STEVIE NICKS - THE WILD HEART

"The Wild Heart" is Stevie Nicks' second solo album.  Released in 1983, it's her follow-up to 1981's "Bella Donna".  At this point in time, Nicks was at the top of her game.  Her success with Fleetwood Mac was at superstar levels and her solo records were making her an international household name.  She was in demand.  Without a doubt.

I've never fully researched Stevie Nicks or bought all of her material either solo or with Fleetwood Mac.  But I've always wanted to.  I respond to the mystical in her.  She touches a part of my soul.  Whether it's her voice or her lyrics, she can often find her way into my thoughts and feelings.  I'm a child of the 80's and Fleetwood Mac always seemed like a product of the 70's.  I avoided 70's music and culture as much as possible as most kids coming up will do.  You embrace the pop culture happening around you and see what came before as old fashioned or a waste of time.

Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks were part of what I rejected as a kid, but secretly, I loved their music and I had "Rumors" as well as other Mac material hidden in my collection.  Around the mid-80's, when "Rock A Little" came out, I finally came out of my Nicks closet and opening admired her. 

Imagine my surprise when I discovered....

Nicks had actually worked with Prince!!!!!  But it was kept on the down low.  That particular  collaboration appears on this album.  Inspired by 'Little Red Corvette', Nicks contacted Prince and he contributed some music to 'Stand Back'.  Oddly enough, this was one of my favorite Nicks tunes and it seemed a fated coincidence that he was a part of it.

It wasn't until I found out he'd worked with her that I absolutely had to have this disc.  And I'll be honest, there are many tracks on this album I wasn't familiar with when I bought it.  I owned some live tapes and more recent releases.  I had some Mac material...  But this was the first of her older albums I was buying.

The overall sound of this disc is very 70's.  There's a lot of that blue collar rock happening on this album. It reminds me of 70's Bruce Springsteen and Elton John.  Most of the songs blend into that sound with certain tracks standing out more than others.  'If Anyone Falls' is the first number to really branch out.  The music arrangement is what really drives the track.  It became well known just for the opening keyboard motif.  The second most recognizable song is 'Nightbird'.  This lovely number suffers from some odd production and percussion, but the music itself is similar to something Fleetwood Mac would do.  I've always believed the song would've fared better if it'd been arranged and produced by Lindsey Buckingham.  

It's followed by the Prince collaboration.  Nicks recognizes the intensity of his contribution to the song by giving him a writing credit.  His additions change the dynamic of the tune utterly.  Nicks describes the tempo and rhythm as having a different TimeSpace unique to Prince.  And anyone who listens to her knows this song moves in a completely different frequency from what she normally creates.  It compliments the music on the album but also kicks the entire sound up a notch.

Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers contribute 'I Will Run To You'.  As much as I've enjoyed some of his work, I don't really think this number does much for the album.  I think they sound great together though.

'Sable On Blond' is another number I think would've done better under Fleetwood Mac.  The most well known and possibly the most popular song on the album (certainly the most personal) is the final track, 'Beauty And The Beast".  This is a very tender song.  It's written and meant for a very personal relationship.  Anyone who's loved a man and lost that love can find a reason to look for solace in these words.  In one song, Nicks creates an anthem of love and loss.

I put so much of the loss I've experienced in my own life in this song.  Once again, she reaches me deeply.

Although this isn't an album I listen to on a regular basis, I do appreciate what's happening here and there are songs on it I find incredibly beautiful.  And the magic lingering all these years later on this disc, continues to cloud my vision and wash over me like a blanket of soft aching.  It increases my tender feeling for this artist.  My final words:  A WORTHY ADDITION TO ANY COLLECTION & A FINE EXAMPLE OF AMERICAN ROCK AND ROLL.

STEVIE NICKS - THE WILD HEART
01. Wild Heart
02. If Anyone Falls
03. Gate And Garden
04. Enchanted
05. Nightbird
06. Stand Back
07. I Will Run To You
08. Nothing Ever Changes
09. Sable On Blond
10. Beauty And The Beast