Why Do You Think Stevie Peaked Commercially with Bella Donna?

[TheSorcerer]

I’m not trying to start arguments or to diminish Stevie as a solo act but I’ve always wondered why her commercial success waned after Bella Donna. There’s no doubt that she continued to do well, scoring gold and platinum records (2xplatinum for The Wild Heart) but there’s also no denying her sales and chart positions dropped off as the 1980s rolled on. Was it the emergence of artists like Madonna and Cyndi Lauper? Was it simply a case of Bella Donna coming hot off the success of the 1970s and she could never top it commercially? I’ve read about fans being disappointed that her solo material wasn’t like her material with Fleetwood Mac or wasn’t as good. That’s not my opinion; it’s just something I’ve read quite often over the years. Her cocaine addiction affected her music; did this play a part in the public losing interest?

Her ticket sales for tours also seem to drop off as the decade rolled on, at least according to the data on fmlegacy.com. Was it that she was seen as somewhat unreliable in terms of what sort of performance she would put on after her drug problems? I guess her lack of success in the 1990s, at least around the time of Timespace and Street Angel, could be put down to her being seen as somewhat uncool at the time and not scoring big hits on the radio. What do you think? Obviously it doesn’t really matter in the broad scope of things since she’s still here today, I’m just interested in hearing what people have to say on the subject.