Review Stevie Nicks Complete Studio Albums & Rarities

Stevie Nicks

Complete Studio Albums & Rarities

Author rating: 9/10

Under The Radar

Massive career-spanning box sets are a completist’s dream. In this installment, Rhino takes on Stevie Nicks’ solo career. The 10-CD set features each disc housed in a replica sleeve with copies of the liner notes, all be they too small to actually read. There is no big booklet examining the titles, featuring essays or ephemera. It’s just the music. And as far as that goes, it doesn’t get much better.

Bella Donna, from 1981, is the gold standard, and the conventional wisdom is that things go progressively downhill from there, at least until the 2000s come along and Nicks enters the revitalized stage of her career. The big hits on Bella Donna (“Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” with Tom Petty, “Edge of Seventeen,” “Leather and Lace” with Don Henley) need no introduction. But even the other tracks here shine. It’s Nicks’ coming out party.

The Wild Heart, released two years later, doesn’t have quite the same hit power as Bella Donna, but songs like the title track and “Enchanted” are only some of the non-hits that sparkle with the best of Nicks’ solo work.

Rock a Little, from 1985, was a largely forgettable affair, steeped in ‘80s effects, but the upbeat “I Can’t Wait” is perfect ‘80s radio, and the ballads “I Sing for Things” and “Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You” touch with the best of her ballads.

The Other Side of the Mirror (1989) stands up better to time with songs that are not obscured by the decade’s worse impulses. The tunes are mostly earworms, benefiting as always from Nicks’ inimitable voice and overall charisma, and with four tracks with either co-writing credit and/or guitar playing by Heartbreaker Mike Campbell. Unfortunately, “Two Kinds of Love,” with Bruce Horsby, in hindsight only proves that Hornsby was no Tom Petty in terms of male Nicks duet partners. A cover of Johnny Cash’s “I Still Miss Someone” does the Man in Black proud.

With 1994’s Street Angel, Waddy Wachtel, architect of the infamous chugging riff of “Edge of Seventeen” is back in a more prominent role, where on The Other Side of the Mirror he seemed more of a bit player. The result is an album that is more immediate, more thrown back to the classic Nicks albums of the early ’80s. And while there may be no big hit tracks other than “Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind,” which reached 57 on the Billboard chart, it’s a better album upon revisiting that it was perhaps given credit for at the time, being released amid the grunge explosion.

After Street Angel, Nicks laid low for the rest of the ‘90s, not releasing another album until 2001’s Trouble in Shangri-La, and the album finds her entering the new millennium sounding reenergized and supported by a cast of admirers including Sheryl Crow, Macy Gray, and (Dixie) Chick Natalie Maines, all who provide supporting vocals. But the album sounds not so much like a star-studded affair, rather a return to what Nicks always did best, write killer songs.

Another 10-year break after Shangri-La found the release of In Your Dreams, which was produced by Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart, who also duetted with Nicks on “Cheaper Than Free.” Lindsey Buckingham also returns to provide guitar and backing vocals on “Soldier’s Angel.” Aside from the undeniable pop melody of the title track, the rocker “Ghosts Are Gone,” and the soaring choruses of “Italian Summer,” In Your Dreams is predictably solid fare.

By 24 Karat Gold, Nicks was firmly in the middle of her resurgence. Fleetwood Mac was well into its own third (or eighth?) life, and Nicks’ solo profile was as high as it had been since Bella Donna. For the album, she recorded demos of old songs written between 1969 and 1987, with a couple newer tracks/covers thrown into the mix. And it shows, the album being one of her strongest solo records since that glorious debut.

The set is capped with a two-CD compilation of rarities consisting of soundtrack cuts, B-sides, and non-proper album tracks. It’s 23 additional songs essential to the complete Stevie Nicks collection, and it’s a boon to have all these various songs in one place. They are in no way throwaways, the set culminating in Nicks’ 2022 version of Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth.”

It’s all here with Complete Studio Albums & Rarities. And it’s worth your while in grand sum.

Review Stevie Nicks Complete Studio Albums & Rarities Showcases Her Magic

Stevie Nicks

Complete Studio Albums & Rarities

4.5 out of 5 stars

American Songwriter

While Stevie Nicks’ latest release, Complete Studio Albums & Rarities, may not seem like that enticing of a project on paper, having the expanse of Nicks’ career all in one place is the best way to showcase her magic.

The project starts out with cuts from Nicks’ debut solo album, Bella Donna. Her witchy motif is in full swing on the title track while she showcases some of her musical affiliations with a pair of timeless duets: “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” with Tom Petty and “Leather and Lace” with Don Henley. The remastered versions of the tracks bring even more color into these Nicks classics.

Following the Bella Donna section is The Wild Heart. Highlights include the title track (which sees Nicks at her most enchanting), another duet with Petty, “I Will Run To You,” and “If Anyone Falls.”

As the title suggests, the track list continues in chronological order. The rest of the Complete Studio Albums portion of the project features cuts from Rock a Little, The Other Side of the Mirror, Street Angel, Trouble in Shangri-La, In Your Dreams, and 24 Karat Gold: Songs from the Vault.

The content is pretty much what one would expect. There aren’t many surprises within the first part of this release. But, if anything, take it as an excuse to revisit Nicks’ work. When an artist is so omnipresent, they can be taken for granted. Given the prestige of her work, we all think we have our favorite Nicks song signed and sealed. But, when diving deep into the breadths of her career, it’s highly likely that new favorite songs will emerge.

For instance, on Bella Donna, it’s “Edge of Seventeen,” which has become the standout over the years. But, closing out the album is a stunning little mid-tempo number called “The Highwayman,” which has far fewer streams but is every bit as hypnotizing. Similarly, a deep cut on The Other Side of the Mirror, “I Still Miss Someone (Blue Eyes)” calls to mind Nicks-helmed Fleetwood staples like “Sara” or “Gypsy.” This release gives songs like these a second chance at finding their audience.

The back half of the release, Rarities, has a little more to chew on. Many of the songs on Rarities are only available on this release. If you are a Nicks fan, you’re likely starving for new content from the rock icon. Save a cover of Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth,” Nicks hasn’t shared new music in several years.

There are a few rarities that demand attention. Standouts include “Real Tears,” “Love’s a Hard Game to Play,” and “Garbo” but, really any of these deep cuts will be an enticing listen for Nicks’ wanting fans. Each of them continues Nicks’ reign as the most haunting, mystical, and captivating rocker around.

Rarities is also a testament to how prolific Nicks is as a songwriter. It’s not enough to have her name-making past work on display, Nicks wanted to go the extra mile and share songs that have not yet received their dues. This would fall flat if it was understandable why these songs didn’t make the original cut but, luckily, they are every bit as powerful as the songs that became Nicks’ signature releases.

Nicks is an artist with a sprawling history. From her time in Fleetwood Mac to her continued solo career, few rock stars have been so enduring. It’s high time we brought Nicks back into focus and really meditated on what made her the symbol she is today. This release provides just the outlet.

Review Stevie Nicks: Complete Studio Albums & Rarities Boxset

Stevie Nicks: Stevie Nicks: Complete Studio Albums & Rarities. Box Set Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision 

Rating * * * * *

Even to the adoring listener, a single will only offer what amounts to a snap shot in time of what has been consuming the artist, the influence almost transitory…unless it forms part of the larger picture, the album in all its glory which is the equivalent perhaps of an Instagram message, but more of a detailed novel which frames the length of time in which the artist has given over which might be a few months, or in some cases, years between arrangements and full release.

If an album is defined as the weighty tome, then the pleasure and scope unearthed when an artist releases a career defining box set, every studio album, all the rarities, the lesser known stamp of authority which fills the entire day with a sound that is more nine volume history of the world written by the one person to have lived through every explosion, every revolution, every brief encounter and long lasting lover affair, then to have in your possession one of the true performers and icons of the last fifty years, is a phenomenon of advantage and a voice of enticement that will allow your heart and soul to soar.

In Stevie Nicks: Complete Studio Albums & Rarities, time is of the essence, time is arguably all, for memories fill the moment which turns to hours and decades with the ease of a kiss on the cheek delivered by a siren tempting sailors at sea with an insight into relationships, addiction, break ups, fame, fortune, and fortitude to which few in rock’s circus can ever emulate or dare to behold.

Every album, all the hits, the issues and damage, all mixed together in a way that frames Stevie Nicks’ special place in the hearts of the fam and in music across the world, this is the sensational beauty and belief that has gone into a boxset of, dare it be said, exceptional excess, a scintillating drama to which only one of the female vocalists of one of the most endearing groups of all time, only a survivor, could oversee.

From 1981’s Bella Donna, through the fierce control of The Other Side Of The Mirror and with a sharp eye on the aftermath in 24 Karat Gold: Songs From The Vault, and the abundance of tracks that even the most ardent fan will surely be unaware of in the rarities offering, Ms. Nicks complete catalogue is there to be savoured. In short bursts of reminisce, or in the full countdown of a well-earned day at the stereo, this is one box set that is like its creator, full of life and nature.

Ian D. Hall 

Review Stevie Nicks Complete Studio Albums & Rarities

Stevie Nicks

Complete Studio Albums & Rarities

Flood Magazine

When too much of the credit for the success of Fleetwood Mac’s White Album, Rumours, and Tusk went to nasal-pop-meister Lindsey Buckingham, his ex and fellow singing songwriter Stevie Nicks did the logical thing and started a solo career. That her own output (seven albums between Bella Donna of 1981 and In Your Dreams 30 years later) out-witchy-womaned everything that the Mac did (or that Buckingham recorded alone, for that matter) after her band’s 1970s hat trick proved who truly wore the gaucho pants and the long, gauzy black dresses in Fleetwood Mac.

The spidery songwriting style she created for herself apart from Mac (yet usually Mac-affiliated) was guided by a gutsier guitar sound than Buckingham ever provided (hello, Waddy Wachtel) as well as denser arrangements (more often than not from a mix of Heartbreakers and E-Streeters), all while pushing and prodding the limits of her scratchy, plumed contralto and her youthfully sensualized lyrics. Thinking of the raspy vocal totality of her solo work as an often-sexualized, but not-too-merry mix of leather and lace scented by patchouli and speckled by emeralds, this first-ever all-oeuvre study of Nicks’ music—including 2014’s 24 Karat Gold: Songs From the Vault, a newly recorded old-song comp, and this box’s centerpiece, Rarities—is mystical (of course), fragrant, and funky in a flashy boho fashion.

While hints of a new-wave Janis Joplin top the earliest and most wearily and ruminatively romantic of Nicks’ solo albums (Bella Donna, 1983’s The Wild Heart) and songs such as “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” the older Nicks gets, the more she yearns to swing (1985’s Rock a Little, ’89’s The Other Side of the Mirror) and find greater weightlessness in her lyrics. Although the oddly glossy, synth-tech Rock a Little is much better than I remember it, with the dusky, even daring likes of “The Nightmare” and “No Spoken Word” competing with a sprightly dance vibe (“I Can’t Wait”), follow-ups such as Mirror (a great soap opera title, but not a great-sounding album) and 1994’s Street Angel were heavy-handed, dull, and filled with floral refrigerator-magnet poetry. 

Luckily, Nicks’ welcome to the 21st century, 2001’s Trouble in Shangri-La, finds her spacey spiritualism and raw, silken rasp in full fettle, and her melodies at their mod-pop best as she touches on hippie-ish outlaw country with The Chicks’ Natalie Maine (“Too Far From Texas”), intense tenderness (“Love Changes”), and meaningful mysticism (“Bombay Sapphires” and “Sorcerer”). And yes, this album also comes across as way better than I remember it. Nicks’ work—no matter whether it’s 40 years old or from 2011’s Mac-sounding In Your Dreams—ages like fine wine no matter what the vintage.

While the overlooked new-old music of her David A. Stewart–produced 24 Karat Gold collection gets a shimmering revisionist look-see here (it’s shockingly great hearing Nicks finish thoughts she only barely started), the Rarities collection pulls off its own surprises: from the swaying R&B of “Love’s a Hard Game to Play,” to the lost 1985 B-side cruncher “One More Big Time Rock and Roll Star,” to her most recently recorded track, the immensely soulful 2022 cover of Buffalo Springfield’s classic “For What It’s Worth.” For what it’s worth (and the price isn’t cheap for the 16-LP vinyl box), Stevie Nicks’ back pages are most desirable at twice the price.

FLEETWOOD MAC RUMOURS LIVE AVAILABLE SEPT 8

FLEETWOOD MAC RUMOURS LIVE

(2-CD OR 2-LP)

RELEASE DATE SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

Order CD or VINYL at Rhino.com

Rumours Live Vinyl | Rumours Live CD

REVIEWS

Fleetwood Mac was at the top of its game in August 1977 when the band returned to its adopted home in Southern California to play three shows at The Forum in Los Angeles. Rumours had only been out a few weeks when the band left in February to tour the world, returning six months later to play three shows at The Forum for nearly 50,000 fans.

Rumours was the #1 album in America and well on its way to becoming one of the most successful ever released. Rumours eventually sold more than 40 million copies worldwide and has just been certified 21x platinum in the U.S. The record has also been certified 14x Platinum in the U.K., and 13x Platinum in Australia and New Zealand, all countries where the album reached #1.

RUMOURS LIVE captures the energy and excitement of the band’s opening night at The Forum on August 29, 1977. The nearly 90-minute performance includes live versions of most of the songs from Rumours and Fleetwood Mac, the group’s first multi-platinum #1 album, which came out in 1975.

The concert remained unreleased for decades until 2021, when “Gold Dust Woman” from the show was included as a bonus track on Live: Deluxe Edition, Rhino’s expanded version of Fleetwood Mac’s 1980 concert album. The other 17 songs on the collection have never been released before.

RUMOURS LIVE will be available on September 8 as 2-CD and 2-LP sets. The black-vinyl version has two 180-gram records in a gatefold jacket with lacquers cut by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering. Pre-order HERE. Also, a crystal clear-vinyl version of RUMOURS LIVE will be released the same day exclusively at Walmart.

The music will be available from digital and streaming platforms. Unreleased live version of “DREAMS” from RUMOURS LIVE is available now on all digitally platforms.

The concert’s setlist draws almost exclusively from Fleetwood Mac and Rumours, the first two albums recorded by the band’s latest incarnation: Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, and Christine McVie, and the newest members, Stevie Nicks, and Lindsey Buckingham. The lone nod to Fleetwood Mac’s other nine studio albums is a performance of “Oh Well,” a rock-guitar masterpiece originally released in 1969 and written by the band’s founder, guitarist Peter Green.

Engineer Ken Caillat, who helped record Rumours, also recorded the concert at The Forum using the Record Plant’s mobile recording truck. He captured the band’s impassioned performance at a moment of peak Rumours frenzy, including powerful versions of “Landslide,” “Never Going Back Again,” “Songbird,” and “The Chain.”

In the liner notes from RUMOURS LIVE, Sam Graham observes: “The songs are familiar: ‘Dreams,’ ‘Go Your Own Way,’ ‘Say You Love Me,’ ‘Over My Head,’ and on and on. But most of these live versions are more muscular, more ferocious, than the album recordings, driven by the powerhouse Fleetwood-John McVie rhythm section and Buckingham’s febrile guitar playing; and instead of a rote recital of the hits, the group stretches out in concert, as songs like ‘Rhiannon,’ ‘World Turning,’ and ‘I’m So Afraid’ blossom into exuberant tours de force onstage.

Order the CD | Order the Vinyl

RUMOURS LIVE 2-LP Track Listing

LP One

Side One

1.    “Say You Love Me”

2.    “Monday Morning”

3.    “Dreams”

4.    “Oh Well”

5.    “Rhiannon”

Side Two

1.    “Oh Daddy”

2.    “Never Going Back Again”

3.    “Landslide”

4.    “Over My Head”

5.    “Gold Dust Woman”

LP Two

Side One

1.    “You Make Loving Fun”

2.    “I’m So Afraid”

3.    “Go Your Own Way”

4.    “World Turning”

Side Two

1.    “Blue Letter”

2.    “The Chain”

3.    “Second Hand News”

4.    “Songbird”

Mick Fleetwood and ‘Ukulele Virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro honor Christine McVie

Mick Fleetwood and ‘Ukulele Virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro honor Christine McVie on the late Fleetwood Mac Singer’s Birthday with a touching instrumental version of “Songbird”

The release of “Songbird” was years in the making. Fleetwood and Shimabukuro, who both live in Hawaii, have been eager to collaborate for over a decade. When the opportunity finally arose this spring to record some music at Fleetwood’s studio in Maui, it was Shimabukuro who suggested they record “Songbird.” Fleetwood recalls, “We cut it in April, and it turned out beautifully, but there was no plan yet to release it. But when I heard about Christine’s upcoming birthday, it felt like the right time to share this as a tribute to all the lovely music she created, both on her own and with Fleetwood Mac.”

“Songbird” holds a special place in the hearts of Fleetwood Mac fans around the world, and McVie’s impassioned vocals have made it an enduring classic since its debut on Rumours in 1977. That’s why Fleetwood says he was initially cautious about reinterpreting such a cherished song. “When something is that well known, it becomes hallowed ground to a certain extent. But when we did it, I remember there was a hush when we listened back, and we felt that we had touched on something.” At that moment, Fleetwood says, he felt McVie’s presence in a powerful way.

In his heartfelt dedication at the end of the instrumental, Fleetwood adapts a lyric from McVie’s original. He says, “As the songbird sings, now from the heavens, to you Christine, I wish you all the love in the world. But, most of all, I wish it from myself.”

Surprisingly, “Songbird” wasn’t the only Fleetwood Mac song inspiring them in the studio. The drummer reveals that the track’s soft, insistent rhythm was influenced by another instrumental piece, “Albatross.” Written by the band’s founder and guitarist Peter Green, the song topped the U.K. charts in 1969. Fleetwood describes the songs as musical siblings. “They’re as simple as can be, but Peter Green always used to say, less is more.”

Listen here: cmv.lnk.to/SongbirdMJ

Remastered Christine McVie Albums Set For November, 2023 Release

 

Rhino is celebrating Christine McVie today (Wed, July 12th) on what would have been the beloved singer-songwriter’s 80th birthday. While she has been deeply missed since her death last November, the music she made, both with Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist, continues to resonate with fans worldwide. In honor of McVie’s enduring legacy, Rhino is introducing new music and announcing plans to release remastered versions of her final two solo albums this fall.

Two new releases are available now with the first being a new Dolby Atmos and stereo mix of In The Meantime created by McVie’s nephew Dan Perfect, who helped write and produce the original in 2004. The collection also includes “Little Darlin’,” a previously unreleased gem unearthed from those recording sessions. The other release is by Mick Fleetwood, the legendary drummer and co-founder of Fleetwood Mac, who pays tribute to his bandmate with a touching new instrumental version of “Songbird” featuring ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro.

Later this year, McVie’s work as a solo artist will get its due when Rhino reissues two of her albums on November 3rd. Christine McVie will be released on CD and LP. Also, a cola-bottle clear vinyl version will be available exclusively from Barnes & Noble. On the same day, In The Meantime will be released on CD and as a 2 LP set featuring a “songbird” etching on the final side.

IN THE MEAN TIME (Newly Remastered)

Pre-order the CD | Pre-order the Vinyl

CHRISTINE MCVIE (Newly Remastered)

Pre-order The CD | Pre-order the Vinyl

Unavailable on vinyl since its original release nearly 40 years ago

McVie’s solo journey began in 1970 with her debut, Christine Perfect, her maiden name. Soon after its release, she put her solo career on hold when she joined Fleetwood Mac as a full-time member. For the next 14 years, she wrote some of the band’s biggest hits (“Don’t Stop” and “You Make Loving Fun”) before releasing her second solo album Christine McVie in 1984. The album peaked at No. 26 on the Billboard 200, spending 23 weeks on the chart. The record produced two Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, “Got A Hold On Me” at No. 10 and “Love Will Show Us How” at No. 30. Notably, the album has been unavailable on vinyl since its original release nearly 40 years ago.

Although McVie semi-retired from Fleetwood Mac and public life in 1998, she continued to write music. In 2004, she returned with her third and final solo album, In The Meantime. McVie produced the album with her nephew, Dan Perfect. The album was remastered and remixed for the upcoming release, including the previously unreleased outtake, “Little Darlin’.” In The Meantime has never been available on vinyl until now.

McVie was involved in the creation of the new Atmos mixes for In The Meantime before she passed away last year. In the liner notes, Dan Perfect writes: “When my aunt Christine McVie died unexpectedly last year, plans were already afoot for the re-release of this solo album, which is perhaps her most personal and intimate project. Chris and I had been working for some time on remixing the original tracks in Dolby Atmos, and Chris was excited and intrigued by this process, which was bringing fresh life and contemporaneity to the songs… I dearly wish that she could have lived to see this re-release as she would have been delighted.”

The digital remastered version of "In The Meantime" is available now on streaming platforms.

The Tracklist for "In The Meantime" contains one extra track titled "Little Darlin'" which was titled "Come Out To Play" back in 2004 when it was released in Australia and on iTunes as a bonus. 

In The Meantime Tracklist

1 Friend (2023 Remaster)

2 You Are (2023 Remaster)

3 Northern Star (2023 Remaster)

4 Bad Journey (2023 Remaster)

5 Anything is Possible (2023 Remaster)

6 Calumny (2023 Remaster)

7 So Sincere (2023 Remaster)

8 Easy Come, Easy Go (2023 Remaster)

9 Liar (2023 Remaster)

10 Sweet Revenge (2023 Remaster)

11 Forgiveness (2023 Remaster)

12 Givin' It Back (2023 Remaster)

13 Little Darlin' (2023 Remaster)

Stevie Nicks Chicago Review "Finding beauty in the struggle and a voice amid heartbreak"

Stevie Nicks takes Chicago down memory lane in heartfelt United Center show - June 23, 2023

By  Selena Fragassi 

Photo: Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere

Chicago Sun Times

As much as she is a gifted songwriter, Nicks is also a great storyteller and had several yarns to spin with the crowd, including how her parents moved to Chicago while she was still enrolled at San Jose State University. It was the first move she didn’t make with her nomadic parents and fatefully led to her start in music.

Finding beauty in the struggle and a voice amid heartbreak has always been the cornerstone of Stevie Nicks’ unending talent. Her gift takes on even new weight in 2023, as the prolific singer-songwriter tours while mourning the loss of her “best friend” and Fleetwood Mac cohort Christine McVie who passed away unexpectedly last November.

“Someday I’ll talk to you about what it’s like to lose Christine. … I can’t do it yet, but maybe someday over a glass of wine,” Nicks said, her voice cracking with emotion as she wrapped up her moving headlining performance at United Center Friday night.

Nicks and her talented eight-part backing ensemble — led by the incredible guitarist/music director Waddy Wachtel — did so with a solemn salute of “Landslide,” one of the biggest and most poignant songs Nicks wrote for Fleetwood Mac in 1975. A confessional for navigating the way forward as life changes, it’s a message that takes on even more gravitas now.

Moving “Landslide” to the end and dedicating it to McVie, complete with a black-and-white photo montage of the two that played across the video screens, was one of the marked differences in Nicks’ latest 2-hour, 17-song set that otherwise largely mirrored her show under the stars at Ravinia last September. 

Even so, the emotional pull felt different nine months later. The celebration of seeing Nicks live was buffered by the thought that Fleetwood Mac is likely wrapped up, while a large part of Friday night also felt like a séance for the giant ghosts of music past, with Nicks as the audience medium. It added to the ongoing sense of urgency to see the legends while we still can (and no doubt led to a near-capacity crowd at the UC). 

There was a Prince tribute during the “white-winged dove” of “Edge of Seventeen” as well as Nicks’ ongoing tributes to late friend Tom Petty. In addition to a heartfelt serenade of “Free Fallin’,” Nicks dug out her 1981 duet with the Heartbreakers frontman, the ever-catchy “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around.” She prefaced it by recalling what a timely gift it was from Petty, as her record label scrambled to find a single to help explode her debut solo album “Bella Donna.” 

That LP was much of the focus of the night, with 75-year-old Nicks sounding as pristine as ever and celebrating by donning the original shawl “cape” she wore during the “Bella Donna” promo shots and videos (and the one she originally wore for “Gold Dust Woman”). It was her only costume change of the night, met with uproarious applause as she did little twirls around the stage.

As much as she is a gifted songwriter, Nicks is also a great storyteller and had several yarns to spin with the crowd, including how her parents moved to Chicago while she was still enrolled at San Jose State University. She noted it was the first move she didn’t make with her nomadic parents and fatefully led to her start in music. “It’s a good thing I didn’t change my mind,” Nicks joked.

Later, she covered Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth,” talking about Stephen Stills writing it in homage to the Sunset Strip curfew riots in the ‘60s.

“This song has traveled all the way from 1966 to 2023 and still makes a statement,” Nicks said, sharing that had she been old enough and in L.A. at the time, she would have participated in the demonstrations. 

Her hippie heart continued to shine with a moving delivery of “Soldier’s Angel,” from her 2011 album “In Your Dreams.” Originally written after Nicks visited American soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in the early 2000s, on this tour it’s being revisited as a tribute to the people of Ukraine.

“I stand for democracy, I stand for freedom, I stand for Ukraine,” Nicks shared, reading a speech from a teleprompter in order to not mince words. The number ended with blue and yellow flashing lights on the video screens and a QR code that audience members could scan to donate to the UN’s crisis relief fund.

Finding throughlines of past and present and adapting archive songs to modern context is the true mark of a legacy artist, and the practice is just one part of what makes Nicks so alluring and worshipped by multi-generations, even though it’s been nearly 10 years since she released a new album. Droves of fans came bedecked in flower crowns and their best witchy wear, some with binoculars to get a closer look at the woman who has inspired a whole new legion of singer-songwriters (see her close relationships with Taylor Swift and Haim, and even Riley Keough’s eponymous lead character from “Daisy Jones.”

And she’s clearly not done yet, promising to see everyone “next time.”

Nicks’ tour continues through 2024 coupled with co-headlining dates with Billy Joel.

SET LIST

• Outside the Rain
• Dreams (Fleetwood Mac)
• If Anyone Falls
• Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around
• Fall From Grace
• For What It’s Worth (Buffalo Springfield)
• Gypsy (Fleetwood Mac)
• Wild Heart
• Bella Donna
• Stand Back
• Soldier’s Angel
• Gold Dust Woman (Fleetwood Mac)
• I Sing for the Things
• Edge of Seventeen
• Free Fallin’ (Tom Petty) 
• Rhiannon (Fleetwood Mac)
• Landslide (Fleetwood Mac) 

Chicago Review Onstage, Stevie Nicks remains an original: a free-spirited blend of siren, gypsy, canyon queen and enchanted sorceress.

Review: Stevie Nicks’ musical legacy was in the room with her at the United Center on June 23, 2023

By Bob Gendron

Chicago Tribune

In the waning moments of her concert Friday at a rafters-packed United Center, Stevie Nicks sang about getting older. She echoed the sentiments in back-to-back lines of “Landslide,” a classic she has performed across six decades.

Yet as black-and-white pictures of Christine McVie — Nicks’ longtime Fleetwood Mac cohort and best friend who died last November — flashed on a curved projection screen behind her, the words took on added weight. Nicks, recognizing how circumstance forever changed the lyrical meaning, struck a decidedly submissive and reverent tone. The interpretive shift and photos of McVie weren’t the only reminders of time’s finite qualities during the 110-minute set.

Now 75, Nicks is in the victory-lap stretch of her long career. This July, she’ll be feted with a career-spanning box set documenting her solo work. The release (by Rhino) coincides with her current tour on which she’s appearing with Billy Joel for select stadium dates. These profile boosts follow a 2022 summer-fall trek that brought her to Ravinia, and her 2019 feat of becoming the first woman to be twice inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

The attention showered on Nicks in the past decade-plus seems overdue. Despite her distinguished role in Fleetwood Mac, she often stood in the shadows of male colleagues and dealt with the double standards of a chauvinistic era. Though her situation paralleled those faced by many female artists who traded in rock ‘n’ roll during the ‘70s and ‘80s, Nicks’ songwriting acumen, unique voice and inner strength helped transform her into an icon embraced by subsequent generations.

Her wide-ranging impact could be seen throughout the United Center crowd, which skewed younger — median age falling between late 30s and early 40s — than at most shows by baby boomers. Celebrating the singer’s trademark fashions, some fans arrived adorned in frilly jackets, wide-brimmed hats or chiffon shawls.

Dressed in black, Nicks wore a few signature accessories of her own. When performing “Bella Donna,” she modeled the original cape she was pictured wearing on the back cover of that title track’s 1981 LP and proudly boasted about its pristine condition. The old cape used for her 1983 synth-heavy single “Stand Back” also emerged but didn’t merit the same royal treatment. After noting its holes and repairs, Nicks tossed the garment aside like a dirty T-shirt ready for the laundry. It’s unclear if she realized the humor of her actions.

Amicable and sincere, Nicks appeared to dwell in her own universe. She came across less as a famous rock star and more as an eager storyteller. Talking a mile a minute, Nicks framed a majority of songs with introductions or outros. Her combination of personal histories and frank disclosures supplied context and color — not to mention trivia fodder. A prime example: Who knew she penned “Gold Dust Woman” after passing a street named Gold Dust Lane?

Nicks’ candor applied to matters lighthearted (the need for an album to have a hit single in order to get attention in the ‘80s; her tendency to go off on a tangent) and serious. In terms of the latter, after the final acoustic passages of the closing “Landslide” faded and the music stopped, she admitted she will one day discuss what it feels like to lose McVie. Nicks isn’t ready yet.

The singer also addressed her collaborative experience with Tom Petty, increased the heat on a rendition of their 1981 duet “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” and paid the late artist tribute with a well-meaning albeit flat cover of “Free Fallin’.” Another bygone great, Prince, received his due in the form of his picture being displayed during two songs. Nicks also punctuated the end of an invigorating version of “Edge of Seventeen” with a lyric from Prince’s “When Doves Cry.”

Backed by an ace band anchored by veteran guitarist Waddy Wachtel and drummer Drew Hester, Nicks sang with a sharpness that projected above the eight-piece support group. Her range is considerably lower from that of her heyday and proved most convincing on upbeat fare. Occasionally, Nicks’ voice betrayed her, turning pinched and nasally on upper-register passages. Two backing vocalists assisted with highs, choruses and extended notes.

Onstage, Nicks remains an original: a free-spirited blend of siren, gypsy, canyon queen and enchanted sorceress. With the longest strands of her hair nearly reaching her waist, and a mix of beads and ribbons lining her angled microphone stand, she gave the mysticism and dreams in her narratives visual reference points. Those extended to Nicks’ theatrical movements — outstretched arms, palms-up gestures, cape clutches, slow twirls, forward bends, head-in-hands signals, grandiose bows. For the finale of an epic “Gold Dust Woman,” she stood in front of an amplifier and worshipped distortion.

Though Nicks and company played just one song released in the last two decades, the present revealed itself in other ways. The collective’s folk-blues reading of Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth” invoked themes of division, confrontation and paranoia fracturing the American landscape. “Fall From Grace” burned with an intensity that mirrored the courage, independence and outspokenness of a crop of younger, modern artists Nicks inspired.

Nothing, however, resonated with as much relevance as “Soldier’s Angel.” Concerned she might lose focus, Nicks read her explanation of the 2011 tune from a Teleprompter and apologized for doing so. Played as devastating images from the Russian invasion of Ukraine provided the backdrop, the song sounded a clarion call for righteousness, justice and democracy before concluding with an image of the Ukrainian flag.

The answer to the question Nicks has asked in another, more renowned song for decades — “Do you know how to pick up the pieces and go home?” — seldom seemed so uncertain or necessary.

Toronto Review An inspiring performance that proved once again why Stevie Nicks will always be their “Bella Donna

Review: Stevie Nicks wows Toronto in four-star show

June 20, 2023 at the Scotiabank Arena, Toronto

By Nick Krewen

Toronto Star

Heartfelt tributes to fallen comrades.

Photo: Mystical Amanda

If there was a memorable arc to Stevie Nicks’ overall performance during her two-hour concert at Scotiabank Arena Tuesday night, it was the respect and love she accorded a couple of her artist friends who are no longer with us.

The first one was a bit of surprise in terms of the amount of devotion she offered: Tom Petty, who unexpectedly left this mortal coil in 2017. Nicks referenced Petty several times throughout the evening: first through his recording of “Runnin’ Down a Dream” that blared over the speakers as Nicks and her eight-piece band took to the stage.

Then, four songs in, Nicks told a story of how Petty had “saved” the album “Bella Donna” from becoming “a flop” — as her then-boyfriend-producer Jimmy Iovine told her — by not only providing the hit “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” but volunteering to duet with her on it.

And, to complete the homage, for her first encore, Nicks and crew performed “Free Fallin’,” Petty’s hit from what was arguably his best album, “Full Moon Fever” in 1989.

But the most poignant moment occurred during the evening’s finale, as Nicks — doubly blessed as a solo artist and as a charter member of the most popular version of Fleetwood Mac — performed a tender, acoustic rendition of “Landslide” as candid images of her and the late Christine McVie flashed on a big screen above the singer and her accompanists. McVie, also a Fleetwood Mac legend, died last November at 79.

These acknowledgments, while emotive, are not to suggest that the Nicks concert presented to an estimated 15,000 devotees was anything but celebratory. All of her fans had a blast.

At 75, Nicks’ distinctive husky alto still delivers the goods. Dressed in a black top, chiffon skirt, leggings and boots, with her waist-length blond hair cascading over her shoulders, the only notable concession to maybe feeling a little older was that the twirling and pirouettes of earlier performances are no longer part of her physical repertoire.

Not that it mattered to her flock: Nicks has always commanded a blind adoration with her bohemian ways, from her philosophically romantic poetry to her distinctive sense of fashion.

Judging by the number of Stevie look-a-likes of all ages who came dressed in honour of their idol, that impact remains multi-generational.

Following a poised and well-received solo set from Tenille Townes of Grand Prairie, Alta. — her blazing cover of “At Last” and her original “Somebody’s Daughter,” among others, won a warm ovation — their heroine Nicks could do no wrong as she dipped into her solo catalogue and that of Fleetwood Mac. The crowd was rewarded almost immediately as the opener “Bella Donna” melted into “Dreams,” the first of five group numbers included in the 17-song setlist.

It was clear from the fact that Nicks introduced practically every song with a little story that she considers herself a songwriter first.

In discussing the inspiration behind “Gypsy,” she told the audience how the virtually overnight transition from waitress and cleaning lady to Fleetwood Mac star “weirded me out,” to the point where she instigated a ritual to ground herself.

“So whenever that would happen, I would take my mattress off of my bed frame, put it on the floor, and then I would just sit down on this bed and I would say, ‘I am still Stevie.’”

Another tale focused on politics and world concern, as she dedicated a song from her album “In Your Dreams” to embattled Ukraine.

“I wrote this song for returning American soldiers that I visited at Walter Reed hospital. When the attacks on Ukraine began, I thought these words became their words and I brought the song back. In my opinion, Ukraine is fighting for all of us. I stand for democracy. I stand for freedom. I stand for Ukraine. No surrender! This is ‘Soldier’s Angel.’”

Whether it was matters of the world or matters of the heart, Nicks and her crackerjack band — including guitarist Waddy Wachtel and keyboardist Darrell Smith — offered flawless executions of her material, with some live versions transcending their recorded originals.

One of the more amazing workouts was “Gold Dust Woman.” With Wachtel offering a splendid solo and Drew Hester hammering it out on the drums, the momentum between the five jamming instrumentalists kept building until the song exploded into an exciting climax.

The same feverish effect happened with “Edge of Seventeen”: Wachtel began with a gritty, electrifying solo that eventually morphed into the recognizable opening riffs of the tune, bringing the cheering crowd to their feet. Nicks and her backing singers Sharon Celani and Marilyn Martin then prodded each other to sing more powerfully, and the overall result was an adrenalin high for both artist and audience, one of the show’s many highlights.

An exultant “Stand Back” and a vigorous “Rhiannon” also made their way into the Stevie Nicks highlight reel — and the singer and songwriter seemed moved enough to promise there would be at least one more visit in the not-too-distant future.

“Thank you everybody, you have been an awesome audience from the very beginning,” said Nicks. “You mean so much to me. You know, I’m 75 years old. And I stand for a lot of things, as you know, but one thing, for all you women out there … if I can do this at 75 years old, you can do anything.

“Join a basketball team! Take flying lessons. So, with that little proverb from Stevie, I loved being here and I love the fact that you shared your home here with me, and we’ll be back to see you and you’re so awesome, we have to come back here and redo this, at least one more time. Thank you!”

The gratitude was palpable on both counts: an entertainer appreciative of an audience that has unquestioningly embraced her for going on 50 years and a crowd who received an inspiring performance that proved once again why Stevie Nicks will always be their “Bella Donna.”

You just know she’s going to make good on her word just for them.

Philadelphia Review Stevie Nicks’ singing was on another level and her banter was fun and bubbly

A stadium-sized singalong with Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks at The Linc

Two songwriting legends gave stellar performances in Philly on Friday, June 16, 2023.

Photo: nikkejones85 on Instagram

By Maureen Walsh and John Vettese

xpn.org

It’s easy to understand why a double-header of pop songwriting icons Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks drew a capacity crowd to Lincoln Financial Field on Friday night. Both artists have been active since the late 60s; both are behind an array of hit songs stretching into the 90s, and their popularity extends to present day, with a strong cross-generational appeal. The Philadelphia crowd was made up of life-long fans who probably first heard both artists on WIOQ 40 years ago; younger fans experiencing Nicks and Joel for the first time; and the crossover of parents in collective rapture with their children. And for the performers’ part, both artists sounded stellar, were backed by exemplary bands, played a robust mix of hits and deep cuts, and put their lively personalities on full display.

Nicks opened her set with “Outside the Rain” — appropriate given the thunderstorm forecast and tornado warnings we spent all day monitoring on our Accuweather apps — followed by its sister song “Dreams.” The crowd was pleasantly surprised by the Fleetwood Mac classic turned Tik Tok sensation appearing so early in the set, but that was not the only surprise. We soon were regaled with tourmate Billy Joel’s presence on “Stop Dragging My Heart Around;” he took the stage in a party mask, singing Tom Petty’s verse before revealing his face for the chorus. Nicks’ set continued with even more unexpected moments. There were deep cuts such as “If Anyone Falls,” and Rock A Little‘s “I Sing For the Things,” a song Nicks is playing live for the first time on this tour. She also sang a few covers, the highlight being a heartfelt and powerful cover “Free Fallin'” looking up to the sky and her old friend Petty towards the end.

Nicks couldn’t leave out the hits, of course. “Landslide,” was gorgeous, “Edge of Seventeen,” was explosive with smoking solos courtesy of longtime guitarist Waddy Wachtel.  “Stand Back,” was taken to the stratosphere thanks to backing vocals by Sharon Celani and Marilyn Martin, and an epic jam on “Gold Dust Woman” was a set centerpiece, with intentionally disorienting camerawork on the big screens adding to the song’s psychedelic feeling.

Nicks’ singing was on another level and her banter was fun and bubbly, talking issues with men and offering life lessons about staying true to yourself. She donned a different shawl for nearly every song, including the very one she wore on the back cover of her solo debut Bella Donna. It was a memorable set of music and her and her band left the crowd wanting more even after her encore.

Billy Joel pays tribute to Tina Turner, Stevie Nicks enchants at co-headlining concert

Melissa Ruggieri

USA TODAY

As with recent performances, Nicks took the stage at sunset for about an hour and 45 minutes and Joel closed the night with two hours of radio fodder and fan favorites (hi, “Captain Jack”).

Though no one expects – or wants – any drastic deviations from their adroitly crafted setlists, a couple of spotlight moments emerged.

Joel, 74, offered Tom Petty-esque vocals to counter Nicks, 75, on “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” (it wasn’t the tidiest of duets as Joel missed his cue to start singing and then his microphone blanked for several seconds). And during Joel’s percussive “River of Dreams,” he and his exemplary band swung into Tina Turner's “River Deep, Mountain High,” with the multifaceted Crystal Taliefero belting and brass masters Mark Rivera and Carl Fischer coating the tribute with spiky horns.

Stevie Nicks conjures spirits, expels emotions

Nicks, looking resplendent in layers of black, her crimped blond hair flowing halfway down her back, offered her comforting warble on both solo and Fleetwood Mac treasures.

The overlooked “If Anyone Falls” paired with “Gypsy,” allowing Nicks’ two backup singers to add plushness to the choruses.

Nicks’ songs are as layered as her chiffon skirts, their melody and meaning requiring hours of dissection. The poetry in the title tracks of her early solo releases, “Bella Donna” (1981) and “The Wild Heart” (1983), coupled with the galloping beat powering “Stand Back” and urgent guitar riffing in “Edge of Seventeen” reminded of Nicks’ unique song styling.

Her hand-fluttering bows and dramatic dips, too, are all distinctively Stevie.

Nicks is also always expelling emotion, whether playing air drums and conjuring the spirits during the ominously thumping “Gold Dust Woman” or quietly singing the pensive rumination on aging, “Landslide.” During that final song, photos of Nicks and her beloved bandmate, the late Christine McVie, scrolled one of the three screens looming above the stage, making an already wistful moment heartbreaking.

Nicks felt it, too, as she stammered at song’s end, “Can’t speak,” and blew the crowd a kiss before smiling and stating a simple, “Thank you.”

NEW RELEASE ANNOUNCED - STEVIE NICKS COMPLETE STUDIO ALBUMS & RARITIES

 STEVIE NICKS COMPLETE STUDIO ALBUMS & RARITIES 

RELEASE DATE: JULY 28, 2023

• Available as a 10CD boxed set 
• Available as a 16LP boxed set (limited and numbered to 3,000)
• Available on all digital platforms July 28, 2023

Pre-order at Rhino.com $99.98 CD | $299.98 LP (Rhino exclusive)

Pre-order at Amazon USA $99.98

Pre-order at Amazon Canada $150.70

The first promo single release "One More Big Time Rock and Roll Star" is available now on all streaming services. The second promo single released was "Thousand Days"

 

What's Inside:

 

• Bella Donna (1981)
• The Wild Heart (1983)
• Rock A Little (1985)
• The Other Side Of The Mirror (1989)
• Street Angel (1994)
• Trouble In Shangri-La (2001)
• In Your Dreams (2011)
• 24 Karat Gold: Songs From The Vault (2014)
• Stevie Nicks - Rarities (2023)

COMPLETE STUDIO ALBUMS & RARITIES combines all of Nicks’ solo studio albums in a new, career-spanning boxed set. It comes with eight albums: BELLA DONNA (1981), THE WILD HEART (1983), ROCK A LITTLE (1985), THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MIRROR (1989), STREET ANGEL (1994), TROUBLE IN SHANGRI-LA (2001), IN YOUR DREAMS (2011), and 24 KARAT GOLD: SONGS FROM THE VAULT (2014). The collection also features RARITIES, a new compilation of hard-to-find tracks only available with the set. Several albums were newly remastered from the analog masters for this release, including ROCK A LITTLE, THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MIRROR, STREET ANGEL, and TROUBLE IN SHANGRI-LA.

COMPLETE STUDIO ALBUMS & RARITIES follows Nicks’ musical journey across four decades and features her Top 10 hits, “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” (with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers), “Leather And Lace” (with Don Henley), “Stand Back,” and “Talk To Me.” Other essential hits include “Edge Of Seventeen,” “If Anyone Falls,” “I Can’t Wait,” and “Rooms On Fire.” 

The Vinyl Boxed Set

Limited and numbered to just 3,000, several albums in the collection are making their vinyl debut, including STREET ANGEL, TROUBLE IN SHANGRI-LA, and IN YOUR DREAMS. All three – plus THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MIRROR and 24 KARAT GOLD: SONGS FROM THE VAULT – will be released as double LPs housed in gatefold sleeves. The new RARITIES collection comes as a 3-LP set in a tri-fold sleeve.

RARITIES collects 23 of Nicks’ best non-album tracks, including numerous contributions to film and television soundtracks like “Blue Lamp” from Heavy Metal and “Free Fallin’” from Party of Five. Several B-sides are featured in the set, including “One More Big Time Rock And Roll Star,” the flipside to her 1985 hit, “Talk To Me.” A trio of songs originally released on Nicks’ 1991 hits collection TIMESPACE also appear, including “Love’s A Hard Game To Play.” RARITIES closes with Nicks’ most recent release, her 2022 cover of Buffalo Springfield’s classic “For What It’s Worth.”.

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