The Wild Heart... what is the big deal with this CD?

[diamondsnake]

No matter how much I try I just can't get into this record. It seems like a strong album but I just don't have the same passion for the songs that I do with other Stevie albums. I know this is a lot of people's favorite Stevie record, so I feel kind of left out. Is there some secret that I'm not in on? This album just does nothing for me. All the songs seem to be strong, but not special. Most of her other albums have a couple of horrible tracks but I prefer those to a mundane song like Gate and Garden because they have a much stronger personality. Just thought I would share some thoughts and see what other people's opinions are on this album.

[GateandGarden]

I'm going to tell Chris not to call Stevie to tell her to do "My Heart" for you in Vegas because you said my favorite Stevie solo song is "mundane."

[diamondsnake]

Originally Posted by GateandGarden

I'm going to tell Chris not to call Stevie to tell her to do "My Heart" for you in Vegas because you said my favorite Stevie solo song is "mundane."

Uh oh.

One man's trash is another man's treasure, as they say! So, why do you love this album or in this case that song? This is the one Stevie album I never pop into my stereo, it just doesn't grab my attention.

But then again, I still am not a big fan of a lot of the songs on Tusk, namely Lindsey's! So I guess I just have odd taste.

[xxxmx]

i looove G&G too, how dare you bash it ...

title track: could there be better lyrics?
if anyone falls: fun song, fun to sing... maybe you should try singing this one in the shower...
G&G: you should love this song because we do
enchanted: this song just ramps me up, total goodness
nightbird: fun to sing the harmonies, great SNL performance
stand back: the best song ever... i mean evah...
IWRTY: ok, not the best song... at least it's not as overplayed as SDMHA
nothing ever changes: "you know it doesn't!" oh but it does, it does rock!
sable on blond: diss likes it, how can anyone else not?
BATB: riveting and blissful, so much to love

i think i like it so much right now because it's not BD, which will always be my favorite. even the faves need a night off here and there...

[Kelly]

Wild Heart..the song..has such powerful lyrics! I mean they are so amazing and intense. Her vocal on that song gives me chills too. I love this song with a passion.

Enchanted..not my favorite song but I do like it alot and live she seems to really enjoy the song. Fun melody and catchy lyrics.

IWRTY...nice harmonies but not really a fave.

Stand Back..need I say more?

Gate and Garden..probably my least favorite song on the album.

Nightbird..one of my top five favorite songs. If you do not hear the heartbreak in these lyrics and in her voice, well then I do not know what to say. This song offers a powerful insight into the despair Stevie was feeling at that time in her life and the sense of loss that was overwhelming her. She is begging for some comfort.."and when I call will you walk gently through my shadow"...One of her best songs ever.
Beauty and the Beast...this is not one of my most favorite songs but I love the music and the orchestra. I love the vocal. Not a fan of the whole concept of the song with Mick and all but I do think the song is pure Stevie and the music cannot be beat.

Bella Donna, Wild Heart and TISL are the best Stevie allubms in my opinion. Right now TISL is probably my favorite.

Oh and Christopher? Tusk is brilliance. You should listen to the whole album and not just the Stevie tracks. When you put it all together, and listen to it from front to back, it can just blow you away. I love almost every song on the album, particularly SnL's. I think the only song I am not crazy about is Not That Funny..although even that has some lyrics I find compelling. No matter how many times I listen to Honey Hi into Beautiful Child, I am continually amazed at the incredible harmonies on this album. Honey Hi has simply stunning harmonies. Lindsey's harmonies on BC are to die for and pretty much perfect. Everything about the album from the production, to the arranging, to the vocals, to the lyrics, to the instrumentation, to the layering is pure genius. Artistically it cannot be beat and I hope you eventually learn to appreciate the signficance of the album and learn to enjoy Lindsey's songs as well. The contrast between his and Stevie's songs is key for me.

[jannieC]

I'm not a HUGE fan of The Wild Heart, but I remember I was so excited when it came out, so listening to it now reminds me of being 15(ish) and jamming to the cassette back in (83? 84?)!

Nightbird has always been one of my favorite songs- "cause I wear boots all summer long" really appealed to me at the time!

And Beauty and the Beast is absolute perfection to me.

[GateandGarden]

Originally Posted by diamondsnake

Uh oh.

One man's trash is another man's treasure, as they say! So, why do you love this album or in this case that song? This is the one Stevie album I never pop into my stereo, it just doesn't grab my attention.

But then again, I still am not a big fan of a lot of the songs on Tusk, namely Lindsey's! So I guess I just have odd taste.

Maybe it will grow on you (both WH and Lindsey's Tusk material). I didn't like anything Lindsey did on Tusk at first myself. Initally, everything was all about Stevie for me and I only listened to her Tusk songs. But then when I was pissed off at someone "The Ledge" caught my ear. "I Know I'm Not Wrong" was next and it became one of my all-time fave Lindsey songs. I still don't like everything he did for Tusk, but I appreciate a lot of it.

But about WH...I love most of it. I love Bella Donna and TISL more, just looking at entire albums, but I did certainly love WH from the start. "Wild Heart" caught my ear immediately, mostly because of the passionate performance. The fact that it seems to go on forever just enhances it to me because she totally feels it to the end! She could probably do it convincingly for 10 minutes, even! I also loved "Enchanted" immediately. As soon as I heard the piano, I knew I was going to think of it as a fun song. It has the same words as "Destiny" from SA, and the melody accompanying them is twenty times better. I also love the end. "Wellllll, I hope you make it!" I think she's being totally sarcastic and I LOVE that! "Gate and Garden" had to grow on me. I had no idea what it was supposed to be about at first (still don't know what exactly it means to Stevie) and I thought it kind of fell flat. But when every word seemed so easy to apply to a relationship I was in at the time, I fell in love with it forever. I think it's all about the universal struggle of trying to persuade someone to trust you and open up to you, and trying to persuade yourself to let go and do the same. The song also speaks to me of "the love that dare not speak its name" ("Do I love you/Well I always did/Nobody knows nothing 'bout it"). Finally, I think it also talks about the struggle of two people from different worlds to understand each other, which is also expressed in the melodramatic track "Beauty and the Beast" ("We come from different worlds, but we are the same"). Unlike "Beauty and the Beast," though, "Gate and Garden" is just so, so ambiguous that there's so much one get from it. I really like that quality. I like for it to me something to me personally and to not be clearly mapped out. And it doesn't hurt that the vocals are so impassioned at the end. What can I say about "Stand Back"? It just seems like one of those quintessential 80s dance tracks to me. I don't think it could've been done better. (Another reason Rod Stewart sound NOT have covered it!) I can't really explain my love for "If Anyone Falls." My first Stevie album after TISL was Timespace, so that's when I first heard that one and some others. I didn't really think about it--"If Anyone Falls" just interested me from the first listen. I thought it was catchy and liked her vocals. (Her vocals can save many things that some would consider mediocre). I love the ways she says, "But I see your shadow againt, shadow against, shadow against the waalll!" BABY, I see your shadow against the waaaallll!" I was totally taken by "Beauty and the Beast" when I got Timespace, but by the time I got WH, the magic had worn off for me. I don't listen to it as much. I find it melodramatic, but I usually dig melodrama, so I guess it's more so that I'm just kind of sick of it and I think it wears thin quickly. There are some gorgeous lyrics in it, though. "Nightbird" will never get old for me; it's in the same vein as "EO17," but it gives me chills like that one doesn't at all. The chorus is just beautiful and haunting to me. At the same time, it strikes me as creepy, and I can't really explain that. I like how Stevie does that to me--making me feel things I can't even begin to explain. And everyone else seems to think it's cheesy, but I love the first verse of that song! "I Will Run to You" is not one of my favorites, but I love how their voices sound together, so I'm always open to a duet with those two. I do like SDMYA and "Insider" much, much more, though. I don't listen to the rest of the CD much. It's not that I don't like the other songs, I just never got into them a lot. Josh can tell you all about how great "Sable on Blond" is, I'm sure.

[diamondsnake]

Originally Posted by Kelly

Oh and Christopher? Tusk is brilliance. You should listen to the whole album and not just the Stevie tracks. When you put it all together, and listen to it from front to back, it can just blow you away. I love almost every song on the album, particularly SnL's. I think the only song I am not crazy about is Not That Funny..although even that has some lyrics I find compelling. No matter how many times I listen to Honey Hi into Beautiful Child, I am continually amazed at the incredible harmonies on this album. Honey Hi has simply stunning harmonies. Lindsey's harmonies on BC are to die for and pretty much perfect. Everything about the album from the production, to the arranging, to the vocals, to the lyrics, to the instrumentation, to the layering is pure genius. Artistically it cannot be beat and I hope you eventually learn to appreciate the signficance of the album and learn to enjoy Lindsey's songs as well. The contrast between his and Stevie's songs is key for me.

Well I love all of Stevie's songs on Tusk and all of Christine's. I do love the title track, the ledge, and IKINW (mainly because it brings back memories of the SYW tour- that song was really fun on the last leg of the tour, so ever since I heard IKINW live I love it). I don't like Not the Funny because I find it too loud. And Save Me a Place is a tad boring to my ears. Walk a thin line is okay... I just don't buy that Lindsey is the end all be all of Fleetwood Mac because I find Stevie and Christine much more enjoyable. It bothers me whenever someone on these boards says that Lindsey is a genius and Stevie is just a twirling fairy. I think she is a genius also even if her songs aren't as "out there".

[ontheEdgeof17]

Originally Posted by diamondsnake

I think she is a genius also even if her songs aren't as "out there".

Her songs are definately "out there".....in a different sense than Lindsey's. Lindsey's songs have Turette's and Stevie's song are like art gallery paintings....you look at it and like it, but still you are like "What the hell does that mean?"

[GypsySorcerer]

TWH is tied with TISL as my second favorite Stevie album. (Bella Donna is first).

"Nightbird" will always be one of my favorite Stevie songs. Lovely melody and the chorus is haunting. I absolutely adore "Beauty and the Beast." ( Diss). I love the strings, and if I'm in the right mood, it can move me to tears. "Sable on Blond" is her best vocal on the album and features some of her best lyrics ever. "Enchanted" has a catchy melody and the lyrics work much better here than on "Destiny," as Hillary said. And "Stand Back" is just 80s greatness.

The rest of the album is okay to me.

[markolas]

I've never really cared for The Wild Heart. Lindsey's 'Tusk' material is another story. I love 'Tusk,' and I love all of Lindsey's songs on it, and I always have.

Anyway...

I only like about half the songs on The Wild Heart (namely, the ones on Enchanted...plus, Enchanted has "Garbo." Why that was left off in favor of pap like "Gate and Garden" is beyond me). I also don't like all the synthesizer/keyboards used on this album. Although, I like RAL and TOSOTM bunches, so maybe it's something else about The Wild Heart I don't like...

[Hawkeye]

Nothing Ever Changes is my favorite Stevie solo song. It just ROCKS so MUCH. Sable on Blonde is up there too,top 10 for sure. The rest of the album doesnt measure up quite as much. Gate and Garden is great, and Nightbird is wonderful, but I can;t STAND If ANyone Falls and this Stand BAck doesn't compare to the LIB version or any live version for that matter. IWRTY is great. But I think im in the minority in liking Destiny far better then Enchanted.

[Serrart]

I like it, not as much as TISL or Belladonna, but I find it passionate and nostalgic.

Romy

[Nixxxed]

The Wild Heart is my favorite Stevie album. Period. All these years later, I still listen to it regularly. And now that I've reached (and passed - WAH!!!) the age Stevie was when she recorded it, I appreciate and understand it so much more.

It was the first Stevie/Mac album I synched up to -- meaning, I got BD almost 2 years late, and Mirage almost a year late (thanks Santa!). I hounded the poor guy at the record store from the moment I heard TWH was coming, and was at the door before he opened on the morning it was released. Then TWH tour several months later (after my town was hit nearly head-on by Hurricane Alicia) was my first-ever concert experience.

As far as the BD/TWH comparisons, I don't think they're really fair. BD was the culmination of years and years of songwriting -- you've got stuff written all thru the '70s, worked on by the Mac, rearranged, worked on again, etc. TWH seems to be much more a "moment in time" body of work, even though BATB was worked on by the Mac too.

Also, consider Stevie's life at the time. She'd had a huge #1 solo album that, according to her, none of the members of her band even acknowledged. And that after being on a year-plus long tour/drug binge with them for Tusk. Then, she cuts short her own wave of success to rejoin the group for Mirage. And just as that album and tour really get going, her best friend dies of Leukemia. Then she marries Robin's widower (...enough said...).

And that's just the Mac side of things. Factor in the influences of Don Henley, Jimmy Iovine, and Tom Petty & crew, against the music business which was in upheaval due to the "new" little cable channel called MTV and all the new British synth-pop bands that were making a major dent in the "'70s Rock" music format.

The way I think of TWH is the sound of a woman being pulled in a million different directions: under the influence of drugs, unfulfilling relationships (for whatever reasons), death, and last (but not least) ungodly amounts of wealth generated by her work. Few people take her seriously, critics repeatedly slam her for both her music and her changing 30-year old body (again, for many reasons), and now she has to add videos to her music and be beautiful and sexy every second of every day.

And the result? A wild, fun, somewhat uneven album where she's trying to mesh all these influences together. And still have fun and be crazy and be in love and work hard to keep everybody happy and making money, all at the same time.

And that's where I think the album cover emerged -- a woman covered in black dread and insecurity (the antithesis to BD's white innocence) being pulled apart by all these forces.

Whew. I guess all that's left to say is, "Dare my wild heart..."

[Nixxxed]

And one other quick thing...

Your title says "...what is the big deal with this CD?". The Wild Heart sounds HORRIBLE on CD - all the atmosphere and soul seemed stripped away. If you have access to a turntable and vinyl copy, perhaps you will enjoy it a little more by listening to it that way (and very loudly if possible).

The title song is the best example. On vinyl, the opening chords and following snare beats rumble and groan -- " *BOOM*-(rumble)- *snap.snap* "... When it was mastered to CD, it ended up coming out " *THUD*-(silence)-*tick.tick*" And Stevie's vocals on the CD almost sound like a completely different person, at least to me.

I don't know any other way to explain it, but there really is a difference, throughout the whole album.