Cracks in Stevie’s career in the late 80’s

[aleuzzi]

Each one of her albums sold about half of the one previously. By the time OSOM came out, she was still a viable solo act but one whose public profile had diminished to a group of core fans. When you compare her to other artists of a similar time and place her solo career never really stumbled. Even at her lowest ebb (Street Angel) she was still producing good music and selling at least 500,000 copies each time out. That's impressive.

What changed--and quite dramatically--was her appearance. I remember being horrified by the cover of OSOM when it first came out. She looked garish--as opposed to unique and sexy. It wasn't just the weight--it was the hair, the makeup...If it sounds as if I am concentrating on her looks, one has to remember that in the 80s a good deal of Nicks' appeal was the combination of her voice and siren-like appearance. In just a few years she'd gone from sex bomb to bombed out. But, when she reemerged in 1987 for The Dance, her look was quite classy: she knew how to present herself musically and visually.

I have to say the only time I thought her vocals stunk was on Tango--and I suppose on parts of RAL. Other solo acts have fared far, far, far worse. I give Stevie a lot of credit for maintaining quality and for reshaping her voice when she has needed to.