Stevie Nicks - Enchanted
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Free Music Notes for Enchanted
Free Music Review: The best of Stevie Nicks plus eleven rarities for her fans
Hit: 5 Stars
When the new and improved Fleetwood Mac emerged in 1975 to become the hotest group on the face of the planet I always liked the Stevie Nicks songs best. Even before the Welsh Witch started producing solo albums I went back and tracked down the Buckingham-Nicks album with the infamous cover. I kept buying Fleetwood Mac albums just for her songs, so of course I was going to pick up "Enchanted: The Works of Stevie Nicks" when the boxed set came out in 1998 because of the B-Sides and other rareities includes. But I have to admit, part of me really wished there was just a one disc version of all the "bonus" material. Of course, now I can make that single CD myself, so I no longer have that to complain about. Besides, you have to admit that having these three discs in your car is better than having her first four albums. I find it hard to believe that many people picked up "Enchanted" who did not already own the original albums with "Stand Back," "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around," "Beauty and the Beast," and the rest of her solo hits. Of the extras I most appreciate the live version of "Edge of Seventeen" from her first televized solo concert (I think that was the last 45 single I ever bought) and the piano version of "Rhiannon," the one nod towards her work with Fleetwood Mac. The extended rock mix of "I Can't Wait" is okay and I rather like the unreleased demo of "Sweet Girl." Also included are the non-LP B-Sides "Garbo," "One More Big Time Rock and Roll Star," and "Thousand Days," an unreleased live performance of "Gold and Braid," unreleased demos of "Twisted" and "It's Late," and an unrleased studio track "Reconsider Me." That is eleven tracks most of which will be "new" for fans of Stephanie Lynn Nicks out of 46, which is not a bad percentage all things considered, and out of those eleven most of them are worth having.
Free Music Review: she was ahead of her time!
Hit: 5 Stars
I was 12 years old when I first discovered FM radio in 1979. Stevie's voice caught my full attention, and that was before I'd seen a picture to know what a lovely woman she is. Listening now to the personal, confessional, quirky, intimate singing styles of many on the radio (Alanis, Michael Stipe/REM, Indigo Girls, Joan Osborne, Dave Matthews) I can't help but think that Stevie was doin' it first, singing from the centers of passion, the gut and the throat, and bringing the intimacy and realness of folk and the romanticism of country into a pop-rock setting at a time when Donna Summer and Olivia Newton-John were more typical of the pre-fab sounds on the radio. I can still remember when I first heard "Sara" ... it sounded so mystical, so full of love .... and then I sat down on the piano and I realized that Stevie had used very simple chords and melodic progressions to achieve a complex, rich piece of music. It is the same with her persona... she adopted simple, strong ways of expressing a mysticism and enchantment onstage. It was timeless, something that was needed, someone to touch the soul in these decades of disposable pop. Her act has been something more than an act. Somehow you know that it is from the heart. Little wonder that fans rush the stage with roses, teddy bears, original artwork, something, anything to give in return. That is a true, strong connection, a real love affair, a heavy spell.... for a woman, and her fans.
The box set is all her solo stuff, and I agree with other comments here. Also wanted to point out that her more recent demos (Twisted, Sweet Girl) are among her best songwriting, and they suggest that she has truly woken up from the torpor that pulled her down for a while in the early 1990s (thank you Western medicine...NOT). I look forward to her album later this year, which Sheryl Crow is producing. Just wanted to give Stevie credit for being ahead of her time. She has been a special person in my life.
Free Music Review: A revlevatory compilation!
Hit: 5 Stars
Stevie Nicks has long been dismissed as an airhead and has-been by critics who would prefer to give Lindsey Buckingham credit for her outstanding Fleetwwod Mac hits. This box-set, despite its tacky cover art and mediocre documentation, proves them wrong on most fronts. Despite a few unneccesary inclusions (virtually every track from her forgettable "Street Angel" album and some unworthy rarities,) this collection makes a strong case for her emritus status amongst many of today's most popular performers. Indeed, one cannot help but think that such stars as Sarah MacLachlan, Tori Amos, Courtney Love, Kristin Hersh and Maria Mckee would never have risen to prominence if Nicks hadn't cleared a path for them. Equally delicate and defiant, the songs here speak to both a broad, commercial audience and cultists alike. Songs like "Edge of Seventeen," "Stop Draggin My Heart Around," "Rhiannon," "Nightbird" and especially the s! ! tunning "Stand Back" are undeniable in their emotional power. Nicks, at her best, rivals any rocker, male or female, with her sure-fire hooks and self-assurance. What surprises the most is the consistently excellent quality of many non-charting album cuts. "Bella Donna" offers up sublime harmonies and a deeply idiosyncratic sense of melody. "Enchanted" layers one hook onto another. "I Sing for the Things" is utterly lovely. Best of all, Disc Three, which contains a wealth of hard-to-find numbers, includes the superb "Violet and Blue," a sharp cover of Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'" and the super-rare Buckingham Nicks track "Long Distance Winner." All in all, a top-notch career retrospective. The great demo of "Twisted," a song from the "Twister" soundtrack, suggests that the talented Ms. Nicks has even more gems in her. Watch out for her next solo album...Free Music Review: A Huge Feat!
Hit: 5 Stars
Stevie Nicks 3-CD Box Set is a force to be reckoned with. Many will argue that all of the best stuff could have been done on two discs, but that would have eliminated a lot of very interesting compositions out of the light, especially since she alrady had five solo albums. The range of style is vast, from the rocking, "Edge Of Seventeen" to the new piano version of "Rhiannon". Some of the songs here are great collaborations between Nicks and Jeff Lynne/Tom Petty ("Free Fallin"), Kenny Loggins/Melissa Manchester ("Whenever I Call You Friend"), Warren Zevon ("Reconsider Me") and Sheryl Crow ("Somebody Stand By Me").
The other collaborators are an amazingly collection, including, Don Henley (Eagles), Bruce Hornsby (Bruce Hornsby & The Range), Kenny Loggins, Tom Petty, Joe Walsh, Kenny G, David Foster (Piano, Producer), Don Felder (Eagles), Davey Johnstone (Elton John), Mike Campbell, Paul Buckmaster (Bee Gees), David Crosby (CSN&Y) and Don Was (Producer).
Box Sets are made to include great DEMO cuts and Nicks supplies interesting songs like, "Sweet Girl" and "It's Late". The duets succeed with Nicks singing with Don Henley on, "Leather and Lace" and with Tom Petty on "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around". Its of no small notice that there is no female/female duet, which would have been wonderful, particularly seeing that Sheryl Crow has supplied work here and sang on the Fleetwood Mac future song, "Say You Will".
Of course, the set is filled with great glossy photos and liner notes enough to satisfy any fan. Nicks proves she has the range of any major pop/rock diva with this exhaustive set and its nice to see so many famous talents lending a hand. It still begs the question why Nicks, being such a prolific songwriter, has left out, "Dreams", the only "number one" hit with Fleetwood Mac.
Free Music Review: The is Stevie at her very best!
Hit: 5 Stars
Stevie's music has always had a huge impact on my life. I've never known another artist who can touch people the same way because she always puts her complete self into her music. This box set represents the very best of Stevie's work through her years as a solo artist. It's a roller coaster ride through every human emotion possible. You can tell she had this unique gift even as far back as when she was with Buckingham Nicks. The song, "Long Distance Winner" demonstrates the agony of being in a relationship with someone you can't reach. The previously unreleased songs "Garbo" and "One More Big Time Rock and Roll Star" show off her powerful vocal range and strong emotion and are now two of my favorite songs by her. I'm also thrilled to finally have "Gold and Braid" which is an old favorite of her fans who loved the song on her 1983 concert video, but it wasn't available on any of her other albums.
There were a couple of songs I wasn't so crazy about. Stevie's voice on "Thousand Days" and "Whole Lot of Trouble" seemed a bit "choppy", for a lack of better description (sorry Stevie). But, there were just so many other beautifully written and performed songs here that these two are barely even noticed.
An added bonus to all the wonderful music is all the beautiful pictures of Stevie that comes with it. You can flip through the pictures as you listen or sing along with all the songs because all the words are there for you. This box set is an absolute must for any Stevie fans