Rock a Little vs. The Otherside Of the Mirror

[TheWILDheart]

In the same light as the Bella Donna vs. The Wild Heart thread, what's everyones opinion on these two. These seem to divide the fans a fair bit, with quite strong differences of opinions on both, so this should be interesting.

For me, it's "Rock a Little". Whilst it does have some pretty bad songs on (The Nightmare and Some Become Strangers), it also has some AMAZING songs (No Spoken Word, If I Were You, Talk To Me) and some really fun songs (Imperial Hotel, Sister Honey).

OTOSM has a lot of just ok songs (Rooms on Fire has never been a particular favourite of mine, although I do like it) mixed in with some HORRENDOUS tripe (whoever told her "Two Kinds Of Love" was good enough to include on the album wants shooting!), and I'm not keen on her rather underwhelming vocals on a lot of the tracks. It's also pretty poorly produced in comparison the the first 3 albums and everything that came after it.

[bluefox4000]

Should have had a neither option. They both are horrid. Each has 1 good song....That's it.

Mick

[TheWILDheart]

Each has 1 good song....That's it.



I Can't Wait, Sister Honey, Talk To Me, No Spoken Word, If I Were You, HAEWAFY, Rooms On Fire, Long Way To Go, Ooh My Love, Juliet, Doing The Best I Can....

[markolas]

I've always regarded Rock a Little as a minor masterpiece, second only to Bella Donna. Like BD, I genuinely love every song on it. Yes, it's a very different album for her, but equally great, IMO.

TOSOTM has a lot of mediocre songs ("Ghosts" and "Two Kinds of Love," namely) and the production is a bit muddy (a good remastering could clean it up nicely, I bet), although the concept is brilliant and it's probably the darkest album she ever recorded.

[bluefox4000]

I Can't Wait, Sister Honey, Talk To Me, No Spoken Word, If I Were You, HAEWAFY, Rooms On Fire, Long Way To Go, Ooh My Love, Juliet, Doing The Best I Can....

AH.....Opinions, lol:laugh: Both are bland blights on her career, IMHO, respectfully;)

Mick

[Blueletter18]

Rock a Little, in all it's insanity, actually works, in my opinion. There is such a raw energy that is captured, even if the songs and vocals aren't perfect. It's an honest documentation of where Stevie was at in her life at that point. OSOTM is cohesive, it has a distinct theme, but I just don't care for the mood the producers were trying to create...

[WildHearted]

Rock a Little. I enjoy about half of it. Whereas I only enjoy about 2 songs on OSOTM.

[TheWILDheart]

Rock a Little. I enjoy about half of it. Whereas I only enjoy about 2 songs on OSOTM.

which 2 songs, out of interest?

[WildHearted]

which 2 songs, out of interest?

Rooms on Fire and Long Way To Go.

I might have enjoyed Oooh My Love if she didn't say "walls" 3000 times.

[TheWILDheart]

Rooms on Fire and Long Way To Go.

I might have enjoyed Oooh My Love if she didn't say "walls" 3000 times.

:laugh: LOL at the walls comment.

I really love "Juliet" and "Doing The Best I Can"

[Artemis]

Rock A Little for sure. She's a total hot mess on that album, but it doesn't feel... sludgy, the way TOSOTM does.

[bluecalmsea]

I LOVE Rock a Little. Is this even a question? I love all of this hot mess album :nod:

TOSTM= cringe after cringe for me

Both albums did give us amazing music videos though :laugh:

[On Ice]

Don't like either of these albums, but TOSOM is the better of the two.

[Sanne2]

RAL is crazy and I love it.

[michelej1]

Aside from ROF, I love Fire Burning and the much maligned I Still Miss Someone too and I have no problem with Kenny G.

Over the years, I'm become more down on I Can't Wait and Talk to Me than I was at the time. Still, I love Some Become Strangers and No Spoken Word.


It's kind of a toss up.

Michele

[Machu]

I like almost every song on "Rock a Little" so this was an easy decision for me.

[KarmaContestant]

Rock A Little for sure. I mean, come on - it's no contest.

TOSOTM has Rooms On Fire, and then there's *the rest* of the album. Makes me want to drink too much wine while sitting in a room lit up with Christmas lights that should have been taken down four months ago. I am speaking from experience. :laugh:

Rock A Little, on the other hand, is a mixed bag of tricks, all entertaining. It has some questionable moments, but they're all WTF? in a good way. I never skip a track, and it sounds awesome on vinyl, too.

[mitzo]

I like everything on RAL with the possible exception of Sister Honey and Imperial Hotel

On TOSOTM too much bad songwriting - only like Real Long Way to Go, Ooh My Love, WLT, Alice, DTBTIC, and I Still Miss Someone. OK, like pretty much half of the abum.

[Jondalar]

Rock a Little - I like almost half the songs on it. After I listened to TOSOTM I threw it in the trash.

[Macfanforever]

Both are great albums.I picked Rock a Little.

[GoldDustBoy]

OSOTM is terribly produced, all sparkly, echoey, and bland. :distress: There are a couple of songs I like to hear every now and then from it though. I like half of RAL which is still more than OSOTM.

[Blueletter18]

Rock A Little for sure. I mean, come on - it's no contest.

TOSOTM has Rooms On Fire, and then there's *the rest* of the album. Makes me want to drink too much wine while sitting in a room lit up with Christmas lights that should have been taken down four months ago. I am speaking from experience. :laugh:

Rock A Little, on the other hand, is a mixed bag of tricks, all entertaining. It has some questionable moments, but they're all WTF? in a good way. I never skip a track, and it sounds awesome on vinyl, too.

Hahahaha this is great, I can totally picture that! I can't think of a better way to describe listening to that album.

[TheSorcerer]

Rock a Little is my favourite Stevie album. I love the craziness of it. Plus non-singles like No Spoken Word, If I Were You, Rock a Little and The Nightmare are awesome.

I've always had mixed feelings about The Other Side of the Mirror. It's half-half in terms of tracks I like and tracks I don't. Two Kinds of Love and I Still Miss Someone are both especially hideous.

[PolishStevieFan]

This is tough. These two studio albums rank among my all time favourites. "The Other Side of The Mirror" was my first Stevie's experience and I have been a fan ever since I heard it first time more than a decade ago. Its mystical, fairytale like atmosphere and haunting, poetic lyrics bought me instantly. But then I discovered "Rock a Little" and I truly don't know which one is better. I voted for "Rock a Little" because on this album there's "Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You" -one of the most touching and heartfelt songs that I've ever heard.

[starshine]

I'm sure RAL will win this but for me Mirror is better just because I started to collect Stevie /Mac stuff etc so it was a special time for me. RAL is disjointed and not cohsive enough really. I do like some of it but some parts aren't the best really. Too many producers etc. Not that I like everthing on Mirror either but at least it is one producer. Mirror will always be special. RAL just always seemed 'off' to me. :shrug:

[Christopher]

Um, NO Contest! ROCK A LITTLE!!
Personally I feel TOSOTM would've been better suited up against the aimless "Street Angel."?!?

On one hand TOSOTM has a certain vibe, a sonic crisp breeze, a frozen in time fairy-tale gone bad. Yes, it is Stevie's darkest hour, and likewise the record barely had a pulse. Other than the rollicking "Long Way To Go", the rest of the record was stuck in mid-tempo slow groggy "suspended animation." This (by far) is Stevie's most painfully self-indulgent record, moreso than even "The Wild Heart." Despite a few highlights, if you were not a huge fan of Stevie's, this record would barely hold any interest at all.:shrug:

"Rock A Little" was a wild card. A thrilling, screaming mimi foray through pop, rock, & funk! I loved every song on RAL and still do. From the crazed "Fatal Attraction" buzz-saw ultimatum opening of "I Can't Wait", to the stepford wife, kneel before the cross, "I Sing For The Things", you just knew this was a special, one of a kind, crazy Stevie moment! I also believe it is her most blatant commercial attempt!. Most of the songs were radio ready. It's too bad "they" decided on HAEWAFY for the 3rd single, when "If I Were You" was the obvious mid 8o's radio gem. If Stevie had her sh*t together during this release, and promoted it properly, instead of avoiding the press, (along w/ 3 videos) this record would have been a bigger success. I even forgive Stevie for all the outside writer inclusions, because "Some Become Strangers" and "Talk To Me" are equal highlights to the Stevie written "Rock A Little" & "No Spoken Word"! Rock A Little is unique! No one else could have a record this amazing & schizophrenic. No one.

[BombaySapphire3]

I voted TOSOTM for the same reason I voted for IYD over TISL.Both TOSOTM and IYD are the more cohesive albums .If it was on a song by song basis the results might be different but we are choosing an album here.

[cantgoback]

ummmm is this even a contest?

[Neal]

I'm in the minority, but TOSOTM gets my pick.

The cohesive feel, the dark fairy tale theme, "RoF"... Love it!

Not to say I dislike RAL; it's always right under Mirror on my faves lists.

[TheWILDheart]

It's too bad "they" decided on HAEWAFY for the 3rd single, when "If I Were You" was the obvious mid 8o's radio gem. If Stevie had her sh*t together during this release, and promoted it properly, instead of avoiding the press, (along w/ 3 videos) this record would have been a bigger success.

"If I Were You" is my favourite song on RAL :thumbsup:

I even forgive Stevie for all the outside writer inclusions, because "Some Become Strangers" and "Talk To Me" are equal highlights to the Stevie written "Rock A Little" & "No Spoken Word"!

I have to disagree, actually. As much as I prefer RAL to OSOTM, "Some Become Strangers" and "The Nightmare" are 2 songs I cannot bare and I always thought it criminal that "One More Big Time Rock and Roll Star" wasn't included on the album and these 2 were.

[Christopher]

I have to disagree, actually. As much as I prefer RAL to OSOTM, "Some Become Strangers" and "The Nightmare" are 2 songs I cannot bare and I always thought it criminal that "One More Big Time Rock and Roll Star" wasn't included on the album and these 2 were.

Based on the sheer number of outstanding demos/outtakes the RAL sessions produced, I would take; "Running Through The Garden, Battle Of The Dragon, She Loves Him Still, Reconsider Me, Something Exquisite, etc., on that record over OMBTR&RS any day, but that's another thread entirely. I think it was a good decision to use the latter as a B-side. Conversely, TOSOTM demos/outtakes were dire. Dial The Number, Tragedy Of Ones Soul, Lily Girl, Don't Treat Me Like A Stranger, to name a few, it boggles the mind that TOSOTM turned out as well as it did.:shrug: