Rock A Little Factor
 

I just got RAL, and I have been listening to it :laugh:
Does anyone know what was going though Stevie's mind? The songs have good tunes - but it seems she pahsed out the 'GDW Meets Rhiannon' thing.

From the mellow Sister Honey to the heart wrenching Has Anyone Written Anything For You - I missed the Bella Donna-Gypsy woman :(

I love Rock A Little and was just listening to it the other day while driving around running some errands. I love that album cover too! I had thought for years it was an entire dress until Stevie answered my question on the Nicksfix about it actually being a 2 piece outfit. I think it's cool she still remembers those little tidbits of her career given that she was so messed up and out of it for so many years. For someone that seemed to be so messed up, the woman can still share stories and recall times and places and all the little details. I think she was very aware of everything and still is. And I love her for that.

of course she remembers it. It was the best time of her life, she always talks about how much fun she had and how much money she spent.
Ask her what happened to her on a random date in 1991 and you'll get a big "duh" from her. THAT's when she was messed up.

Well one could ask any of us what happened on a random date in 1991 and we most likely can't remember lol. It's not that we were messed up or anything.

I just think she's very reflective of her career and timelining it. We get that from her a lot during these last few tours. I've heard people say how she reacts if you show her a photo from anytime in her career, how she'll pause for a second and stare at it and feel it and maybe share a story of the time and place. I just think that's so wonderful of her.

[QUOTE=Meowi;855686]Does anyone know what was going though Stevie's mind?

Lot's of chemical pleasure I would imagine.

I remember 1991 very clearly.

That era ended with the song Straight Back.

So do I. To me the early 90's seemed so boring. Music was changing. Grunge was in. People were changing. Things for me didn't get fun again until about the mid 90's then life seemed to pick back up again. Music was changing, people were fun again :lol:

Well, I wouldn't call Sister Honey mellow. I think it's one of her best rock out numbers. Now, the title track, Rock A Little, I would say that one is mellow. Anyway, Stevie's life was crashing and burning during the the recording. The fun and happy "Hey, lets get high!" days had turned on her. Also, her love affair with Joe Walsh was coming to an end. So, it was a pretty intense time in her life and I think it shows on that album. I know alot of people think RAL is a big mess but I love it. I think there is a great deal of pain and passion in those songs.

I agree with this 100%

RAL is my favorite solo album. Sister Honey is NOT a mellow song.

I love Rock A Little but Sister Honey never grew on me. Not in all these years.

You describe it well, Bubba.

Does anyone here remember the Innerview she did in 1986 with Jim Ladd. Past Innerviews were buoyant affairs -- bubbly, giggly, light. But this one was oddly somber & much more straightforward than in times past. Listening to the earlier Innerviews & then listening to this one makes for a weird comparison.

Actually that is true, now that I have actually put some thougt into it!

Oh yes, I remember that interview. I also remember a "RAL tour interview" where Stevie was hardly interviewed at all. Waddy was the main one interviewed and Stevie was.....off somewhere. I also remember seeing Stevie on her OSOTM tour and then going home and putting on her HBO concert from '81 and wondering, "What happened to her?" Ofcourse, now I know it was the Klonopin but for a long long time I wondered what happen to that upbeat and fun Stevie I remembered from the early 80's.

I would love if someone posted it - I've heard the 83 and 79 ones.

Off the Record: Inner woman

No woman walks the earth like Stevie Nicks.

I truly believe Stevie Nicks is everyone's inner woman. She reveals a layer of femininity, vulnerability and power in every gender.

My mom said she used to listen to Stevie Nicks on cassette tapes when she was pregnant with me. I think it's safe to say there has always been a touch of the dreamy singer in both of us. In fact, when I saw Stevie in-concert this past November, I was overwhelmed by how much she reminded me of my mom. They are both sassy blondes with a lot of confidence.

I wrote this as a shout-out to Stevie Nicks then and now.

I wear a T-shirt I bought at her concert in Atlanta under a jacket featuring lyrics from "Dreams" on the back. At the concert, she boasted she wrote the song. She beamed as she noted it was Fleetwood Mac's only No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and sold more than 1 million copies. I accessorize with a chain choker, leather pleated skirt and heels with spikes.

In case you didn't notice, my outfit is sprinkled with gold accents in honor of the golddust woman.

I wanted to write about "Rock a Little" because this record captures Stevie's essence. Women who attended Stevie's recent concert tour often donned black hats, lace hair accents and long skirts to look like she did on this cover.

"Rock a Little" is Stevie's third studio album released in 1985. While for some, it might not measure up to Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" or Stevie's solo album, "Wild Heart," I love how I can hear quintessential Steve lyrics and rhythms in 11 less popular tracks.

Stevie's known drug usage tarnished the reputation of this album and hindered its success, but I don't enjoy it any less.

This record is classic dreamy pop with upbeat hits such as "I Can't Wait" and "Talk to Me," which channel the same level of power as "Stand Back." It also features her slow, thoughtful songs such as "I Sing for the Things" and "Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You?"

When I hear this record, especially the pace and notes in "Imperial Hotel," I can hear its influence on 1990s music from other artists.

"Some Become Strangers" is the song that appeals most to me on this record. There is something a little angry and innovative about this song; it's an unusual vibe to hear from Stevie.

I was hoping to remember you with just a smile

Now the memory of giving you is giving out

The album follows up this track with "Talk to Me," an uplifting power ballad. Then comes "The Nightmare" and "If I Were You," which could exist as indie pop tracks today.

It seems appropriate to write about Stevie because it seems there is a resurgence of her music with and without Fleetwood Mac. I know this because the prices have risen on iTunes, and I have seen millennial Fleetwood Mac starter pack memes all over Facebook.

I can appreciate the jabs at Fleetwood Mac newbies, but there is definitely a bigger point here.

Stevie Nicks continues to make new fans everyday and, honestly, I think that's the epitome of cool.



http://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/201...rd-inner-woman

Great article. I've always loved Rock A Little.

Yes, it's rare to see appreciation for this album nowadays because of its strictly 80s sound.
Personally I've come to truly appreciate it with time.

Its very 80's sound for sure but I could appreciate the album more if Stevie wrote more of the songs. For example, IMHO The Nightmare is one of the better songs on the album and its not a coincidence that she wrote it. Its her song and the words sound like Stevie even though the beat is bouncy. So many of the pop songs that were brought to the album just are not Stevie songs at all. While they could work better with other pop artists. Rock A Little lacks the depth and intensity of all of her solo albums. That is the bigger reason I don't care for the album. I can tolerate some of the 80's sound. As mentioned on another thread because there were so many producers, the songs seem fragmented and the album is not as cohesive as her 2 prior solo albums. Stevie's RAL demos and the songs that were cut are far superior to anything else on the album. Those simple pop songs like Talk To Me, If I Were You, and Some Become Strangers could be sung by anyone with that pop synth sound. Stevie Nicks is so much better than that IMHO.

It's interesting that you mention The Nightmare since it's cowritten with Her brother Christopher.
Yes, we were talking about this in another thread, the album isn't cohesive, but what I mean is that for our diehard fans it's easy to say that this isn't the real and usual Stevie, for everyone else this is just a regular 80s pop/rock album.

I would love to know how much Chris actually co-wrote ;)
I had forgotten because its been so long since I looked at writing on RAL but If I Were You was co-written by Stevie. I would love to know what parts she wrote. That song is so sappy I would be surprised if she had major contributions.
Another oddity for me is my least favorite songs on the album are produced by Iovine. Now that is odd :eek:

Maybe he produced ****tily the songs on purpose for revenge?
Jokes aside, since Jimmy left pretty early he didn't have a say on what songs of his they eventually chose and which version, in fact several alternate outtakes of the songs are arguably better than those that ended up on the album.
I'm curious too about her brother's involvement, usually he's like a reverse-Mida.

According to Stevie, she wrote the bridge

"I believe that love is a living thing / born into our destiny in a single moment inspiration / and as it grows, it changes our lives forever"

Yes! And what a beautiful line it is! You can tell those are her words. :)

Totally disagree with this comment. Stevie sings Talk to Me with a lot of passion, and not only was it her last top 10 hit, she was nominated for a Grammy for her performance of this song. Both versions of the song are incredible, too. I'm referring not only to the album version but also to the slower version available on the Hits of the 80s cd. Sorry you don't like the song but you're in the minority on this one!

That's totally cool you love Talk to Me. However, I would bet I am not too much in the minority with Stevie fans but who knows really. I just never could buy the fact Stevie is waiting around begging someone to talk to her so she can lift their spirits. I think the vocal is ok but the "you can's" are just too sappy for me. At least the live version she drops that part. I could compare Talk To Me to Everyday. Simple pop songs brought to an album for commercial thinking only. IMHO it was total sell out by Stevie Nicks. I know I will get flamed for saying that :eek:

One of her best lines for sure!

Macfan, I tallied the votes from another thread (pick your top three from each album) and for Rock a Little, here's how the voting went up to March 18:

1) I Can't Wait got 10 votes
2-3) No Spoken Word and Rock a Little tied with 9 votes
4) Talk to Me got 8 votes
5-7) If I Were You, Imperial Hotel, and the Nightmare tied with 5 votes
8) Has Anyone Ever Written Ever Written got 4 votes
9-10) Sister Honey and I Sing For the Things tied with 3 votes
11) Some Become Strangers got 1 vote

I'm surprised Rock a Little scored so high, while Has Anyone Ever scored lower than I expected.

because she grew / changed / evolved as a person /artist / creative person .

I read an interview a long time ago with Stevie, and she said Rock a Little was her attempt to lighten up her sound because she had been so depressed since her friend Robin died, and to be lighter than The Wild Heart. Looking at the songs she chose for the album, that explains a lot. If I Were You, Talk to Me, Has Anyone Ever, and Imperial Hotel all have Stevie offering advice or trying to make people feel better. I Can't Wait and Sister Honey are pure pop energy, while Some Become Strangers, I Sing For the Things, and Rock a Little are about as light and mellow as you can get.

Not sure I would call Rock A Little light but it is mellow in its own way.....

I LOVE the place Rock A Little has in her discography because it's a well-needed light album!

Actually, I just can't imagine her discography with ANY of her albums missing. They all have their own unique place and cover a different subject.

MAYBE I can imagine her without Wild Heart, because it's essentially Bella Donna Part 2, or without In Your Dreams, because I feel like it doesn't contain essential Stevie Nicks music. Of course, I love both these albums to death and they might be in my top 3 or 5, but you get my point... :)

i seldom listen to whole records everything is on shuffle on all my music players so i decided to give Rock a Little a spin i like all the songs , But not continuous I could not listen to it ,Buckingham Nicks still flows nice and so did the Legendary Christine Perfect Album , maybe I'll try while I'm driving tomorrow

I see your point, especially about the idea of Stevie begging someone to talk to her. I remember Stevie herself making similar comments about feeling that way with Reconsider Me. Something along the lines that she would never ask a man to 'reconsider' being with her (I'm paraphrasing, of course).

With Talk to Me, I never felt like she was begging someone, but rather she could see someone was upset about something or hiding a painful secret, and she was really just reassuring them that they could trust her. In that context, she's not a weak woman begging her man to work it out, but rather she's a strong woman saying no matter what they're hiding, she can help them. Small difference, maybe, but that's how I take it. May not make you like the song any better and that's cool. We all have our favorites, and some of my favorite Stevie songs I'm almost embarrassed to admit I like (Unconditional Love, for example), while other classics that everyone else seems to love, I could do without (Gold Dust Woman, ugh).

I listened to RAL in my car this week, and I loved it! It's incredible how much Marilyn Martin adds to the background vocals, and I love how Stevie's vocals and runs and inflections are on so many of the songs, but especially on Imperial Hotel, If I Were You, I Can't Wait, and Talk to Me.