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

FLEETWOOD MAC - SAY YOU WILL

"Say You Will" came at a time of change for Fleetwood Mac and the world in general.  It's the first album with the conspicuous absence of Christine McVie.  It's a tribute of sorts to the lives lost from terrorist attack on the World Trade Center towers.  It was Fleetwood Mac's first attempt at using technology to prevent CD ripping and illegal downloading.  And finally, the disc came out when groups were trending away from buying CDs in favor of digital downloads.

I spent a whole afternoon looking for the songs from this disc online to download and I think I never found the whole album.  I eventually settled for the few songs I could find.  But now, I actually own the disc myself!

Usually, Fleetwood Mac CD's are based on a very simple formula.  Each songwriting member contributes a certain amount of songs and the disc will bounce back and forth between the tracks.  With the noticeable lack of Christine McVie numbers, "Say You Will" becomes a toss up between Lindsey Buckingham songs and Stevie Nicks songs.

The first song is a Buckingham number and it's called, 'What's The World Coming To'.  I won't get too in to depth on each song other than to say my general thoughts as this disc is very long.  I like this number and it reminds me of something you'd here on "Tango In The Night".  'Murrow Turning Over In His Grave' is another Buckingham number and starts off sounding like a country pluck fest, but the vocal arrangement and delivery is so different and interesting...  It reminds me of the classic, 'Tusk'.  Very different and musically complex.  This is why Buckingham is a great musician.  'Illume (9-11)' is the first Nicks track.  I have to say, in general, the music she does with Fleetwood Mac is often quite different from the material she releases on her own.  There's more musical complexity on the stuff she does with F.M.  That's probably because Buckingham is arranging her songs.  Though poignant, this track isn't as exciting at the two previous songs and leaves you wanting more.

'Thrown Down' is the next Nicks track and it ups the ante for her on this disc.  Instead of staying monotone, Nicks sings up and down her proven scale and gives some variety on this track.  It's very exciting.  'Miranda' is a Buckingham tune and it features more complex vocal acrobatics over the music.  Another Lindsey song, 'Red Rover' is up next.  It's a frantic little number and can set you on edge if you're not ready for it.  There's a number of tempo changes happening throughout.

'Say You Will' is the title track and is a Stevie Nicks composition.  This is an awesome ditty.  It features a lovely duet between Nicks and Buckingham on the chorus.  The two have a natural harmony together.  Their voices compliment each other well and you can get carried away by the sweet sound they create.  'Peacekeeper' takes us back to Buckingham's writing and this one maintains the harmony between the two lead vocalists.  It incorporates something that sounds like South American pipes playing over the chorus.  'Come' stays in Lindsey territory.  It's a moody number.  Somehow, I expect it reflects his real life personality.  The haunted melody drowns itself into the next Nicks song.  The natural progression between these two is compelling.  'Smile At You' may increase the tempo, but it doesn't alleviate the dark mood.  

'Running Through The Garden' starts out in a similar place, but quickly changes and picks the album back up and gets the beat pumping again.  'Silver Girl' is the third Nicks number in a row and pulses up at you from some distant place.  It seems like it will drop the bottom out of the momentum but it keeps the groove going.  Lindsey is back with 'Steal Your Heart Away'.  There's some delicious harmonizing on this one.  Very thrilling.  It's followed by 'Bleed To Love Her' and it's also a great tune.  Next up is 'Everybody Finds Out'.  Stevie has a habit of writing songs about an imaginary woman she narrates about.  This song falls into that category.  You always suspect she's singing about herself in the third person, but it can get annoying at times.  On this song, it's not so bad.  The groove is there and F.M. are in the pocket.  They deliver this one in excellent form.

'Destiny Rules' is a song I'd expect to find on "Trouble In Shangri-La".  Absolutely wonderful.  'Say Goodbye is Lindsey's outro and it's a complicated farewell.  One you couldn't leave the album on.  Therefore, Nicks come back with the final 'Goodbye Baby'.  This lullaby is almost sad and perfect for ending the disc.  

And that would be it...  If this were the album.  But my version includes a disc with additional tracks.  The first number is a Bob Dylan cover called 'Love Minus Zero/No Limit'.  Lindsey takes over lead vocals here and delivers a wonderful version.  'Not Make Believe' is the 2nd track and it's a Stevie Nicks number.  This is a strong number by her and seems a shame it wasn't included on the regular album.  The final two tracks are live songs recorded for AOL Sessions.  You get 'Peacekeeper' and 'Say You Will' to round out the disc.

Although it didn't break records like other Fleetwood Mac albums have, this is a satisfying album.  It's got all the elements that make Mac the band so many people love.  It's a shame Christine McVie wasn't a part of it.  Her absence is notable and the one failing this disc has.  It's a collection of strong material and one that should've done much better commercially.

My final words:  A WELCOME REUNION FROM GOOD FRIENDS LONG AWAITED AND GREATLY ENJOYED!

FLEETWOOD MAC - SAY YOU WILL

01. What's The World Coming To

02. Murrow Turning Over In His Grave

03. Illume (9-11)

04. Thrown Down

05. Miranda

06. Red Rover

07. Say You Will

08. Peacekeeper

09. Come

10. Smile At You

11. Running Through The Garden

12. Silver Girl

13. Steal Your Heart Away

14. Bleed To Love Her

15. Everybody Finds Out

16. Destiny Rules

17. Say Goodbye

18. Goodbye Baby

BONUS DISC

01. Love Minus Zero/No Limit

02. Not Make Believe

03. Peacekeeper (Live From AOL Sessions)

04. Say You Will (Live From AOL Sessions)

BANGLES - DIFFERENT LIGHT

I had an old cassette of their first album, "All Over The Place". I loved it. Especially 'Hero Takes A Fall'. So I was well aware of the Bangles before Prince donated their first top 40 hit, 'Manic Monday'. This is an example of how finely tuned my ear was for Prince compositions. I knew nothing about this song, but the first time I heard it, I knew it was one of his. I was telling people it was his before I had any confirmation or read the credits on the album. Of course, that's not the only reason I bought the record.

One thing the Bangles did well was arrange the opening track. 'Manic Monday' is obviously written by Prince, but doesn't have his trademark sound. The Linn Drum machine is absent and the heavy synth melodies are more light and subdued on the Bangles arrangement. All of the singles from this record feature Susanna Hoffs on lead vocals. However, on the rest of the album, the band spreads lead vocal contributions between the entire group. Vicki takes lead vocal for the second track, 'In A Different Light'. It's an ok song and I quite like it. It's not the most complicated track, but it is the title track. It's followed by 'Walking Down Your Street' with Susanna Hoffs on vocals. This was another top 40 hit for the band and it sounds more like something from their first record.
The 4th track, 'Walk Like An Egyptian' with Hoffs once again manning the reigns as lead vocalist, was the band's first #1 hit and their largest chart topper to date. This one landed them all over MTV. 'Standing In The Hallway' features lead vocals by Debbi. She also takes lead on the final track, 'Not Like You'. Vicki sings lead on 'Return Post' and 'Angels Don't Fall In Love'. Michael sings lead on 'September Gurls' and 'Following'. The entire band shares vocals on 'Let It Go'.

I don't feel like going into detail about the individual songs. Instead, I'll focus on the songs I really like. 'Return Post' is an interesting song. I think they picked the best songs for singles. I'm not a huge fan of 'Walk Like An Egyptian', but it's a decent track. My favorite number on the record is actually 'Following'. Unlike other bands Prince has donated music to, the Bangles have strong material, solid background in performance and his song isn't the only good one on the record. As great as 'Manic Monday' is, 'Following' is a truly sincere and bizarre number. It focuses on a high school crush a few years after graduation. It's about dealing with those first feelings of love that you never really satisfy. More than any other song on this record, I can relate to this one. And it is powerful.

Because she is featured on the singles released by the band, Susanna Hoffs got more media attention than any of the other members and she became the center of attention. It wasn't intentional, but it did cause some friction in the group. She has the most interesting voice of the band members, but never seemed to want the limelight. She eventually released a solo record, but returned to the group and has been a stalwart member ever since.

I guess my interest in the band peeked with this record as I never purchased any more of their material. Although they record solid music, I've find it somewhat choppy. In my opinion, the band members each pull the group in different directions on different songs. I would normally find this interesting, but the lack of a common thread makes listening to the Bangles kinda like listening to Fleetwood Mac. There's the Lindsey Buckingham songs, the Stevie Nicks songs and the Christine McVie tracks. Every once in awhile you get a number that seems to be a group effort but for the most part, you're jostling between one of the three singers and their style. The Bangles are very similar. You can't fault them as each of the women are talented vocalists, but that all over feeling can be difficult to get into. Especially when there's a visual presence like Susanna Hoffs. In the end, I think this is a solid record with great tunes. It's definitely one of the most important records of the 80's. Not just because it helped solidify women as strong capable musicians and songwriters, but because much of the music featured so heavily in the everyday lives of so many young people. My final words: AN 80'S CLASSIC!

BANGLES - DIFFERENT LIGHT
01. Manic Monday
02. In A Different Light
03. Walking Down Your Street
04. Walk Like An Egyptian
05. Standing In The Hallway
06. Return Post
07. If She Knew What She Wants
08. Let It Go
09. September Gurls
10. Angels Don't Fall In Love
11. Following
12. Not Like You