DISCUSSION: Rick Vito's songs from Behind the Mask
 

Here's the next Behind the Mask discussion thread for the Fleetwood Mac Battle of the Songs - highlighting Rick Vito's sole FM contributions.

Songs up for discussion...
1. Love Is Dangerous (duet, co-write w/Stevie)
2. When the Sun Goes Down (duet, co-write w/Billy)
3. Stand on the Rock
4. The Second Time (co-write w/Stevie)

It seems that Rick didn't really get that much a presence on this album, even compared to fellow newcomer Billy. :shrug:

I suppose "Stand on the Rock" is his only song and others will count as collaborations? :confused:

Yeah, this is weird. I'm betting LID will win...it'll be like having 2 BTM stevie songs in the final poll. But I actullly like SOTR better than WTSGD.

Well, I think that's primarily due to the fact that Billy was brought on as a vocalist, and Rick, as the lead guitar player. He's obviously a fine singer, but that wasn't his primary position in the band.

I totally agree! You can hear Rick's guitar everywhere on the album, but you hear his voice very little. He didn't really get his due on this album like he deserved as a vocalist. I'd say his "Love Is Dangerous" collaboration with Stevie is the best one but I'd say it's really more of a tie between that and "Stand On The Rock", his only real solo performance.

I've always thought that "Walk Another Mile" and "Desiree" and "Intuition" from his "King Of Hearts" CD would have been better additions to "BTM" and show more of Rick's vocal as well as guitar talent. But alas, that was not to be.

I really like Love Is Dangerous. It just sounds like a song they had fun recording... you can almost hear them smile as they're singing. Besides that, I think Rick and Stevie really did make a terrific team. Rick's bluesy style mixes with Stevie's witchy/ethereal persona surprisingly well. I think they harmonize together very naturally, too. Especially when I hear songs like "Intuition," it makes me wonder what Rick and Stevie could have accomplished together given more time and perhaps a different framework.

It's always been so interesting to me that Rick came as a packaged deal with Billy, because IMHO, they just aren't great together. I hear songs like When The Sun Goes Down, and just think it's super cheesy. To me, Rick is better than corny Rockabilly. I don't know, maybe it's that Rick was better at adapting himself into the Fleetwood Mac framework, and Billy just didn't compromise who he was. I'm rambling outloud here, I guess I'll stop now. :o :laugh:

I've always loved Stand On The Rock. Though it's probably not much to do with Rick, the bassline is quality.

Rick's best songs from Behind The Mask didn't make the album for some INSANE reason:

Got No Home
Walk Another Mile
Intuition

"Desiree'", I'm pretty sure, was written after when BTM was being recorded.


Oh, and Louie, "When The Sun Goes Down" isn't "rockabilly", it's Zydeco. And, there's nothing "cheezy" about either style of music. And, the version of "Intuition" that was recorded for BTM had Chris & Billy on background vocals, not Stevie (she's on Rick's solo version), other than that and the Mick/John rhythm section sound much better than a drum machine and Rick himself playing bass on the King Of Hearts track, the two versions sound amazingly similar.

AND, yeah it's officially a Nicks/Vito co-write, but I'd categorize "The Second Time" as being a Stevie Nicks song, not one of Rick's.

Catergorizing "The Second Time" as Stevie what kinda what I was thinking. I mean it is a co-write, but Rick is not on the track, vocally - perhaps in the background but the song is certainly not a duet.

Remember those "other" FM Rick Vito songs... we'll count those in the Extra Rick Vito songs poll.

Here's what I'm thinking...

Love is Dangerous - count as collaboration
When the Sun Goes Down - count as collaboration
Stand on the Rock - Rick's songs
The Second Time - Stevie's songs

So technically, "Stand on the Rock" is his only song - I don't see a point in doing a poll! The song would automatically qualify for the Favorite Behind the Mask song battle. Remember we'll have a Favorite Collaboration poll later...

Agree, disagree? :shrug:

Sorry, no offense, but must wholeheartedly disagree here. :)

"Love Is Dangerous" is a Rick Vito song. He wrote it. It's only done as a duet on the album. "Stand On The Rock" is Rick's. Do what you will with the other two songs, that's fine, but "Love Is Dangerous" and "Stand On The Rock" are Rick's all the way.

The guy didn't get his due when with the band, why are there those out there who persist in trying to keep him down or deny his talent/contribution?

The Ledge discographies and buckinghamnicks.net both have LID as a co-write.

:confused: I was under the impression, I'm wanting to say from a online interview where Rick said he and Stevie wrote the song together...maybe not at the same time, same place, but nonetheless both contributed lyrics to the song. I'll try to find that interview. Meanwhile we'll get other Ledgies take on the matter. :wavey:

EDIT : Heres the link to an interview on blog talk radio dated 2-11-2010, starting at the 15 1/2 min mark he talks about songwriting and working with Stevie on Behind the Mask. Really good interview...

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/nightvi...vito-interview

Update
 

"Stand on the Rock" will move on to the Favorite song from Behind the Mask battle. :cool:

I stand, yet again it seems, happily corrected. I just looked at both "BTM" and "Lucky In Love" and both list Rick and Stevie as the writers of "LID".

Thanks for the correction. :nod: