ALBUM DESCRIPTIONWhen Stevie Nicks released her debut solo album in 1981, nobody doubted it would be successful. Nicks was not only the visual centerpiece of Fleetwood Mac's '70s achievements, but also the one member of the band who artistically always seemed to strike the right balance of "weird creative" and "pop mastermind." However, few people could have predicted that Bella Donna would wind up being quadruple-platinum, selling more copies than any of Fleetwood Mac's non-Rumours albums. It achieved that success by threading a tight needle of sounding familiar enough to Mac fans to be recognizable, but also unique—and commercial—enough to stand on its own. With a considerable assist from a few of her famous friends (Tom Petty, Don Henley, producer Jimmy Iovine) and a look that was perfect for the then-new MTV, Nicks absolutely dominated the summer and fall of 1981 with hits like "Edge of Seventeen," "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around," and "Leather and Lace," but deeper cuts like "Outside the Rain," "Kind of Woman" and the title track are equally rewarding.
The debut solo album from an artist from a world-famous band has a seemingly infinite amount of baked-in excellence. A true personality finally gets to emerge, as does, even better, the great material that didn't fit into the group setting. The second album, however, has its own weird set of expectations where the artist should show growth and a continuing creative streak, but also comfortable familiarity. Stevie Nicks' 1983 album The Wild Heart managed to do that, just two years after Bella Donna. Although it didn't make quite the same impact as its prdecessor, Bella Donna did firmly establish Nicks as a highly individual artist on her own creative journey. Sonically, it's a clear continuation of Bella Donna's strengths. Sure, Tom Petty shows up again ("I Will Run to You"), and Prince does, too, (playing synths on "Stand Back"), but all ten tracks here are defined by Nicks' energy and essence, making it clear that she was in it for the long haul as a solo artist.
Known almost as much for the songs she rejected for it ("These Dreams," which would become a hit for Heart; "Don't Come Around Here No More," which would become a hit for Tom Petty), as for the ones she kept (the pulsing, pop-focused opening cut "I Can't Wait" and the similarly chart-oriented hit, "Talk to Me"), Stevie Nicks' Rock A Little is an encyclopedia of '80s pop/rock clichés. The Oberheim synths, the Linn drums, the high-flanged, dive-bomb guitar lines, the synth bass, the plasticine sheen ... it sounds like what a CD looks like and it resembles no other album in Nicks' discography. While many other high-gloss studio albums of the era reveled in their sterility, Nicks' husky voice cuts through the digitalia and breathes real life into these otherwise anonymous tunes.
Released as the doors were firmly closing on the idea that '70s rockers could maintain relevance on the charts and in pop culture, 1989's The Other Side of the Mirror found Stevie Nicks going for it. After all, in the same year of "Like A Prayer," "Love Shack," and debut albums by Nirvana, De La Soul, and Nine Inch Nails, why wouldn't anyone want to hear Stevie Nicks' concept-album take on Alice in Wonderland? And while the album was a moderately commercially successful outing, it was also, somewhat surprisingly, a sturdy, adventurous, and subtly rewarding one, too. Coupling Nicks' kooky vibes with some inventive rock structures and an occasional smooth jazz flourish (Kenny G!), this is the least appreciated of Nicks' '80s albums and the one that's most rewarding in retrospect.
Street Angel from 1994 is that rare album that's loathed both by an artist and their fans. Nicks immediately disavowed the record, blaming renowned producer Glyn Johns for steamrolling her during the sessions. Of course, those sessions were happening when Nicks was reeling from her split from Fleetwood Mac and the effects of a near-decade-long addiction to Klonopin, so one wonders how much effort or lucidness Nicks was putting into the process. Only a few new tracks were written for the album—the best of which was the single "Blue Denim"—while others were dredged from Nicks' reject pile or were straight covers (Dylan's "Just Like A Woman"); the fact that Nicks entered rehab during the album's post-production stage only made the resulting work sound even more lifeless and uninspired.
2001's Trouble in Shangri-La was recorded over a six-year period and it absolutely sounds like it. Belabored over by seven different producers in a dozen different studios with more than 40 guest musicians, Shangri-La is definitely not Nicks' worst album (that would be Street Angel), but it's definitely her least cohesive. Flirting with country, pop, and even a bit of alternative rock, the album managed to be quite a commercial success, but even its biggest hits—"Planets of the Universe" (a Nicks song demoed and rejected for Rumours, reworked here into a slick bit of melodrama that incredibly managed to top the dance charts) and the blandly anonymous "Every Day"—seem to have left little lasting impact.
For In Your Dreams, her seventh studio album—and her first in a decade— Nicks worked with former Eurythmic Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard as producers. While one may not have expected much in the way of innovation as she marked her 30th anniversary as a solo artist, the quality of the material and performances on In Your Dreams was remarkable. Tracks like "Soldier's Angel" (with Lindsey Buckingham), "For What It's Worth," and the so-on-the-nose-it's-perfect "In Your Dreams" not only evoke Nicks' most classic work, they also stand alongside it on their own. This is perhaps one of the best late-period albums from any '70s classic rocker.
24 Karat Gold: Songs from the Vault is a unique album, recorded and released in 2014, but primarily comprised of songs Nicks had written and demoed during the '70s and '80s (along with a cover of Vanessa Carlton's "Carousel"). Thus, the material manages to reflect the magical excellence of Nicks' peak creative period, while still presenting as a "modern" album, thanks to sensitive production from Nicks, Dave Stewart, and Waddy Wachtel. This version includes two additional cuts from the expanded deluxe edition.
The bonus content included in the Complete Studio Albums & Rarities set compiles two discs' worth of material from across Nicks' career. Most of the stuff here is previously released, but by bringing together soundtrack appearances, b-sides, and weird bonus tracks, a nice, comprehensive look at Nicks' studio work over the years is presented.
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