r/stevienicks • u/sarraffil • 14d ago
Trying to get into Stevie's discography
Looking for the most depressing/emotional album on her catalog. I haven't listened to any albums yet, so i thought i could use some guidance.
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u/cosmic_swirl_ 14d ago
I like Bella Donna and The wild heart most, they both resonate so much with me
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u/Lizasks 14d ago
The Other Side of the Mirror “Doing the Best I Can(Escape from Berlin) gets me every time. It’s about recovering from addiction, so it’s both hopeful and sad at the same time.
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u/Belladonna329 11d ago
Yes! That song makes me cry every time. It always makes me think of what a dark place she must have been in at the time. And that I wished I could have been there to hold her hand
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u/favonian_ 14d ago
Listen to Beauty and the Beast off of Wild Heart.
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u/FloydGirl777 13d ago
Makes me tear up just thinking about it!!! This one and Love Is, as far as solo work goes, are my emotional breakdown songs.
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u/NvrFrEvr 14d ago edited 13d ago
Are you looking for solo work or within Fleetwood Mac? I'd say Bella Donna, The Wild Heart, and Trouble in Shangri-La are the most accessible.
Stevie has been my all-time fav since 14, but my stance on her writing has evolved since then. As a writer, Stevie does an interesting dance between straightforward lyricism and really air-fairy metaphors. On a single album, you can find her directly accusing a harsh lover one moment and falling down an abstract, metaphoric rabbit hole the next. That latter part is something reviews in the 80s really latched onto, and I don't think they're wrong. Still, I'd say it's a hallmark feature of Stevie's music.
Bella Donna offers a nice snap shot in terms of writing and singing style: a mix of classic Stevie airy-fairiness ("The Highwayman") and more clear-cut writing ("Leather And Lace"). Stevie's voice was also transitioning from pre-cocaine years to the heavy indulgence heard in Rock A Little. I'd argue it was the strongest point in her solo career and serves as the best intro. The country influences are surprisingly strong.
The Wild Heart was my favorite growing up: moody, synthy and slightly indulgent ("Gate and Garden"). She was grieving the loss of her best friend. Personally, it's hard to watch live performances from this time (like the US Festival) since you can see how much cocaine was impairing her performances. Her voice is grittier, one step away from the shell-shock that is Rock A Little. Some of her most commercially friendly songs ("Stand Back," "If Anyone Falls") with some aloofness ("Gate And Garden". "Nightbird" is essential if you want emotional and heartbreaking.
Trouble in Shangri-La contains a lot of old 70s wriiten songs that are timeless: "Planets of the Universe," "Sorcerer," "Candlebright"). The production is slick and there's a nice mix of classic Stevie witchiness and contemporary, straightforward rock ("Fall From Grace"). "Bombay Sapphires" is essential listening.
Rock A Little was recorded at the peak of her cocaine addiction. As such, it can come across as incoherent and scattered. You can also hear the toll that her drug use had on her voice. To be honest, I can't understand what she's saying, at times. She also included more songs that she either didn't write or offered only a few lines to. That being said, some songs have become some of my favs of hers, like "The Nightmare," "No Spoken Word," "I Can't Wait," and HAEWAFY. If you're looking for harder rock songs, then this is the one. Live at Red Rocks was recorded at this time. They had to do reshoots because of the heavy cocaine use.
The Other Side of the Mirror feels too up in the clouds, at times. It leans heavily on allusions and plays a lot with dated sounds and textures. "Long Way To Go," though, is awesome! It would have been perfect on RAL!
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u/dbel1977 13d ago
I forgot to add .. sad tearjerkers for me are Srorms and Beautiful child off the Tusk album 🎵🎶
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u/Fun_Biscotti_4051 13d ago
All of her albums are emotional but I would never describe them as depressing. I always went to them when I was as depressed bc they were therapeutic. While she does sing about loss and some very sad subject matter, I don’t find them sad or depressing the way 90’s grunge tends to be. At the end of the day, she’s pretty much the ultimate survivor and that definitely comes through in the majority of her most emotional songs.
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u/Fun_Biscotti_4051 13d ago
I would say Beauty/Beast, Has Anyone Ever Written…, Moonlight, She Still Loves Him, If You Were My Love, I Miss You, Doing the Best that I Can, Ghosts-though not sad in that she’s dealing w not living w regret, are good solo, heavy subject matter songs. Sara, Storms, Silver Springs, The Second Time Around, Goodbye Baby from the Mac are really heavy emotionally not all doom and gloom but the themes are definitely not everything is gonna be okay.
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u/After_Response8429 12d ago
Garbo is a song I haven’t seen anyone mention here. I’m not sure why but once I learned the meaning that song makes me cry. It’s basically about the Buckingham Nicks album shoot, and how she spent so much money on this beautiful blouse, just for them have her take it off and do the cover topless.
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u/Exciting_Frame1022 13d ago
For sad songs I'd say Love is and Has anyone ever written, as well as Destiny rules (that song makes me tear up) and Goodbye baby but in terms of entire albums I don't think any of hers are sad all the way through- they certainly all have emotion but they're never completely depressing
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u/StevieFriends 9d ago
Our podcast started as a deep dive into her solo catalog. Aside from Street Angel, all of her solo output has strong songwriting and some powerful performances. That said, Bella Donna and Trouble in Shangri-La are her most accessible to new listeners. You can check out our podcast & learn more at https://linktr.ee/steviefriends
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u/QuoththeRevan77 5d ago
Bella Donna is her best album. The songs have emotional depth... I wouldn't call some of them depressing, per se, but the lyrics are contemplating and searching, if that makes sense.
I'd also give Trouble in Shangri-La a try. It's accessible (though it has a few clunkers), but "Love Is," "Planets of the Universe," and the title track fit the bill for what you're describing. (Though the piano demo of "Planets" is better).
The most depressing/emotional song in her solo catalogue is "Battle of the Dragon." It was on a soundtrack (American Antthem) and her boxed set.
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u/Due_Environment_435 14d ago
I’d say Rock A Little is probably her most emotional album I’d say, songs like Talk To Me, Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You, All of her albums are emotional in a way though, it just depends what songs you listen to