Dave Stewart Memoir

[michelej1]

[Excerpt from the Daily Beast] MUSIC MAN 02.10.16 9:01 PM ET

http://www.thedailybeast.com/article...ox-and-me.html

TDB: You write very sweetly about having sex with Stevie Nicks [who supplies a lovely quote on the back of Stewart’s book about him being her “hero,” and helping make 2010, when they made her record, In Your Dreams, the best year of her life].


DS: Yeah, I didn’t realize who she was right at the beginning that night. She’s great, we’re close friends. People think she’s a space cadet. But she’s not. She is on it.

[michelej1]

The Guardian 2/13/2016 by Jim Faber

http://www.theguardian.com/music/201...e-made-of-this

Stewart befriended Jimmy Iovine, who connected him to a wealth of stars. Iovine was producing the band Lone Justice, when singer Maria McKee played Stewart a song the company rejected, A Good Heart. Stewart promptly produced it for Feargal Sharkey and it went to No 1.

“She was, like, ‘Bloody hell,’” Stewart recalls.

Another vexing switch happened with Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks. Stewart had written most of Don’t Come Around Here (No More) and Nicks wanted to cover it on an album that her boyfriend, Iovine, was producing.

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But she was deep into drugs at the time and had trouble nailing it. So Iovine gave it to Petty who made it a smash.

Stevie “was like ‘What the ****?’” Stewart said. “She blamed Jimmy.”

To complicate matters, Stewart reports that a coked-up Nicks invited him to her house one night, snuck into his bed and seduced him. The truth came out to Iovine, who seemed less than concerned. They all stayed friends.

[olive]

[Newzchspy]

Originally Posted by olive

Awesome photo, looks like they are staring into emptiness until nothing came along

[Missy]

Well I'm reading this book though still a way to go before I get to the part about Stevie. Not a bad book. He describes always being quite offbeat and eccentric, from the time of his childhood. He's a bit younger than Stevie but became involved in music quite early, so there are some interesting people and stories.

He even describes meeting Marc Bolan when he was still doing acoustic music. I was once a huge Marc Bolan fan and have often thought there were similarities between him and Stevie. In his early days he sang strange songs with obscure lyrics about mythical creatures in a very distinctive vibrato.

Because he was so small, he often wore high heels, a top hat, a colorful boa like a shawl, and had big hair. I used to think that's where Stevie got some of her style from. But Bolan died in 1977 and I don't think he was very well known in America. So it might all be just a coincidence.

Dave always struck me as a quiet sort of guy. Strange but not a wild type of rock n roll performer. I guess I got that wrong! In part of the book he writes about Annie:

I was just so thankful that I had a partner who was so attractive, inventive and highly photogenic. I'm not a conventionally handsome-looking guy at all, and at the time, I usually looked as if I'd just seen a ghost, with out-of-control hair and a messy beard.

Annie and Stevie were both attractive and had eccentricities (which I don't mind at all). But otherwise, even though I respect them both, I think they were quite different. Stevie is very soft and feminine, whereas Annie Lennox was quite androgynous in style. Eurythmics had some good songs but many of them very electronic, and that's another opposite to Fleetwood Mac or Stevie.

So it was a surprise to me that Dave has been working with Stevie. But maybe he's a nice guy and a bit easier to get along with than Lindsey.

I remember seeing this clip in 1985. Dave is speaking from the 40 second mark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPm5ehTOFq0

[Macfan4life]

Wow, thanks for sharing that amazing photo. They both are so young. The bed has a typewriter with a dog on it? Its really bizarre But so freaking cool !

[Newzchspy]

What I find interesting about this memoir and Dave's apparent success with "others" as a hitmaker is that NOTHING he has done with Stevie has been a hit or turned to Gold, 24K or other. IMHO, no one can produce Stevie like Lindsey (with FM) or Waddy (as a solo artist). No ONE!! Some guys just have the touch with Stevie and Dave doesnt seem to have it .

[MikeInNV]

Originally Posted by Newzchspy

What I find interesting about this memoir and Dave's apparent success with "others" as a hitmaker is that NOTHING he has done with Stevie has been a hit or turned to Gold, 24K or other. IMHO, no one can produce Stevie like Lindsey (with FM) or Waddy (as a solo artist). No ONE!! Some guys just have the touch with Stevie and Dave doesnt seem to have it .

I'm not saying Dave is the perfect fit for Stevie, but some of that is purely a matter of timing. Had Dave worked with her in 1982, they would have churned out bigger hits than Lindsey could have in 2011.

[Missy]

Stevie hasn't had a big commercial hit in a long time but I don't suppose she really has to worry about that. She is a wealthy woman and still seems to be part of pop lexicon because many of the top younger performers today cite her as an inspiration. She has a classic catalog and can still sell tickets.

I suppose that Stevie's main influences were country and folk music as she was growing up, whereas the two main influences for The Eurythmics were electronic and soul music. Weird combination but that was their signature: 'electronic textures with a soulful voice on top', though Dave later branched out into other areas like blues.

I've read through Dave and Annie's relationship and breakup. In some ways it sounds a similar situation to Lindsey and Stevie's but in other ways very different.

Dave describes his relationship with Annie as being very close, best friends, together all the time but in the end that started becoming stifling and smothering to them both, so they decided to split as a couple but continued as music partners even though they hadn't hit mainstream success yet.

In contrast to Stevie and Lindsey, he describes the breakup itself as quite civil and claims that during the course of their relationship, they did not argue once. He also credits her with helping him to get off hard drugs during this period. But I suppose when they became successful there was a relapse.

There is more similarity to Stevie and Lindsey when he writes: 'It's not easy, this transition from lovers to something else. How do you break up with someone when you are still together? We both agreed we could do this, but we didn't realize the real magnitude of stress this would create.'

I think I mentioned that I often like these biographies more for the descriptions of the creative process than the personal gossip! Apparently 'Sweet Dreams' their biggest hit was put together in a matter of hours from beat, tune to lyrics. (Often seems that way with songs that end up as classics!)

Annie had studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London so she likely had much more technical knowledge of music than Stevie. It seems like Stevie is a very intuitive songwriter who can come up with the bare structure of a song, and then Lindsey was able to complete it for her but that made her somewhat reliant on him. As Christine has said, Lindsey was always able to understand Stevie's often quite abstract musical ideas the best.

Both music duos obviously had their own 'chemistry' but some different dynamics. I think Dave was quite happy to take a secondary role in public and let Annie be out at the front, while he did his own thing behind the scenes. That was something that Lindsey seemed to resent with Stevie.

I don't think I've hit though the most dramatic moments in this book yet. I've seen rumors that Annie and Dave are very estranged these days. I don't know why but hopefully they are both happy now in their own lives.

[Newzchspy]

Originally Posted by MikeInNV

I'm not saying Dave is the perfect fit for Stevie, but some of that is purely a matter of timing. Had Dave worked with her in 1982, they would have churned out bigger hits than Lindsey could have in 2011.

How so?? You're telling me that BD and all others forward would have been hits with Dave S at the helm. I seriously doubt it. Her best of her BEST work has been with the likes of Jimmy Iovine, Tom Petty, Benmont, Waddy and of course Lindsey. Her records from 2011 ON have, quite frankly, been pretty dismal compared to what she's been putting out since 1975. Even TISL (and Say You Will FM) are "great" compared to her latest works, IYD and 24K. I don't think that Glen Ballard and Dave S really "get" Stevie like Lindsey and others do.

[Newzchspy]

Originally Posted by Missy;1179461[B

]Stevie hasn't had a big commercial hit in a long time but I don't suppose she really has to worry about tha[/B]t. She is a wealthy woman and still seems to be part of pop lexicon because many of the top younger performers today cite her as an inspiration. She has a classic catalog and can still sell tickets.

I suppose that Stevie's main influences were country and folk music as she was growing up, whereas the two main influences for The Eurythmics were electronic and soul music. Weird combination but that was their signature: 'electronic textures with a soulful voice on top', though Dave later branched out into other areas like blues.

I've read through Dave and Annie's relationship and breakup. In some ways it sounds a similar situation to Lindsey and Stevie's but in other ways very different.

Dave describes his relationship with Annie as being very close, best friends, together all the time but in the end that started becoming stifling and smothering to them both, so they decided to split as a couple but continued as music partners even though they hadn't hit mainstream success yet.

In contrast to Stevie and Lindsey, he describes the breakup itself as quite civil and claims that during the course of their relationship, they did not argue once. He also credits her with helping him to get off hard drugs during this period. But I suppose when they became successful there was a relapse.

There is more similarity to Stevie and Lindsey when he writes: 'It's not easy, this transition from lovers to something else. How do you break up with someone when you are still together? We both agreed we could do this, but we didn't realize the real magnitude of stress this would create.'

I think I mentioned that I often like these biographies more for the descriptions of the creative process than the personal gossip! Apparently 'Sweet Dreams' their biggest hit was put together in a matter of hours from beat, tune to lyrics. (Often seems that way with songs that end up as classics!)

Annie had studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London so she likely had much more technical knowledge of music than Stevie. It seems like Stevie is a very intuitive songwriter who can come up with the bare structure of a song, and then Lindsey was able to complete it for her but that made her somewhat reliant on him. As Christine has said, Lindsey was always able to understand Stevie's often quite abstract musical ideas the best.

Both music duos obviously had their own 'chemistry' but some different dynamics. I think Dave was quite happy to take a secondary role in public and let Annie be out at the front, while he did his own thing behind the scenes. That was something that Lindsey seemed to resent with Stevie.

I don't think I've hit though the most dramatic moments in this book yet. I've seen rumors that Annie and Dave are very estranged these days. I don't know why but hopefully they are both happy now in their own lives.

Excellent analysis @Missy , however Stevie is a great "canvas" who needs just the right painter to finish her off. Dave S is not that man. John Shanks did a much better job with TISL than Dave ever did with IYD. Its just a more listenable album. Look at teh list of musicians for TISL and you'll see a who's who of great talent. Again, IYD just didnt have it (Benmont showed once IIRC). IIRC, Stevie has firred producers in the past (during TISL IIRC again) and for her it paid off. Dave S, other than being a "hanger on" has done nothing to create the hit-maker that is indeed Stevie and all her writings. It takes a special producer to do that and Glen Ballard should stick to Alanis and Dave to Annie. Being a great musician does NOT a great producer make.

NOW, does Stevie care about the results of the albums?? Sure she does and here's why: Future contracts and a LOT of EGO. Who wants to put out an album that no one (literally buys). That's pretty much what happened with IYD (less than 200,000 sold) and 24K Vault (barely cracked 100,000 copies).

[mitzo]

Originally Posted by Newzchspy

How so?? You're telling me that BD and all others forward would have been hits with Dave S at the helm. I seriously doubt it. Her best of her BEST work has been with the likes of Jimmy Iovine, Tom Petty, Benmont, Waddy and of course Lindsey. Her records from 2011 ON have, quite frankly, been pretty dismal compared to what she's been putting out since 1975. Even TISL (and Say You Will FM) are "great" compared to her latest works, IYD and 24K. I don't think that Glen Ballard and Dave S really "get" Stevie like Lindsey and others do.

We will never know whether Dave would have been a better choice of producer etc. than those guys, in terms of albums sold.. But if by "best" you mean better music better suited to Stevie's vibe and voice, then I say Dave wins hands down over Iovine and Petty and is second only to Lindsey for creative genius with her material.

[MikeInNV]

Originally Posted by Newzchspy

How so?? You're telling me that BD and all others forward would have been hits with Dave S at the helm. I seriously doubt it. Her best of her BEST work has been with the likes of Jimmy Iovine, Tom Petty, Benmont, Waddy and of course Lindsey. Her records from 2011 ON have, quite frankly, been pretty dismal compared to what she's been putting out since 1975. Even TISL (and Say You Will FM) are "great" compared to her latest works, IYD and 24K. I don't think that Glen Ballard and Dave S really "get" Stevie like Lindsey and others do.

Originally Posted by mitzo

We will never know whether Dave would have been a better choice of producer etc. than those guys, in terms of albums sold.. But if by "best" you mean better music better suited to Stevie's vibe and voice, then I say Dave wins hands down over Iovine and Petty and is second only to Lindsey for creative genius with her material.

I wasn't commenting that Dave is the best producer for Stevie. Obviously that's a matter of personal opinion. I was just responding to your post that Dave has not given Stevie a hit or a gold record. My point was that no one, even Lindsey, was going to do that for her in 2011 no matter how good the results. She's pushing 70 in a youth-oriented business; she's a legacy act just like FM, and radio is not looking for that. In contrast, in the early 80s she was the hottest member of the hottest band, and even a lesser producer stood a pretty good shot of scoring a hit because so many people were waiting for it.

[Missy]

Dave Stewart seems like a natural collaborator, and he prefers a relaxed, no pressure, playful sort of environment. That was apparently a new thing for Stevie.

From their early days Dave writes that he and Annie were able to do nearly all their own production work themselves, with their own equipment, and that was the way they preferred it. Just doing what they wanted to do with no orders from anyone else. He also always had a strong interest in filming videos, as he did with Stevie.

No denying that Nicks and Buckingham appear to bring the best out in each other creatively, but at times it was extremely difficult and painful for them to go through. Lindsey is obviously a very high strung, intense kind of guy. Maybe he has mellowed a bit over the years but never will entirely. Hey though he's a genius, and he and Stevie will always have some connection.

At this time in her life however perhaps Stevie no longer wants to go through all that angst again. And I don't think that you need to go through a lot of pain and drama to create a good piece of work all the time. You shouldn't have to, anyway. (I think however it can help to do something a bit outside the comfort zone or outside of the box. If you don't sometimes you can get stagnant.)

One thing I do strongly agree with Dave about and I thought he summed up well (all the producers of today should wake up to it!):

People want to hear and feel the emotion in the human voice, and for me that's the most important thing to get right. There came a point in music when you could have forty-eight tracks, then seventy-two tracks or so, and just create a giant wall of music. And not a good wall of sound, like Phil Spector's - which was crafted always around the singer - but just a big wall with no dynamics that would overcome the voice. I believed in following the voice on its journey, and that's still my thing. The success of Adele is no surprise, as everything is built around her voice.

[lilyfee]

People want to hear and feel the emotion in the human voice, and for me that's the most important thing to get right. There came a point in music when you could have forty-eight tracks, then seventy-two tracks or so, and just create a giant wall of music. And not a good wall of sound, like Phil Spector's - which was crafted always around the singer - but just a big wall with no dynamics that would overcome the voice. I believed in following the voice on its journey, and that's still my thing. The success of Adele is no surprise, as everything is built around her voice.

This is definitely true but I have trouble seeing where he has done this for Stevie. Pre-Dave her voice had that beautiful human fragility but lately it just seems overproduced to me.