What's with all the Shangri-La bashing?
 

I am very confused, because I am seeing a lot of negativity toward Trouble in Shangri-La, and I just don't get it. You can like TISL and In Your Dreams, as well. I get that not everyone likes every album the same, and I can get that it is subjective. I myself, do not care for Street Angel, but I know people who do. Fair enough.
What's bugging me is the difference between 'I didn't care for it.' and 'God, that was such a pile of sh*t, I can't believe ANYONE would ever pay money for it.'
Another thing is this rewriting of history: TISL didn't sell well, TISL wasn't well received, etc. TISL debuted at #5 and sold well. It was not a runaway success like Bella Donna, but it WAS a commercial and critical success. There were many positive profiles of Stevie and the album. The only negativity I really remember was VH1, and I remember that because VH1 had such a heavy hand in the buildup and promotion of TISL only to give it a negative review.
I also remember The Ledge being bombarded with posts of love and gratitude toward Stevie and this album. Tastes change, I know that too.
I am not intending to start a flame war here, and I am not calling people out, just trying to understand why we have to build In Your Dreams up by bashing TISL. In my opinion, In Your Dreams stands on it's own merits. It is an amazing accomplishment, but it does not for one minute diminish my admiration for TISL.

I completely agree with everything you're saying here. I also don't understand why some feel that in order to prove how good IYD is they must bash TISL, or that it has to be an "either or" situation. They're BOTH very good albums, IMO.

I'm also bothered by the revisionist history. TISL was very well received critically when it came out, more so than any other Nicks album other than Bella Donna. It went higher on the charts than TWH, RAL, TOSOTM, and SA. It outsold SA by 3 to 1, even though it came out when album sales were already starting to tank. It was so well received in fact that a few years afterward Nicks questioned whether she would do another solo album because she felt that she went out on a real high with TISL (thankfully she changed her mind on that score).

I think some people feel like they have to justify their taste somehow. Like, "well I don't like TISL so I must prove that it was a failure as an album". They don't realize that something can be a big success and be loved by many people and yet you can still really hate it yourself. You don't have to justify your own taste.

I think it comes down to some people always wanting another Wild Heart or Bella Donna. Some fans will always compare her albums those two, and when a new one comes out, they insist it's the new "as good as Bella Donna" album and everything else is suddenly unworthy.

In Your Dreams has in fact renewed my interest in TISL; Moonlight and Planets of the Universe pair up together very well!

According to the Revisionists, John Shanks and Sheryl Crow were even worse for Stevie than Klonopin.

In Your Dreams is an amazingly good album! I LOVE IT!!!!! I also love Trouble In Shangri-la, too, and think it is very strong a collection as well. TISL sold well and had great reviews, too.

Like I said on the other thread, the only place only I've ever seen the seething out and out hatred for TISL by some being treated as the TRUTH for ALL is right here on The Ledge.

TISL was a good album and it was well received... I don't know who is saying otherwise. The boards were hoppin then, and they're hoppin now.

TISL wipes the floor with every album that came out in that decade. Hands down.
In the wake of IYD, it seems people have forgotten it's brilliance. For me, TISL is my musical soul and always will be.

Yeah I think its the "everything else is unworthy" phenomenon that is being seen here. Like, how exciting is it to say "In Your Dreams is Nicks' best album since Trouble In Shangri-La"? Technically that's what RS should have said, since they called TISL Nicks' "best solo work in years" when it came out, but instead the reviewer went back to The Other Side of the Mirror (which hadn't gotten nearly the good review that TISL had). People seem to think that to prove their point they have to say "best of since way back when" instead of something like "This is Nicks' 2nd consecutive great album" or something like that.

I thought the same thing about Planets/Moonlight. In fact, even though I'm not done listening to IYD over and over, I'm starting to think about how to fit songs from this album into Stevie playlists, and Planets was one of the first things I thought of!

Mike, I wish there was a 'like' button for posts on The Ledge, cause this one really needs it!

haha, well I'd like the "Revisionists" to take a look at Street Angel, then TISL (which was her next record) and then compare quality.

Yeah.

Now tell me TISL stinks. ;)

it was a step up, especially when you have low expectations after Street Angel and some others

Agreed. I love every song on TISL and I'm liking IYD a whole lot too.

~Maria

Look at the bad reviews on Amazon for IYD, they come from the I love TISL people. This thread should almost be flipped.

Of course. :laugh:

I enjoy Street Angel, more than TISL. It's not about quality though, just preference. TISL is certainly more magical.

I had high expectations for TISL after The Dance. For me, the vocals on TISL were a major let down. IYD is the first album she has released since The Wild Heart that doesn't have me skipping half of the tracks. Every track catches my attention and this has not happened since Bella Donna!