[dissention]

Originally Posted by Johnny Stew

I know full well that Stevie is not Bonnie Tyler, et al. She's also not Cher or Tina Turner or Debbie Harry, but that sure doesn't stop folks from bringing those ladies up in relation to Stevie.
My point is that "crap" is a relative term.

Well, when people say "Name another woman pushing sixty who's still rocking out like Stevie and touring so much," someone is obviously going to bring up Debbie Harry or Cher. The difference between that comaparison and the one you used previously is that no one is comparing their music, which is wildly different.

Originally Posted by Johnny Stew

I've heard what I would call utter crap, and it's not any of the "garbage" songs you named.

And that's fine, they're my opinions. But, as always, we're just going to run in circles together because what I think is crap, you think is good; what I might think is good, you might think is crap. It's a no win situation, always has been.

Originally Posted by Johnny Stew

Are they as good as some of Stevie's earlier work? That's highly debatable.
I'd personally have to say no, in regards to those particular songs.
But the implication is always that there's nothing of value to be found in them, and, on that, I whole-heartedly disagree.
In my eyes, they all have merit. They're all essential components in Stevie's oeuvre.

And I don't think they all have merits. Yeah, she could still pull out some amazing harmonies, some amazing lines here and there, but for the most part, her creativity was really zapped for a long time and it showed. One of the reasons I don't like or even listen to Street Angel is because it's such a depressing album. There's nothing but pain in her voice because you can hear in her how much she was suffering and how much it affected her work. Are there songs on it I like? Yes. But do they affect me like her other songs? No.

Originally Posted by Johnny Stew

And, with my deepest apologies, I simply don't have the unrealistic expectation for a songwriter to match or top what I consider to be their best songs, with every single attempt.

I don't either. I just expect consistency. I mean, to go from The Wild Heart to a thing such as Rock A Little was mind-boggling to me, even though I have a new appreciation for that album. Or from the Mirror album, one of my favorites, to Street Angel. Talk about your fall from grace, Stevie.

Consistency doesn't mean that every song is going to be fantastic or blow me away, it simple means that an artist should have a bar by which they measure what's quality and what isn't. Stevie's bar must have been pretty low for awhile. Thankfully, she got "it" back or we'd be suffering through Two Kinds of Love Part Deux.

Originally Posted by Johnny Stew

I'm risking being accused of making this a Lindsey vs. Stevie thing with this comment, but Lindsey is the quickest example of someone who releases material only very sporadically, so here goes:
Even with the great amount of years that go between Lindsey's releases, there are still songs he puts out there, that leave me cold.

And I have no qualms with that because I feel the same way about Stevie, only she's more likely to have more songs I'm underwhelmed by simply because she's put out a larger catalog.

There are a good number of songs from Lindsey that I still do not like. I can't stand Street Of Dreams, Empire State drives me to drink, the album version of I'm So Afraid is cloying as all hell, etc. I love Lindsey, but he's released crap, too. Stevie's not the only one.

Originally Posted by Johnny Stew

When I hear a song that I'm not crazy about, I simply trust that another will come along in a few minutes, that I will be crazy about.
No major letdowns at some songs not living up to my demands. Or towards the artist for including material they happen to like.

And the thing is, not everyone has such a rosy view like yours when it comes to music. Sorry, but when I spend my money on a Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks, or Lindsey Buckingham album, I'm expecting a certain quality from them. If they aren't up to par, I am going to be majorly let down. That's why I still can't stand some of Stevie's work; there are such wide ranges in quality from album to album. I mean, do you just buy an album from them and go in with no expectations whatsoever? If you say yes, you're a bald-faced liar.

Originally Posted by Johnny Stew

That's all I expect, and I haven't been disappointed yet.

And that's you.