Stevie as a harmony singer?
 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqD291OJwXM

I want to repost this interview b/c it showcases (the intro) with SN as harmony to CM/LB. I want to know how may fans on here actually like her trading off the spotlight to be the "backing" singer, which imo does very well?

I love SN as a solo artists, but I think I loved her even more as a collaborator witihin the band. All of these fond memories of Stevie taking the back seat to GYOW, Little Lies, YMLF, As Long As You Follow, Hold Me, Everywhere, etc has me missing CM even more today.

What are your thoughts on this subject?

Stevie's harmonizing is one of the cool things about her. Prime example Ebony Eyes, Magnet and Steel, Whenever I Call You Friend, and on and on....

As was stated in, I believe Behind The Music on VH1, "she can mold her voice around just about anyone." (Sorry, not verbatim)

I am SO impressed with her harmonizing as believe that's one of her gifts!

~Rod~

It's beyond dispute. Since 1975, many times Stevie's harmonies have absolutely made a song.

I thought this long before I even knew who she was. Michele

Yes I agree there.She can sing with anybody doing backup.

I can pick her voice out all the time.

Agree with all these points and want to say that some of my favorite harmony vocals have been Stevie singing backup for herself. This can be heard even more clearly in many of her demos, RTTG being a good example.

Yeah. I'm not a huge fan of the Christine McVie songs Stevie did backup for because, for me, most Christine McVie songs usually lack something, whatever you want to call it. They all sound like a metronome. Technically sound, but soulless. It's like her voice has almost no inflection. She sings every word and syllable the same, so every song sounds the same. She could run through 30 songs and I'd most likely be like: okay, this song is a tad too long for my liking. But when Stevie joins on backup, like here (from (0,36sec - 0,55sec), something happens and the song suddenly comes alive for me. Stevie inflects every syllable. Every syllable sounds different, every syllable is an event, and you're waiting to hear what inflection she'll come up with for the next one. When Christine sings the song is in black and white, when Stevie starts singing the song suddenly has color. Lots of color. And mood. And texture. It has ups and downs. It has happiness. It has lower notes and higher notes. Etc. It sounds like a person, a human being, is singing it, as opposed to a metronome. It suddenly becomes a song and not just a mass of keys on a scale.

I love Stevie's harmonies with Kenny Loggins and with Lindsey on the Buckingham Nicks album. I think probably my favourite Stevie harmonies would be Stevie harmonizing with herself, and then Stevie harmonizing with Lindsey, eg. on "I Don't Wanna Know."

Harmonies are the reason I'm a fan of Stevie's in the first place. And, in general, I tend to like female singers whose voices sound good on harmonies, eg. Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Belinda Carlisle, etc.

Welcome to The Ledge.:xoxo:

God that video was stout!!

I made myself a data CD for the car with the Memphis soundboard from 1982. About two-thirds of the way through the set (roughly, "You Make Loving Fun"), Lindsey is drunk. His guitar work is all over the place and his vocals are slurred beyond recognition. Stevie's the one who steps in (on "Blue Letter" and "Go Your Own Way") and rescues the band vocally. Luckily, she had a bellowing, powerful voice that night, but she seems to realize that he's falling on his face and so more than compensates for it. She was good at that kind of compensating.

When people talk about Stevie's harmonies (or co-lead), they never mention that song she did with that freakish red-head.

Carrot Top?

Michele

I've not heard this recording. Does anyone have a link to any available versions?

Don't Let Me Down Again off of Live is my go-to for a quick harmony fix.

The outtake of Oh Daddy from the Rumous reissue is mine. The song itself gets a whole new meaning to it with only women signing. It's the only studio version I listen to anymore. Stevie and Chrstine should have done more vocal work like this.

I think that version should have been the one placed on Rumours instead of the one of the album. I also love Straight Back for this reason.

My other fave harmony for her is Honey Hi.

YES.

But maybe that would have lowered Lindsey's testosterone levels even more than just having Christine in the band.....

His testosterone is low as it is. He wouldn't need to worry about that. :p

hehe. not if you ask him. according to him, since Christine's departure, he's gotten to be more masculine. wtf.... :shrug:

Everyone knows Christine is the most masculine one among the five of them. :lol: No big secret that the overall levels went down significantly when she left. Lindsey's words? They reek of overcompensation, my friend.

Also, Stevie now takes Christine's place as the "masculine one".

Midnight Wind shows her harmony singing in all of its glory. It is the best vocal she ever recorded.

Me too, and the outtake of Oh Daddy too.

I always thought that somehow Stevie always manages to make it sound, even if it's (as far as I can tell anyway) just one vocal track like there are about 30 of her there singing.. does that make sense? ha.. I think it's the texture and resonance of her voice. It's really clever. I don't know if I've described that very well, it's like it adds more than just one layer. I never get tired of that.

She is incredible as harmony singer: she could harmonize very well with almost everyone in the bussiness in my opinion. In some parts of her range she sounded the best. The Mac were very far from the pattern: Let only the women sing the high parts of the chorus, and stuff like that.

Agree on all points.

It also helps that the vocal ranges they could all sing are pretty close to one another. That way, they can nail switching around who is singing the low, middle and high parts. Live performances of Rhiannon are a good example of this.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE Stevie Nicks as a background/harmony singer. She's one of the best. My favorite is her vocal harmonies on the chorus of "You Make Loving Fun" with Chris McVie. I love when she joins the chorus live during the "feeling it's time to try/beginning to wonder why" part.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYYFW1MRuzA

I have seldom seen Stevie look and sound more beautiful than at the 3:oo -- 5:00 minute mark of this Japan performance. Plus, Chris rocks the crimped hair !!

Other harmony favorites include:
Needles and Pins/Insider -- Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Honey Hi -- Tusk
Oh Daddy -- Rumours Outtake (should have went on the Rumours album)
Second Hand News (I've been tossed around enough)
Gold--John Stewart
Magnet & Steel -- Walter Egan
Smiling Islands -- Robbie Patton
Get My Way -- Sandy Stewart