The "B-Side & Soundtrack" [Part One] Survivor Challenge - Round Two

[OooMissionary]

Originally Posted by Artemis

I completely agree with you, and I think it would have worked so well on TWH, perhaps in place of Gate and Garden. I love most of Stevie's country-tinged songs; The Highwayman, That's Alright, For What It's Worth, etc. Garbo is just a really pretty song, and the lyrics are haunting. I don't get how anyone could dislike it, but, different strokes for different folks

I've always thought 'The Wild Heart" would have been vastly improved with 'Garbo' & 'Violet and Blue' taking place of 'Gate and Garden' & 'I Will Run To You'

[StevieNicksfann]

Yep I agree. I used to hate Inspiration and then it hit me and now I love it. One More Big Time Monotone Vocal and a Thousand Days to listen to it to go

[michelej1]

The chorus saves Thousand Days for me.

Michele

[mitzo]

OMBTRARS, Violet and Blue, and Blue Lamp to go.

[vivfox]

Originally Posted by mitzo

OMBTRARS, Violet and Blue, and Blue Lamp to go.

The firing squad awaits you.

[mitzo]

Originally Posted by vivfox

The firing squad awaits you.

These songs are low quality Stevie, to me ... too faux rock/Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers/pickup truck/NASCAR sounding. Where did Rhiannon and the Gold Dust Woman go? Run over by a rusted out Firebird with a hole in its muffler, racing down the dirt road from the trailer park. No mystery or allure at all, just random braying over a dreary backing of garage band guitars. Not my Stevie. At all.

[mitzo]

Originally Posted by darklinensuit

Whiney??? Maybe the demo. I don't hear that at all on the beautiful textured rasp of TWH track.

IMO "Beauty & the Beast" is just too much for this album and really helped push Stevie (in terms of image and marketability) from cool rocker-chick to soft-schlock diva/artiste. Most guys I know liked "Bella Donna", but found "The Wild Heart" to be more of a chick album, and I think B&tB is a huge reason for this. I'm certainly not suggesting that "Garbo" oozes machismo by any means, but it's shorter/less plodding for people who anticipated more of a traditional pop/rock album.
Especially in the context of TWH, B&tB stands out as over-the-top romantic excess with nothing of a hummable melody for a pop/rock album.
This is not to say it's a bad song. It would be fine on a movie soundtrack or B-side to a single, or even better, it should have been kept to live sets, where its charm is more apparent.

- Jake

To me B&TB is quintessentail Stevie in its mystery and beauty and quirky sadness. It saved a wipeout of an album to me, without it I'd have listened to only Stand Back and Nightbird a few times and then thrown Wild Heart in the trash. Pop Rock? Stevie? Give me the feminine mystique and the heartstring tugging slow burners like B&TB anytime.