Stevie albums...

[Villavic]

Actually it's TIMESPACE, since I'm more a FM fan than Stevie's fan. But I do like a lot Bella Donna and it's the album I like the most, even than TISL. But siince Timespace was not listed (obviously it's a G Hits), i choose BD.

[SapphireSister]

I rarely listen to her albums anymore. All of my Stevie/FM songs are in an MP3 player and they are listed alphabetically so when I want to listen to Stevie I usually just pick a song and let it play randomly from there and skip something if I don't feel like hearing it. Once in a while I'll get an urge to play RAL or TISL but other than that I don't play her albums.

When I first became a fan in 03' I went out and bought every Stevie/FM album and listened to all of them straight through about 10 times in chronological order (FYI I only listened to Stevie's songs on the FM albums). I hated having to wait till the end to hear TISL and I honestly thought it was going to be my least favorite but I was completely shocked when I fell in love with more than half the songs on there. Regardless of lack of vocal range the songs themselves are musically stunning and lyrically breath taking. The album as a whole is (as Stevie likes to call it) a masterpiece minus a song or two. I also LOVE the production (as much as I detest Sheryl Crow) and think the way they updated the older songs with a modern feel was brilliant. Cohesively and artistically TISL is her best album.

The reason is simple why the other albums don't rank as high for me (besides RAL) - they don't have as many songs I like. It really has nothing to do with vocal quality for me. If I were to rank them in terms of vocal ability it would be quite different.

As far as Bella Donna goes, it's just not a rockin' enough album for me and I think of Stevie as one of the queens of rock and roll. Edge is a rocker but other than that if falls short. Vocally it's phenomenal but if I don't like the songs that holds no weight. It's just not edgy (excuse the pun) enough for me.

The Wild Heart is more rockin but it has a few of songs I can't deal with - Gate and Garden, Enchanted, I Will Run to You. I do however think this period is Stevie at the height of her career and fabulousness.

RAL- Coked out Stevie, her most rockin album and every song is at least decent. I also love that voice!

TOSOTM - A few stellar songs (Rooms on Fire, DTBTIC, LWTG) but too many duds to ever be a favorite (Juliet, Blue Eyes, Fire Burning). It is also more subtle, hey she was starting to age and it shows (not that that's a bad thing). I just don't feel like her entire heart and soul was in this album. The production is so distinct and it's almost un-Stevie like to me on certain songs.

Street Angel - Poor Stevie, even she hates it. I don't think it's a horrible album overall but compared to the rest it's weak. Not exactly a work of art. The title track is stellar and blue denim is decent. I happen to love Docklands but the rest are mediocre songs at best. No passion here.

[SapphireSister]

Originally Posted by sparky

TISL has great highs, and wretched lows.

That my friend, is such a great way to put it and probably the reason RAL beats it by a hair. RAL doesn't have as many lows but it's not the work of art TISL is. A brilliant mess was also a fabulous way to describe RAL and probably reminds me the most of myself which is why I adore it so.

[sparky]

Originally Posted by SapphireSister

That my friend, is such a great way to put it and probably the reason RAL beats it by a hair. RAL doesn't have as many lows but it's not the work of art TISL is. A brilliant mess was also a fabulous way to describe RAL and probably reminds me the most of myself which is why I adore it so.

Thanks, Homegirl. I remember my first listen of RAL and thinking that she was in heaps of trouble, but being fascinated the dramatic record of said trouble.
When I got TISL, I was just stoked and shocked by how far up she had come from SA. It is only with time my opinions of the songs solidified. I like the ones I liked at first still, and the ones that I only listened to out of curiosity at first...once the newness wore off, my opinion of them completely plummeted.

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by sparky

. . . I guess, after writing this, it might be RAL by the tail end of a ribbon on a tambourine. A tambourine, it must be noted, that is stained with brandy, dusted with coke she sneezed out, and headed straight for Betty Ford. Ah, the beauty of a supernova collapsing on itself.

When we marry - you may speak like this to me every night. And, I, sir, will be the happier man for it.

[amber]

Originally Posted by sparky

I cannot pick a favorite. For one thing, it has been ages since I listened to anything all the way through. But also, each one I like has some things about it that glares with flaws. It's almost like each of them exists in their own 'timespace' for me. And yes, I want to slap the **** out of myself for that sentence, so I will save you all the trouble. SLAP !

I know that SA and OSOTM are last and next to last. But BD, WH, RAL, and TISL are all a bit neck and neck, depending on the day and what I want. BD has the best consistency in quality of songs. But I find L&L and Highwayman to be almost unlistenable. And the sameness of the production almost feels flat to me now. It took years for me to comprehend the criticism upon it's release about the "LA creme de la creme studio musician" sound it was slagged for. But now I hear it. Her voice is great on the title track and Edge is epic, vocally.

WH is a lot of fun to listen to. But it suffers from production too in parts. The keyboards sound super cheesy and dated. On the other hand, the only song I absolutely cannot stomach is 'Gate and Garden', with IAF as a runner up. The rest I still enjoy. Of course, WH is the big epic here - a true crowning achievement in her career even with the audible strain in her voice. There are other great moments too.

RAL is a brilliant mess. Parts of it are downright embarrassing to listen to, but I like them anyway. It lacks the cohesion of BD and WH, but the things I love about it: ICW, NSW, SBS, and others, are so much fun. Even The Nightmare, which I consider to be her quintessential "post it" song, is an oddly entertaining diversion. This is the only record I don't feel compelled to skip songs on, strangely enough. Although I far prefer the outtake of RAL to the one on the record, and HAEWAFY is a larger and more powerful animal now than it was on that record.

TISL was my favorite for a looong time. But, with time, I find that I always skip Everyday (HATE IT, so beneath her, worse than SIAB and barely above LAHGT), TMMS, LC, and Love Is. That's a lot to skip. But I shiver in wonder at TISL. I love that track. It is brilliant. As good as anything she ever did. I also still gape at the falsetto in Sorcerer, and think JS did a bang up job with FFG and Planets. I am in the minority loving TFFT and IOL - but I love both of those songs. As far as IOL goes, she is just not capable of writing such a straightforward, simple song with a beautiful melody like that anymore, and it was a great gift, as far as I am concerned, from Sheryl. TFFT is just hella fun to sing.

TISL has great highs, and wretched lows.

I guess, after writing this, it might be RAL by the tail end of a ribbon on a tambourine. A tambourine, it must be noted, that is stained with brandy, dusted with coke she sneezed out, and headed straight for Betty Ford. Ah, the beauty of a supernova collapsing on itself.

This was a great read. I basically agree. Also, I like TFFT, for that hella fun to sing reason. I can't figure out what IOL is.
I like the same number of songs on TISL as on most others, but the bad songs are sooooo bad and boring to me. The good songs are awesome.
I like RAL for the same reasons you stated. Etc.

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by sparky

Thanks, Homegirl. I remember my first listen of RAL and thinking that she was in heaps of trouble, but being fascinated the dramatic record of said trouble.
When I got TISL, I was just stoked and shocked by how far up she had come from SA. It is only with time my opinions of the songs solidified. I like the ones I liked at first still, and the ones that I only listened to out of curiosity at first...once the newness wore off, my opinion of them completely plummeted.

When I raced out of Tower, knocking over the wretched Dave Matthews people there for his release that I was sure would eclipse TISL, and put the CD in my player in my car - my mouth hung open and I was speechless over the titular track. I thought and still think our girl reached a new zenith. I love the rest of the record. I do wish the voice was less produced and Love Is was more like the demo. But, all in all, I give it an A.

AS for RAL - it was just a whole lot of fun then and still is to me now.

[TheWILDheart]

Originally Posted by amber

This was a great read. I basically agree. Also, I like TFFT, for that hella fun to sing reason. I can't figure out what IOL is.
I like the same number of songs on TISL as on most others, but the bad songs are sooooo bad and boring to me. The good songs are awesome.
I like RAL for the same reasons you stated. Etc.

IOL = "It's Only Love"

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by TheWILDheart

This started with an argument between me and Friend: Wild Heart vs. OSOTM. I prefer Wild Heart but she disagreed. I was just intrested to what other's think. My personal Fave is Bella Donna. I love it. I also Love Wild Heart. OSOTM is great. Very, VERY good. But not quite on the same level cos it has the awful "Two Kinds of Love", "Alice" and "I Still Miss Someone" on it. I can't stand Rock a Little...any of it (except I Can't Wait and HAEWAFY) Street Angel is sort of average. I love Blue Denim and Listen to the Rain but it sorta gets boring after a bit. Trouble is just....it's as good as Bella Donna. Very different but i still love it. Ok, so lets get voting.

i agree...i love wild heart too, but bella has bella donna, how still my love, and outside the rain all killer tunes

[TheWILDheart]

Originally Posted by jbrownsjr

i agree...i love wild heart too, but bella has bella donna, how still my love, and outside the rain all killer tunes

Oh Bella Donna is my fav album but WH is simply better than OSOTM.

[chiliD]

Originally Posted by TheWILDheart

Oh Bella Donna is my fav album but WH is simply better than OSOTM.

There are very few albums that have ever been recorded by ANY artist that are WORSE than OSOTM.

[JazmenFlowers]

Originally Posted by chiliD

There are very few albums that have ever been recorded by ANY artist that are WORSE than OSOTM.

wait wait wait now. I love OSOTM.

I could easily come up with 100 without Google.

[TheWILDheart]

Originally Posted by chiliD

There are very few albums that have ever been recorded by ANY artist that are WORSE than OSOTM.

Now come on. OSOTM is awesome. . . It's just not as awesome.

[SapphireSister]

Originally Posted by TheWILDheart

Now come on. OSOTM is awesome. . . It's just not as awesome.

I LOVE the songs I love on TOSOTM but the bad songs are so bad! Juliet, I Still Miss Someone, Fire Burning? Whoreanus and cheesy but not a good kind of cheesy like RAL. The cover photo reminds me of a bad circus act and so do those songs. Rooms on Fire saves that album because it is one of her best songs ever. And the other songs I adore (Cry Wolf, TKOL) are unpopular with most fans.

[sparky]

Originally Posted by SapphireSister

The cover photo reminds me of a bad circus act and so do those songs.

Exquisite sentence.