Bella Donna & Wild Heart= End of Story!

[SufferYourLove]

Bella Donna & Wild Heart are Stevie and Jimmy Iovine's masterpieces. Everything after that in her solo career is rubbish. Of course she had some good songs after these two albums but they do not compare or come close to anything on BD & WH. Jimmy Iovine took those songs and turned them into magic. He is her best producer ever. Nothing beats her voice on BD & WH. So pure that it made my heart melt. I hate to be harsh but I wish she never slept with him and started a relationship with him maybe then we would have more albums produced by him and albums worth listening to. The way Jimmy blended everything together was true art. He works with tons of artist and does magnificent things with their work. I have been a fan of Stevie for a long time. I was there when BD was released! I was so excited to listen to it. When I put it on I was just in awe. Same with Wild Heart. Then came Rock A Little came.. not bad but starting to go downhill. Terrible music, terrible lyrics, terrible voice. I don't even want to talk about The Otherside Of the Mirror or Street Angel :eek:

[louielouie2000]

I guess it all comes down to taste... because give me Street Angel any day over Wild Heart. What an overly sappy monument to Stevie's bloated ego. Street Angel by comparison is a Godsend. It's straight forward rock and roll.

[KarmaContestant]

Street Angel by comparison is a Godsend. It's straight forward rock and roll.

I like Wild Heart a lot, but Street Angel is a great album. I think what really stands out is the timelessness of the instrumentation, with no period-fads or dated musical trends.

[SufferYourLove]

I guess it all comes down to taste... because give me Street Angel any day over Wild Heart. What an overly sappy monument to Stevie's bloated ego. Street Angel by comparison is a Godsend. It's straight forward rock and roll.

Really? That really shocks me. In all honesty what about Wild Heart don't you like?? What about Street Angel is better?

Out of the 10 songs on Wild Heart there is only one song that is okay and that is I Will Run To You. The rest is a masterpiece. I love I Will Run To You but that was written by Tom Petty so that is just a waste of a song.

Out of the 13 songs on Street Angel there is only one good song Blue Denim and two okay songs Rose Garden and Kick It.

The reason I don't think Rose Garden is a good song is for the whole corniness of it and this part just is bad.. Well, I've got all these things...All these things but a small gold band...On my finger...on my left hand Yuck.

As for Kick It this whole verse is bad imo Well I'm waited for in Egypt...It's just something I must do..Yes I can see you're waited for...all over you..All day and all night...all over the world..
It's your world

Love Is Like A River can be a guilty pleasure at times but that is another song that is just too much for me. Good music, some embarrassing lyrics.

[louielouie2000]

Street Angel is a great album. I think what really stands out is the timelessness of the instrumentation, with no period-fads or dated musical trends.

YES!! I knew there had to be another Ledgie who felt that way! :blob2: I just feel all of Stevie's fans automatically dismiss the album because Stevie badmouths it because it wasn't a hot seller. The reasons you mentioned are exactly why I love the album. The production style is clean, sharply creased, and no-nonsense. Stevie isn't hiding behind a lot of whizbangery the way she often had on her solo works. It's good, straight forward rock and roll... and I *LOVE* it :nod:.

[SufferYourLove]

YES!! I knew there had to be another Ledgie who felt that way! :blob2: I just feel all of Stevie's fans automatically dismiss the album because Stevie badmouths it because it wasn't a hot seller. The reasons you mentioned are exactly why I love the album. The production style is clean, sharply creased, and no-nonsense. Stevie isn't hiding behind a lot of whizbangery the way she often had on her solo works. It's good, straight forward rock and roll... and I *LOVE* it :nod:.

I will say that I hear a lot of criticism over Stevie's voice on Street Angel but I must say I don' t think her voice is bad.. It's just the writing, and the bad song choices on her part.

She needs to get Jimmy back and get him to produce good music like BD & WH. Get her writing back in order and rock it!!! I so miss the Stevie I fell in love with!

I know a lot of people say that if she recorded some of the demo's like China Doll, Julia, etc it would be ruined with her voice today and I have to disagree. Those songs are where the emotion and lyrics are at! We need those song done!!


To be brave save the stranger

[KarmaContestant]

I will say that I hear a lot of criticism over Stevie's voice on Street Angel but I must say I don' t think her voice is bad.. It's just the writing, and the bad song choices on her part.



Stevie's vocals on Street Angel are very good. As far as writing, there are a couple songs I'd consider subpar, but then that happens with almost every one of her albums, minus Bella Donna. I don't care for Unconditional Love, although the earlier demo versions aren't so bad...but the fnal product is a little too glossy (same with Thousand Days). But...really, other than that I quite like the writing - epecially the old tracks that were left over from Rock A Little.

I do wish Love Is Like A River had a certain something, not sure what it is that's missing exactly, but it never sounds complete. Still, it's a favorite of mine.

[SapphireSister]

In the last year or so I've started to consider Wild Heart to be her best album but I go back and forth between that, BD, and TISL. She was definitely the hottest she's ever been during that time. That being said I will never forgive Jimmy Iovine for not including All the Beautiful Worlds on TWH album instead of Gate and Garden. And apparently it was for personal reasons between he and Stevie. Biggest mistake EVER and I strongly resent him for it. That would have made the album a masterpiece.

[Sanne2]

I prefer Rock A Little over Wild Heart :shrug:

[KarmaContestant]

That being said I will never forgive Jimmy Iovine for not including All the Beautiful Worlds on TWH album instead of Gate and Garden. And apparently it was for personal reasons between he and Stevie. Biggest mistake EVER and I strongly resent him for it. That would have made the album a masterpiece.

Agreed - I don't know why Stevie couldn't just release tracks like that as b-sides, instead of the typical album tracks that she used more often than not.

[SapphireSister]

I prefer Rock A Little over Wild Heart :shrug:

I think RAL is probably my favorite album to listen to but coming from a singer/song-writer point of view I would say TWH wins over RAL.

[Artemis]

Out of the 10 songs on Wild Heart there is only one song that is okay and that is I Will Run To You. The rest is a masterpiece.

Gate and Garden disagrees with that statement. :laugh:

Also, I consider TISL and RAL to be totally amazing Stevie albums, TISL is easily on par with BD and WH, at least for me; different strokes for different folks.

I like a few songs on OSOTM and SA; namely, Rooms on Fire, Ghosts, Long Way To Go, Whole Lotta Trouble, Blue Denim, Greta, Kick it and Listen To The Rain. The rest... no. Garbage.

RAL is a very love/hate album. I didn't like it (other than Talk to Me and No Spoken Word) for the longest time, but, lately, I've discovered a new found love for it. The crazy vocals, the unescapable eighties vibe of the whole thing! :laugh:

Overall, I think Wild Heart is her best solo album to date, with Bella Donna and TISL a close second, but, I don't believe the rest of her stuff is necessarily worthless; there are some brilliant gems hidden amongst the garbage.

[SapphireSister]

Overall, I think Wild Heart is her best solo album to date, with Bella Donna and TISL a close second, but, I don't believe the rest of her stuff is necessarily worthless; there are some brilliant gems hidden amongst the garbage.

I love you my Karma Cousin! :xoxo: I agree with all of this except the garbage part.

[michelej1]

I don'd think you can beat her voice taking flight all over Wild Heart. Michele

[LittleCharmer]

whizbangery

You are my new favourite person.

[drzubritsky]

Wild Heart is interesting in that it generates pretty strongly divided opinions. I remember my older sister, who was 27 at the time and a fairly strong Stevie fan, buying it upon release and really hating it...too many draggy, mystical songs for her taste. And of course there was that scathing Rolling Stone review by Chris Connelly. While I thought the RS review was unfairly harsh, I could see some of his points.

I like WH for the most part, but I think it could have been much better. I feel it's a mix of a handful of really strong tracks ("Stand Back", "If Anyone Falls", "Wild Heart", "Enchanted") with some fairly pedestrian songs and one pretentious misfire ("Beauty And The Beast" - I know, shoot me, but I just never found this to be the masterpiece that Stevie apparently believes it is). I always considered "Nightbird" to be a near-miss...it has a lovely chorus and some interesting lyrics, but something about the arrangement never quite gelled, and it was my first WTF reaction to a vocal of hers during the first verse.

Essentially, too much of WH is for die-hard Stevie fans only and doesn't connect with casual fans the way the BD songs did. I think if she had swapped some of the lesser cuts ("Gate & Garden", "I Will Run To You", "Sable On Blonde") with stronger material, she would have had sales approaching the Bella Donna mark since she was still a pretty hot commodity at that time.

[jeffd8382]

I do wish Love Is Like A River had a certain something, not sure what it is that's missing exactly, but it never sounds complete. Still, it's a favorite of mine.

When I fell in love with Fleetwood Mac & Stevie Nicks' music around the time of The Dance release (I was about 15), the only group I was previously enthralled with was ABBA (from the time I was 12)... known for their very slick production and carefully structured songs. So when I came to listen to Stevie's solo albums, her songwriting style intrigued me... where Benny & Björn's compositions had lyrics thrown together to suit the music; Stevie's music was molded to fit her lyrics/poetry.

I think sometimes you get really interesting/cool results, such as "Battle Of The Dragon", where you have two different verses with the same chord structure, but different melodies. Other times, there almost sounds to me to be a struggle to get the lyrics to find their place within the structure of the song... one example that comes to mind is the demo of "Juliet" with what later became the "Book of Miracles" backing track... Stevie struggles to find places for some of the words within the structure of that song. It later was brilliantly and also subtly reworked for OSOTM, IMO... and the lyrics work there.

In the case of "Love Like A River", which is actually a favorite track on Street Angel for me, I think it is a little more like the latter (particularly in the bridge of the song). There does seem to be some unresolved elements to the melodies and structure of the song... but in a strange way, I think this is what makes you want to hear the song over and over... there is a part of you that keeps waiting for/seeking that resolution (I should speak for myself really..lol). I know there are other solo songs of hers that leave me with the same impression... they may have failed to impress me upon first listen many years ago, but with time I find I keep coming back and wanting more!

Hope that all makes sense to someone else! :lol:

[darklinensuit]

I agree about Jimmy being her best producer. But I do love RAL, with the exception of ISFTT.
I do not agree about SA being pure rock. Songs like Unconditional Love & MLWCYM are a far cry, IMO. But then again, much as I love Bella Donna, I always roll my eyes when Jimmy and others say their plans on that one were to market her as a straight-out rocker. Edge is really the only song that rocks out on that one.
I, too, would prefer ATBW on TWH, but also Garbo. Sorry, I've never thought that B&TB belonged on the album.

I do agree that Stevie's voice is better on BD & TWH, but if I'm driving around, RAL is the one I'll play, and not just for the upbeat production - also for the vocals.

- Jake

[baboles]

I think every Stevie album has their high and low points.

Bella Donna - Stevie's big masterpiece! I think everything is great on this album, but it's not my favorite.

Wild Heart - "I Will Run To You" just makes me sick to my stomach. Everything else is magic!

Rock A Little - The 'Hot Mess' record. It's fun though.

The Other Side of the Mirror - Some good and bad. Some songs are dull and other songs blossom.

Street Angel - Stevie's voice was amazing!

Trouble in Shangri-La - Overall, a pretty solid record.

[Hawkeye]

But then again, much as I love Bella Donna, I always roll my eyes when Jimmy and others say their plans on that one were to market her as a straight-out rocker. Edge is really the only song that rocks out on that one.



- Jake

SDMHA and Edge both are 100 percent straight ahead rockers. And considering they were the songs on the radio, it sort of makes sense. Especially considering her big songs in Fleetwood Mac were Sara, Dreams, Gold Dust Woman, Landslide and Rhiannon (which unless you heard it live was not 100 percent rocking.

[jannieC]

David, is that you?

Seriously though, I do agree that there was a shift for Stevie following The Wild Heart, but we've pretty much beaten that topic to death in other threads. I happen to think that Stevie's music has endured (and even gone beyond the earlier stuff from time to time) but the stage presence and performances have never been the same (for me) following the RAL days.

[AnthonyMI]

Back in my day when I first came to the Ledge (1997), Street Angel was pretty much agreed to be the worst Stevie album ever, her vocals awful, production was crap and her tour, weight and voice on it at their worst. What happened that it is now so appreciated?

[markolas]

Bella Donna is perfection, and I've always thought so. I didn't like The Wild Heart much for a long time, but it's grown on me over the last few years. I Will Run to You and Nothing Ever Changes are the songs that mar the album as a whole for me. They should've been replaced by Garbo & ATBW or Violet & Blue.

BD & RAL are the only albums where I genuinely like (at least) every song. I can listen to both of them all the way through and not be compelled to skip tracks.

Street Angel is like RAL's poor stepchild, to me. Several scrapped RAL tracks wound up on it (Love Is Like a River, Greta, Rose Garden, Destiny); and MLWCYM and Unconditional Love are the worst pieces of crap Stevie has ever recorded. Blue Denim is a good song, but very dated by 1994 standards. Love Street Angel the song, but prefer the Enchanted mix over the album version.

[Jondalar]

Bella Donna & Wild Heart are Stevie and Jimmy Iovine's masterpieces. Everything after that in her solo career is rubbish. Of course she had some good songs after these two albums but they do not compare or come close to anything on BD & WH. Jimmy Iovine took those songs and turned them into magic. He is her best producer ever. Nothing beats her voice on BD & WH. So pure that it made my heart melt. I hate to be harsh but I wish she never slept with him and started a relationship with him maybe then we would have more albums produced by him and albums worth listening to. The way Jimmy blended everything together was true art. He works with tons of artist and does magnificent things with their work. I have been a fan of Stevie for a long time. I was there when BD was released! I was so excited to listen to it. When I put it on I was just in awe. Same with Wild Heart. Then came Rock A Little came.. not bad but starting to go downhill. Terrible music, terrible lyrics, terrible voice. I don't even want to talk about The Otherside Of the Mirror or Street Angel :eek:

I agree with this post for the most part. I think BD and WH are her only good albums. However, even WH had its problems. The songs didn't flow that well together. The production is her most dated. The album could of been a little better. I have often thought that Gypsy belongs on this album, although it was originally tended for BD. The Tom Petty duet is weak. Nothing compared Stop Dragging My Heart around. I would of much preferred All The Beuatiful Worlds. Still, WH has a lot of the good stuff—Beauty and the Beast, Stand Back, Nightbird, If Anyone Falls... The title track is epic but it's also odd. Gold and Braid, All the Beautiful Worlds, Sleeping Angel also belong on this album..

Street Angel was a bore. She kicked the best song Inspiration off the album because she didn't write it. Her vocal on Docklands reaked!!!!! TOSTM was a complete embarrassment. And Rock A Little was one of those albums that was split down the middle between bad and good songs. It was also overproduced.

[louielouie2000]

Back in my day when I first came to the Ledge (1997), Street Angel was pretty much agreed to be the worst Stevie album ever, her vocals awful, production was crap and her tour, weight and voice on it at their worst. What happened that it is now so appreciated?

I loved Street Angel from the first time I listened to it. There has always been a mob mentality on the Ledge against the album, though. My thoughts are as follows: all Stevie albums have stinkers on them. Street Angel happens to have the worst stinkers of any Stevie album, though. Perhaps that's why so many dislike it. However, I think when Street Angel is good, it really sparkles. Blue Denim, Love Is Like A River, Kick It, Listen To The Rain... these are all great ROCKING tracks! I think the title track is beautiful and haunting. Greta is so quirky and fun. Jane, Destiny, and Maybe Love are all turds, though. Really, really stinky ones. But they don't detract from my love of the album. Regarding Stevie's performances from this tour, all I have to say is youtube them. Stevie was ON FIRE for the tour. I don't know if she was overcompensating for her weight and the album she wasn't pleased with, or if she was just fiery because the effects of Klonopin had finally worn off, but I think Stevie was quite the performer on the Street Angel tour. She's been a zombie onstage ever since.

Regarding what I don't like about Wild Heart? Where do I begin? It's an overly sappy piece of crap. It reeks of bloated ego. I detest her overly goat like vocals on the album. There really isn't much of a rock presence on this album. I dislike like most of the lyrics. For instance:

There is gate, it can be guarded. It is not heaven, but it has a garden.

I mean seriously, WTF? :lol: I have to just click "next" when she starts screaming about enchanted children on the title track. It's embarrassing to listen to. Nightbird is simply awful. Beauty and the Beast is terrible. I just can't stand the sappiness of the album, it's just an overtly reeking show of bloated ego. Sorry, guys... but Wild Heart is just not for me.

[holidayroad]

I enjoy Bella Donna now. I didn't appreciate it is much when I was younger. "Outside the Rain" is likely my favorite solo song. Still, songs like "The Highwayman" and "After the Glitter Fades" made me not listen to it as much as I would have.

The Wild Heart is more consistent to me. The songs fit together well. Strangely, my least fave song on the album is "Stand Back"!

Rock a Little was my favorite when I was younger. It seemed very raw and emotional. I never cared for 'The Nightmare", though.

I liked TOSOTM more in the past. Nowadays, it is too long and drawn out. "Rooms On Fire", "Long Way To Go", and "Ghosts" are songs I still listen to. I have to be in certain moods to enjoy the rest.

I like Street Angel. I listen to it pretty often. Just like the other albums, it has its good parts and bad. A lot of people like LILAR and "Listen to the Rain". To me, they (along with "Jane") are the weakest points of the album.

TISL is my favorite at this point. I am hoping that IYD will be just as good!!

[jannieC]

Nightbird is simply awful. Beauty and the Beast is terrible.
Blasphemy. :shocked:

I remember when Street Angel came out, I was so excited. I remember buying it and bringing it home to listen and being completely disappointed and sad. Even after forced listening (out of loyalty) I couldn't connect with this album.

[ejof17]

I rediscovered Stevie through street angel. I think Maybe Love was a pop gem. It amazes me how people see things so differently.

[APerfectLie]

I just have to say, I disagree with everyone. All of Stevie's albums have their ups and downs. None of them suck and none of them are perfect. Street Angel has some peeled back production and some fiery vocals on some rocking songs such as Blue Denim and Love Is Like A River and the extremely loved Bella Donna was a little too country at parts. To say that all of Stevie's albums after The Wild Heart sucked is absurd. If that is the case, then why stay a fan 28 years later? My moods fluctuate, and some days I'm very Street Angel and other times I want to Rock A Little. At the end of the day, I'd prefer any Stevie album over most any other albums out there. But perhaps that is just me.

[SapphireSister]

Street Angel would be my least favorite album if I had to pick one but it's not all that bad. Wait, when compared to her previous albums it is that bad lol! But by itself it's not that awful. The only song I absolutely love is the title track. I actually really like Docklands too but it's so not Stevie and the lyrics kill it. Good little tune though. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the demo of Unconditional Love but the album version doesn't compare. Listen to the Rain and Blue Denim aren't bad. Kick it is just fair and I hate what she did with LILAR compared to the RAL version. Jane and Just Like a Woman speak for themselves :distress:.

More importantly my problem with SA is that it represents such an awful time in Stevie's life, at least during the recording of the album/pre-tour. The album screams Klonopin and I know from experience just how awful those benzos can be and how much they can steal your soul. So when I hear these songs I tend to get quite sad for Stevie not to mention all the sh*t she got about the weight gane.

[mitzo]

Unlike most, I found it hard to appreciate Stevie's solo work on BD and WH with a few exceptions. BD is really marred by songs that sound dull and amateurish IMO due to muddy, irritating production - a lot of it sounds she is mumbling and hollering through a blanket in a windstorm. WH is better, but it is only Nightbird, Stand back, and BATB that do it for me - they have a quality that is lacking on the rest. I was intrigued and hooked by Stevie and her FM songs and found her solo work to be somehow cheaper and sloppier in overall quality, much of the mytique and allure was drowned under dull instrumentation/arrangement and puzzling song choices. In all her solo albums I have found a few great tracks but most of it I can only listen to when I am in a certain space. I have always wished she's stop trying to "rock" and do more compelling ballads, which is where she shines, I think. FM stuff like Storms, GDW, Gypsy, even 7 Wonders, is unique and haunting, some (not all eg. EO17) of her solo midtempo and rocker work is borderline.

[SapphireSister]

I just have to say, I disagree with everyone. All of Stevie's albums have their ups and downs. None of them suck and none of them are perfect. Street Angel has some peeled back production and some fiery vocals on some rocking songs such as Blue Denim and Love Is Like A River and the extremely loved Bella Donna was a little too country at parts. To say that all of Stevie's albums after The Wild Heart sucked is absurd. If that is the case, then why stay a fan 28 years later? My moods fluctuate, and some days I'm very Street Angel and other times I want to Rock A Little. At the end of the day, I'd prefer any Stevie album over most any other albums out there. But perhaps that is just me.

Well said John, I love this. It's so true, they all have their ups and downs but in my mind TWH has the least amount of downs (can we say Gate and Garden). I would also prefer any Stevie album over most music out there.

Regarding I Will Run to You, I also did not like this song up until about a year ago where I decided to give it a couple more listens and my head was spinning because I discovered it's greatness. For all those who despise it, please give it another chance for me. It's a song for tormented lovers and we can all relate to that. Just the music by itself is brilliant sounding and her vocal is chilling.

[Jondalar]

Bella Donna is perfect. The atmosphere, the quality of the songs, the flow—it's all there. It's almost her greatest hits. I think people are putting this album down to try and uplift her later works. Notta. This album is a Diamond and they are the hardest things to crack. Bella Donna is why I am still a fan of her solo work. It made her solo career.

[SapphireSister]

Bella Donna is perfect. The atmosphere, the quality of the songs, the flow—it's all there. It's almost her greatest hits. I think people are putting this album down to try and uplift her later works. Notta. This album is a Diamond and they are the hardest things to crack. Bella Donna is why I am still a fan of her solo work. It made her solo career.

Artistically, the album is near perfect. I however, don't like the country-sounding songs particularly so that kills it for me in terms of being my favorite.

[ryguy2010]

Well my favorite album is Street Angel too as a whole. For me the easiest way too explain why is b/c Stevie's voice is more prominent and isn't pushed back by the instrumentation. My belief too is that Lindsey has ruined some of FM's songs by using heavy instrumentation to the front and pushing the vocals back as well.

[David]

I know a lot of people say that if she recorded some of the demo's like China Doll, Julia, etc it would be ruined with her voice today and I have to disagree. Those songs are where the emotion and lyrics are at! We need those song done!!

She has recorded a lot of her old songs:

Planets of the Universe
If You Ever Did Believe
Candlebright
Secret Love
Smile at You
Goodbye Baby
Lady from the Mountains
Sorcerer -- twice
Running Through the Garden

[Nikolaj]

I loved Street Angel from the first time I listened to it. There has always been a mob mentality on the Ledge against the album, though. My thoughts are as follows: all Stevie albums have stinkers on them. Street Angel happens to have the worst stinkers of any Stevie album, though. Perhaps that's why so many dislike it. However, I think when Street Angel is good, it really sparkles. Blue Denim, Love Is Like A River, Kick It, Listen To The Rain... these are all great ROCKING tracks! I think the title track is beautiful and haunting. Greta is so quirky and fun. Jane, Destiny, and Maybe Love are all turds, though. Really, really stinky ones. But they don't detract from my love of the album. Regarding Stevie's performances from this tour, all I have to say is youtube them. Stevie was ON FIRE for the tour. I don't know if she was overcompensating for her weight and the album she wasn't pleased with, or if she was just fiery because the effects of Klonopin had finally worn off, but I think Stevie was quite the performer on the Street Angel tour. She's been a zombie onstage ever since.

Regarding what I don't like about Wild Heart? Where do I begin? It's an overly sappy piece of crap. It reeks of bloated ego. I detest her overly goat like vocals on the album. There really isn't much of a rock presence on this album. I dislike like most of the lyrics. For instance:

There is gate, it can be guarded. It is not heaven, but it has a garden.

I mean seriously, WTF? :lol: I have to just click "next" when she starts screaming about enchanted children on the title track. It's embarrassing to listen to. Nightbird is simply awful. Beauty and the Beast is terrible. I just can't stand the sappiness of the album, it's just an overtly reeking show of bloated ego. Sorry, guys... but Wild Heart is just not for me.

I can appreciate the best tracks of 'Street Angel' and don't consider it the nadir of her recording career at all. It has a good handful of really good songs- I don't think that TISL was such a huge jump in quality as it is credited to be either- TISL has, again, a good handful of songs that work well. But it's not like Street Angel is crud and TISL is brilliance.
It's an old trick many performers have used, to trash a previous work that didn't sell up to expectations to make it sound like the new cd is a must have, and that definitely was a factor. However, the title song 'Wild Heart'- I think many SN fans feel that the final 2 minutes of that vocal performance is perhaps her best singing ever recorded on a solo cd- I haven't ever heard anyone trash the vocal on 'Wild Heart' so feverishly before- but to each their own. If you skip to the next track when she gets to the 'children hopelessly enchanted' segment you miss the orgasmic climax of that vocal- start to finish, I love it. Most fans do. Tom Petty said it was 'epic'. But people hear things differently. I do agree about 'G&G' though.
Oh, can't even remember- is it in the portion above- but SN has given good performances since the SA tour. The 'Enchanted' tour was SN in excellent form- and anyone who missed the mini-tour that was 'Two Voices' missed seeing the best vocal performances, in my opinion, since the 'Wild Heart' tour. Stevie on 'Hotel California' was beyond expectations, and it was the loudest ovation I'd heard her receive since The US Festival in 1983. She was sublime on 'New York Minute' vocally, too, and had fun with 'So You Wanna Be A Rock And Roll Star' w Henley as an encore. 'Two Voices' was a fully energized, recharged SN in absolute peak vocal form. I humbly add 'in my opinion'- which is never a bad idea, particularly when trashing entire tours, some of which you didn't even see, baby! A maturity in being a little humbler about your opinions which are no more valid than anyone elses would definitely make you a better writer and definitely less offensive as a moderator- I've never seen a moderator be so arrogant as you, Louie, but good luck, ye who knows everything. Of course you have the right to a differing opinion, but the ego, feh. Downhill it's going, here. There, Jannie, Michele, and to whomever concerned, someone did what any of you should have done- told Louie to stop being offensive. A confrontational moderator is not going to work here, at all. DUMB decision. There I said it, publically, and I am so glad that I did. Everyone is free to disagree with me, ban me, tell my mother, or just have a different opinion- which is something that never even occurs to little, pathetic louie in his ridiculously egomaniacal posts which I simply won't tolerate from a moderator. I no longer respect The Ledge or want it in my life. Louie, you are an ass-wipe. You always have been!
Will never be back, I swear. I hope those it makes happy are pleased. It's so past time I got the hell out of here!
so gbye, and best wishes, even to Louie, who simply has too much to learn for me to stick around. You write like a little boy made editor of a junior high newspaper. That is the truth for The Ledge to remedy.
To any friends, and I had some, I will miss you.
Though it won't matter to her, I know she loves Louie and I'm glad she does, I want to say that I was unkind to Danielle and now that I'm leaving, I'm sorry that I was. Being unkind is something I never came to The Ledge to be, and I take responsibility for it.
I most will miss Jannie and Hejira and wish them both love and everything that is 'in your dreams', both of you. I wish I could have known you both better.
Viv, stop bugging people for their phone numbers, you have too many friends already. I'll miss ya! But I still won't give you my phone number!
Meowi, I never liked you.
LOL.
But Meowi, I wish you a wonderful life, and hey- you may be a hero now, you and Louie are a big reason why I started hating it here. But, hate is something I have shame about and need to eliminate from my life.
In fact, I send everyone here parting wishes of love, success, and happiness. It was never my intent to become unkind, and it happened more than I wish it had.
This is for real. My mind will not be changed.
Love the new cd everyone, and have fun! That's the whole point of being here, after all.

DONE.

[sorcerer999]

I just have to say, I disagree with everyone. All of Stevie's albums have their ups and downs. None of them suck and none of them are perfect. Street Angel has some peeled back production and some fiery vocals on some rocking songs such as Blue Denim and Love Is Like A River and the extremely loved Bella Donna was a little too country at parts. To say that all of Stevie's albums after The Wild Heart sucked is absurd. If that is the case, then why stay a fan 28 years later? My moods fluctuate, and some days I'm very Street Angel and other times I want to Rock A Little. At the end of the day, I'd prefer any Stevie album over most any other albums out there. But perhaps that is just me.

John, you took the words right out of my mouth! I think most everyone here would agree with you on the bold highlighted areas. I know I do.

I hated Street Angel when I first heard it. Now I have to say it's grown on me. Still not my favorite, but I love tracks like Greta, Blue Denim, LILAR, etc. It's all about the mood I'm in, like you said.

Louie, I love ya more than my luggage, but I guess we have to agree to disagree. The Wild Heart is my favorite Stevie record. Are there songs that are pretentious? Yes. Do I still love them? Yes INDEED! ;)

Also, am I the ONLY PERSON on this board who ADORES "Gate & Garden"? I've not heard anyone say anything nice about this song. LOL.

Anywho, reading everyone's opinions is great! It just goes to show how different we all are in our appreciations and love for all things Stevie. Tis a GREAT THING! To all those out there who take umbrage to other people's OPINIONS, and to those who wish to pick fights BECAUSE of those opinions, please take note! This board should be for healthy and FRIENDLY discussion. Can't we celebrate each other's differences?

[Jondalar]

John, you took the words right out of my mouth! I think most everyone here would agree with you on the bold highlighted areas. I know I do.

I hated Street Angel when I first heard it. Now I have to say it's grown on me. Still not my favorite, but I love tracks like Greta, Blue Denim, LILAR, etc. It's all about the mood I'm in, like you said.

Louie, I love ya more than my luggage, but I guess we have to agree to disagree. The Wild Heart is my favorite Stevie record. Are there songs that are pretentious? Yes. Do I still love them? Yes INDEED! ;)

Also, am I the ONLY PERSON on this board who ADORES "Gate & Garden"? I've not heard anyone say anything nice about this song. LOL.

Anywho, reading everyone's opinions is great! It just goes to show how different we all are in our appreciations and love for all things Stevie. Tis a GREAT THING! To all those out there who take umbrage to other people's OPINIONS, and to those who wish to pick fights BECAUSE of those opinions, please take note! This board should be for healthy and FRIENDLY discussion. Can't we celebrate each other's differences?

I love Gate and Garden, especially because of the little nuiances. When you hear Stevie sing Every night in the background. That was a great touch. That song and Sable on Blonde really had special little touches to them that were sophisticated and made them special. I would also like to add that that song is extremely feminine, yet rock. She definitely wasn't trying to act like one of the boys and I always thought that song demonstrated her feminine touch.

[David]

Yikes.

I agree with Mitzo, who said that Stevie's solo albums lacked Fleetwood Mac's quality of craftsmanship & inventiveness. There really isn't anything in the music tracks on her solo albums that's worth talking or writing about. By contrast, Fleetwood Mac tracks get continual attention. Music lovers talk about their favorite Buckingham guitar solo, whether it's "Go Your Own Way" or "Tango in the Night" or "World Turning," or their favorite Fleetwood drum track ("Hypnotized" is one of mine) or the precision punch-lope playing of John's or even Christine's introverted keyboards, which sneak in the back door & wind up redecorating the entire house. Can you imagine anyone talking seriously about any music or orchestration on a Stevie Nicks solo album? What would anyone say? "What guitar solo on Rock a Little gives you the shivers?" "Don't you dig all the creative filigree that decorates I Still Miss Someone?"

I mean, the idea is ludicrous from the get-go. There's so much on the Mac albums to engage the intellect & please the ear, apart from the songs themselves or even the lead singing. To this day, we speak of the Fleetwood Mac sound -- the sound of that band & the way it constructs a track around a song. It's the sound that has musically influenced dozens of other bands & thousands of other musicians. Stevie Nicks is the only thing happening on a Stevie Nicks album. If she falters, the whole castle crumbles.

[sorcerer999]

Yes!!! Gate and Garden & Sable On Blonde are my two favorite songs on the album...BECAUSE of those subtle nuances. You hit the nail right on the head!

[Jondalar]

Yes!!! Gate and Garden & Sable On Blonde are my two favorite songs on the album...BECAUSE of those subtle nuances. You hit the nail right on the head!

Yes, it was like she put a little moon necklace on each song, making them a little extra special to bring out the best of each song... her estrogen touch

[Garbo]

Gate and Garden as well as Sable And Blonde are amongst my favorites from WH as well. They float my boat! :shrug:

[louielouie2000]

Sable On Blonde is definitely my fav from Wild Heart as well. I love I Will Run To You as well. Both of these songs are much more straight forward and understated like others have said. I really should put my grievances with the album aside and listen to these tracks more... I enjoy them very much. There. I said nice things about Wild Heart. :p

[mitzo]

Yikes.

I agree with Mitzo, who said that Stevie's solo albums lacked Fleetwood Mac's quality of craftsmanship & inventiveness. There really isn't anything in the music tracks on her solo albums that's worth talking or writing about. By contrast, Fleetwood Mac tracks get continual attention. Music lovers talk about their favorite Buckingham guitar solo, whether it's "Go Your Own Way" or "Tango in the Night" or "World Turning," or their favorite Fleetwood drum track ("Hypnotized" is one of mine) or the precision punch-lope playing of John's or even Christine's introverted keyboards, which sneak in the back door & wind up redecorating the entire house. Can you imagine anyone talking seriously about any music or orchestration on a Stevie Nicks solo album? What would anyone say? "What guitar solo on Rock a Little gives you the shivers?" "Don't you dig all the creative filigree that decorates I Still Miss Someone?"

I mean, the idea is ludicrous from the get-go. There's so much on the Mac albums to engage the intellect & please the ear, apart from the songs themselves or even the lead singing. To this day, we speak of the Fleetwood Mac sound -- the sound of that band & the way it constructs a track around a song. It's the sound that has musically influenced dozens of other bands & thousands of other musicians. Stevie Nicks is the only thing happening on a Stevie Nicks album. If she falters, the whole castle crumbles.

Thanks David. The overall sound on Stevie's solo work is often shabby compared to the aural castles in the air built around her songs on FM albums. And I certainly include SYW in that. I think it is not that Stevie is the only thing happening on a solo album, it is that despite the fact she could afford to hire any help, she has stuck with producers and backup who lack vision and don't play up her strengths.

[sorcerer999]

There. I said nice things about Wild Heart. :p

I wish there was a "like" button on this forum! LOL!

[Artemis]

I love this thread, so many different opinions! It's been a really interesting read :laugh:

I'm really surprised that there are some people who don't like Sable on Blond or Nothing Ever Changes, though, for me, those two songs are amongst the strongest on that album.

I know Beauty and The Beast and I Will Run To You are very devisive tracks, but I totally adore them. Musically speaking, I think BATB may be the most interesting/different thing Stevie ever tried. For me, the "dud" song on WH is Gate and Garden; I can't like it at all. (I think someone once said it's a huge metaphor for Stevie's lady area, which adds to the ick factor for me :laugh:) and I'm not too keen on If Anyone Falls, I have to be in a certain mood to listen to that one. I didn't like Enchanted for the longest time, but, recently, I've fallen in love with it; I think it might be the piano that swings it for me.

I'm surprised that someone said they don't like Stevie's rockiest songs, solo. For me, these ones often tend to be her best. Edge, Nothing Ever Changes, No Spoken Word, Fall From Grace... etc.

[OooMissionary]

Here is my summation of Stevie's albums... While I love them all, and think they are better than most other artists', here is my current...state of mind:

1- Bella Donna- I think it is Stevie's masterpeice thus far. It is good from beginning to end. It is an album that just flows wonderfully, ala Rumours. Nice balance of country and rock sounds.

2- The Wild Heart- Currently, this is my least favorite album. I love all of the songs, but not together, and I don't feel that the album flows very well. Some songs are very 80s pop, some sound very 'Wild Heart' if that makes sense... and the rest feel like they were cut from 'Bella Donna'. I just feel its very choppy. Dare I say moreso than RAL.

3- Rock A Little- One of the more dated examples of Stevie's work, and the most obviously pop. However, I listen to this more than any of them. And much of the 80s production as gained a ton of cool-retro status as of late. Despite the numerous producers, it all flows very well. There is an energy in this album than def lacked in much of TWH. If only one of the non-Stevie songs had been replaced with an original composition, I would consider this album '80s Perfection'.

4- The Other Side of the Mirror- THE most dated album of Stevie's. I love all of the songs, but not so much the arrangements. The 2nd half of this album really drags on and on... I think that this album could benefit the most from a re-release; 1 disk a remaster version of the original, 1 disk a stripped down version, taking away much of the late 80s easy listening crap.

5- Street Angel- My biggest guilty pleasure. I love this album despite its flaws. The arrangement is very straight forward and not dated. This album would have benefitted greatly from the addition of 2 original Stevie compositions...and the loss of: Docklands (alternately known as: 'Sister Says Go to the Laundromat and brush your hair) and Unconditional Love... The album mix of 'Destiny' is also kinda awkward... The Enchanted version is far superior.

6- Trouble in Shangri-La- I love this album too. The only awkward songs for me are: Too Far From Texas (which is like a sore thumb on the album), and That Made Me Stronger (love the lyrics and music, hate the chorus). I also feel that 'Love Changes' could have benefitted from a different mix with more upbeat energy, and that 'Love Is' should've stayed in its demo/live form.

7- In Your Dreams- I'm sssooooooooo excited!!!

[markolas]

Some of you have very...odd...taste, and that's all I can really say. :laugh:

[tabruns]

Bella Donna
Excellent album although two tracks are somewhat "Dreams"-lite tracks: "Outside The Rain" and "How Still My Love".

The Wild Heart
The synths on this album are a bit heavy. Some tracks quite good "Stand Back" for example but others not so much "Gate and Garden", "Wild Heart"

Rock A Little
Sounds more updated to the sound at the time than previous albums. "Talk To Me" is great (and a big hit), "I Can't Wait" is SO 80s. Over-all a solid album but lacks the magic of Bella Donna I think

The Other Side of the Mirror
I really loved "Rooms On Fire" and the over-all magic, mystic feel of this album. I thought it was an improvement over Rock A Little and Wild Heart, but thought that "Two Kinds Of Love" and "Ooh My Love" might have made better singles than "Long Way To Go" and "Whole Lotta Trouble"

Street Angel
Okay album, probably Stevie's weakest one. Just lots of pedestrian songs on this, similar to Behind the Mask.

Trouble In Shangri-La
Definitely her best album since Bella Donna. Many top-notch songs here, including "Planets of the Universe", "Sorcerer" (tho I prefer the piano Marilyn whats-her-name version), "Trouble In Shangri-La", "Love Is", "I Miss You", "Bombay Sapphires", "Too Far From Texas"....only real dud was "It's Only Love"

In Your Dreams
So far it sounds like it will be an amazing album from all accounts. I like "Secret Love" alot, and I'm looking forward to hearing "Moonlight", "In Your Dreams", "Wide Sargasso Sea", and "Italian Summer".

[johnnystorms]

Bella Donna
Excellent album although two tracks are somewhat "Dreams"-lite tracks: "Outside The Rain" and "How Still My Love".

The Wild Heart
The synths on this album are a bit heavy. Some tracks quite good "Stand Back" for example but others not so much "Gate and Garden", "Wild Heart"

Rock A Little
Sounds more updated to the sound at the time than previous albums. "Talk To Me" is great (and a big hit), "I Can't Wait" is SO 80s. Over-all a solid album but lacks the magic of Bella Donna I think

The Other Side of the Mirror
I really loved "Rooms On Fire" and the over-all magic, mystic feel of this album. I thought it was an improvement over Rock A Little and Wild Heart, but thought that "Two Kinds Of Love" and "Ooh My Love" might have made better singles than "Long Way To Go" and "Whole Lotta Trouble"

Street Angel
Okay album, probably Stevie's weakest one. Just lots of pedestrian songs on this, similar to Behind the Mask.

Trouble In Shangri-La
Definitely her best album since Bella Donna. Many top-notch songs here, including "Planets of the Universe", "Sorcerer" (tho I prefer the piano Marilyn whats-her-name version), "Trouble In Shangri-La", "Love Is", "I Miss You", "Bombay Sapphires", "Too Far From Texas"....only real dud was "It's Only Love"

In Your Dreams
So far it sounds like it will be an amazing album from all accounts. I like "Secret Love" alot, and I'm looking forward to hearing "Moonlight", "In Your Dreams", "Wide Sargasso Sea", and "Italian Summer".

Two Kinds of Love was the second single from TOSM

[Jondalar]

1. Bella Donna - loved the whole thing
2. The Wild Heart - really good, but didn't quite flow, still thought it was a good album, did not really care for I Will Run Too.
3. Rock a Little - Like Talk to Me, Has Anyone Written, I Can't Wait, If I Were you, and thought No Spoken Word was decent. This album was a overproduced mess. I actually liked the title track's moody atmosphere, but it never quite worked.
4. TOSOTM - Liked Rooms on Fire, Juliet and Ooh My Love. Like some of the lyrics in Whole Lotta Trouble but the track was bland. This thing ended up in the trash pretty quickly.
5. Street Angel - Favorite song from the album was cut from album, Inspiration. The only other cuts I liked were Just Like a Woman, Destiny, Greta, and Rose Garden, sorta. The album seemed like a collection of demos, very small and insignificant.
6. TISL - This album was a good try to me. I loved the Title track and still do. Lyrically I thought Planets was one of the best things she ever did, but the song seemed dry. I like the slow version better. Candlebright, Everyday, Sorcerer, Fall from Grace and I Miss You were decent, but it seemed like they should of been better. Too Far from Texas was a good song ruined by a horrible vocal. It's Only Love had a great vocal, but the song is not memorable. Sheryl Crow's version on her own album is. Bombay Sapphire provides the best atmosphere but it's just too out there for me. I used to joke with people that she should of wrote a song called Pepsi Cola.

I don't know I just had too many small problems with the decent songs on TISL that the album ended up a negative. The other songs were bland. It seemed like Stevie Nicks trying to imitate Stevie Nicks. There was a disconnect there. I think John Shanks should of produced the whole album. When Sheryl put mandolin on Candlebright, she almost ruined it for me and that is great atmospheric song. I Miss You had a memorable chorus but it was bland...

[Jondalar]

Two Kinds of Love was the second single from TOSM

That song and Blue Denim were a desperate attempt to get on the radio. They sucked! And Blue Denim is basically a guitar rift with a chorus, hardly a song.

[mitzo]

Never cared much for Blue Denim either - it's the lyrics mostly, I think.

[Fleetwoodmark]

Bella Donna & Wild Heart are Stevie and Jimmy Iovine's masterpieces. Everything after that in her solo career is rubbish. Of course she had some good songs after these two albums but they do not compare or come close to anything on BD & WH. Jimmy Iovine took those songs and turned them into magic. He is her best producer ever. Nothing beats her voice on BD & WH. So pure that it made my heart melt. I hate to be harsh but I wish she never slept with him and started a relationship with him maybe then we would have more albums produced by him and albums worth listening to. The way Jimmy blended everything together was true art. He works with tons of artist and does magnificent things with their work. I have been a fan of Stevie for a long time. I was there when BD was released! I was so excited to listen to it. When I put it on I was just in awe. Same with Wild Heart. Then came Rock A Little came.. not bad but starting to go downhill. Terrible music, terrible lyrics, terrible voice. I don't even want to talk about The Otherside Of the Mirror or Street Angel :eek:

Disagree.

Her vocals on WH are pretty poor - listen to "Enchanted"...they are flat and undesirable - her vocal of that song on the Soundstage sessions was a country mile better.

A lot of people like to write off what Stevie did after these first two albums but if you actually look at the songs written after they are just as good if not better - Love is, No Spoken Work, I Can't Wait, Rooms on Fire - You just have to look beyond the production.

[Jondalar]

Disagree.

Her vocals on WH are pretty poor - listen to "Enchanted"...they are flat and undesirable - her vocal of that song on the Soundstage sessions was a country mile better.

A lot of people like to write off what Stevie did after these first two albums but if you actually look at the songs written after they are just as good if not better - Love is, No Spoken Work, I Can't Wait, Rooms on Fire - You just have to look beyond the production.

Weren't there three people credited with Rooms on Fire, wasn't I Can't Wait just a song she wrote to a killer track. Love Is is nothing special to me at all. I liked No Spoken Word to a point but it needed more lyircs or something to be meatier.

I agree that Stevie's voice was not as good on the Wild Heart as BD. She sounded very live to me, like everything was done too quickly.

[tilthefirefades]

I love all of Stevie's solo albums except WH :shrug:

Bella Donna-A true masterpiece, and is imo better than any FM studio album. Ok, not really because Tusk is an even bigger masterpiece but whatever.
Wild Heart-Ew. Even though I love All The Beautiful Worlds, which should have went on there. Sable on Blonde is very good too.
Rock a Little-If you like 80s music, you like this album, it's that simple. I think that Sister Honey/If I Were You/Imperial Hotel make a killer trio among Stevie's best work.
OSOTM-I agree with others that half is good, half is bad. I love most the songs thanks to the Shoreline 89 show. Alice, Ooh My Love, and Two Kinds of Love are my favorites.
Street Angel-This is quickly becoming the greatest thing I've ever known. I find it to be beautiful from start to finish, with ageless production, wonderful vocals, sometimes quirky lyrics, and a overall rock atmosphere.
TISL-Best album ever, nothing more can be said.

[WildHearted]

A lot of people like to write off what Stevie did after these first two albums but if you actually look at the songs written after they are just as good if not better - Love is, No Spoken Work, I Can't Wait, Rooms on Fire - You just have to look beyond the production.

I actually really agree with this. I find that I like a lot of the songs I just don't like their production or in some cases the direction they took them for the album versions..

[markolas]

Like I say, I didn't like TWH for a long time, but it's grown on me. If it looked more like this, though, it would be damn-near perfect:

1. Wild Heart
2. If Anyone Falls
3. Gate & Garden
4. Enchanted
5. Nightbird
6. Violet & Blue
7. Stand Back
8. Garbo
9. Sable on Blond
10. Beauty & the Beast

A lot of people dislike G&G, and so did I for a long time, but I'm convinced that Stevie wrote this song about her vagina, so I think it's awesome for just that reason. It's not that far-fetched an idea...Laura Nyro wrote a song about her period. :cool:

I never liked that Stand Back followed Nightbird on the original album, so I stuck V&B between them. And Garbo being relegated to b-side status was criminal. Those two songs replace IWRTY and NEC (both of which I despise) quite nicely. :)

[markolas]

Ugh - lost my post. To summarize:

- didn't like TWH for a long time, but it grew on me
- minor tweakage would render it near-perfect:

1. Wild Heart
2. If Anyone Falls
3. Enchanted
4. Gate & Garden (this song is totally about Stevie's vadge, which makes it awesome)
5. Nightbird
6. Violet & Blue (never liked SB following NB on the album)
7. Stand Back
8. Garbo (should *not* have been a mere b-side)
9. Sable on Blond
10. Beauty & the Beast

Street Angel:

- could be a decent (not great) album w/ some changes
- '93 master mixes are superior, except for Blue Denim
- MLWCYM and UC are dreck
- where, oh where, is the SA version of I Call You Missing???

1. Docklands
2. Rose Garden
3. If You Were My Love
4. Listen to the Rain
5. Destiny
6. Blue Denim [album version]
7. Inspiration
8. God's Garden
9. Just Like a Woman
10. Street Angel
11. Greta
12. Love Is Like a River

TISL, like TWH, would be perfect w/ a couple of song changes:

1. Trouble in Shangri-La
2. Candlebright
3. Sorcerer
4. Planets of the Universe
5. Every Day
6. Thrown Down [wall of sound]
7. My Heart (not necessarily a fave, but preferable to TFFT & TMMS)
8. It's Only Love
9. Love Changes
10. I Miss You
11. Bombay Sapphires
12. Fall from Grace
13. Love Is

[aprilsrain]

I don't really like most of the back half of TWH. I think after Stand Back the album really loses steam. Beauty in the Beast is gorgeous but I can't relate to the song for some reason.

[Artemis]

I don't really like most of the back half of TWH. I think after Stand Back the album really loses steam. Beauty in the Beast is gorgeous but I can't relate to the song for some reason.

I feel completely the opposite. For me, the first half of the album drags, and then it starts to pick up steam.

Maybe if it went something like this.

1) Wild Heart
2) All The Beautiful Worlds (I think it would work really well after the title song)
3) Enchanted
4) Nightbird
5) Garbo (Completely agree that it should not be a B-Side, it's fabulous)
6) Stand Back
7) I Will Run To You
8) Nothing Ever Changes
9) Sable On Blond
10) Beauty and the Beast

As such, I find If Anyone Falls - Gate And Garden - Enchanted to be a very weak run of songs, and like Markolas said, Nightbird preceding Stand Back is a bit weird. Whilst I think Stand Back - IWRTY - NEC - SOB - BATB to be a completely steller 5 song run :laugh:

[aprilsrain]

Maybe I haven't listened to those songs enough. It's so nice to have ipods and things now to be able to manipulate song orders at whim. Releasing "albums" is kind of silly now when artists can just release single songs at they make them.

[cliffdweller]

YES!! I knew there had to be another Ledgie who felt that way! :blob2: I just feel all of Stevie's fans automatically dismiss the album because Stevie badmouths it because it wasn't a hot seller. The reasons you mentioned are exactly why I love the album. The production style is clean, sharply creased, and no-nonsense. Stevie isn't hiding behind a lot of whizbangery the way she often had on her solo works. It's good, straight forward rock and roll... and I *LOVE* it :nod:.

Yeah, SA sounds okay, but the lyrics are, at times, attrocious. I am one who prefers The Wild Heart over SA. Maybe it's the synth on that album that you don't prefer? I think she used it quite effectively. Stand Back is one of the best rock songs ever played and by far blows anything on SA out of the water.

[SapphireSister]

Enchanted and Gate and Garden are the only weak links on this album. Replace G&G with All the Beautiful Worlds and Enchanted with anything else (Julia anyone?) and the album would be flawless.

[Christopher]

^^
I agree about G & G for the most part, esp if ATBW replaced it. But Enchanted is a classic. Love this song! Love the Soundstage version. I couldn't live w/o it. I dunno how to explain it other than when I play this song I crank it up & it makes me happy and tingly all over.:woohoo:

[SapphireSister]

^^
I agree about G & G for the most part, esp if ATBW replaced it. But Enchanted is a classic. Love this song! Love the Soundstage version. I couldn't live w/o it. I dunno how to explain it other than when I play this song I crank it up & it makes me happy and tingly all over.:woohoo:

It is a catchy, happy feel-good song, I'm not going to take that away from it but to me this album is all about intensity and emotion with a touch of darkness, not to mention top-notch song writing so I think there were other choices that would have been more dramatic and made more of a statement and over-all been a better fit.

[markolas]

How can you hate on a song about Stevie's lady parts?

[Christopher]

How can you hate on a song about Stevie's lady parts?

For me, It's not so much that I hate Gate & Garden (lady parts and all), IMHO it's the weakest link/filler on WH. And then when I think about all the great songs like: All The Beautiful Worlds, Julia, Garbo & even Violet & Blue that were kicked off the album. I sorta think they missed a huge opportunity to have another epic album!:xoxo:

[SapphireSister]

How can you hate on a song about Stevie's lady parts?

OMG you are soooo right! I totally take it back. Gate and Garden has now moved up to my top 10 list of favorite Stevie song with that in mind ;).

And does that mean God's Garden and Running Through the Garden also involve that theme? Oh I've discovered a whole new appreciation for the garden series...

[Artemis]

OMG you are soooo right! I totally take it back. Gate and Garden has now moved up to my top 10 list of favorite Stevie song with that in mind ;).

And does that mean God's Garden and Running Through the Garden also involve that theme? Oh I've discovered a whole new appreciation for the garden series...

If that's true, I wonder what "Too many flowers" could be a euphemism for :laugh:

[markolas]

OMG you are soooo right! I totally take it back. Gate and Garden has now moved up to my top 10 list of favorite Stevie song with that in mind ;).

And does that mean God's Garden and Running Through the Garden also involve that theme? Oh I've discovered a whole new appreciation for the garden series...

No. :lol: Just G&G. Listen to the lyrics - "There is a gate and it has a garden...well, it is not heaven, and it can be guarded...so to the red rose grows the passion..." I mean, do you need her to draw you a picture??

G&G was never a favorite of mine, but I absolutely despise I Will Run to You and Nothing Ever Changes, so if any songs are to be cut from TWH, those would go first.

[SapphireSister]

No. :lol: Just G&G. Listen to the lyrics - "There is a gate and it has a garden...well, it is not heaven, and it can be guarded...so to the red rose grows the passion..." I mean, do you need her to draw you a picture??

Yes, actually. That would be nice :laugh:. She can also draw me a picture of her flaming walls. :p

[chiliD]

Bella Donna - stood as my favorite for a long time, but it's lustre is gone, but it's still a decent album; some songs have fallen from the playlist.

Wild Heart - I may have liked it the first few times I listened to it after many glasses of wine and many bong hits, but listening to it with a clear, sober head. God it's awful (although, I still like "Sable On Blond"). Gimme a live Fleetwood Mac "Stand Back" anyday over the studio cut. Some of the suggestions of revamping the track list & order...yeah, why "Violet & Blue" was left off of this is a real head-scratcher.

Rock A Little - With the opening track "I Can't Wait", I thought this was going to be the killer album...the rest of side 1 just blows. I almost didn't turn the LP over. Glad I did though. Side 2, to that point in time, was the best stuff Stevie had done outside of FMac (to my ears)...thought that all the way up to TISL. Only "I Can't Wait" & what made up Side 2 do I ever listen to on this one.

Other Side Of The Mirror - Thank GOD "Rooms On Fire" was the opening track the only redeemable song on the entire upchuck of an album. Street Angel?? No way, THIS is the abomination from hell in the Stevie catalogue.

Street Angel - not great, not awful. And after TOSOTM, it was actually listenable. "Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind"...if I lived on a desert island and could only bring ONE Stevie Nicks song from her solo career, THAT would be it.

Trouble In Shangri-La - took me a while to get into...now I think THIS is her all-time masterpiece...it's her Out Of The Cradle, her Rumours, her Pet Sounds, her Dark Side Of The Moon...would I tweak a tune here or there, sure, drop "Too Far From Texas" and plop in either the "wall of sound" verison of "Thrown Down" or "Touched By An Angel" (or BOTH in a perfect world)...which I have done on my iPod playlist...a Stevie Nicks solo album doesn't get much better than that.

Trying not to buy into all the hype about the new album and set my internal "expecation bar" too high, or even set it at all. But TISL is going to be really tough to top.

But, I totally in agreement with David and his observation about Fleetwood Mac vs Stevie solo...not too many tracks where I actually am intrigued by what is going on by her background musicians, yet, I absorb everything going on in a Fleetwood Mac track...What's John doing? What's Christine playing? There's an interesting guitar part floating in & out of the track...and the basic guitar track is cool, too. Wow, listen to that fill that Mick does there...etc, etc. RARELY does that happen on a Stevie solo track...it's so, so, "beige".

[bluefox4000]

I always thought it was the end. Nothing she's done since has impressed me......And I mean nothing. I'm praying IYD changes that. Actually each album has tracks I like....but she has not made a throughly enjoyable album since WH..for me anyway

Mick

[markolas]

I was listening to my tweaked version of TISL today...I had forgotten how good it was, and how much I loved it when it first came out. It'll be a hard one to top, for sure.

RE: The Other Side of the Mirror. I always thought her vocals sounded really muddy on every song, but I found some versions of a few of the songs on the Demos thread that are labeled "unmixed," and I was surprised at how clear her singing is on them. So it appears that the mixing is responsible for the ****ty way her vocals sound. Really makes me wish somebody would get ahold of that album and remix it.

[drzubritsky]

Rock A Little - With the opening track "I Can't Wait", I thought this was going to be the killer album...the rest of side 1 just blows. I almost didn't turn the LP over. Glad I did though. Side 2, to that point in time, was the best stuff Stevie had done outside of FMac (to my ears)...thought that all the way up to TISL. Only "I Can't Wait" & what made up Side 2 do I ever listen to on this one.

Other Side Of The Mirror - Thank GOD "Rooms On Fire" was the opening track the only redeemable song on the entire upchuck of an album. Street Angel?? No way, THIS is the abomination from hell in the Stevie catalogue.



I must say that I had the same reaction during my first listen of RAL (purchased on the day of release in 1985). I almost jumped out of my chair when I heard that acapella opening of ICW - it really grabbed me. But, as with you, I became more disappointed with each successive cut...those croaky vocals on "I Sing For The Things" were especially painful to hear. While there was some stronger material on side 2, I found "The Nightmare" to be pretty rote and thought that HAEWAFY was a near-miss...it has some lovely elements but the music & lyric combination always sounded a bit awkward to me.

I did warm up a bit to the rest of RAL after more listens, but it still ranked as a disappointment after waiting for what seemed like an eternity (at the time) for it to be released.

I totally agree with you regarding TOSOTM. Even its hit single, ROF, sounded like what would have been just a solid album cut on her previous albums. Meandering songwriting and horrible production and mixes were the downfall of this album. I will say, though, that I grew to appreciate "Doing The Best That I Can" more & more over the years.

[ahafan02]

BELLA DONNA - One of my all time favs...the title track is brilliant, Think About It, Kind of Woman, How Still My Love are my favs...the only track I usually skip over is the last one, The Highwayman.

THE WILD HEART - not my fav...G&G, SAB and NEC are easily forgettable...the singles rank among my favorite Stevie solo songs (SB, Nightbird, IAF)...I Will Run To You is horrid, what were they thinking?

ROCK A LITTLE - A masterpiece to me, easily my all time fav Stevie album...I love every song, not a dud on it.

OTHER SIDE OF THE MIRROR - I must confess I really hate this album. Aside from ROF, Ooh My Love, Alice, WLT, Doing the Best That I Can....the other songs are poor and totally forgettable. Ooh My Love should have been a single. I never liked Two Kinds of Love and Long Way To Go. Strangely, Stevie highly rates this album.

STREET ANGEL - This much aligned album really isn't half bad. I love Greta, my favorite on the album, the title track, Maybe Love and Rose Garden...a few clunkers but Stevie's voice sounds great. I always thought it was a shame Thousand Days was left off.

TROUBLE IN SHANGRI-LA - Easily her best album since RAL. "Planets" has easily become my all time favorite Stevie track...although I think the ending bit fades to soon (I made a longer ending version for my iPod). I don't really care much for It's Only Love or Too Far From Texas, but that's just a minor complaint.

[Jondalar]

I must say that I had the same reaction during my first listen of RAL (purchased on the day of release in 1985). I almost jumped out of my chair when I heard that acapella opening of ICW - it really grabbed me. But, as with you, I became more disappointed with each successive cut...those croaky vocals on "I Sing For The Things" were especially painful to hear. While there was some stronger material on side 2, I found "The Nightmare" to be pretty rote and thought that HAEWAFY was a near-miss...it has some lovely elements but the music & lyric combination always sounded a bit awkward to me.

I did warm up a bit to the rest of RAL after more listens, but it still ranked as a disappointment after waiting for what seemed like an eternity (at the time) for it to be released.

I totally agree with you regarding TOSOTM. Even it's hit single, ROF, sounded like what would have been just a solid album cut on her previous albums. Meandering songwriting and horrible production and mixes were the downfall of this album. I will say, though, that I grew to appreciate "Doing The Best That I Can" more & more over the years.

I could not believe she actually released TOSOTM. It hurt her credibility BIG TIME.

[nightbird28]

Street Angel to me was my least favorite album until I started listening to the alternate mixes that were supposed the original mixes before Stevie went in and re-worked them. I honestly prefer those over the released version as well as adding Inspiration and God's Garden back into the track list along with Mirror Mirror and of course her version of If You Were My Love. The album was a waste as an official release but I believe if she had switched some of the songs for the ones that were cut off it would have been a great record. I could have traded Jane and Just Like A Woman for these songs easily.

[SufferYourLove]

In the last year or so I've started to consider Wild Heart to be her best album but I go back and forth between that, BD, and TISL. She was definitely the hottest she's ever been during that time. That being said I will never forgive Jimmy Iovine for not including All the Beautiful Worlds on TWH album instead of Gate and Garden. And apparently it was for personal reasons between he and Stevie. Biggest mistake EVER and I strongly resent him for it. That would have made the album a masterpiece.


Sorry, I have to disagree. Stevie has the final say when it comes to her songs, career, wardrobe, etc. Jimmy as her producer can state his opinions. But, its all Stevie.

[KarmaContestant]

Sorry, I have to disagree. Stevie has the final say when it comes to her songs, career, wardrobe, etc. Jimmy as her producer can state his opinions. But, its all Stevie.

Jimmy has been squarely blamed for Julia missing from Bella Donna as well, but it's very likely that he just convinced her to leave it off the album.

However, Stevie has claimed that she was forced by label execs to record and release Sometimes It's Bitch against her will....so...I don't believe it's always up to her.

[SufferYourLove]

I could not believe she actually released TOSOTM. It hurt her credibility BIG TIME.

That's funny. My good friend ( who is a Bon Jovi fan :-o ) told me how she has one Stevie Nicks album The Other Side Of The Mirror. She said she loved it etc. I was totally embarrassed that she had that album out of all the albums to have. That was the album that represented the "Stevie" I love?

[Spoinny]

Regarding what I don't like about Wild Heart? Where do I begin? It's an overly sappy piece of crap. It reeks of bloated ego. I detest her overly goat like vocals on the album. There really isn't much of a rock presence on this album. I dislike like most of the lyrics. For instance:

There is gate, it can be guarded. It is not heaven, but it has a garden.

I mean seriously, WTF? :lol: I have to just click "next" when she starts screaming about enchanted children on the title track. It's embarrassing to listen to. Nightbird is simply awful. Beauty and the Beast is terrible. I just can't stand the sappiness of the album, it's just an overtly reeking show of bloated ego. Sorry, guys... but Wild Heart is just not for me.


Are you serious? You really think most songs on SA are BETTER than most songs on WH? We'll definately have to agree to dis-agree here! I'll take "Beauty and the Beast" over "Jane" anyday! LOL

[markolas]

Are you serious? You really think most songs on SA are BETTER than most songs on WH? We'll definately have to agree to dis-agree here! I'll take "Beauty and the Beast" over "Jane" anyday! LOL

My sentiments pretty much. You're a nice guy, Louie, but I think you're kinda out in left field on this one. :sorry:;)

We've gone over this before.

- Gate & Garden: clearly, clearly about her pvssy, which makes it awesome by default.
- Wild Heart & Beauty and the Beast: both epic
- Nightbird: one her best songs, ever, IMO

The real duds on this album for me are the two "rockers" (I am admittedly not a huge rock fan to begin with): Nothing Ever Changes & I Will Run to You. Replace those with Garbo and Violet & Blue, and you've got a perfect record - almost as perfect as Bella Donna or Rock a Little.

[KarmaContestant]

The real duds on this album for me are the two "rockers" (I am admittedly not a huge rock fan to begin with): Nothing Ever Changes & I Will Run to You. Replace those with Garbo and Violet & Blue, and you've have a perfect record - almost as perfect as Bella Donna or Rock a Little.

A similar story could be told for Street Angel. Replace Jane and Unconditional Love with Thousand Days and Inspiration. Change the running order up a bit and dump the Dylan cover alltogether. Viola! A record as perfect as Rock A Little or Bella Donna!

But seriously, I love Street Angel. I love Wild Heart, too.

[markolas]

I don't think Street Angel could ever be made into a perfect record. If certain songs were swapped out (and the Dylan cover is one of the best things on there, IMO), it would certainly be made better, tho.

Absolute duds on SA for me are:

- Unconditional Love (co-dependent lyrics, boring music & production)
- Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind (more co-dependent lyrics)
- Jane (just...no)

Kick It is marginal. Dump those four and replace them with Inspiration, God's Garden (neither are my favorites, but both are far superior to UL and MLWCYM), If You Were My Love - maybe tack on Thousand Days - and it's a much better album, but still far from perfect. It's simply not that great a collection of songs.

[KarmaContestant]

I don't think Street Angel could ever be made into a perfect record. If certain songs were swapped out (and the Dylan cover is one of the best things on there, IMO), it would certainly be made better, tho.

Absolute duds on SA for me are:

- Unconditional Love (co-dependent lyrics, boring music & production)
- Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind (more co-dependent lyrics)
- Jane (just...no)

Kick It is marginal. Dump those four and replace them with Inspiration, God's Garden (neither are my favorites, but both are far superior to UL and MLWCYM), If You Were My Love - maybe tack on Thousand Days - and it's a much better album, but still far from perfect. It's simply not that great a collection of songs.

We will have to agree to disagree in this case. I think God's Garden is a total snooze-worthy dud. :laugh: MLWCYM isn't a favorite of mine, but I like it enough to leave it on my SA playlist.

I go through phases where I love Just Like A Woman, and other times I don't care for it. I would love Stevie to put this in her live sets, along with Kick It and Love Is Like A River.

For me, Street Angel is a great collection of some of Stevie's best-written songs - but I have to concede that the production is lacking. Had someone who cared about Stevie and loved her music been the producer, these songs all would have turned out better than they did.

[Morgana]

Looking back on the SA time Stevie was in a different time and place in her life which a lot of her fans found different, she departed from the wild and crazy Stevie. I think that Stevie image was associated with the SA album then which may explain why it wasn't well received back then. So Stevie and some of her fans had to get past that point in her life and that is in part why SA is more appreciated now. Just MHSNO;)


Back in my day when I first came to the Ledge (1997), Street Angel was pretty much agreed to be the worst Stevie album ever, her vocals awful, production was crap and her tour, weight and voice on it at their worst. What happened that it is now so appreciated?

[louielouie2000]

Are you serious? You really think most songs on SA are BETTER than most songs on WH? We'll definately have to agree to dis-agree here!

Better is a subjective term. The style of music on Street Angel is much more to my taste than Wild Heart :). I love the fact Street Angel is very clean production wise, and just straight forward rock and roll. Stevie ventured too far from rock on Wild Heart for my personal taste.

I'll take "Beauty and the Beast" over "Jane" anyday! LOL

I'll take deafness for 500, Alex! :D Jane is an awful, awful turd. But then again, so is Beauty And The Beast.

[KarmaContestant]

Looking back on the SA time Stevie was in a different time and place in her life which a lot of her fans found different, she departed from the wild and crazy Stevie. I think that Stevie image was associated with the SA album then which may explain why it wasn't well received back then. So Stevie and some of her fans had to get past that point in her life and that is in part why SA is more appreciated now. Just MHSNO;)

Good points. I bought Street Angel the day of release. I was 20 years old. I have always loved the album, even though there are times I didn't appreciate it as much as her other work.

It was certainly a departure for Stevie from the 'norm' and from what fans expected from her, but one thing that I appreciate is how the songs on Street Angel have stood the test of time. They still sound fresh - as opposed to the very dated sounds of Rock A Little (my first, and favorite Stevie album ever) and The Other Side of the Mirror (Stevie's worst album, for me, and the lowest point in her career, for me)

[louielouie2000]

one thing that I appreciate is how the songs on Street Angel have stood the test of time. They still sound fresh - as opposed to the very dated sounds of Rock A Little (my first, and favorite Stevie album ever) and The Other Side of the Mirror (Stevie's worst album, for me, and the lowest point in her career, for me)

Agreed! I often think the same thing when I listen to Street Angel! The production is just so clean and free from gimmicks and unnecessary noise. The album just sparkles coming out of speakers. Even TISL sounds muddy in comparison. One of the many reasons why I appreciate Street Angel is the fact it's eschewed the more heavy handed production of OSOTM and RAL in favor of a cleaner, more straight forward sound that Stevie started out with in Fleetwood Mac and her early solo albums. Street Angel to me represents Stevie getting back to basics... back to her roots vs hiding behind gimicky noises which were the trends of the moment.

[windbecame]

while i get the reason she likes God's Garden lyrically... that vocal is horrendous:(
the first time i played when i bought the japanese cd at a record show(remember those?) i thought something was wrong with my cd player??? her voice was so deep i thought it was a man??!! ala princess Vespa in Spaceballs.. it just killed the song dead in it's tracks for me:shrug:

[KarmaContestant]

while i get the reason she likes God's Garden lyrically... that vocal is horrendous:(
the first time i played when i bought the japanese cd at a record show(remember those?) i thought something was wrong with my cd player??? her voice was so deep i thought it was a man??!! ala princess Vespa in Spaceballs.. it just killed the song dead in it's tracks for me:shrug:

LOL. I agree.

[markolas]

Stevie ventured too far from rock on Wild Heart for my personal taste.

Well, there's the crux of the issue, and it really does just come down to personal taste. I am not a huge rock fan. The "greatest bands" lists that people do here from time to time consistently list groups like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Queen, etc. - I can't stand any of it. "I'm So Afraid" is too hard rock for me, especially the live versions. Don't get me started on rock guitar solos...especially in concert, they tend to be loud, screeching, tuneless, and go on for way too long. Listen to Django Reinhardt or David Russell if you want to know how a guitar is supposed to be played. :rolleyes: But I digress.

If Stevie decided to do a syrupy, strings-laded album full of light '60s R&B covers, or something else predominantly keyboard or piano-based like TOSOTM, I'd be thrilled. A little rock goes a long way, for me.

[TheSorcerer]

Also, am I the ONLY PERSON on this board who ADORES "Gate & Garden"? I've not heard anyone say anything nice about this song. LOL.


I've always loved it.

I've never bought "Street Angel" which I guess is probably down to the bad reputation it has. I've heard a few tracks from it that I like - "Blue Denim" and "Kick it". I'll probably try and get it cheap on eBay.

I've always liked "The Wild Heart" and regard it as one of my favourites after "Rock a Little", "Bella Donna" and "Trouble in Shangri-La". I've always felt that this album was very storytelling. I know that Stevie's songs are storytelling and poetic, but with TWH I've always felt that it has a epic fairytale quality to it and she really upped the storytelling side in her songwriting. I don't know...it's almost a girly record. I love that "Gate and Garden" is apparently about her muff. I guess if that is true it adds to my feelings above about it being a "girly" record. Then there's the cover which is pink and very feminine looking. As much as I like "I Will Run to You", I've always felt that they were hoping to score another "Stop Dragging My Heart Around" for the record. I've also never understood the love for "Nightbird" or why it was chosen as a single. Awful song.

My favourite Stevie album has got to be "Rock a Little". I hardly listened to it when I first bought it, but then one day it just hit me and I completely fell in love with it. I'm a sucker for '80s production and sound and adore all those 12" remixes from the era (I'm totally digging those from "Tango" at the moment). LOVE the title track - very moody and atmospheric. "I Can't Wait!" is a great track (very '80s), "If I Were You" was a track that I NEVER listened to before but has since become my all time favourite Stevie song; "No Spoken Word", "Imperial Hotel" and "Has Anyone Ever Written" are also great. The two songs I've never cared for are "Sister Honey" and the god awful "I Sing for the Things" with those strained vocals. They should have knocked those two tracks off and put on "Mirror Mirror" and left it as 10 songs.

"Bella Donna" is obviously a great album and a classic. There are still a few tracks I don't paticularly care for - "Leather and Lace", "Kind of Woman" and "The Highwayman". I personally think "Julia" would have fit on it perfectly.

" The Other Side of the Mirror" is half-half. "Rooms on Fire", "Cry Wolf" and "Ooh My Love" are the highlights, "Whole Lotta Trouble" and "Long Way to Go" are songs I've grown to simply like. Lately I have been listening to "Doing the Best I Can" quite a bit which has grown on me. The rest are forgettable. I truly detest "Two Kinds of Love" ...that bloody saxaphone! I'm truly embarassed by that song.

"Trouble in Shangri-La" was the first Stevie album I bought (I got into her in 2003). Like all her albums there are some duds - "That Made Me Stronger", "I Miss You" and "Love Changes". Still, it contains some of her finest work in years - "Planets of the Universe" being one of my all time favourite tracks. I like that the album is a lot more melodic and somewhat acoustic driven. There's almost an organic sound like it's been stripped back. Not sure if that makes sense.

[markolas]

I wouldn't go so far as to say I *adore* Gate & Garden. I like it, but it would not be in my top 25 favorite Stevie songs.

[Spoinny]

Ha, I forgot about Two Kinds Of Love. I actually really love that song, I played it for my friend the other night and he said "that's stevie nicks? get it off, I hate it!". Guess I'm the minority on this song. I remember 1st hearing on "rockline" back in 89