Stevie Nicks
Enchanted – The Enchanted Works of Stevie Nicks (Atlantic 83093)

A great idea in theory, the Stevie Nicks box set turns out to be just plain too much Stevie Nicks. It did a better job of reminding me what great albums Bella Donna and The Wild Heart were, instead of making me think that Stevie's career has been amazingly solid.

Disc 1 is all killer, (almost) no filler, covering roughly those two albums. Disc 2 covers mainly covers the albums from 1985 on, Rock a Little, The Other Side of the Mirror, and Street Angel. Disc 3 collects odds and ends ranging from her pre-Fleetwood Mac career ("Long Distance Winner," the only track that's ever been officially released on CD from the Buckingham Nicks album) to b-sides, demos, and duets from other people's albums.

Unfortunately for Stevie, the box pretty much reinforces the conventional wisdom that her music post-1985 suffered from overproduction and, simply, lack of inspiration. I hate to say it, but the cocaine years weren't so kind to Stevie's lasting contribution to pop.

Which is not to say that Enchanted is a bad trip at all; in fact there's enough good moments to keep the casual fan happy, and of course the die-hard will knock over unicorn candle-holders in sheer giddy glee when listening. I think I'm something of a very big Stevie Nicks fan, although I almost never listen to her music … even so, I am always rooting for her, for some reason. I'm fairly sure I'm one of the few high school kids who privately rocked out—numerous times—to the 45 of "Rooms on Fire," but when it comes to Stevie covering "Free Fallin'" by Tom Petty, I guess that's where I "stop draggin' my heart around."

Enchanted proved to be some kind of test: an "are you a SERIOUS Stevie Nicks fan or just a PUSSY Stevie Nicks fan" sort of test, and ultimately I proved to be a pussy Stevie Nicks fan. Not sure if that's ultimately the right or wrong side of the fence.

Disc 1 kicks off with "Enchanted" from The Wild Heart, a perfect choice, and the disc doesn't drop the ball at all from there. Almost all the big hits are here ("Edge of Seventeen" is the glaring omission, left off to accommodate an 8-minute live version that is, to say it nicely, exactly what you'd expect of an 8-minute "Edge of Seventeen"), along with a couple b-sides ("Garbo" being the best).

Great: "Stand Back," "If Anyone Falls," "After the Glitter Fades," "Outside the Rain," and even "Leather and Lace," which certainly must be one of the most likable things Don Henley has ever been associated with. Weaker, but still good: "Kind of Woman," "Nightbird," "Beauty and the Beast." I could live without "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around," as I can live without most early Tom Petty, and "Blue Denim" is so-so.

Disc 2 opens with the live "Edge of Seventeen" and it's at this point that you start thinking, "Whoa, maybe Stevie Nicks would be better served by a solid two-disc collction." Way too much of this disc is plagued by mid-80s production values (lots of dated drum machines and synths frickin EVERYWHERE), but there are some good moments in "Rooms on Fire," "Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You," "I Sing For the Things" and a few others.

"I Can't Wait (Extended Rock Mix)" was an ill-thought inclusion, as the regular mix is barely passable to begin with, but then again I suppose most of the target audience for this box set will not even realize it's SO dated, as incense knows no trends.

Disc 3 is a hodgepodge of primarily unreleased "gems" and "gems" from soundtracks like Heavy Metal and Fast Times at Ridgemont High. As with the rest of the set, this disc meanders quite a bit but does pay off in several places. Some of the tracks I loved were the ones I'd have predicted I'd hate had I read the track listing beforehand: the duet with Kenny Loggins "Whenever I Call You Friend" ("Sweet love showin' us a heavenly light" … you'd recognize it immediately but wouldn't associate it with Stevie Nicks), and "Gold" by John Stewart ("When the lights go down in a California town" … how many K-Tel albums did that one appear on? Yet I never realized Stevie was on it). Also, a cover of "Reconsider Me" by Warren Zevon is pretty f'n great.

The Buckingham Nicks track doesn't make a solid argument for that album to be released on CD, and "Free Fallin'" is pretty limp (why couldn't she have done "No Myth?" Or better yet, "Jump Around"?) Actually, she does cover "It's Late" and it's surprisingly spirited. The disc closes with a somewhat cool, somewhat ridiculous piano version of "Rhiannon," that actually features a segment where the piano speeds up almost like in a Spike Jones arrangement. It is a fitting closer for a set that the artist intends as a window into the "personal" Stevie Nicks.

Enchanted does give a bit clearer image of Stevie Nicks as a person than any of her previous releases, but there is a "whole lotta trouble" in listening to too much Stevie at a time. It's too bad that the one-disc greatest hits Timespace missed the mark. I lobby for the solid 2-disc, or at least remastered versions of the solo albums with bonus tracks. This is good, and I liked the majority of it, but frankly, I am not quite under its spell.

Loud Bassoon rating scale

Review by Peena Nince