on WH with her voice and she soars for it. So, that record is mostly vocally stunning IMO. But Bella Donna is just so fresh, raw, emotive, etc.

[amber]

Bella Donna - an era she has never been able to repeat - and THAT VOICE :eek:

WH is also very good and I like much of SA and OSOTM (esp when played alone on the piano) - but Bella Donna is the tops for me!!!!!

On edit - she explored more on WH with her voice and she soars for it. So, that record is mostly vocally stunning IMO. But Bella Donna is just so fresh, raw, emotive, etc.

Insightful. And I agree. About the exploring on WH.

To me, BD is almost outside of being rated - I cannot rate it - b/c it would alternately be first or second or third. It's just timeless. Or, it could have an automatic first place, being outside of ratings.
Whatever, i can't decide. Which is good, because I love so much of our girl that not deciding is a perfectly valid response. None of her album work is so bad that it doesn't deserve a rank, or to put it another way, it is all mostly so good that it is hard to rank.

[amber]

Admittedly, I'm probably so tough on 'Bella Donna' because of all the people who say "'Bella Donna' is the best album she's ever recorded.'

It's sort of like Lindsey's 'Law & Order'... fantastic songs, but it falls short of showing you what the artist REALLY has to offer. :shrug:

Wow, an oddly unexpected minor prejudice. :laugh: I'm suprised, too, at the BD only love. Meaning, the people who love BD in huge proportion to the others. I see their point a little, but not totally. Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our Stevie. Meaning - every Stevie voice has something different and cool and weird to offer. I happen to think WH and RAL have the strangest incarnation of that voice to offer. I happen to think BD has the most traditionally good voice to offer, and the most non strange lyrics (barring BD the song).
Blah, blah, blah. :sorry: I just never get tired of our girl. Or the reasons people think songs by her are cool. She, and her voice, like the opinions about her, are so multifaceted.

[goldustsongbird]

So many people sure seem to think so, but to me it just sounds like an early '70s Eagles album. It's ultra-mellow and it's the least "Stevie" of all of her solo albums. :shrug:

I like BD. I guess I'd venture to say it's my favourite Stevie album, only because I can listen to it all the way through (mostly) without skipping a song. I don't totally love every single song, but the ones I don't really like are tolerable enough to not send me scrambling to hit 'next'. WiH, RAL and OSOTM, I need to skip around a lot on. I don't even bother with all of Street Angel. TISL is good until about track four or so, then off it goes.

[DrummerDeanna]

Awww..now I wish I'd voted for poor Street Angel...it's not gettin' any love :laugh:

[amber]

Awww..now I wish I'd voted for poor Street Angel...it's not gettin' any love :laugh:

I like SA immmensely, it's just not number one. I'm almost Curtie-like in my love of it. But not quite. But I do really like it. I know, I'm flawed. But I prefer to kick it! :laugh:

[Phoenix]

[QUOTE=amber;573061]Um...yeah...:shocked: :laugh: If you like a 4 note range more than, say, a 10 note one...Also if you like that range to be in, say, the tuba area rather than the trumpet area.
:) :wavey:

You need to listen to Sorcerer again:p
For me, Bella Donna, Wild Heart, and TISL are all up there.

Bella Donna is a masterpiece. But it was too contrived to be that way. as has been said before is way to "safe". But when I want moody, "minnie Mouse had helium" stevie, Its perfect!:thumbsup:

Wild Heart! alittle bid Bolder.and a little less helium, and I like that. Ie. Stand back, enchanted, nothing ever changes,ect.

AHH TROUBLE IN SHANGRILA! The album I can actually play for friends! withought them saying "has she sang anything in this century?" It has a great combo of what I love about Street Angel(that gritty rock chick voice)
(again, alittle helium on sorcererr):thumbsup: but it is stevie bieng Mystical,Planets. Rockin,Fall from grace. Folky,sorcerer, Romantic,love is,everyday,I miss you. Moody, love changes,its only love It too me has all of the things that I love about her in one album.
Like bella donna and wild heart also do.

Rock a little: ITS THE 80's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(I still love it though)

Other side of the mirror: zzzzzzzzzzz hugh,what Im awake,zzzzzzzzzzz
(I still love it though)

Street Angel: nuff said.
(I still love it though)

[Johnny Stew]

I like BD. I guess I'd venture to say it's my favourite Stevie album, only because I can listen to it all the way through (mostly) without skipping a song. I don't totally love every single song, but the ones I don't really like are tolerable enough to not send me scrambling to hit 'next'. WiH, RAL and OSOTM, I need to skip around a lot on. I don't even bother with all of Street Angel. TISL is good until about track four or so, then off it goes.If I'm listening to a full album (as opposed to just randomly selected tracks), there isn't a song on any of Stevie's that I skip.

My favorite thing to do though, is to open up WinAMP and select the folder where I have all of Stevie's solo, Buckingham Nicks, Fleetwood Mac, b-sides, and soundtrack songs (with just a few high-quality demos/outtakes included) and hit "shuffle." There's over 10 hours worth of music in there, so I just let it play for how ever much free-time I have (whether it's 15 minutes or three hours) and I get my Stevie fix. :D

[goldustsongbird]

My favorite thing to do though, is to open up WinAMP and select the folder where I have all of Stevie's solo, Buckingham Nicks, Fleetwood Mac, b-sides, and soundtrack songs (with just a few high-quality demos/outtakes included) and hit "shuffle." There's over 10 hours worth of music in there, so I just let it play for how ever much free-time I have (whether it's 15 minutes or three hours) and I get my Stevie fix. :D

Best thing to do! I do that with all of my music, not just FM and Stevie.

[sparky]

I cannot pick a favorite. For one thing, it has been ages since I listened to anything all the way through. But also, each one I like has some things about it that glares with flaws. It's almost like each of them exists in their own 'timespace' for me. And yes, I want to slap the **** out of myself for that sentence, so I will save you all the trouble. SLAP ! :lol:

I know that SA and OSOTM are last and next to last. But BD, WH, RAL, and TISL are all a bit neck and neck, depending on the day and what I want. BD has the best consistency in quality of songs. But I find L&L and Highwayman to be almost unlistenable. And the sameness of the production almost feels flat to me now. It took years for me to comprehend the criticism upon it's release about the "LA creme de la creme studio musician" sound it was slagged for. But now I hear it. Her voice is great on the title track and Edge is epic, vocally.

WH is a lot of fun to listen to. But it suffers from production too in parts. The keyboards sound super cheesy and dated. On the other hand, the only song I absolutely cannot stomach is 'Gate and Garden', with IAF as a runner up. The rest I still enjoy. Of course, WH is the big epic here - a true crowning achievement in her career even with the audible strain in her voice. There are other great moments too.

RAL is a brilliant mess. Parts of it are downright embarrassing to listen to, but I like them anyway. It lacks the cohesion of BD and WH, but the things I love about it: ICW, NSW, SBS, and others, are so much fun. Even The Nightmare, which I consider to be her quintessential "post it" song, is an oddly entertaining diversion. This is the only record I don't feel compelled to skip songs on, strangely enough. Although I far prefer the outtake of RAL to the one on the record, and HAEWAFY is a larger and more powerful animal now than it was on that record.

TISL was my favorite for a looong time. But, with time, I find that I always skip Everyday (HATE IT, so beneath her, worse than SIAB and barely above LAHGT), TMMS, LC, and Love Is. That's a lot to skip. But I shiver in wonder at TISL. I love that track. It is brilliant. As good as anything she ever did. I also still gape at the falsetto in Sorcerer, and think JS did a bang up job with FFG and Planets. I am in the minority loving TFFT and IOL - but I love both of those songs. As far as IOL goes, she is just not capable of writing such a straightforward, simple song with a beautiful melody like that anymore, and it was a great gift, as far as I am concerned, from Sheryl. TFFT is just hella fun to sing.

TISL has great highs, and wretched lows.

I guess, after writing this, it might be RAL by the tail end of a ribbon on a tambourine. A tambourine, it must be noted, that is stained with brandy, dusted with coke she sneezed out, and headed straight for Betty Ford. Ah, the beauty of a supernova collapsing on itself.

[danax6]

Okay, now that I have gotten over my hate of being asked this question, I might be able to answer it. The reason I hate it is because I can't choose. I voted Trouble in Shangri-La in the poll, but Bella Donna and Wild Heart are right on its tails, if not on top of TISL. I could easily have voted for either of those two as well, doesn't make much of a difference.

I mostly love TISL for the lyrics. The title track has the best ones I have ever heard from her. the promise has been broken as you walk through the shadow of death, you try to see no evil, but you are so heartbroken, you say 'dear god, make it stop!', before the dawn of seperation brings up the wind, rises around you...I hear there's trouble in shangri-la Come on, that can hardly be beaten. I love all the revived songs, the fact that there is brand new and ancient combined on that album and that it makes for such a fabulous package. Her vocals on It's Only Love are stellar, and Fall From Grace is a ****ing great rocking track, with equally great lyrics to boot. Love Is is almost heartbreaking in its honesty and though I am slightly partial to the piano demo floating around, I still think this song is beautiful. Trouble in Shangri-La just has an honesty and a vulnerability and not to mention a ****load of emotions to it that had certainly been lacking on Street Angel and Other Side of the Mirror, therefor sorely missed. So the latter two are, as is the case with many other people, at the bottom of my favourites list. I don't think I need to explain any further about Street Angel, Stevie herself has admitted as much. The Other Side of the Mirror is just so horribly monotonous that it puts me to sleep after 15 minutes. There is no magic or power in that one, although I do still love many of the words. What can I say, I am a lyrics freak above everything else, I love poetry.

Going back to the early 80's I have to say that vocally she was at her 'best' during the Tusk/Bella Donna days, but at her most 'compelling' during the WH days, and a little going into RAL. (Though she did suffer from RALitis then...I love that word, btw, thanks for introducing it to me, I choked on my milk earlier..). When I say best, I mean technically best, as in staying within a safe vocal range and not really forcing anything yet. By the time RAL came around her voice had taken a snowdive into whatever-dom, due to years of howling and growling on stage, and due to substance abuse, but WH is the perfect blend between that and the safer vocals during the BD era. I agree with Amber on that. Therefor, to me, it makes WH the most compelling vocally. Combined with another incredible set of lyrics, once again first and foremost on the title track. fire on fire, rain on my face, fever goes higher, what can you do...wild in the darkest places in your mind, that's where I needed you most, is what puts WH in my top 3 also. Plus, it has one of my favourite songs ever...Beauty and the Beast. my love is a man who's not been tamed, my love lives in a world of false pleasure and pain, we come from different worlds but we are the same. This song I can relate most to.

Bella Donna was definitely contrived. The fact that they felt the need to put Tom Petty and Don Henley on there says enough. They wanted to make it safe enough to be able to sell as many copies as possible. Which I can understand, it was a risk getting her off the ground as a solo artist, when she was so immensely popular as part of Fleetwood Mac. But it shows on the album, which has generally the safest choice of songs. Edge of Seventeen kind of stands out, but they wanted to push the rock image first and foremost, although the rest of the album doesn't really go with that, at least not that far. I care for the forced Henley and Petty songs the least, and once again the title track (it's a trend!) is the most compelling vocally and lyrically. How Still My Love is so deliciously sexy that it's pushing more towards the top of favourites every time I listen to it. Bella Donna is all about the hidden treasures, not what they decided to throw in our face, although Edge of Seventeen is ofcourse still ****ing great.

So there you have it. My favourite is 'Bella Donna Trouble in Wild Heart Shangri-La'. I can't choose. :laugh: RAL is most definitely 4th, SA 5th and OSOTM my least favourite ever. I cannot stand the music arrangements on that album.

[TheWILDheart]

"Trouble in Shangri-La" for me as well. Although, I consider "TISL" "Wild Heart" and "Bella Donna" all 5 star albums...

I may be one of the few here who actually really doesn't care for 'Rock A Little' :shrug:


Thats ok. I am not so keen on Rock a Little either. Bella Donna, WH and TISL are, for me, the best album she has done. Mine go:

Bella Donna
Trouble in Shangri-La
Wild Heart
OSOTM
Street Angel
RAL

Bella Donna is perfection. Her voice, her soul, her lyrics...everything. Whoever made the comment about HSML being under-rated. SHUT UP! I love that song and it has been done on a number of tours so how exactley is under rated? Bella Donna is like....sex on record :D. Trouble in Shangri-La is immence. The fact that Stevie did an album like that so late on in her career is one thing and it really shows how great Stevie is that so many amazing people contributed to the album. It's like...it reminds me how strong Stevie is. Also, I love the fact that she brought up new songs and went into the archives to find stuff like Planets and Candlebright. Despite contributions from other artists, that album was pure Stevie.Wild Heart I of course love. I am obssessed with Stand Back. Love her lyrics. The only reason it's #3 in the list is because it is the only album out of the top 3 that has a song on I don't like *cough I will run to you cough*. I also love OSOTM..well, most of it. But that has more songs on it I don't like. It's the highest album up in my list that I actually skip songs on (Two Kinds of Love, Alice). Street Angel - i like it. I love Blue Denim and Listen to the Rain but the other songs are sort of dead and lifeless. Don't like a number of tracks and rarely play this album all the way through. Rock a Little SUCKS!! I only like I Can't Wait, Sister Honey, I Sing for These Things, No Spoken Word and HAEWAFY. The rest are just...crap. The whole album is drowned in synthersizers and it's just so not Stevie. It lost the flare that BD, WH and her Mac stuff had. I can't understand why so many people bum it. It remains the only Stevie album I will NEVER own on CD. I only have it on cassette.

[JazmenFlowers]

Bella Donna is, like Strand said, timeless.

[chiliD]

Bella Donna was definitely contrived.

Of course it was. It was her first album and it HAD to be basically the "Anti-Fleetwood Mac" album. Later albums started having a few songs that sounded "Fleetwood Mac-ish", but BD was intentionally kept from sounding like Fleetwood Mac.

[TheWILDheart]

I think you're getting confused about what "underrated" means. To say something is underrated means that it doesn't get the credit it should - it's a compliment. Overrated means it gets more praise than its worthy of.

No. I was right. As much as I love HSML I think it gets plenty of credit. It keeps popping up here and there and no fan will ever forget it (pardon the bad pun)

Erm, what exactly does this mean?

Btw, you've spelled Whoopi Goldberg wrong in your sig.

People Bum It...the go on about how good it is. Sorry. Should've explained a little better.

[Villavic]

Actually it's TIMESPACE, since I'm more a FM fan than Stevie's fan. But I do like a lot Bella Donna and it's the album I like the most, even than TISL. But siince Timespace was not listed (obviously it's a G Hits), i choose BD.

[SapphireSister]

I rarely listen to her albums anymore. All of my Stevie/FM songs are in an MP3 player and they are listed alphabetically so when I want to listen to Stevie I usually just pick a song and let it play randomly from there and skip something if I don't feel like hearing it. Once in a while I'll get an urge to play RAL or TISL but other than that I don't play her albums.

When I first became a fan in 03' I went out and bought every Stevie/FM album and listened to all of them straight through about 10 times in chronological order (FYI I only listened to Stevie's songs on the FM albums). I hated having to wait till the end to hear TISL and I honestly thought it was going to be my least favorite but I was completely shocked when I fell in love with more than half the songs on there. Regardless of lack of vocal range the songs themselves are musically stunning and lyrically breath taking. The album as a whole is (as Stevie likes to call it) a masterpiece minus a song or two. I also LOVE the production (as much as I detest Sheryl Crow) and think the way they updated the older songs with a modern feel was brilliant. Cohesively and artistically TISL is her best album.

The reason is simple why the other albums don't rank as high for me (besides RAL) - they don't have as many songs I like. It really has nothing to do with vocal quality for me. If I were to rank them in terms of vocal ability it would be quite different.

As far as Bella Donna goes, it's just not a rockin' enough album for me and I think of Stevie as one of the queens of rock and roll. Edge is a rocker but other than that if falls short. Vocally it's phenomenal but if I don't like the songs that holds no weight. It's just not edgy (excuse the pun) enough for me.

The Wild Heart is more rockin but it has a few of songs I can't deal with - Gate and Garden, Enchanted, I Will Run to You. I do however think this period is Stevie at the height of her career and fabulousness.

RAL- Coked out Stevie, her most rockin album and every song is at least decent. I also love that voice!

TOSOTM - A few stellar songs (Rooms on Fire, DTBTIC, LWTG) but too many duds to ever be a favorite (Juliet, Blue Eyes, Fire Burning). It is also more subtle, hey she was starting to age and it shows (not that that's a bad thing). I just don't feel like her entire heart and soul was in this album. The production is so distinct and it's almost un-Stevie like to me on certain songs.

Street Angel - Poor Stevie, even she hates it. I don't think it's a horrible album overall but compared to the rest it's weak. Not exactly a work of art. The title track is stellar and blue denim is decent. I happen to love Docklands but the rest are mediocre songs at best. No passion here.

[SapphireSister]

TISL has great highs, and wretched lows.

That my friend, is such a great way to put it and probably the reason RAL beats it by a hair. RAL doesn't have as many lows but it's not the work of art TISL is. A brilliant mess was also a fabulous way to describe RAL and probably reminds me the most of myself which is why I adore it so.

[sparky]

That my friend, is such a great way to put it and probably the reason RAL beats it by a hair. RAL doesn't have as many lows but it's not the work of art TISL is. A brilliant mess was also a fabulous way to describe RAL and probably reminds me the most of myself which is why I adore it so.

Thanks, Homegirl. I remember my first listen of RAL and thinking that she was in heaps of trouble, but being fascinated the dramatic record of said trouble.
When I got TISL, I was just stoked and shocked by how far up she had come from SA. It is only with time my opinions of the songs solidified. I like the ones I liked at first still, and the ones that I only listened to out of curiosity at first...once the newness wore off, my opinion of them completely plummeted.

[strandinthewind]

. . . I guess, after writing this, it might be RAL by the tail end of a ribbon on a tambourine. A tambourine, it must be noted, that is stained with brandy, dusted with coke she sneezed out, and headed straight for Betty Ford. Ah, the beauty of a supernova collapsing on itself.

When we marry - you may speak like this to me every night. And, I, sir, will be the happier man for it.

[amber]

I cannot pick a favorite. For one thing, it has been ages since I listened to anything all the way through. But also, each one I like has some things about it that glares with flaws. It's almost like each of them exists in their own 'timespace' for me. And yes, I want to slap the **** out of myself for that sentence, so I will save you all the trouble. SLAP ! :lol:

I know that SA and OSOTM are last and next to last. But BD, WH, RAL, and TISL are all a bit neck and neck, depending on the day and what I want. BD has the best consistency in quality of songs. But I find L&L and Highwayman to be almost unlistenable. And the sameness of the production almost feels flat to me now. It took years for me to comprehend the criticism upon it's release about the "LA creme de la creme studio musician" sound it was slagged for. But now I hear it. Her voice is great on the title track and Edge is epic, vocally.

WH is a lot of fun to listen to. But it suffers from production too in parts. The keyboards sound super cheesy and dated. On the other hand, the only song I absolutely cannot stomach is 'Gate and Garden', with IAF as a runner up. The rest I still enjoy. Of course, WH is the big epic here - a true crowning achievement in her career even with the audible strain in her voice. There are other great moments too.

RAL is a brilliant mess. Parts of it are downright embarrassing to listen to, but I like them anyway. It lacks the cohesion of BD and WH, but the things I love about it: ICW, NSW, SBS, and others, are so much fun. Even The Nightmare, which I consider to be her quintessential "post it" song, is an oddly entertaining diversion. This is the only record I don't feel compelled to skip songs on, strangely enough. Although I far prefer the outtake of RAL to the one on the record, and HAEWAFY is a larger and more powerful animal now than it was on that record.

TISL was my favorite for a looong time. But, with time, I find that I always skip Everyday (HATE IT, so beneath her, worse than SIAB and barely above LAHGT), TMMS, LC, and Love Is. That's a lot to skip. But I shiver in wonder at TISL. I love that track. It is brilliant. As good as anything she ever did. I also still gape at the falsetto in Sorcerer, and think JS did a bang up job with FFG and Planets. I am in the minority loving TFFT and IOL - but I love both of those songs. As far as IOL goes, she is just not capable of writing such a straightforward, simple song with a beautiful melody like that anymore, and it was a great gift, as far as I am concerned, from Sheryl. TFFT is just hella fun to sing.

TISL has great highs, and wretched lows.

I guess, after writing this, it might be RAL by the tail end of a ribbon on a tambourine. A tambourine, it must be noted, that is stained with brandy, dusted with coke she sneezed out, and headed straight for Betty Ford. Ah, the beauty of a supernova collapsing on itself.

This was a great read. I basically agree. Also, I like TFFT, for that hella fun to sing reason. I can't figure out what IOL is. :p
I like the same number of songs on TISL as on most others, but the bad songs are sooooo bad and boring to me. The good songs are awesome.
I like RAL for the same reasons you stated. Etc.

[strandinthewind]

Thanks, Homegirl. I remember my first listen of RAL and thinking that she was in heaps of trouble, but being fascinated the dramatic record of said trouble.
When I got TISL, I was just stoked and shocked by how far up she had come from SA. It is only with time my opinions of the songs solidified. I like the ones I liked at first still, and the ones that I only listened to out of curiosity at first...once the newness wore off, my opinion of them completely plummeted.

When I raced out of Tower, knocking over the wretched Dave Matthews people there for his release that I was sure would eclipse TISL, and put the CD in my player in my car - my mouth hung open and I was speechless over the titular track. I thought and still think our girl reached a new zenith. I love the rest of the record. I do wish the voice was less produced and Love Is was more like the demo. But, all in all, I give it an A.

AS for RAL - it was just a whole lot of fun then and still is to me now.

[TheWILDheart]

This was a great read. I basically agree. Also, I like TFFT, for that hella fun to sing reason. I can't figure out what IOL is. :p
I like the same number of songs on TISL as on most others, but the bad songs are sooooo bad and boring to me. The good songs are awesome.
I like RAL for the same reasons you stated. Etc.

IOL = "It's Only Love"

[jbrownsjr]

This started with an argument between me and Friend: Wild Heart vs. OSOTM. I prefer Wild Heart but she disagreed. I was just intrested to what other's think. My personal Fave is Bella Donna. I love it. I also Love Wild Heart. OSOTM is great. Very, VERY good. But not quite on the same level cos it has the awful "Two Kinds of Love", "Alice" and "I Still Miss Someone" on it. I can't stand Rock a Little...any of it (except I Can't Wait and HAEWAFY) Street Angel is sort of average. I love Blue Denim and Listen to the Rain but it sorta gets boring after a bit. Trouble is just....it's as good as Bella Donna. Very different but i still love it. Ok, so lets get voting.


i agree...i love wild heart too, but bella has bella donna, how still my love, and outside the rain all killer tunes

[TheWILDheart]

i agree...i love wild heart too, but bella has bella donna, how still my love, and outside the rain all killer tunes

Oh Bella Donna is my fav album but WH is simply better than OSOTM.

[chiliD]

Oh Bella Donna is my fav album but WH is simply better than OSOTM.

There are very few albums that have ever been recorded by ANY artist that are WORSE than OSOTM.

[JazmenFlowers]

There are very few albums that have ever been recorded by ANY artist that are WORSE than OSOTM.
wait wait wait now. I love OSOTM.

I could easily come up with 100 without Google. :laugh:

[TheWILDheart]

There are very few albums that have ever been recorded by ANY artist that are WORSE than OSOTM.

Now come on. OSOTM is awesome. . . It's just not as awesome.

[SapphireSister]

Now come on. OSOTM is awesome. . . It's just not as awesome.
I LOVE the songs I love on TOSOTM but the bad songs are so bad! Juliet, I Still Miss Someone, Fire Burning? Whoreanus and cheesy but not a good kind of cheesy like RAL. The cover photo reminds me of a bad circus act and so do those songs. Rooms on Fire saves that album because it is one of her best songs ever. And the other songs I adore (Cry Wolf, TKOL) are unpopular with most fans.

[sparky]

The cover photo reminds me of a bad circus act and so do those songs.

Exquisite sentence.

[SapphireSister]

Exquisite sentence.
Ha ha thanks. You being serious?

[sparky]

Ha ha thanks. You being serious?

Of course I am. I envy that sentence and wish I had written it myself.

[jbrownsjr]

wait wait wait now. I love OSOTM.

I could easily come up with 100 without Google. :laugh:

i liked that album too....

it was RAL i couldn't stand

[The Tower]

i liked that album too....

it was RAL i couldn't stand
Ditto, baby.

The Other Side of the Mirror is Stevie's best album- because it's her most honest.

Bella Donna is a catch-up record- which is not a pejorative comment. It's just to say that it was a compilation of all the songs that Stevie had wanted to record over the years, but couldn't.

The Wild Heart is a collaberative record. Stevie lost her muse and had to rely on others to provide the music to her lyrics.

Rock a Little is a disaster. 'Nuff said.

Street Angel could have been a comeback.....

Trouble in Shangri-La.... too many turds ("It's Only Love", "Love Changes", "That Made Me Stronger", etc). Although, when she's got it, she's got IT !!! ("Fall From Grace", "I Miss You", "Love Is", FREEEEEKING "Planets of the Universe" !!!!!!!!!!!!)


Bottom line- Stevie needs to release another solo album and fast.

[sparky]

The Other Side of the Mirror is Stevie's best album- because it's her most honest.


I can't quibble with your opinions, but I must ask this question, even if it sounds rhetorical - how can you produce "honest" work when you are so tranq'd out you can scarcely fix your gaze on an interviewer and are for all practical purposes, a zombie ?

I might temper that by saying that DTBTIC and Ghosts are pretty honest compositions, albeit the production bogged them down and rendered them murky in terms of audio.

[strandinthewind]

Towie - don't you think Its Only Love was a rather magnificent display of her voice? I thought when I heard it that she was actually melodic - for a change :shrug:

[foxyluva]

The Other Side of the Mirror is Stevie's best album- because it's her most honest.

"Other Side of the Mirror" IS a very honest album. The problem is though that the lyrics are shrouded in too much mysticism and whimsy, making alot of the lyrics seem almost pretentious - which is where i believe all the bad reviews came from...

But we are the enlightened ones, so we know better :laugh:

[TheBlueLamp]

My list would be as follows

The Wild Heart
Rock A Little
Other Side Of The Mirror
Street Angel
Bella Donna
Trouble In Shangri-La


For years The Wild Heart was at the bottom of my list and OSOTM was on top but I recently started listening to TWH again and it justs blows me away. It's more complex than BD but not as crazy as RAL.

I would rate every song on TWH as 5/5 (barring SB. That gets 4) None of her other albums rate that highly for me, even though I love them all.

[SapphireSister]

Of course I am. I envy that sentence and wish I had written it myself.
Sarcasm? Now I'm even more confused :shrug: Do you agree with me about the bad circus act or what? lol

[sparky]

Sarcasm? Now I'm even more confused :shrug: Do you agree with me about the bad circus act or what? lol

Yeah. The "of course I am" was an answer to the question "You being serious?"

I must be on crack. :lol:
Half of what I post lately is completely misinterpreted.

[jbrownsjr]

Here's my order:

Bella Donna (excellent)
Wild Heart (very very good)
TOSOTM (very good)

the rest.... (ummmm) some great songs... lots of bad ones...

[The Tower]

I can't quibble with your opinions, but I must ask this question, even if it sounds rhetorical - how can you produce "honest" work when you are so tranq'd out you can scarcely fix your gaze on an interviewer and are for all practical purposes, a zombie ?
For the most part, the Stevie-penned songs from TOSOTM are either before she was taking Klonopin or before Klonopin had taken a hold of her.

I might temper that by saying that DTBTIC and Ghosts are pretty honest compositions, albeit the production bogged them down and rendered them murky in terms of audio.
I think Stevie was "sad" for TOSOTM. That thread of sadness runs through the entire album. I think FM had ended for her (in her mind).

Towie - don't you think Its Only Love was a rather magnificent display of her voice? I thought when I heard it that she was actually melodic - for a change :shrug:
The song and the lyrics are so wretched that nothing can save it. I think Stevie recorded it only because Sheryl wrote it "about her". :rolleyes: Bleh.

"Other Side of the Mirror" IS a very honest album. The problem is though that the lyrics are shrouded in too much mysticism and whimsy, making alot of the lyrics seem almost pretentious - which is where i believe all the bad reviews came from...
I actually think it's some of her most straight-forward writing. Compare it to songs like "Rock A Little", "Gate and Garden", "The Nightmare" and "Edge of Seventeen" to list a few... Yowza!

[foxyluva]

So, according to the poll, this is the order in which the Ledge prefers Stevie albums:

1. Bella Donna
2. Trouble in Shangri-La
3. Wild Heart
4. Other Side of the Mirror
5. Rock A Little
6. Street Angel

Im really suprised that OSOTM is ahead of RAL - plesantly suprised :)

[marc402]

it was trouble in shangri la for me to although i must say that rock a little came a very close second , since i just love the roughness in her voice on that album