Today I realised...

[Artemis]

Just how GOOD Rock A Little is!

I've dismissed this album quite a bit, apart from Talk to Me and No Spoken Word, but, today I've listened through Bella Donna, Wild Heart and Rock A Little all the way through (OSOTM is next... eep) and, to my surprise, I've enjoyed Rock A Little far more than I expected to.

Normally I just think it's too cheesy, but, I've really enjoyed it this afternoon. I don't know why Normally I skip Imperial Hotel and Sister Honey when they come up on shuffle, but today I wanted them to last forever!

[lacesundone]

This will happen as we get older... Stevie's music ages like a fine wine-sometimes it takes longer than we would like. But it will happen.

In ten years everyone will realize how much of a masterpiece Illume and Street Angel are.

[fringed n fab]

Originally Posted by lacesundone

This will happen as we get older... Stevie's music ages like a fine wine-sometimes it takes longer than we would like. But it will happen.

In ten years everyone will realize how much of a masterpiece Illume and Street Angel are.

Eh, I don't think so. It's hard for me to like an album Stevie herself couldn't stand. We all have our favorite songs and albums, but SA to me was just too lifeless and bland sounding and way too instrumental for a Stevie album. It rocked very little.

[markolas]

I've always liked Rock a Little. It's my second favorite next to Bella Donna. The heavy '80s synth and her cocaine-wrecked voice are part of its charm.

The Wild Heart is the one that took me forever to get into. I didn't like it for a very long time, and there are still a couple of songs on it that I don't care for. But I like it far better than I used to.

[fringed n fab]

I've always LOVED Rock A Little. Especially the album cover. So witchy Stevie.

[lacesundone]

Originally Posted by fringed n fab

Eh, I don't think so. It's hard for me to like an album Stevie herself couldn't stand. We all have our favorite songs and albums, but SA to me was just too lifeless and bland sounding and way too instrumental for a Stevie album. It rocked very little.

I meant the song Street Angel

[Travis]

RAL was always a fave, in fact it even trumps BD for me. If there was ever a party Stevie CD it would be RAL.

For years I've always said that my fave Stevie CD is a tie between WH and OSOTM with RAL a very close 2nd however, I think I'm ready to say it ... my fave Stevie CDs in this order:

RAL
WH
OSOTM
BD
SA / TISL (tie)

[fringed n fab]

Originally Posted by lacesundone

I meant the song Street Angel

I see. Street Angel- the song, is listenable. I think my favorites from that album would be Maybe Love and Rose Garden.

[Christopher]

RAL is bad Ass! In a good way. A very diversified Stevie album, in a way TISL and RAL have that in common, but RAL has way more energy.

I also think peoples reactions to Stevie solo albums are determined by when you experienced them. If you became a fan during "The Dance" or later for example...I can see that it might be a bit jarring and different. But at the time I found it fantastically schizophrenic..."Everything all around me is electric now"!

So many great songs, too little releases. RAl has for me some of my favorite demos and unreleased outtakes ever.

[louielouie2000]

I had a sudden epiphany about RAL several years back as well. I used to think it was by far Stevie's worst album. I guess mainly, because it was so horrifically dated. But now that everything '80s is back in (including synthesizers and such in music), I can look at RAL in a fresh way. To me, it's just a fun, upbeat pop-rock album. It's such a time vehicle, too... I remember as a kid when ALL music on the radio, tv, and in movies sounded just like that!

Regarding Street Angel, I really wish people would get over their aversion to that album. Who cares what Stevie said about it? It's got some really, really strong tracks IMO. Yes, there are turds... but every single Stevie solo album does.

[markolas]

Hmm...I wouldn't call RAL a party album, or upbeat at all. The lyrics to most of the songs are really dark, and there's even something a little morose about the music & production, beneath the '80s synthesizers and dance beats.

As far as Street Angel...most of the songs are nearly incomprehensible, lyrics-wise, even by Stevie standards. But they're catchy tunes - I'm thinking specifically of Greta, Love Is Like a River, and Listen to the Rain. But if you're somebody who pays a lot of attention to lyrics (like me), the fact that they don't make a hell of a lot of sense will start to grate on you after awhile.

I don't think BD or RAL have any duds on them at all, but all the rest of Stevie's albums do, and SA has more of them than any other album, IMO. The best songs from it are on the Enchanted box set, and I much prefer the Enchanted versions of those songs to the ones on Street Angel.

[Travis]

Originally Posted by markolas

Hmm...I wouldn't call RAL a party album, or upbeat at all. The lyrics to most of the songs are really dark, and there's even something a little morose about the music & production, beneath the '80s synthesizers and dance beats.

It's not a party album compared to peeps like Madonna, Janet or Kylie but for Stevie, it is definitely her most upbeat record, despite the "dark" lyrics. All of Stevie's music and lyrics (for the most part) come from a deep and emotional place, that's just how Stevie is, but none of other albums (IMO) are more upbeat and "fun", if you will, than RAL.

[HejiraNYC]

Originally Posted by markolas

Hmm...I wouldn't call RAL a party album, or upbeat at all. The lyrics to most of the songs are really dark, and there's even something a little morose about the music & production, beneath the '80s synthesizers and dance beats.

Agreed. Aside from the obvious bubblegum like "If I Were You" and "Sister Honey," there are some demons exorcised on this album. In fact I think the heart of darkness on this album is "The Nightmare." I swear, for the past 25 years I thought it was a bunch of psychobabbling non-sequitors strung together into phrases full of gothic imagery. But I had an epiphany recently... the song is about Mick! And the "nightmare" that she speaks of was about falling in love with Mick around the time of the Tusk album and then painfully calling it off. D'oh! She namechecks that album repeatedly throughout the song:

"...ivory morning..." = an elephant's "Tusk!"
"...drowning in the sea..." from "Sara"
"...so about the moon and her sisters" = "Sisters of the Moon"
"...I'd like to leave you with something warm" from "Storms."

Falling in love is "what some call a dream," but in this case it was a nightmare. It was the wrong thing to do for a gazillion reasons, but the love "took her prisoner" (how dare he take her prisoner?!) and sent her "drowning in the sea" of love. However, she was not happy to be drowning. Eventually she had to break things off with Mick. She was "blinded by the light of the day"- in other words, the cold, hard light of reality finally dawned on her- this love affair was about to destroy so many lives. So the "dream" of being in love was over, but it would continue to haunt her like a nightmare. The nightmare was not over.

Loves it!

[SapphireSister]

Did you also realize you spelled realize wrong? I'm sorry that's mean but I'm totally joking.

[HejiraNYC]

Originally Posted by SapphireSister

Did you also realize you spelled realize wrong? I'm sorry that's mean but I'm totally joking.

Somebody needs to teach these Brits how to spell proper American English!