Quote:
Originally Posted by elle
commercial does not equal great or even good
|
In the Stevie Lindsey Wars, if the Stevie side ever says that and genuinely means it, ask them about Rihanna, who has ten times the international chart success Stevie has, a bunch more Grammys, a much higher net worth, a dozen more No. 1 singles, and ten times the fame and acclaim. Commercially, she is to Stevie what Stevie is to Lindsey. Ask them whether, because of that commercial strength which puts Stevie's work in the shadows, Rihanna is ten times the artist that Stevie is.
Now, my point isn't whether she is or she isn't. I say no, of course. Stevie has a personal vision - a muse - with all its attendant quirks and charms and "flaws." In her songwriting, singing, performing, and dress, Stevie was a self-creation. She didn't come out of a boardroom on the 40th floor of the Capitol building in Hollywood. She isn't just her own idea; she's a personal statement. Rihanna's immaculate voice - engineered to make millions - seems about as personal and idiosyncratic as a press release of a corporate merger. Rihanna's business is hitting buttons. She's great at it, too.
But my point is that commercial strength is not any sort of decent gauge of an artist's vision or craft. In fact, it's the gauge of the craft of marketing, more often than not, and it encompasses immaculately produced videos, albums, TV ads, print ads, paid-for radio play, and so on, with hundreds of people, from artists to business people, responsible for the phenomenon.
With Fleetwood Mac, as with any band, "bringing people in" isn't the important thing. It's what you leave in people's memories on their way out that's important.