Gypsy - who would have thought

[Macfan4life]

I was in the car today and Gypsy came on. It made me think about the song. Stevie was really on a creative roll coming off epic and poetic songs like Sara and her huge solo album that was still charting singles when Mirage was released. Gypsy is like Sara in that its not a typical pop song in that it has no chorus. Its pure poetry crafted into a fantastic melody and one of the best vocal bridges in music history. Gypsy was a monster video. Stevie could do no wrong having 2 #1 albums back to back solo and with the Mac. You would think so much more was yet to come but sadly Gypsy was the high water mark with her in the band. It was her last self written Mac song to be released as a single. That would be impossible to believe if someone would have told you that in 1982. Stevie did hit it big with one of her biggest solo songs the following year but the Mac era was over. By the time Seven Wonders was released, Stevie just came off a solo album where most of the songs were co-written or written by someone else. The next Mac album in 1990 no Stevie songs were even released as a single. I suppose in theory Say You Will counts as a self written single but it never charted. Its really surreal to think that Gypsy was her last written Mac single and hit in the States (Paper Doll charted in Canada).
Really shocking and sad. Drugs really took momentum off her career.

[WalkAThinLine.]

I was in the car today and Gypsy came on. It made me think about the song. Stevie was really on a creative roll coming off epic and poetic songs like Sara and her huge solo album that was still charting singles when Mirage was released. Gypsy is like Sara in that its not a typical pop song in that it has no chorus. Its pure poetry crafted into a fantastic melody and one of the best vocal bridges in music history. Gypsy was a monster video. Stevie could do no wrong having 2 #1 albums back to back solo and with the Mac. You would think so much more was yet to come but sadly Gypsy was the high water mark with her in the band. It was her last self written Mac song to be released as a single. That would be impossible to believe if someone would have told you that in 1982. Stevie did hit it big with one of her biggest solo songs the following year but the Mac era was over. By the time Seven Wonders was released, Stevie just came off a solo album where most of the songs were co-written or written by someone else. The next Mac album in 1990 no Stevie songs were even released as a single. I suppose in theory Say You Will counts as a self written single but it never charted. Its really surreal to think that Gypsy was her last written Mac single and hit in the States (Paper Doll charted in Canada).
Really shocking and sad. Drugs really took momentum off her career.

The consensus seems to be that "Gypsy" was Stevie's last legendary Fleetwood Mac song, and I generally agree with those sentiments. I suppose that "Seven Wonders" got a brief moment in the spotlight around 2014, but as we know, her involvement in that song was exclusively confined to performing lead vocals rather than contributing in a meaningful way to the songwriting process.

Up through Other Side of the Mirror, Nicks continued to have at least one song per album reach the top twenty, although her commercial fortunes took a nosedive by the 1990s. She only managed to achieve three more songs on the Billboard 100 as a solo artist and a member of Fleetwood Mac: "Sometimes It's a Bitch" (#56), "Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind" (#57), and a live version of "Landslide" (#51).

That being said, she's still achieving impressive streaming numbers for a legacy act and is by no means irrelevant. But in terms of writing notable songs, "Gypsy" is essentially her last significant contribution to the Fleetwood Mac discography (unless if we count "When I See You Again") ;)

[SteveMacD]

I’ve said it before, but Stevie only had ten years of consistently incredible recorded works.

But after TWH, meh. She spread herself too thin between her solo career and Fleetwood Mac, always giving deference to her solo works. Which is sad. BTM would have been infinitely better with songs like “Rooms on Fire,” “Whole Lotta Trouble,” and “Doing The Best I Can.”

Instead, fans got two mediocre albums. Stevie didn’t have the material to do what she’d done up to TWH.

[aleuzzi]

I’ve said it before, but Stevie only had ten years of consistently incredible recorded works.

But after TWH, meh. She spread herself too thin between her solo career and Fleetwood Mac, always giving deference to her solo works. Which is sad. BTM would have been infinitely better with songs like “Rooms on Fire,” “Whole Lotta Trouble,” and “Doing The Best I Can.”

Instead, fans got two mediocre albums. Stevie didn’t have the material to do what she’d done up to TWH.

When Campbell cowrote with her, the results were often really good. "Blue Denim" in particular is one of her best songs. The lyrics work, the music is tuneful, and her vocal is great.

"Twisted" is a head higher than anything on BTM and about five heads higher than "Paper Doll." I also think the studio demo of "Sweet Girl" is damn good.

Her collaboration with Dave Stewart (IYD) was better than we had a right to expect.

But yeah, her peak creative period for writing and performing was 1974-1984. And even then, I cannot listen front-to-back to any of her solo albums. I can take four, possibly five songs at a time. Any more and what initially seemed bewitching sounds tiresome.

[HomerMcvie]

But yeah, her peak creative period for writing and performing was 1974-1984. And even then, I cannot listen front-to-back to any of her solo albums. I can take four, possibly five songs at a time. Any more and what initially seemed bewitching sounds tiresome.

I, of all people (who can't stand her these days), listened(and played guitar along) with the entire Bella Donna album last night.

Much like Rumours kept FM alive for the past 47 years, she was damned lucky she was sleeping with Jimmy and put out BD. If the old goat had released OSOTM out of the gate, she wouldn't even be a footnote, now.

[Straightback]

She only managed to achieve three more songs on the Billboard 100 as a solo artist and a member of Fleetwood Mac: "Sometimes It's a Bitch" (#56), "Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind" (#57), and a live version of "Landslide" (#51).

I could be wrong, but didn't "Silver Springs" from The Dance chart on Billboard?

[HomerMcvie]

I could be wrong, but didn't "Silver Springs" from The Dance chart on Billboard?

Looks like it reached #5 on the old geezers charts.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Springs_(song)

[Macfan4life]

The consensus seems to be that "Gypsy" was Stevie's last legendary Fleetwood Mac song, and I generally agree with those sentiments. I suppose that "Seven Wonders" got a brief moment in the spotlight around 2014, but as we know, her involvement in that song was exclusively confined to performing lead vocals rather than contributing in a meaningful way to the songwriting process.

Up through Other Side of the Mirror, Nicks continued to have at least one song per album reach the top twenty, although her commercial fortunes took a nosedive by the 1990s. She only managed to achieve three more songs on the Billboard 100 as a solo artist and a member of Fleetwood Mac: "Sometimes It's a Bitch" (#56), "Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind" (#57), and a live version of "Landslide" (#51).

That being said, she's still achieving impressive streaming numbers for a legacy act and is by no means irrelevant. But in terms of writing notable songs, "Gypsy" is essentially her last significant contribution to the Fleetwood Mac discography (unless if we count "When I See You Again") ;)
I think its more than just her last legendary Mac song. Its pretty much her last (self) written Mac single and hit. When Gypsy was on the charts her career with the Mac and solo was on rocket fuel. Who would have thought it would be her last (self) written Mac hit.
The next 2 Mac albums she was on solo tours and was barely involved in those albums. Many used to call her the "star" of Fleetwood Mac yet her songs were so bad on BTM that none of them were released as singles. If no one gave her Seven Wonders, she may not have had a single or hit either.
That was her talent was writing epic songs that were woven into commercial success. Being on drugs, on solo tours, and not much Lindsey really impacted her Mac success.
When Gypsy faded from MTV, her Mac career "ceased to exist." Her songs on Mirage were so strong.....so strong that the insanely good Smile At You was left on the cutting room floor. It was her last Mac album that had all Aces.

[Villavic]

I could be wrong, but didn't "Silver Springs" from The Dance chart on Billboard?

What's sad is that none of The Dance's NEW songs made the charts and were well promoted. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think they were released even as singles or as the B-side of singles. They focused on promoting Landslide and SS, which were performed wonderfully, but the band had the potential to include interesting new songs. Bleed to Love Her was a missed opportunity, Sweet Girl was too.

[jbrownsjr]

What's sad is that none of The Dance's NEW songs made the charts and were well promoted. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think they were released even as singles or as the B-side of singles. They focused on promoting Landslide and SS, which were performed wonderfully, but the band had the potential to include interesting new songs. Bleed to Love Her was a missed opportunity, Sweet Girl was too.

They could only live and breathe from the Rumours era songs. Nobody cared about new material. It is sad, however.

[billwebster]

What's sad is that none of The Dance's NEW songs made the charts and were well promoted. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think they were released even as singles or as the B-side of singles. They focused on promoting Landslide and SS, which were performed wonderfully, but the band had the potential to include interesting new songs. Bleed to Love Her was a missed opportunity, Sweet Girl was too.

They did play "Temporary One" on the radio back in the day here in Germany.

[WalkAThinLine.]

They did play "Temporary One" on the radio back in the day here in Germany.

And it received enough airplay to reach number 99 there.

[blinker12]

I think there was a moment when Stevie could’ve gotten back to having the discipline and drive to write great songs again. That was circa 1995. Street Angel had tanked and there was no FM to fall back on (she’d quit anyway), giving her a wake up call that she needed to do something drastic to continue her career; meanwhile, she was finally off drugs and had the mental clarity and focus to write again. Out of this brief window came “Twisted” and “Love Is” and possibly “Trouble in Shangri-La,” all solid efforts. But then came “The Dance,” and the nostalgia machine took her to the top of the charts again with minimal effort on her part. No longer was there any urgency to reinvent herself or write new material, and she lost focus. There was a brief spark of creativity around SYW, with the “Phoenix Four” songs offering a glimmer of the old magic (well, three of the four of them anyway haha). Maybe she was trying to impress or at least keep pace with Lindsey. Then, mostly laurel resting and cowrites ever since.

[Villavic]

I'm not a big fan of Stevie solo albums, actually I've never bought one. But I liked some Trouble and IYD songs. Actually I read positive reviews of IYD, though IMHO none of them got the level Gypsy did. Because Lindsey was not there? I'm not sure, cause SYW songs didn't get that level either, in my opinion.

[HomerMcvie]

I'm not a big fan of Stevie solo albums, actually I've never bought one.

You're missing out, then. Bella Donna is a work of ART. If I was on a desert island with 20 albums, BD would be one of them. The Wild Heart is very good, but BD is greatness. She hit two home runs, then her songs and albums got the runs...

[Macfan4life]

Besides the drugs I think her ego got in the way of a more dominating music career. She's not alone so I am not picking on her exclusively. But few could not have big egos if you joined a band and rocketed to a band almost as big as the Rolling Stones for a time in the states. Then having exceeded everyone's expectations for a solo album. Everything Nicks was touching was turning to gold. Drugs definitely got in the way but so did ego and that ego allows artists to get lazy thinking they can just "phone it in."
Imagine if Bella Donna flopped and she needed Fleetwood Mac and stayed near them more in the 80s. Or imagine The Wild Heart flopping and she had a sophomore jinx with her solo career. Would it have grounded her so that she did not lose control. She was on top of the world in 1982. Platinum albums, radio hits, rock credentials, concerts, and she was a sex symbol. A coke addiction is a horrible thing. But I bet it was just as much ego that made her ditch recording studios or come 6 hours late for a mediocre performance.

[BLY]

Besides the drugs I think her ego got in the way of a more dominating music career. She's not alone so I am not picking on her exclusively. But few could not have big egos if you joined a band and rocketed to a band almost as big as the Rolling Stones for a time in the states. Then having exceeded everyone's expectations for a solo album. Everything Nicks was touching was turning to gold. Drugs definitely got in the way but so did ego and that ego allows artists to get lazy thinking they can just "phone it in."
Imagine if Bella Donna flopped and she needed Fleetwood Mac and stayed near them more in the 80s. Or imagine The Wild Heart flopping and she had a sophomore jinx with her solo career. Would it have grounded her so that she did not lose control. She was on top of the world in 1982. Platinum albums, radio hits, rock credentials, concerts, and she was a sex symbol. A coke addiction is a horrible thing. But I bet it was just as much ego that made her ditch recording studios or come 6 hours late for a mediocre performance.


I agree 100%.
I was fanatic fan since 1977 and followed them all as close as I could (considering no social media it was a bit of work)

STEVIE:
Drugs
Ego because of the success of her first two albums
Couldn’t sustain both solo and the band with touring/writing
Not working with Lindsey as she did from 1975-1979
This all caused the chips to fall as they did……..

Positive- a lot more solo releases from all the band members.

Negative- only 5 studio albums from my favorite lineup of the band

Bonus- in 1977 I got familiar with all the lineups of the band from 1967-1974 and loved and bought all the back catalogue .(as I was waiting for the release of Tusk)

[Macfan4life]

I agree 100%.
I was fanatic fan since 1977 and followed them all as close as I could (considering no social media it was a bit of work)

STEVIE:
Drugs
Ego because of the success of her first two albums
Couldn’t sustain both solo and the band with touring/writing
Not working with Lindsey as she did from 1975-1979
This all caused the chips to fall as they did……..

Positive- a lot more solo releases from all the band members.

Negative- only 5 studio albums from my favorite lineup of the band

Bonus- in 1977 I got familiar with all the lineups of the band from 1967-1974 and loved and bought all the back catalogue .(as I was waiting for the release of Tusk)
Her 1981 was insane. She recorded her first solo album. Then was jetting to France for brief Mac recordings for Mirage. She joined Petty for west coast and Florida dates on his summer tour. SDMHA was released and became so big that Petty added it to his set while she was with him. When she gets off the road with the Heartbreakers, Bella Donna hits the top and her management quickly starts booking solo dates in December. She does a brief solo tour and then jets back to France to finish Mirage. Mirage is released with 2 huge MTV videos and she does a summer/fall tour with the Mac and immediately goes into the studio for the Wild Heart. She gets married in January 1983 and then the Wild Heart is issued. She gets a huge lead off single and Wild Heart goes to #5 on the heals of Flashdance and Thriller. She tours again that summer with her boyfriend.

Thats a wild and very fast paced very early 80s schedule. It also fueled her coke addiction and she started to create and live in her own fantasy world and take it all for granted. She did not need to prove anything to anyone anymore and put everything on autopilot. She starts RAL in 1984 with sporadic recordings all over the place without focus. She is no longer in control of her own destiny. The drugs have her completely occupied and her career is a side gig. The producer who hid her in his basement away from Tom Petty and was nervous taking her on as an artist thinking he was no Lindsey Buckingham walked away. She was a mess and lost all interest in her career.

[Villavic]

But few could not have big egos if you joined a band and rocketed to a band almost as big as the Rolling Stones for a time in the states. Then having exceeded everyone's expectations for a solo album. Everything Nicks was touching was turning to gold. Drugs definitely got in the way but so did ego and that ego allows artists to get lazy thinking they can just "phone it in."


I agree. But now imagine if Law and Order had been a mega hit and started to turn to gold everything he touched. Probably Lindsey would have had a big ego too. But I guess the difference would have been that drugs would not get in his way. And if he had continued to release successful albums, Tango probably wouldn't have existed, or it would be very different. Poor Mick.

[HomerMcvie]

I agree. But now imagine if Law and Order had been a mega hit and started to turn to gold everything he touched. Probably Lindsey would have had a big ego too. But I guess the difference would have been that drugs would not get in his way. And if he had continued to release successful albums, Tango probably wouldn't have existed, or it would be very different. Poor Mick.

Lindsey HAD to be focused. Because he's THE CREATOR. Not like ditzy Old Goatsy, who jots down a few words, and hands them to a creator who turns her words into something.
Stevie never had to be focused. The smaller the talent, the less the required focus.

[Macfan4life]

I agree. But now imagine if Law and Order had been a mega hit and started to turn to gold everything he touched. Probably Lindsey would have had a big ego too. But I guess the difference would have been that drugs would not get in his way. And if he had continued to release successful albums, Tango probably wouldn't have existed, or it would be very different. Poor Mick.
Lindsey was still in his anger phase for Law and Order. Imagine if he had a "Tango" sense of mind and instead of rebelling and still making quirky Tusk like songs that Law and Order had several successful singles. No doubt Lindsey lost his mind of how successful Bella Donna was and she did it without him. When she left a copy of the album at Lindsey's door, she had to know she was egging him on.