besteveralbums.com - Stevie's best album

[TheWILDheart]

Based on besteveralbums.com, here is Stevie's best album list:

1. Bella Donna
2. The Wild Heart
3. Trouble In Shangri-La
4. The Otherside Of The Mirror
5. In Your Dreams
6. Rock A Little
7. Timespace
8. Street Angel
9. Soundstage Sessions

http://www.besteveralbums.com/thechart.php?b=2464#appearances

What do we think? Do you agree? How do your albums rank?

Frankly, how anybody can put "Mirror" above IYD and RAL is madness in my opinion.

Here is mine:

1. Bella Donna
2. Trouble In Shangri-La
3. The Wild Heart
4. In Your Dreams
5. Rock A Little
6. Street Angel


7. The Otherside Of the Mirror

(I've taken out Soundstage and Timespace as they don't really count as studio albums)

[WildHearted]

Based on besteveralbums.com, here is Stevie's best album list:

1. Bella Donna
2. The Wild Heart
3. Trouble In Shangri-La
4. The Otherside Of The Mirror
5. In Your Dreams
6. Rock A Little
7. Timespace
8. Street Angel
9. Soundstage Sessions

http://www.besteveralbums.com/thechart.php?b=2464#appearances

What do we think? Do you agree? How do your albums rank?

1. Bella Donna
2. The Wild Heart
3. Rock a Little
4. In Your Dreams
5. Trouble in Shangri-la
6. Street Angel
7. The Other Side of the Mirror

In truth. 3/4/5 are all pretty much tied. As are 6/7. I like the albums in each group respectively the same.

[louielouie2000]

It depends on when you ask, but my current ranking:

1) In Your Dreams
2) Bella Donna
3) Rock A Little
4) Street Angel
5) Trouble In Shangri La
6) Other Side Of The Mirror
7) Wild Heart

*Compilations/live recordings don't count as albums in my book :)

[Dex]

Frankly, how anybody can put "Mirror" above IYD and RAL is madness in my opinion.


I love Mirror. It's a sound you're either going to like or dislike, but it works for me, and I connect with a lot of the songwriting on it. Except for the two covers, which I leave off my iPod and basically forget about. RAL and SA are at the bottom for me because they somehow just don't "feel" like Stevie to me. I don't connect with them the way I'm used to doing with her work. Maybe it's because there're just too many songs by outside writers. I like most of those songs, I love RAL as a pop album, and I love her vocals on most of it (SA not so much), but it's not the same to me.

I'd probably go:

Bella Donna
The Wild Heart
In Your Dreams
Trouble in Shangri La
The Other Side of the Mirror
Rock a Little
Street Angel

[olive]

I'm hoping she hasn't made it yet .

[RavenOfRhiannon]

It depends on when you ask, but my current ranking:

1) In Your Dreams
2) Bella Donna
3) Rock A Little
4) Street Angel
5) Trouble In Shangri La
6) Other Side Of The Mirror
7) Wild Heart

*Compilations/live recordings don't count as albums in my book :)

Well, that is an...interesting...list to say the least. :p

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

[James89]

Apart from 'Blue Denim' and possibly 'Maybe Love will change your mind', 'Street Angel' was an awful album and pretty much ruined Stevie's solo status (only peaking at #45 on the Billboard 200). In my opinion, I think her first three albums are in order of greatness followed by 'Trouble in Shangri-la', 'In your dreams', 'The other side of the mirror' and then 'Street Angel'. (I only rank her studio albums) :)

[Dex]

Apart from 'Blue Denim' and possibly 'Maybe Love will change your mind', 'Street Angel' was an awful album and pretty much ruined Stevie's solo status (only peaking at #45 on the Billboard 200). In my opinion, I think her first three albums are in order of greatness followed by 'Trouble in Shangri-la', 'In your dreams', 'The other side of the mirror' and then 'Street Angel'. (I only rank her studio albums) :)

Did Stevie really have "solo status" up until the release of Street Angel? I was under the impression mainstream culture had dubbed her a has-been long before that point. I don't think she fit the mainstream musical landscape of that era at all, and I honestly doubt Street Angel would've sold very well no matter what the quality of its contents had been. It just wasn't her time, period.

[olive]

Did Stevie really have "solo status" up until the release of Street Angel? I was under the impression mainstream culture had dubbed her a has-been long before that point. I don't think she fit the mainstream musical landscape of that era at all, and I honestly doubt Street Angel would've sold very well no matter what the quality of its contents had been. It just wasn't her time, period.

I agree , she had a cult following and was never taken serious , then she got in to the Rock and Roll hall of lame and hired Liz Rosenberg and all of a sudden she an Icon she an Influence , and respectable which she deserved all a long

[BombaySapphire3]

Having experienced all of Stevie's solo career as a huge fan and in real time I would say that in the early 1980s Stevie was in the mainstream and a force.She was a cult type artist who had managed widespread popularity much as Jim Morrison had before her or Kate Bush in the UK.By Rock a Little the musical climate had already changed..Madonna had arrived.Her peers the Wilson sisters did have a huge hit at this time but only by completely selling out.Rock a Little was somewhat successful but she was already being viewed as a 70s relic of sorts.

[louielouie2000]

Apart from 'Blue Denim' and possibly 'Maybe Love will change your mind', 'Street Angel' was an awful album and pretty much ruined Stevie's solo status (only peaking at #45 on the Billboard 200). In my opinion, I think her first three albums are in order of greatness followed by 'Trouble in Shangri-la', 'In your dreams', 'The other side of the mirror' and then 'Street Angel'. (I only rank her studio albums) :)

See? I totally disagree. Everyone heralded TISL as Stevie's return to form, but I do not concur. Street Angel was the album where she cast off the overwrought mysticism & heavy production her previous albums were known for. Street Angel is, for the most part- a straightfoward, back to the basics, honest, rock album.

There are several awesome rockers, such as:

Blue Denim, Docklands, Listen To The Rain, Love Is Like A River, and Kick It.

I love the quirkiness of Greta, the dark & gritty introspection of Street Angel, and the school-girl wistfulness of Rose Garden. Yes, there are turds... but every Stevie solo album has them.

To me, the album where Stevie actually lost her way was Wild Heart. She set herself up for 2 decades of not being taken seriously with that one. In making Wild Heart, she eschewed the rock sound that had made her famous, and instead drowned herself in a pool of narcicistic, over-indulgent, disengenous, sappy, adult contemporary pop garbage.

[SpyNote]

Based on besteveralbums.com, here is Stevie's best album list:

1. Bella Donna
2. The Wild Heart
3. Trouble In Shangri-La
4. The Otherside Of The Mirror
5. In Your Dreams
6. Rock A Little
7. Timespace
8. Street Angel
9. Soundstage Sessions

http://www.besteveralbums.com/thechart.php?b=2464#appearances

What do we think? Do you agree? How do your albums rank?

Frankly, how anybody can put "Mirror" above IYD and RAL is madness in my opinion.

Here is mine:

1. Bella Donna
2. Trouble In Shangri-La
3. The Wild Heart
4. In Your Dreams
5. Rock A Little
6. Street Angel


7. The Otherside Of the Mirror

(I've taken out Soundstage and Timespace as they don't really count as studio albums)

I'm good with the ranking, though I wouldn't add the compilations to this list either.

I'd base mine on the number of songs I like from beginning to end on each album.

1. Bella Donna (10)
2. The Wild Heart (9)
3. Rock A Little (7)
3. Trouble in Shangri-La (7)
5. In Your Dreams (6)
6. The Other Side of the Mirror (5)
7. Street Angel (4)

[SpyNote]

In making Wild Heart, she eschewed the rock sound that had made her famous, and instead drowned herself in a pool of narcicistic, over-indulgent, disengenous, sappy, adult contemporary pop garbage.

Well, that's her solo sound and what most fans (who keep tabs on chart information) want from her. These are the songs that chart. :laugh:

[KarmaContestant]

The ranking on that website is bogus. :laugh: The Other Side of the Mirror better than In Your Dreams? better than Street Angel? I guess there are all types.

Mine would probably look like this:

1. Bella Donna
2. The Wild Heart / Rock a Little / In Your Dreams
3. Street Angel / Trouble in Shangri-la
4.
5.
6.
7. The Other Side of the Mirror

The thing is, the degrees of separation between, say, The Wild Heart and In Your Dreams or Street Angel and Trouble In Shangri La is almost unmeasurable. They are different albums, but of equal caliber. The only thing that isn't open for debate with me is that Bella Donna is my favorite, and TOSOTM is my least favorite.

[KarmaContestant]

Apart from 'Blue Denim' and possibly 'Maybe Love will change your mind', 'Street Angel' was an awful album and pretty much ruined Stevie's solo status

But that's opinion, just like all the other opinions here. I happen to really enjoy Street Angel, and the songs you mentioned are what I consider the worst of the album (with Unconditional Love).

Mitzo thinks Bella Donna is among Stevie's worst - an opinion I can't fathom, but we all like what we like.

It just rankles me to see anyone say Street Angel is "awful" or "the worst" because those are personal truths and people present them as universal truths. Which they are not.

[jcalzaretta]

1. Bella Donna
2. In Your Dreams
3. Trouble in Shangri-La
4. Wild Heart

Top 4

[Johnny Stew]

1. The Wild Heart
2. Rock A Little
3. In Your Dreams
4. Trouble In Shangri-La
5. Street Angel
6. Bella Donna
7. The Other Side Of The Mirror

For me, as good of an album as 'Bella Donna' is, it isn't quite "Stevie" enough. It lacks many of the eccentricities and idiosyncrasies of her later albums. I realize, for some, that's a good thing -- but I prefer when Stevie is in all of her indulgent, quirky, hyper-romantic, windswept, melodramatic glory.

While 'Street Angel' lacks some of those Brontë-esque qualities that I find to be a big draw, I love that it represents a more grounded, pragmatic point of view. Plus, it served to anchor her music after the synth-laden 'The Other Side of the Mirror.'

[Jondalar]

There are only three whole, solo albums that I liked from her;

1. Bella Donna
2. In Your Dreams
3. The Wild Heart

the rest I only like bits and pieces:

4. Rock a Little & Trouble in Shangri La tie
6 . The Other Side of the Mirror
7. Street Angel

[Jondalar]

See? I totally disagree. Everyone heralded TISL as Stevie's return to form, but I do not concur. Street Angel was the album where she cast off the overwrought mysticism & heavy production her previous albums were known for. Street Angel is, for the most part- a straightfoward, back to the basics, honest, rock album.

There are several awesome rockers, such as:

Blue Denim, Docklands, Listen To The Rain, Love Is Like A River, and Kick It.

I love the quirkiness of Greta, the dark & gritty introspection of Street Angel, and the school-girl wistfulness of Rose Garden. Yes, there are turds... but every Stevie solo album has them.

To me, the album where Stevie actually lost her way was Wild Heart. She set herself up for 2 decades of not being taken seriously with that one. In making Wild Heart, she eschewed the rock sound that had made her famous, and instead drowned herself in a pool of narcicistic, over-indulgent, disengenous, sappy, adult contemporary pop garbage.

I liked the production on Street Angel, but the material was bad and it had other problems such as her voice and her commitment to the material.

I liked Greta, Kick it, Destiny and Rose Garden (to a point). The best song was Inspiration and she took it off the album because she didn't write it.

However, her voice ruins Docklands & Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind. Sounds like she is not even trying.

And Blue Denim is hardly a song. It's basically a guitar lick with a chorus that everybody seems to like to read to much into - very small and the best part is the guitar.

[mitzo]

I agree with Johnny Stew about BD, it lacks the mystique. In fact it was a shockingly crude and boring attempt at a solo debut, after her work with FM previously. We expected a luxurious journey through misted forests past castles and through valleys of ghosts and haunted children and shimmering glimpses of brilliant emotion. Instead, she gave us a harsh bellowed set of faux rock and midtempo tunes set against what seems like an amateur garage band recorded in an empty rainbarrel. Grating guitar effects, painfully coarse unmodulated vocals, raw percussion, and flat harmonies mar what actually is not a bad set of songs but done like this and coming on the heels of her frigging masterpieces on Tusk, for god's sake..... It took me a few years to recover. Wild Heart was a better effort, it almost looked as if they bothered to actually produce the album and it has three (four) outstanding gifts, Nightbird, Stand Back, BATB, and, on a good day, Sable on Blond. Rock a Little and TOSOTM to me are good solid albums, a lot of the big drama is there, lots of '80s studio trickery, some big songs, and enough wacky but engaging emoting from Stevie. SA was another letdown, mostly due to bad songs IMO. TISL still perplexes me, it has so many gems but also some real clunkers. IYD is good but a flat effort with no real grabbers, just decent (mostly Dave Stewart) tunes well produced. I really want another solo album soon...

[StevieNicksfann]

1) Rock A Little - love every song
2) Wild Heart - BATB is the only one I don't like
3) In Your Dreams - Cheaper Than Free and Soldier's Angel I don't really listen to.
4) Trouble In Shangri-La - That Made Me Stronger I hate - Candlebright and It's Only Love are ok but I usually skip
5) Other Side Of The Mirror - DTBTIC and Cry Wolf I don't listen to.
6) Bella Donna
7) Street Angel - I only like Listen To The Rain, Maybe Love, Greta, Rose Garden, and Unconditional Love

[Gold Dust Woman]

1 Bella Donna - I don't skip any tracks on this album. Love them all.
2 Trouble In Shangri-La
3 Rock a Little
4 Wild Heart
5 In Your Dreams
6 Street Angel
7 The Other Side of the Mirror

[WatchChain]

1. Bella Donna (classic/timeless)
2. The Wild Heart (a sweeping epic)
3. In Your Dreams (utterly delicious!)
4. Trouble In Shangri-La (still makes me squeal with delight!)
5. The Other Side of the Mirror (some shining moments save it from disaster)
6. Rock A Little (cheesy 80's synthesizers/sounds dated)
7. Street Angel (at times, unlistenable--where do I start? The sole savior is "Rose Garden")

[ahafan02]

01 Rock A Little
02 Trouble in Shangri La
03 Bella Donna
04 In Your Dreams
05 The Other Side of the Mirror
06 Street Angel
07 The Wild Heart

[annabellee]

It's like picking your favorite child. Impossible! They all have their highs and lows. Some highs are higher and some lows are lower. I've learned to appreciate the gift that's been shared. Thank you Stevie!

[Dreamz19]

1. Bella Donna
2. Rock A Little
3. In Your Dreams
4. The Wild Heart
5. Trouble in Shangri La
6. Street Angel
7. The Other Side Of The Mirror

I like all of her solo albums except for TOSOTM.

[Hawkeye]

1. Wild Heart
2. In Your Dreams
3. Bella Donna


4. Trouble in Shangri La
5 Rock a Little
6. Street Angel









7. Other Side of the Mirror



So as the spacing kind of indicates there's a slight drop in quality between 3 and 4 with 4 thru 6 almost being interchangeable TISL getting the top spot due to the sentimental value of being the first new album I anticipated so much. And I didnt feel it did the other albums justice if I simply called OSOTM 7th. It isn't just one notch below street angel, it's a cliff below street angel.

[James89]

It's like picking your favorite child. Impossible! They all have their highs and lows. Some highs are higher and some lows are lower. I've learned to appreciate the gift that's been shared. Thank you Stevie!
After some thought, I now agree with this!!! :)

[Gold Dust Woman]

1 Bella Donna - I don't skip any tracks on this album. Love them all.
2 Trouble In Shangri-La
3 Rock a Little
4 Wild Heart
5 In Your Dreams
6 Street Angel
7 The Other Side of the Mirror

After relistening to several of Stevie's albums in the past few days I need to change the order of my list...

1 Bella Donna
2 Wild Heart - I forgot how much I enjoy this record. Not a duff track on the album imo, although afew minor niggles which I'm too lazy to type
3 Trouble In Shangri-La
4 Rock a Little
5 In Your Dreams
6 The Other Side of the Mirror - Rooms on Fire saves this record from last place, but that is its only redeeming feature
7 Street Angel - I've never given this album the time of day but I put it 6th before just because TOSOTM is such an awful record... but as I said, Rooms on Fire saves it

[James89]

I listened to 'The Wild Heart' the other day and even though Stevie's voice sounds more nasal than on 'Bella Donna' I have to say that every song on the album is fantastic. I just don't understand why it only ever reached #5.....??

[Gold Dust Woman]

I listened to 'The Wild Heart' the other day and even though Stevie's voice sounds more nasal than on 'Bella Donna' I have to say that every song on the album is fantastic. I just don't understand why it only ever reached #5.....??

Agreed.

However, there are 2 things with this album that annoy me...

The "ahaaaaaaaaaha"'s at the beginning of Sable on Blond. I love this song! But those ahaaaaaahaaa makes me cringe a little.
And secondly, the end of Beauty and the Beast. It drags on a little too long for my liking... and that whispering!!! Whispering should NEVER be used in song. Ever!

None of the above is enough to ruin my enjoyment of The Wild Heart... they are just things I could really do without.

[On Ice]

I agree with all the love that the Wild Heart is getting, it's really a wonderful record, lyrical issues aside, she just sings wonderfully from start to finish. I wish she could have kept that groove a while longer instead of what we got in '85, sorry ROL fans, only a couple good tunes on that one. My order is:

Bella Donna (I'll give Mitzo his due on the tinny sounding drumming, but the writing and vocals were first rate)
The Wild Heart
Trouble in Shangri La (some real gems and wonderful writing on the title track, although she could have worked on the vocal a bit, nice to hear Sorcerer sung and played well)
In Your Dreams
Street Angel (I really like this one)
The Other Side of the Mirror (where Rooms on Fire makes an otherwise dull outing shine)
Rock a Little (I will never forget the wow feeling I got on the first spin of this and then the second spin when reality set in thinking what the hell happened? Then there was the tour...utterly embarrassing, sad and pathetic all at once.)