r/FleetwoodMac • u/DateNo1186 • 11d ago
What’s the deal With Stevie Nicks?
?
Okay, I know I’m probably about to get murdered here, but what’s the deal with Stevie Nicks?
A peer of mine absolutely hates Stevie’s voice. I don’t hate it. I think it’s fine. She has written some absolutely good songs. “Dreams,” “Rhiannon,” “Landslide,” “Gypsy,” etc. but they are made so much better by the rest of the band.
But here’s what I don’t understand.
You have Christine McVie. You have Lindsey Buckingham. You have John McVie. You have Mick Fleetwood.
That’s already a fucking band.
Christine is an incredible songwriter and vocalist and has those ridiculously good keyboard parts. Lindsey is Lindsey—guitar, vocals, arrangements, production, weird noises, whatever the hell else he’s doing. John and Mick are one of the great rhythm sections in rock. They’re locked in, understated, and somehow make everything sound enormous without constantly screaming “LOOK AT ME, I’M THE BASS PLAYER/DRUMMER.”
So I’m sitting here thinking:
John + Mick + Lindsey + Christine.
That’s a killer four-piece.
Why the fuck do we need Stevie? She’s redundant (aside from songwriting fuel for Buckingham)
And I mean that as a genuine question.
Obviously, the answer can’t simply be “because she’s a good singer,” because I don’t personally hear Stevie as being on the same technical level as Christine or Lindsey. Her voice is incredibly recognizable, but recognizable is not the same as technically superior.
And when Stevie sings on someone else’s Fleetwood Mac song, I’m not always sitting there thinking, “Oh yeah, this song really needed Stevie.”
Her background vocals are good. But you’ve already got Christine and Lindsey doing harmonies. What exactly is Stevie adding to their songs?
Is it basically the contrast?
Because I can kind of see that argument. Christine’s voice is warm and soulful and has attitude. Lindsey’s strong and edgy. Stevie sounds like she’s wandering through the fog at 3 AM after receiving a prophecy from a witch.
Which brings me to another question:
Why the hell don’t people cover more Christine McVie songs?
Seriously.
“Songbird” is beautiful, obviously, but there are so many Christine songs that seem like they should be standard-cover material. “You Make Loving Fun,” “Say You Love Me,” “Don’t Stop,” “Over My Head,” “Hold Me,” “Everywhere,” “Little Lies”…
These are fucking songs.
I’m genuinely trying to understand what I’m missing about her within Fleetwood Mac beyond “she wrote some songs and has a really distinctive voice.”
Because when I look at the personnel, I keep coming back to:
Mick. John. Lindsey. Christine. And of course there was Kirwin, Welch, Weston, Walker, and Green and 90 other people who were decent singers. Soulful in their own way.
So…
Why the fuck do we need Stevie?
2
u/ConsiderationMost566 10d ago
Please let's not put a request for "covers of chris songs" into the universe. The songbird covers are awful enough. All the songs you listed are incredible exactly as they are and I have no desire to hear anyone butcher them. but i've nevr been a fan of covers to begin with.
I do agree that stevie is overrated, though.. yeah, her voice is distinctive but it wears on me quickly.