Bella Donna- Stevie Nicks 1981
I have been a Fleetwood Mac fan as long as I can remember (mostly in part due to my mother cramming it down my throat as a child). With that being said, I definitely had to take a break and be an angsty teenager and not listen to whatever it was she liked at the time. In the past few years, I have found my way back through the many musical phases to the very popular Rumors album, released by the band in 1977. Having become completely entranced by the band’s whimsical rock sound, with the gritty 1970’s aesthetic, I was not ready to move on with Stevie Nicks to her solo career. I was stuck in the band’s drama and did not think her popular songs played on classic radio rock stations like ‘Edge of Seventeen’ and ‘Leather and Lace’ were worth investigating any further. I was very wrong. Ms. Nick’s attempt to step out from the behind the mask of an influential group and create an album all her own is one that should be highly regarded.
The album opens with what sounds like is going to be a ballad-filled piano/singer mash up, however the first track Bella Donna becomes symbolic in the way that the rest of the album resonates to the listener. As the chorus approaches, it moves in a driving force speaking directly to the many surprises in the rest of 10 song track list. There is a country-ish undertone in a lot of the songs, (due mostly to the guitar), which is beautifully matched with heavier experimental guitar riffs, leaving what almost sounds like a drony violin at some points. She wrote every song with the exception of ‘Stop Dragging my Heart Around’ which was written by Tom Petty, who sings on the album as well. She also had written the popular Fleetwood Mac song Gypsy to originally be featured on this album, but it appeared on the band’s 1982 album Mirage. Also worth noting some songs on Bella Donna are backed by the infamous Bruce Springstreen’s E Street Band. It is worth checking out, if you haven’t already, because she somehow always has a way of casting a spell on her listeners, and with this album she had the artistic freedom to do just that and more.
I have been a Fleetwood Mac fan as long as I can remember (mostly in part due to my mother cramming it down my throat as a child). With that being said, I definitely had to take a break and be an angsty teenager and not listen to whatever it was she liked at the time. In the past few years, I have found my way back through the many musical phases to the very popular Rumors album, released by the band in 1977. Having become completely entranced by the band’s whimsical rock sound, with the gritty 1970’s aesthetic, I was not ready to move on with Stevie Nicks to her solo career. I was stuck in the band’s drama and did not think her popular songs played on classic radio rock stations like ‘Edge of Seventeen’ and ‘Leather and Lace’ were worth investigating any further. I was very wrong. Ms. Nick’s attempt to step out from the behind the mask of an influential group and create an album all her own is one that should be highly regarded.
Track Listing: * = personal favorites
1. Bella Donna *
2. Kind of Woman
3. Stop Dragging my Heart Around
4.Think about It *
5. All the Glitter Fades
6. Edge of Seventeen *
7.How Still my Love
8.Leather and Lace
9. Outside the Rain
10. The Highway Man
1. Bella Donna *
2. Kind of Woman
3. Stop Dragging my Heart Around
4.Think about It *
5. All the Glitter Fades
6. Edge of Seventeen *
7.How Still my Love
8.Leather and Lace
9. Outside the Rain
10. The Highway Man
I love this album! I, too, am a big Fleetwood fan. I used to work at a cafe called Darwin's, and we had Stevie Sundays every week - all solo 'Mac'ers or Fleetwood themselves. A great way to wake up for the misery of serving Harvard kids! Great review, and great choice.
ReplyDeleteLOL my boss loves stevie nicks and we play her at the gym like everyday. Some classics on here!
ReplyDeleteI'm not really a big fan of either Fleetwood Mac or Stevie Nicks. However, I love the song "Landside" and my dad and I used to duet on it with him playing the guitar.
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