Rock A Little not holding up so well

[aleuzzi]

Originally Posted by joe

I felt pretty much as you did, although i wasn't "embarrassed by "talk to me" or "i can't wait". I just remember hearing "talk to me" the first time and thinking that it didn't sound like a stevie song and her voice was different. I didn't really care for it. It was the first in a succession of moments that i actually was let down and somewhat worried lol. was my favorite high-priestess chanteuse losing her touch? I bought the album when it came out and didn't love it, tbh. i thought it sounded so unlike her previous material and that the music sounded too "funky" as though she had been too inspired by prince. where were the gypsys and sisters of the moons and bella donnas? aside from "i can't wait" (which you mention you were embarrassed by but i loved it. i thought it worked well for the time period and was very catchy. actually LOVED that song at that time. still do for what it's worth) and "no spoken word" was classic updated stevie. maybe "if i were you" was ok as well. i guess "i sing for the things" was alright as well. but, as i said, it just sounded like such a departure for her. i still never listen to it all the way through. sounds disjointed. idk.

i am in the minority but i actually liked TOSOTM even when it came out. just something about the songs and her singing agreed with me. yes, there are a few clunkers on there but it sounded more like stevie to me than RAL. Live - that was a different story. i saw her up at saratoga in ny and she was frozen and unemotional. i thought she had stage fright but also remember hearing that she had gone to betty ford a few years back and that pretty much explained it. of course, we didn't know about the klonopin back then.

blue denim...everything you said. yes! still love that song to this day. shame it didn't take off as it should have but she was pretty much a dinosaur/nonlegend at that point. that all changed after the dance.

my 2 cents

ps...i should add that i have come to love the track "rock a little" through the years especially after hearing the extended, alternate vocal mix that came out at the time. and HAEWAFY is def a classic although i didn't quite get it at the time. and, she ended her concerts with that back then (saw her twice in 1986) and i thought it was a bit of a downer.

Thanks for the thoughtful response! I love when people share on that level.

What I meant by being embarrassed by "Talk To Me" and "I Can't Wait" is that for the first time since she had started her solo career, she appeared to be chasing hits for the sake of having hits. Previously, she was successful by being no one else but herself. But perhaps this was her new self and I just didn't like it.

FWIW: Your not alone in loving "I Can't Wait." I remember seeing her in 1985 at an outdoor concert to promote RAL. When that song started the crowd went NUTS. I was surprised. I thought everyone thought like I did: I was only 14