The great Crystal slug-out!

[MissLadyLoki]

I got kinda bored today, and I decided to create yet another poll :eek:

Calm down, this has nothing to do with appearances, this has to do with a song written by La Nicks that has appeared in 3 different forms over the years, and we're not talking cover. This song is, of course, the lovely ballad Crystal, and over the years, we've seen 3 different versions and, with that, I ask you guys to pick your favorite version of the song

EDIT: I am aware that the BN and FM versions are nearly identical, but to my ears, there are some differences to their sounds

[jannieC]

We played thing song at our wedding- Lindsey's vocals (with Stevie harmonizing) are perfect. I'm not sure I knew there was a difference between the BN version and the FM version, though. :confused:

[skuncles]

Great song, but I am not a fan of Stevie's solo version at all. The BN and FM versions are almost identical but I would probably side with the FM version as the best version.

[bluefox4000]

It was close.....Cause Crystal's a fav of mine. I went with The Mac Version. Though I love the Buckingham-Nicks version too.

Mick

[MissLadyLoki]

For me, I had to go with the origina; BN version. For some reason, I like it more than the FM version, but then again, I'm weird like that :o

[tilthefirefades]

One of the most beautiful songs ever, but I can't stand Stevie's version at all. Love the FM version the best.

[KarmaContestant]

I picked the BN version. I don't love Stevie's version, but it's ok. Had she chosen to record it as a solo song about 15-20 years before she actually did, it would have been superb I'm sure.

[louielouie2000]

Practical Magic version. Always. :nod: Crystal is such a thoroughly Stevie song, nobody but Stevie ever should have sang it. Hearing Lindsey sing Crystal has always just annoyed me. It's such a beautiful feminine song, and when I hear Lindsey sigh out those first few words, something about it just enrages me :lol:. Not to mention Stevie was only given 2 slots on the '75 Mac album. I just wish she'd always been the one singing her own song. And that's what the Practical Magic version represents to me: the song coming full circle. Not to mention, I just adore the gorgeous production. The Practical Magic Crystal will always be one of my very favorite Stevie songs. :woohoo:

[tilthefirefades]

I picked the BN version. I don't love Stevie's version, but it's ok. Had she chosen to record it as a solo song about 15-20 years before she actually did, it would have been superb I'm sure.

Now I'm picturing a Leather and Lace-esque version. It would have sounded amazing with that era vocal, I'm sure. The only album I can imagine it on though is Bella Donna, and I wouldn't want any tracks taken off. Are there any other versions or demos of it besides what's on this poll?

[bluefox4000]

I just listened To Stevie's version for the first time in ages.....and i remembered why I stopped. Not that it's terrible.it's not. But it's not my my Favorite. It's slightly grating. Had she sung it way back when....I'm sure it would have been a million times better.

Mick

[Musicman408]

I got kinda bored today, and I decided to create yet another poll :eek:

Calm down, this has nothing to do with appearances, this has to do with a song written by La Nicks that has appeared in 3 different forms over the years, and we're not talking cover. This song is, of course, the lovely ballad Crystal, and over the years, we've seen 3 different versions and, with that, I ask you guys to pick your favorite version of the song

EDIT: I am aware that the BN and FM versions are nearly identical, but to my ears, there are some differences to their sounds

I haven't listened to either version in a long time, but if I'm remembering right, they are in two completely different keys.

[MissLadyLoki]

I haven't listened to either version in a long time, but if I'm remembering right, they are in two completely different keys.

That was it! I knew there was something different!

[Meowi]

The BN version wins for me.
I feel it is way more powerful and moving than the other versions. Plus, I love that celtic-ish melody that was replaced by Christine's electric piano.

[RockAlot]

Currently a 3-way tie! Speaking of 3-ways...I kid, I kid!!!

[Phoenix]

Practical Magic version. Always. :nod: Crystal is such a thoroughly Stevie song, nobody but Stevie ever should have sang it. Hearing Lindsey sing Crystal has always just annoyed me. It's such a beautiful feminine song, and when I hear Lindsey sigh out those first few words, something about it just enrages me :lol:. Not to mention Stevie was only given 2 slots on the '75 Mac album. I just wish she'd always been the one singing her own song. And that's what the Practical Magic version represents to me: the song coming full circle. Not to mention, I just adore the gorgeous production. The Practical Magic Crystal will always be one of my very favorite Stevie songs. :woohoo:

ONCE AGAIN WE AGREE! twice in one week! i cant believe it!:thumbsup: I ADORE the Practical Magic version of Crystal. It is one of my favorites of hers ever. I like the strings in the backround as well, and how she trails off in a whisper at the end. It IS a Stevie song. it is so her, hauntingly loving with a bit of the mystic. Pure stevie perfection.. PLUS it was nice to have a song of hers ACTUALLY prominently featured in a movie for a change, and not just in the backround. One of the best parts is when she sings the third "to the SEA" twards the end. I remember thinking, even back then, wow, i havent heard stevie do THAT with her voice in a long time. MAGIC.

[elle]

Practical Magic version. Always. :nod: Crystal is such a thoroughly Stevie song, nobody but Stevie ever should have sang it. Hearing Lindsey sing Crystal has always just annoyed me.

i have to listen to PM version once again, but i think i agree with you. i liked FM version when i first heard it, but after a while it started to really annoy me - mainly some of the words so clearly articulated sound really grating to me - "first, initial feeling"? really? maybe use a few more words to state the same? guess it sounds good? crystal, crystalline, crystal-like, clearwater... when Stevie sings these words with her gravely voice, words get hidden a bit and loose meaning somewhat so it doesn't seem so annoying...

[mezzoforte]

i have to listen to PM version once again, but i think i agree with you. i liked FM version when i first heard it, but after a while it started to really annoy me - mainly some of the words so clearly articulated sound really grating to me - "first, initial feeling"? really? maybe use a few more words to state the same? guess it sounds good? crystal, crystalline, crystal-like, clearwater... when Stevie sings these words with her gravely voice, words get hidden a bit and loose meaning somewhat so it doesn't seem so annoying...

Would you say that to Bob Dylan?

I like the Practical Magic version well enough, but the FM version is my favorite. I love the harmonies between the two of them. And while I think there are a number of songs Stevie's new voice works better for, there's a tenderness to early Crystal that the PM version doesn't have, to me.

[elle]

Would you say that to Bob Dylan?.

:) lindsey had to be diplomatic but i can say it - she's not bob dylan;)

[LiquidDiamonds]

(Insert witty comment here)

[Phoenix]

:) lindsey had to be diplomatic but i can say it - she's not bob dylan;)

Neither is Lindsey.:rolleyes: It is the MUSIC and the harmony that sells the BN and the Fleetwood mac versions for me. but the PM version has good music AND the add libbing at the end. (i love when stevie does that, in ANY of her songs cause its her song and it fits perfectly imho) i CANT STAND his strained attempt to hit the notes. Id like to see HIM try to sing that song in HIS "NOW" voice. it would be like that scene in the destiny rules doc where his talking about world turning and electronically sampling his voice in:lol: having said that, i do enjoy stevies harmony. again, it boils down to the lindsey camp and the stevie camp. with the sub division of the (i only enjoyed stevies voice when she was young) and the (i appreciate and enjoy stevies voice still) catagories.

[MissLadyLoki]

For me, the reason why I never cared for the Stevie only version is that, for some reason, Lindsey's voice just sounded better with the music to the song, but then again, I knew and loved that version long before I heard the PM version. Maybe it's just me, but I prefer the version with Lindsey vocals.

And like what Mick said, imagine if she sang it back in the day. Now that'd be something to hear.

Oh yeah, and does anyone know why Lindsey sang a song Stevie wrote?

[CTDee]

I just LOVE the FM version of this song.. don"t get me wrong, the others are wonderful too, but this one just get me!


Dee

[bluefox4000]

I know i chimed in.....but I must say Lindsey's vocals have a tenderness I love. Stevie's have that damn granny voice:sorry: Which i figured out is why I don't enjoy TISL....Granny voice. sorry if that's off-topic.

Mick

[elle]

Neither is Lindsey.: rolleyes:
neither is he what? bob dylan or diplomatic? did lindsey ever claim to be bob dylan?:confused:

again, it boils down to the lindsey camp and the stevie camp.
interesting! why does it need to boil down to camps? i definitely prefer lindsey over stevie as an artist and musician (if anybody's wondering:laugh:), but i like stevie's version better, b/c of the reasons i stated (it's a very typical stevie song, etc).

[tilthefirefades]

I know i chimed in.....but I must say Lindsey's vocals have a tenderness I love. Stevie's have that damn granny voice:sorry: Which i figured out is why I don't enjoy TISL....Granny voice. sorry if that's off-topic.

Mick

:laugh::laugh::laugh:

Agree, and disagree because I love TISL. Strange though that Lindsey has developed a voice that sounds like a car driving on a gravel driveway and she has just become high pitched and nasally. Yet Christine still sounds so sweet and elegant.

[bluefox4000]

I love the songs on TISL.....but the voice....i'm so sorry...it's like make it stop. Nothing against Stevie. I don't know if that's her voice now or just laziness As for Linds..stevie's got her Granny voice....Lindsey's got his gravel Live voice and his Whispery studio voice.....Ahhhh age.

Mick

[CADreaming]

The Buckingham Nicks version, hands down. It is far more moving to me emotionally than the other two, although there are qualities about those versions that certainly still do the song justice.

Starting with Stevie's version, which ranks third in my opinion, the maturity she brings to the song gives it a new dimension - and the ending of the song is very poignant.

The Fleetwood Mac version has Lindsey reaching vocally that makes him sound more uncertain. And, frankly this song always makes me feel like Christine, Mick and John are intruders - musical voyeurs, as it were. Overall, this version loses a bit of the sentiment and becomes a bit too polished from the original for my ears.

The Buckingham Nicks version is just sweet and pure. Their harmonies are perfect. Lindsey's fingerpicking here (as opposed to Christine's clinkety-clank keyboard) gives the a literal impression of the water closing around you and when combined with Stevie's poetry, the listener can understand being swept away ... to the sea...

Honorable mention: I also love the BN live version and the amplified picking with Stevie screaming at the end...just awesome!

[mitzo]

To me the Stevie PM version was an opportunity lost. Her vocals at the beginning of the song are flat and grating and false, but the latter part of the song with its dreamy flowing instrumentals and whispery vocals are really beautiful. If the whole song had that quality I'd choose it as the winner, but the White Album version is my choice despite the fact that it is not really Stevie.

[CADreaming]

but the White Album version is my choice despite the fact that it is not really Stevie.

Huh?? :confused:

[Meowi]

Practical Magic version. Always. :nod: Crystal is such a thoroughly Stevie song, nobody but Stevie ever should have sang it.

I see at as a gift from Stevie to Lindsey - when they were in love. It was an exchange of love - here words, his voice. That's why I think Lindsey should sing it. :blob2:

[CastleWalls]

No contest. Practical Magic version.

The song was supposed to be sung by Stevie from the get-go.

[GoldDustOrphan]

"Practical Magic" version. I love the production and arrangement.
I love the FM version, but it's not on any of my playlists, but Stevie's version is a permanent fixture.

[APerfectLie]

I agree with Louie! I'm not a fan of the BN or FM versions at all. I never ever ever listen to them. I had to go back and listen to both versions just now to see if I had missed something. I had not. The PM version takes the cake and is perfect. I think it would be interesting to hear Stevie do this song for Bella Donna, but I think her age worked beautifully with the song. The Practical Magic versions of Crystal and If You Ever Did Believe are masterpieces in my opinion. Such a shame she seems to have forgotten about their existence.

[mezzoforte]

I see at as a gift from Stevie to Lindsey - when they were in love. It was an exchange of love - here words, his voice. That's why I think Lindsey should sing it. :blob2:

Um, THIS. And her harmonies are so heartbreakingly lovely, I really don't see it as him taking her song. I think it's just a beautiful moment, shared by two people in love.

neither is he what? bob dylan or diplomatic? did lindsey ever claim to be bob dylan?:confused:


interesting! why does it need to boil down to camps? i definitely prefer lindsey over stevie as an artist and musician (if anybody's wondering:laugh:), but i like stevie's version better, b/c of the reasons i stated (it's a very typical stevie song, etc).

Agreed--the matter needn't break down into camps! Although I guess I'm the opposite here--I prefer Stevie as an artist, but like the FM version better. And not because I dislike her new voice, so much as for the reasons above :-)

[Nikolaj]

It took me some time to fully appreciate Stevie's PM version, I liked it, but now it is my favorite 'Crystal'. That fade is one of the best of her entire career. One day I'll get creative and mix parts of the fades throughout the song,maybe even beginning the song with it. That fade is spacey, totally spaced-out gorgeous, such beautiful nuances.
Could maybe even make a great dance remix, totally exploiting the fade half a hundred times.
Rave on, trippy Crystal!

[joe]

To me the Stevie PM version was an opportunity lost. Her vocals at the beginning of the song are flat and grating and false, but the latter part of the song with its dreamy flowing instrumentals and whispery vocals are really beautiful. If the whole song had that quality I'd choose it as the winner, but the White Album version is my choice despite the fact that it is not really Stevie.

I agree. Her voice is too strong in the beginning. I like how it gets softer at the end but I think that's how she should've sang it from the start. I think that's the problem with her voice now is that there's no softness left to it.

Funny this thread came up as I just started listening the the FM Crystal a few weeks back. I was up in the mountains taking some pics of winter scenes with partially frozen streams and snow and icicles etc and this song seemed so appropriate with all of its imagery. I voted for the FM version. I like them all and even the PM version because the production on it is pretty nice. I used to like the BN version over the FM one but not the case right now.

I have since been playing from the White album: I'm So Afraid, Crystal, then Sugar Daddy. Just those three. It's my favorite sequence lately. Hadn't really listened to those in a long time. ISA is so freaking heavy and dark and magnificent!!!

[Dodfather]

I went with the '75 album version but I love all of them. The Pratical Magic version is a very close second.

[mitzo]

Huh?? :confused:

I meant the FM version from 75 is sung by Lindsay not Stevie.

[fringed n fab]

I like Stevie's version and glad she released it at all but I had to go with the Mac's because I love the harmonies. For years FM's version always comes to mind as I'm driving through the Tennessee mountains on my way to Florida, I will think of that song...

Drove me thru the mountains
Thru the crystal-like clear water fountain
Drove me like a magnet
To the sea

<3

[michelej1]

Oh yeah, and does anyone know why Lindsey sang a song Stevie wrote?

Stevie said Lindsey just sounded better on it. I haven't heard more of an explanation than that.

Michele

[MissLadyLoki]

Stevie said Lindsey just sounded better on it. I haven't heard more of an explanation than that.

Michele

I thought there was something about she wanted him to sing a love song about her and she made him sing what she wrote, but come to think of it, your reason sounds right.

[seekerj]

Nothing could ever beat what Christine brought to it. That solo is transcendent.

[michelej1]

I thought there was something about she wanted him to sing a love song about her and she made him sing what she wrote, but come to think of it, your reason sounds right.

I've heard her say she's written beautiful love songs for him and he never did for her. I also heard her say that during The Chain, for once in his life he just went up and sang it exactly the way she told him to.

So, what you've said does sound familiar. Just in different contexts.

Michele

[louielouie2000]

I just listened To Stevie's version for the first time in ages.....and i remembered why I stopped. Not that it's terrible.it's not. But it's not my my Favorite. It's slightly grating. Had she sung it way back when....I'm sure it would have been a million times better.

Mick

See? I disagree totally. I actually like the age and wisdom her voice carries on the Practical Magic version. To me, it just makes the song that much more poignant... especially given the lyrics.

How the faces of love have changed, turning the pages
and I have changed all but you, you remain ageless...

[CADreaming]

I've heard her say she's written beautiful love songs for him and he never did for her. I also heard her say that during The Chain, for once in his life he just went up and sang it exactly the way she told him to.

So, what you've said does sound familiar. Just in different contexts.

Michele

:laugh::laugh::laugh:

She is so funny!!

[michelej1]

:laugh::laugh::laugh:

She is so funny!!

Lindsey must not have been feeling well that particular day. That's one reason why in the video when he is singing "running, running in the shadows" and she is just staring at him, I get so tickled. She says those are the only lyrics he added and from the expression on her face during the Mirage show, I can just imagine what she thought of them and his empassioned rendition.

Michele