Stevie Nicks - Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Singers

[ButterCookie]

Stevie came in at #98.

Born May 26th, 1948
Key Tracks "Landslide," "Dreams" (Fleetwood Mac) "Stand Back" (solo)
Influenced Natalie Maines, Sarah McLachlan, Courtney Love

Sheryl Crow calls Stevie Nicks' voice a "combination of sheer vulnerability and power," and Courtney Love swoons over "that ridiculous beautiful tone." Nicks' strong, deceptively versatile voice — by turns husky, warm, velvety and childlike — has provided the color and texture for songs ranging from smooth and mysterious Fleetwood Mac hits such as "Rhiannon" and "Dreams" to solo rockers like "Stand Back." "She's so tiny, and this big, deep voice comes rattling out, and I think that's very sexy," said Debbie Harry of Blondie. Nicks has influenced and mentored a wide generation of younger female singers, from the country of the Dixie Chicks to the sweet pop of Vanessa Carlton. "Her voice soothes me," says Love, "gives me something to aspire to and leaves me feeling courageous."

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/;kw=[rsHotList,95043,95827]

[MissLadyLoki]

It's nice she made the list, and I do think Aretha Franklin deserved to be #1 (hey, she is Lady Soul after all), but I personally think Stevie should have been much, much higher up on the list, like in the top 30 or so. If it wasn't for her and a few other singers (such as Janis Joplin and Ann Wilson), we wouldn't have the female vocalists we have today.

Oh yeah, and Debbie Harry is right: it is kinda funny how she's so small and has this huge voice. Hell, I still fall over in shock at the Rosebud version of Rhiannon.

[ButterCookie]

My browser seems to be acting up so I can't properly see the rest of the list, only the little thumbnails. Is Patti Smith #83?

[MissLadyLoki]

My browser seems to be acting up so I can't properly see the rest of the list, only the little thumbnails. Is Patti Smith #83?

It's not working for me too, but I have seen the list before. it seems like they put certain people (such as Jim Morrison) high up cause of their "name".

[jenniferuk]

Is Patti Smith #83?

Yep, she is 83.

[ButterCookie]

That's Rolling Stone for ya :rolleyes: Chris and Lindsey didn't even make the list which speaks volumes.

[MissLadyLoki]

That's Rolling Stone for ya :rolleyes: Chris and Lindsey didn't even make the list which speaks volumes.

I gotta come out and say it: i'm not the best judge for keyboard players, but I can say Lindsey is one of the few people out there that can sing and play their respective instrument well (you either have a John Lennon, where they sing well and play their instrument so-so, or an Eric Clapton, who plays their instrument well and are a horrible singer).

Then again, Lindsey, along with Slash, Randy Rhoads, and Bonnie Raitt, never made the top guitarists list.

hell, I just noticed 2 trends: on the singers lists, the top people are all from a few years in the 60's, and on the guitarists, lists, and the top people are classified as having played the blues. Hmmmm, I wonder why...

[DashingDan]

...and a few other singers (such as Janis Joplin and Ann Wilson), we wouldn't have the female vocalists we have today.

and this is a good thing?

[MissLadyLoki]

and this is a good thing?

There are some good female vocalists out there, and I meant ones that actually have talent, unlike a certain bunch of Disney teen boppers I shall not name.

[DashingDan]

I gotta come out and say it: i'm not the best judge for keyboard players, but I can say Lindsey is one of the few people out there that can sing and play their respective instrument well (you either have a John Lennon, where they sing well and play their instrument so-so, or an Eric Clapton, who plays their instrument well and are a horrible singer).

Then again, Lindsey, along with Slash, Randy Rhoads, and Bonnie Raitt, never made the top guitarists list.

hell, I just noticed 2 trends: on the singers lists, the top people are all from a few years in the 60's, and on the guitarists, lists, and the top people are classified as having played the blues. Hmmmm, I wonder why...

cos Rolling Stone is lame. Old and lame. Oh funny, I said the same thing once before, in 1985.

[MissLadyLoki]

cos Rolling Stone is lame. Old and lame. Oh funny, I said the same thing once before, in 1985.

:laugh:

I was a 90's kid, but when did RS start going downhill?

[DashingDan]

:laugh:

I was a 90's kid, but when did RS start going downhill?

Well, it depends who you talk too...some would say never, some would say always. It's published (still) by the same guy, Jann Wenner. He is the magazine's taste-maker, and if you agree with him you get to work with him and write reviews for his magazine. If you don't, you don't get to. It's not even a classic rock thing, either (eg. RS never gave Led Zeppelin records good reviews). If Jann likes an act, he champions it. If you like what he likes, then it's a great magazine.

[MissLadyLoki]

Well, it depends who you talk too...some would say never, some would say always. It's published (still) by the same guy, Jann Wenner. He is the magazine's taste-maker, and if you agree with him you get to work with him and write reviews for his magazine. If you don't, you don't get to. It's not even a classic rock thing, either (eg. RS never gave Led Zeppelin records good reviews). If Jann likes an act, he champions it. If you like what he likes, then it's a great magazine.

I heard all about his Zep hatred, which, as the Zephead that I am, got me pretty pissed. All I can say is they're just a bunch of snobs.

[HejiraNYC]

Well, it depends who you talk too...some would say never, some would say always. It's published (still) by the same guy, Jann Wenner. He is the magazine's taste-maker, and if you agree with him you get to work with him and write reviews for his magazine. If you don't, you don't get to. It's not even a classic rock thing, either (eg. RS never gave Led Zeppelin records good reviews). If Jann likes an act, he champions it. If you like what he likes, then it's a great magazine.

Tastemaker- that definitely sums up Jann Wenner in a nutshell. I used to be a fervant RS reader back in the 80s-90s, and I always knew that, no matter what, I always had to take RS's album reviews with a huge block of salt. And in many cases, I could use RS as a barometer for what NOT to buy. There is a definite Rolling Stone Magazine Sound that makes Jann and all of his sycophantic writers/editors collectively climax. In my opinion, the epitome of this sound is...

"Angel of Harlem" - U2

Guitar-driven retro white boy soul with undercurrents of gospel and punctuated by a horn section. This is the same kind of **** that made them go all gaga over Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Richard Thompson, Elvis, Van Morrison and the Rolling Stones. It's an automatic guarantee for getting a 5-star rave review in Rolling Stone- no matter how mediocre the material! Unfortunately for Led Zeppelin, Journey, Foreigner, Fleetwood Mac, Boston, etc., their refusal to submit to the RS sound has resulted in lukewarm to mediocre reviews.

[DashingDan]

In my opinion, the epitome of this sound is...

"Angel of Harlem" - U2


Wow, you NAILED that one.

[MissLadyLoki]

Tastemaker- that definitely sums up Jann Wenner in a nutshell. I used to be a fervant RS reader back in the 80s-90s, and I always knew that, no matter what, I always had to take RS's album reviews with a huge block of salt. And in many cases, I could use RS as a barometer for what NOT to buy. There is a definite Rolling Stone Magazine Sound that makes Jann and all of his sycophantic writers/editors collectively climax. In my opinion, the epitome of this sound is...

"Angel of Harlem" - U2

Guitar-driven retro white boy soul with undercurrents of gospel and punctuated by a horn section. This is the same kind of **** that made them go all gaga over Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Richard Thompson, Elvis, Van Morrison and the Rolling Stones. It's an automatic guarantee for getting a 5-star rave review in Rolling Stone- no matter how mediocre the material! Unfortunately for Led Zeppelin, Journey, Foreigner, Fleetwood Mac, Boston, etc., their refusal to submit to the RS sound has resulted in lukewarm to mediocre reviews.

With the exception of Journey, the funny part is they are all fantastic bands, but I noticed that music snobs tend to have the RS mentality of worshipping only the "best of the best".

[chiliD]

...an Eric Clapton, who plays their instrument well and are a horrible singer)..


WHOA, THERE! :mad: Clapton is FAR from a "horrible singer"....over the years he's gotten pretty damned GOOD as a singer, IMBO. (and I'm not in the minority with that opinion, either).

[MissLadyLoki]

WHOA, THERE! :mad: Clapton is FAR from a "horrible singer"....over the years he's gotten pretty damned GOOD as a singer, IMBO. (and I'm not in the minority with that opinion, either).

Sorry, I never liked him as a singer at all, but I do love his guitar-playing in in Cream and on Layla.

EDIT: I also meant him as someone that is known more for being great on their instrument than as a singer. A better example would probably be John Entwistle (yup, he did sing on a few Who songs, like Boris the Spider, and while I do love his "death voice", he's only a so-so singer IMO)

[MikeVielhaber]

With the exception of Journey, the funny part is they are all fantastic bands, but I noticed that music snobs tend to have the RS mentality of worshipping only the "best of the best".

I'd say all of them including Journey are great bands.

[MacShadowsBall]

It a shame that Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac don't get the credit they deserve.

:( I Mean she barely made the list with #98, come on people!! :(

[MissLadyLoki]

It a shame that Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac don't get the credit they deserve.

:( I Mean she barely made the list with #98, come on people!! :(

MSB, like I said, we're talking about RS, and they didn't get it cause they're too good :P

[MissLadyLoki]

I'd say all of them including Journey are great bands.

OK, I'll admit they do have a couple of good songs, like Don't Stop Believin' and Wheel in the Sky, but my finance professor was nuts for them, to the point where, on the first day of class, he went onto YouTube and tried to get us a vid of the new guy that sounds like Steve Perry singing.

I swear, I'll forever associate them with finance.

[tilthefirefades]

-Journey is one of the greatest rock bands, Stevie Perry's voice was damn near untouchable.

-Eric Clapton is a great singer, and at the very least a distinct nice voice.

-Stevie should be at least in the top 20. If only for her 70s vocals. I mean, she can even still put out a great Beauty and the Beast.

-RS sucks, they love to be hip. However their "hip" comes across to me as pretentious and bull ****ty.

:D:D:D

[ButterCookie]

-Stevie should be at least in the top 20. If only for her 70s vocals. I mean, she can even still put out a great Beauty and the Beast.


Debbie Harry and Christine aren't even in there, y'know. Okay, so people and press appear to enjoy overlooking Chris. But Debbie :shocked: C'mon RS that woman won't stop even after she's dead. She's done pop, rock, disco, jazz and everything else inbetween but no, evidently Blondie don't fall into RS' 'good bands' category :confused:

[MissLadyLoki]

Debbie Harry and Christine aren't even in there, y'know. Okay, so people and press appear to enjoy overlooking Chris. But Debbie :shocked: C'mon RS that woman won't stop even after she's dead. She's done pop, rock, disco, jazz and everything else inbetween but no, evidently Blondie don't fall into RS' 'good bands' category :confused:

You see, they didn't make it to RS cause they have too many good songs. :P

[jaycee]

It's nice she made the list, and I do think Aretha Franklin deserved to be #1 (hey, she is Lady Soul after all), but I personally think Stevie should have been much, much higher up on the list, like in the top 30 or so. If it wasn't for her and a few other singers (such as Janis Joplin and Ann Wilson), we wouldn't have the female vocalists we have today.

and this is a good thing?

:laugh: Well, to be fair, there are probably a fair few good female vocalists out there, but they're too busy being caught up with making money from today's generally woeful pop music to put their voices to good use.
Case in point - I was most surprised to discover the singer of "Paparazzi" (I'm quite fond of it... at the very least, it's the first new pop song I've come close to liking in ages) is Lady Ga Ga, because her vocals on it are very pretty (for about half of the song anyway). You certainly wouldn't know she could sing like that listening to her dreadful "Poker Face"! :distress:

[KarmaContestant]

I think it's great that Stevie was included at all! Considering her vocal range has simply gone downhill since 1979, I am delighted, but surprised that she was even considered for the list.

[tilthefirefades]

Debbie Harry and Christine aren't even in there, y'know. Okay, so people and press appear to enjoy overlooking Chris. But Debbie :shocked: C'mon RS that woman won't stop even after she's dead. She's done pop, rock, disco, jazz and everything else inbetween but no, evidently Blondie don't fall into RS' 'good bands' category :confused:

Wow, I got into the list to about 90 and stopped because I didn't really care. I totally assumed Debbie was somewhere on there!

[Sahara]

Lindsey is one of the few people out there that can sing and play their respective instrument well

This is one of those great things that I keep rediscovering. Everyone knows Lindsey is a phenomenal guitar player, which distracts from how wonderful his voice is. This particularly struck me as I listened to him sing "Never Going Back Again" live in Dublin last October, when he sang those lovely drawn-out notes and held them so perfectly and delicately. His voice is strong, controlled and more versatile than one might first imagine. :nod:

[HomerMcvie]

I think it's great that Stevie was included at all! Considering her vocal range has simply gone downhill since 1979, I am delighted, but surprised that she was even considered for the list.

Thank you, for not wearing rose colored glasses. You state fact. I think Stevie's personality/witchy persona, had more to do with her success, than her goat noises.

And on Journey, I'll never understand why they're labeled "corporate rock", any more than Fleetwood Mac, or The Eagles, or any big band. Great, catchy songs, with who was arguably the BEST voice in rock(anyone seen all the polls? He's always at the top of the list).

[Madelow]

Hello Homer & all: I'm on the same page with most of you. Think that RS in trying to be "hip" or "artsy" (or whatever it is), rejects the "soft rock" style unilaterally. Thus, the bad reviews of Mac, the Eagles, Journey, etc. I'm with you: Steve Perry may have the most beautiful male voice in rock history. It's best to take the RS opinion with the appropriate shaker of salt. Best regards, Madelow.

[GoldDustOrphan]

The criteria for Rolling Stone's list is a complete mystery. Women account for 24% of the list, which is ridiculous. We can all argue about which singers should or should not be included, but that's a gross disparity.

Bob Dylan might be a icon/poet/etc, but he's barely a singer and his vocals are a collection of mumbles. One could argue that a bunch of these time-ravaged whiskey-soaked male voices have a lot character, but they lack technical ability and don't exhibit any range. The list's title implies that it is a list of the greatest singers, not greatest artists or most iconic/influential. Bob Marley, Neil Young, Tom Waits and Kurt Cobain are better singers than Ann Wilson, Pat Benatar, kd lang, and Linda Ronstadt? To be fair, I love Bjork and Morrissey, but those voices - separated from their distinctive material - do not belong on this list. Ronnie Spector's voice is a studio creation; live, her vocals are thin and shaky. Her spot on this list belonged to Debbie Harry or Sarah McLachlan.

This is Jann Wenner's iPod playlist and nothing more.