Rock A Little turns 40

[Macfan4life]

OMG shame on all of you for missing and not mentioning RAL turned 40 on November 18. I can remember the first time hearing Talk To Me on the radio. The local rock station was announcing it would be played and it was Halloween night 1985. The album was released about 3 weeks later. I was at the mall and record store immediately after its release. This is when my chiffon started to have holes in it. I waited for 2 years and it was finally here. I had a secret disappointment deep inside. I think RAL is one of the worst albums of the entire 1980s decade. The saddest part is it had incredible potential. But sadly the drugs completely took over and consumed her life. Not only was the first cut of the album so bad they had to bring her simple pop songs just to get the thing out to the public. But her producer also walked out in the middle of it. Because of her state there was zero promotion of the album and her Talk To Me video was so late the song was in the top 20 when the video finally debuted. The album only hit #12 for a brief window and came nowhere near the charting of Bella Donna #1 and Wild Heart #5.

Happy 40th birthday Rock A Little

How will you feel 40 years from now? Well she's still going!

[Villavic]

I quite liked Talk To Me. Never liked I Can't Wait that much.

I remember a friend of mine liked to dress similar to Stevie's look in the album cover.

[bwboy]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

Happy 40th birthday Rock A Little

How will you feel 40 years from now? Well she's still going!

I know you’re not a fan of Talk to Me, but it m really curious what you thought of I Can’t Wait when you first heard it, especially as it was probably her first dance song. Rock a Little was the first Stevie album I’d bought, so I didn’t realize how different RAL was from her previous albums, but your post had me wondering whether fans appreciated Stevie’s attempt at dance or if they were horrified at the time.

[Macfan4life]

Originally Posted by bwboy

I know you’re not a fan of Talk to Me, but it m really curious what you thought of I Can’t Wait when you first heard it, especially as it was probably her first dance song. Rock a Little was the first Stevie album I’d bought, so I didn’t realize how different RAL was from her previous albums, but your post had me wondering whether fans appreciated Stevie’s attempt at dance or if they were horrified at the time.

I can't wait is one of the few songs I like from the album. Had the disco swishes and merry go round keyboards been removed there was a much better track there and should have been the lead single. Songs like Sister Honey and If I Were You were funky, trendy, and really cheezy IMHO. Even a good song like No Spoken Word is so synthed out with program bass, drum machine, etc. That 1985 sound just ruined the song. Her vocals were fried on many songs. But it is what it is and its a miracle an album was even put out during this time. Its very incohesive. Even I Sing For Things is ruined by another programmed bass and her raspy vocals. All other versions of the song are better.

[Villavic]

Originally Posted by bwboy

especially as it was probably her first dance song.

I've never heard I Can't Wait at clubs, and never seen it as a dance song. Though I love and enjoyed disco and 80s lot of dance songs, I never included ICW in that group. But maybe my latin ear doesn't recognize that song that way.

[Macfan4life]

Originally Posted by Villavic

I've never heard I Can't Wait at clubs, and never seen it as a dance song. Though I love and enjoyed disco and 80s lot of dance songs, I never included ICW in that group. But maybe my latin ear doesn't recognize that song that way.

Agreed. I don't think of it as a dance song either. But you can moonwalk and breakdance to Sister Honey

[BLY]

I love RAL. I loved it when it came out and still do. Yes, it was a departure from her previous releases but I welcomed the “synthesizer/drum machine” era. If I Were You is sill one of my all time favorite tracks from a solo release of hers.

[Macfan4life]

Some reviews of this album were medium to good. But Rolling Stone trashed it and made the claim that Stevie was close to becoming a parody of herself with this album. OUCH!

Nicks Slips Out Of Touch, Rolling Stone, January 30, 1986, by Mark Coleman

"You can talk to me," Stevie Nicks coos on the chorus of her latest hit single. "You can set your secrets free, baby." She's got a sympathetic ear, all right. On the rest of Rock a Little, she comes on like an AM-radio psychologist, dispensing stern but friendly advice, spinning little parables and probing deep feelings with incredibly vague language. Its all quite earnest and usually fairly tuneful; Stevie's distinctive growl can attach a hook to some pretty slippery sentiments. But for a pop album, Rock a Little sounds strangely distant, out of touch. Plopped down next to purring synthesizers and the patter of drum machines, Stevie's sugary moans sound harsh and jarring. The attempts to "contemporize" some of these 4/4 strum-along ditties ruin what would otherwise be an untouched curio, a relic from the forgotten age of the singer/songwriter.

Not that it was all that long ago. But its odd how so many of the rock and pop bands of the Seventies have lost their way in this decade. Even such sturdy pines as Joni Mitchell and Jackson Browne bend and sway on their recent releases, battered by shifting tastes not only in music but in subject matter and style as well. Only the newly shorn former Eagles Don Henley and Glenn Frey, recasting themselves as sleek, rough-voiced crooners in the Miami Vice mold, have managed to age gracefully. And compared with Henley's taut command of modern dance music on Building the Perfect Beast, Stevie seems a bit shaky. The guitar-based music on Rock a Little sounds unfocused, at times almost nostalgic. Its disquieting hearing a song with the line "Our voices stray from the common ground where they could meet" on the same station with, oh, "Stop using sex as a weapon."

Stevie Nicks may have prefigured Madonna's and Prince's lace fetishes, but the tart frankness of today's Top Ten makes her seem a bit of a prude. "Talk to Me" plows along with the easy momentum of a Cyndi Lauper hit, the chugging guitars broken by synth wallops for emphasis. But Stevie's bluesy murmur sounds a little tired, as if all she wants to do is talk, thanks. On the opening cut, "I Cant Wait," she waxes urgent but ultimately gets shellacked by layers of buzz-saw guitars and a nervous beat box. As for a statement of purpose, "I Sing for the Things" ("that money cant buy," natch) is definitely postfeminist: "Ill take off my cape for you...Anything you want me to do...Ill sit at home and wait for you." Maybe its just my taste, but the combined synths and steel guitars on that track achieve the consistency of curdled milk. On the aforementioned tunes, at least, Stevie is being direct. When she starts setting her secrets free, weaving apocryphal situations and creating moony, enigmatic characters, the going gets a bit thick.

Well, theres "Sister Honey," who discovers that "a soul thats true is your ride to glory." Or take Lily, the "rock and roll ballerina" in the title tune, who seems to have a paralyzing case of the willies; the subdued gasp of the guitar line on that one sounds as hesitant as Lily does. Then there's the hopeless dreamer who confuses reality with "The Nightmare" and gets "blinded by the light of the day." Its a silly line that Stevie intones with all the strained majesty she used with something like "Thunder only happens when its raining." As unrealistic (and unfair) as it is to hold artists pasts against them, its telling that Stevie Nicks sounds most comfortable, and most convincing, on songs that recall Fleetwood Mac.

Though her attempts at profundity may fall short, Stevie Nicks can still take an unassuming little rock song and polish it into a gem. Her melismatic slurs turn the treacly melody of "Some Become Strangers" into a lush, extended sigh gilded with a rich and gooey guitar texture. Wistful but not maudlin, its the sort of pop confection Fleetwood Mac and Rumours were strewn with. And at the other extreme, the ringing guitar chords and electric organ washes of "Imperial Hotel" force Stevie to drop the therapists mask and wail for a while, reaching a delectable screech reminiscent of her saddle-sore crooning with Tom Petty on "Stop Dragging My Heart Around." Since the newer song was cowritten with Heartbreaker Mike Campbell, thats only appropriate. Its the albums high point, despite meandering lyrics depicting the usual moody figures in a shady rendezvous. (This is something we'll be hearing more and more often, I âm afraid ¾ songs that conjure up images from yet unmade videos.) Given decent material like "Some Become Strangers" or her collaboration with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Stevie Nicks wields an authoritative, even stunning instrument ¾ itd be great for her to wrap her tentacles around one of Holly Knights modern-day pop psychodramas like "Obsession." But left to her won devices, Stevie Nicks veers dangerously close to self-parody. The sensitive rock artiste, making self-indulgent solo statements in a vacuum, supposedly died out with the dinosaurs in the late Seventies. But these days, it often seems like punk never happened anyway. The real shame is that Stevie Nicks could make good records again, if shed only follow her own advice and rock a little.

[bwboy]

Originally Posted by BLY

I love RAL. I loved it when it came out and still do. Yes, it was a departure from her previous releases but I welcomed the “synthesizer/drum machine” era. If I Were You is sill one of my all time favorite tracks from a solo release of hers.

Me too. Probably more than any other Stevie album, RAL is the one I can listen to from start to finish, with the exception of I Sing For the Things. Even the odder songs like Sister Honey, Rock a Little, and the Nightmare keep me engaged. If I Were You is also one of my all time favorite Stevie songs.

The review from Rolling Stone was interesting, and I think it was fair. I’ve always thought that RAL was Stevie’s attempt to counteract the darker elements of Bella Donna and Wild Heart, as well as her way of lightening up after her friend Robin’s death. Talk to Me, I Can’t Wait, and Has Anyone Ever are probably my favorite back to back singles, in terms of range and genres from one album.

[Macfan4life]

Originally Posted by bwboy

Me too. Probably more than any other Stevie album, RAL is the one I can listen to from start to finish, with the exception of I Sing For the Things. Even the odder songs like Sister Honey, Rock a Little, and the Nightmare keep me engaged. If I Were You is also one of my all time favorite Stevie songs.

The review from Rolling Stone was interesting, and I think it was fair. I’ve always thought that RAL was Stevie’s attempt to counteract the darker elements of Bella Donna and Wild Heart, as well as her way of lightening up after her friend Robin’s death. Talk to Me, I Can’t Wait, and Has Anyone Ever are probably my favorite back to back singles, in terms of range and genres from one album.

What is it about I Sing For The Things that you don't like? The Wild Heart version was really good but I think it was axed because Roy had lots of bouncy piano on that album and it was another one. Like the reviewer I hate the steel guitars. The bass is programmed and her vocal is horrible. Its a rare one that she wrote on the album and its ruined by mid 80s synth just like No Spoken Word. But we agree at least on that song and curious what you don't like about it.

[mitzo]

I am with the RAL fans here. The songs are quite eclectic and the often derided synth sound to me lifts Stevie much more than the mostly guitar driven stuff on her two previous albums. In many ways it's her most interesting album and the re-entry to her solo work for me after disappointment with Bella Donna.

[Macfan4life]

"the subdued gasp of the guitar line on that one sounds as hesitant as Lily does".

Omg, that line about the title track made me LOL. Remember the malls during the 1980s during Christmas time. They had these Casio organs that they would sell and there would be a man playing them to showcase what they could do. If you hit a button you would get a background programmed track. The song Rock A Little sounds exactly like those Casio pre-recorded backing tracks. All Waddy did was throw in some guitar licks. Its quite the odd song and another swing and miss IMHO. From the first time I played the album could not believe the track made the album. The guitar gasps do sound as hesitant as Lily

[Villavic]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

They had these Casio organs that they would sell and there would be a man playing them to showcase what they could do. If you hit a button you would get a background programmed track.

Oh you made me remember my 1990 vacations in Miami, visiting a friend. If I'm not mistaken we "played" Rick Astley's Together Forever. at Bayside Marketplace.

[bwboy]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

What is it about I Sing For The Things that you don't like? The bass is programmed and her vocal is horrible. It’s a rare one that she wrote on the album and it’s ruined by mid 80s synth just like No Spoken Word. But we agree at least on that song and curious what you don't like about it.

Hmmm, I’m not sure why I dislike I Sing For the Things… it’s awfully slow, for one thing, and I really don’t like her vocal. When she’s singing in such a raw voice, it sounds to me like she’s croaking, which does the song no favors. It also reminds me of When I See You Again, another song I really dislike from Tango. It’s unfortunate that when Stevie finally added a deep cut on her last tour, she chose I Sing For the Things over virtually any other song from her catalogue. Doing the Best That I Can, Ooh My Love, If I Were You, Nothing Ever Changes, Think About It, good grief- ANY of those songs would have gone over better with the audience than I Sing For the Things!

[Macfan4life]

Originally Posted by bwboy

Hmmm, I’m not sure why I dislike I Sing For the Things… it’s awfully slow, for one thing, and I really don’t like her vocal. When she’s singing in such a raw voice, it sounds to me like she’s croaking, which does the song no favors. It also reminds me of When I See You Again, another song I really dislike from Tango. It’s unfortunate that when Stevie finally added a deep cut on her last tour, she chose I Sing For the Things over virtually any other song from her catalogue. Doing the Best That I Can, Ooh My Love, If I Were You, Nothing Ever Changes, Think About It, good grief- ANY of those songs would have gone over better with the audience than I Sing For the Things!

She was probably trying to throw you people that like RAL a bone even though she only performed it one time. The version on the Wild Heart deluxe reissue is actually pretty good. The way you feel about this song is pretty much how I feel about most of the album
Clearly she is not proud of this era which is why she rarely performs a song from the album except maybe No Spoken Word or HAEWAFY

We get lots of recycled lyrics on this album too: Don't let that golden hair get in your way baby, Sisters of the Moon, drowning in a sea, etc. I think this is what Rolling Stone was calling her out for becoming a parody of herself. Her voice was fried yet she seemed unaware how she sounded because no one dared to tell her. She threw in her Stevieisms here and there trying to be clever.
She has always been honest that her biggest annoyance was people trying to tell her how to sing. She would say she only wanted to sing once because she felt it was always the best first time. IMHO this is why there are so many crappy vocals.