Reflections on Stevie's "Wild Heart"... ()

Stevie Nicks is so interesting and entertaining to listen to in conversation, I always thought it a shame that her interview-musings about life in the spotlight never made it into any of her album contributions (poetic as they are). There's a 1977 Westwood interview disc floating around somewhere in which Nicks is very funny and upfront about having to perform with a stomach ache on some nights, or needing a quick nap before getting down to the gig. That's the REAL Stevie, and she's hiding for the most part on "The Wild Heart". The lady she conjures up on "Nightbird" is a provocatively conflicted woman of the world...but I didn't buy the "Gate & Garden" enchantress nor the silver screen sparrow of "Beauty and the Beast". Decent songs, yes, but not up to classic standards.

Better than Zeppelin ()

This album is the most complete body of work ever released by anyone. Smooth sophisticated songwritng with a production putting a fantastic sheen on beautiful songs like "Sable on Blond" and "Nightbird". Also, "Stand Back" is simply the greatest pop/dance/rock single ever released - it still holds up 22 years later. Stevie peaked with this album and nothing by the Mac came close altho Rock a Little nearly matched it. I never heard any other singer or band write as many well crafted songs as Ms Nicks - the greatest female songwriter of the 20th century.

Stevie really is "Wild Hearted"! ()

By 1983, Stevie Nicks was at the top of her career. She was, at the time, THE queen of popular music, with her solo debut just two years earlier with the blockbuster "Bella Donna", and she had also done a very successful album with Fleetwood Mac in 1982, "Mirage". So, with the release of "The Wild Heart", fans were expecting a sound similar to "Bella Donna", but the musical style was changing just a tad bit, mostly with the brand new synthesizers that she had experimented with on this album. They arent a bad thing. Acutally, they add a lot more of excitement and flair to the songs, mostly with the hits "Stand Back" (which has to be one of the best dance songs...EVER) and "If Anyone Falls" with its killer chorus. But of course, there are other songs that are worth listening to also, and that are very good, including the title track (it sounds like Stevie does go wild at the very end of this song!), "Enchanted", "Nightbird" (which is very important to be on this album, since the song was written for Stevie's best friend, Robyn Snyder Anderson, who had died of lukemia only a few short months before the album's release), and "Beauty And The Beast". It is one of the most beautiful ballads that she has ever written, and it creates a lot of imagery in your mind. But, there are some of the not-so-good on here as well. For instance, take "Sable On Blonde". Why does it sound like part two of "Dreams", but with a certain blandness??? I would have liked "Gate And Garden" very much...if the lyrics had made sense. I mean, maybe it is just me, but I can't understand what she is trying to say. But some of the lyrics are memorable on that song, like "So to the red rose...grows the passion", and it does have a catchy little melody. "Nothing Ever Changes" sounds like a very agressive attack on a lover of hers, or a former lover, and is very repetitive, and gets boring after a while. "I Will Run To You" is alright, but it is so obvious that they are trying to recreate the "so called magic" of "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around." This is an alright album, and can be very enjoyable, at times. But there are some duds, but, like I said before, this does also have the goods. This album creates a landscape of love and romance, that you can't find on any of Stevie's other albums, or on any other artists' albums, for that matter.

BETTER THAN BELLA DONNA BUT ONLY JUST... ()

STEVIE SEEMS MORE FOCUSSED HERE, NIGHTBIRD,SABLE ON BLOND & BEAUTY & THE BEAST ARE CLASSIC STEVIE BUT THATS ABOUT IT., THANK GOD SHE REDEEMED HERSELF WITH ROCK A LITTLE...

She shoots for "Bella Donna"--and misses ()

Let's think about this one for just a minute... "Stand Back" is pure classic rock. Anybody remember any of the other songs? Didn't think so. The opener is a surging rocker with some great drum work. "If Anyone Falls" is a bland pop/rock song that shot for the epic greatness of "Stand Back" but sounded like something a lesser female artist could have done like Pat Benatar or Heart. "Nightbird" is an excellent song with a great chorus. This was a top forty hit but is largly forgotten in today's bloated music market. "Enchanted" is a nice rocker as is the lesser enticing "Nothing Ever Changes." However she crashed and burned on "Sable on Blonde" the most bland song she has ever constructed. "Beauty and The Beast" originally a blues song that she should have kept that way, turns into a down beat ballad--way too soft for an agressive rocker like herself. "I will run to you" does not fully recapture the fire of "Stop Draggin my Heart Around" but does provide listeners with some interesting moments. I would have liked to hear a better follow up to the flawless Bella Donna--Maybe I was expecting too much.

Not bad but far from great... ()

Stevie is one of the best female rockers of all time. On this album her voice takes on a sensual rasp that is just incredible. The opening track is very good and she really rocks out at the end. "I Will Run To You" is another perfect duet with Tom Petty. "Enchanted" and "Nothing Ever Changes" are flawless rock songs with some great guitar and "Stand Back" is just a classic. However, when this album falters it's an utter mess. "Gate and Garden" is way too soft for this rocker and her lyrics are too ambigous on this song to be enjoyable. "Sable On Blonde" is bland and unintersting. "If Anyone Falls" had potential to be a surging rocker but it gets bogged down by synthesizers--something she should have stayed away from on this album. A nice effort but in no way compares to the epic greatness of "Bella Donna."

Another smash for Stevie!!!! ()

Another great album, everything from the undying "Standback" to "Sable On Blond." I love her, and will never stop. She is truely amazing. Rock on, Stevie. You're the poet in our hearts.

Stevie's superb second solo offering ()

This is a great follow-up to a smash solo debut which has a wonderful mix of tunes ranging from the classic pop and rock hits "Stand back" & "If anyone falls" respectively along with the hit that many will know from hearing it but it, unfortunately, didn't chart as high, the very underrated "Nightbird" as well as the return of Tom Petty for another nice duet called "I will run to you", the bouncy "Gate and garden", the solid drums of guest Mick Fleetwood are unmistakable on "Sable on blond", two rowdy rockers in "Enchanted" and "Nothing ever changes" and two epic tracks, the uptempo opening title track and a moving milestone Stevie moment with the dramatic closer "Beauty and the beast". Undoubtedly, this song, and this album for that matter must rank as one of the crowning achievements in her remarkable career.