STEVIE NICKS INFO

Category: Trouble in Shangri-La (2001)

  • In the News: Stevie Nicks

    In the News: Stevie Nicks

    In 1994, STEVIE NICKS was watching the O.J. SIMPSON trial when she came up with the title of her next album: Trouble in Shangri-La. “It’s the whole idea of achieving paradise,” says Nicks, “and how difficult it is to handle it. Trouble in Shangri-La is about a lot of people, including myself.” Nearly eight years later, on May 1st, the album will hit stores. Says Nicks, “I love these songs, and I’m so excited to share them with the world.”

    Shangri-La was mostly written by Nicks but also features a variety of guest stars. Sheryl Crow plays some guitar and co-produced five of the album’s thirteen tracks, Macy Gray sings on “Bombay Sapphire,” and Dixie Chick Natalie Maines duets with Nicks on “Too Far From Texas.” “I’m really a harmony singer, so I love to sing with other lead singers,” says Nicks, who, in addition to her work with Fleetwood Mac, has topped the charts duetting with both Tom Petty and Don Henley. Another guest is Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham, who plays guitar on a song called “I Miss You.” Is the song about her former lover? “Well, it’s not,” says Nicks. “But a lot of these songs are about Lindsey.”

    Expect Nicks to hit the road this summer. And, if she has anything to say about it, another Fleetwood Mac album remains a possibility. “I would love to see us do one more record,” she says. “I’ll be doing my Trouble in Shangri-La thing for however long, and next year we could be on our way to a Fleetwood Mac album. Life is short. Why wait?”

    Rolling Stone / March 29, 2001

  • Stevie Nicks: Biography

    Stevie Nicks: Biography

    WEA Records International
    March 5, 2001

    “My music often unfolds like the book of my life,” declares legendary rock poet Stevie Nicks. And that’s precisely the way she wants it to be. “I believe in telling the truth…actually, it’s only way that I can exist as a writer.”

    It’s to that end that Nicks created the sterling, often confessional Trouble in Shangri-La, her first solo collection since 1994’s Street Angel. She says the project has been slowly evolving for several years, “taking different shapes and forms. But it never seemed quite right until recently. I needed to live my life. I need to replenish my well of life experiences.”

    And she certainly has. Easily one of her most powerful recordings to date, Trouble in Shangri-La is brimming with the rich prose and vibrant imagery that has inspired a veritable army of disciples. “Every step along the path of my life, I’ve been writing it all down, taking incredibly detailed notes,” Stevie explains. “Instead of partying, I run back to my room, open my journal, and pour out my heart onto paper. It can take minutes, or it can take all night. But it’s always deep. And it’s always real.”

    For Stevie, getting back in touch with the part of her self that was confident about her song writing skills was a crucial element in the creation of Trouble in Shangri-La.

    “I’d been hearing about how I should write with this person, or record that person’s material, and it started to wear me down,” the artist reveals, adding that it took longtime pal Tom Petty to remind her that she’s a top-flight songwriter in her own right. “I remember asking [him] to work with me on some songs. I wasn’t feeling my best; I was unsure about a lot of things. And he said, ‘No…you don’t need anyone to help you with your songs. Do it yourself.’“

    At first, Stevie was crushed. “But it was the jolt I needed,” she shares, adding that the album gem “That Made Me Stronger” was borne out of their fateful conversation. “It was a pivotal moment for me. The clouds cleared, and things started to naturally flow again.”

    ‘Naturally flow’ is an understatement. The songs started to come on like a tidal wave. And while Stevie notes that her songs rae “sometimes a continuation of one another,” with common lyrical threads and theme, the songs that comprise Trouble in Shangri-La also show the artist at her most experimental and varied. Classic Stevie tunes like the acoustic-based “Candlebright” and the gentle “I Miss You” are tempered by refreshingly inventive compositions like “Bombay Sapphires,” with it’s delicate undertow of Caribbean rhythms and its atmospheric keyboards, and “Love Changes,” which is seasoned with a splash of funk percussion.

    “To not grow is to die,” Stevie asserts. “Of course, you want to work within a framework that best suits your talent and style. But you also want to continually shake things up.”

    For Stevie, shaking things up included inviting an array of new friends and musicians to participate in Trouble of Shangri-La. Macy Gray vamps with seductive soul on “Bombay Sapphires,” while Sarah McLachlan harmonizes on the stately, piano-driven ballad “Love Is.” Also, Dixie Chick Natalie Maines is a complementary presence on the country-spiced rocker “Too Far From Texas.” Stevie recalls that every collaborator came to the project at times when “the songs seemed to be calling out their names. These are strong, wonderful women with incredible musical talent. To have them on this album is a such a special gift.”

    Stevie recalls her first meeting with Gray as being particularly memorable. “Her vibe is so wild, so intense. She walks into the room and it’s like everything starts to move.” She’s like a walking tornado. She’s a total blast. We had a great time working on the song. Our voices blended so well together.”

    Ultimately, the greatest gift to Trouble in Shangri-La is the kinetic creative union forged by Stevie with Sheryl Crow. “We’d been circling the idea of working on this album for quite a while,” Stevie says. “But we could never quite make it happen because of scheduling conflicts. So, we just went forward with our respective business, but we stayed in close touch. Suddenly, things cleared up and we wound up in the studio together.”

    Nicks and Crow eventually worked on five of the set’s thirteen tunes. As Stevie explains “Our connection is deep…deeper than I can even put into mere words.”

    Crow, who has long cited Nicks as a primary musical influence, wholeheartedly returns Stevie’s ardor. “To even be in the same room as Stevie was a dream come true for me. To work with her was beyond description. It was extraordinary.”

    Both agree that the key to their successful collaboration was mutual trust and respect. “From the moment in the studio, it was clearly a safe environment,” Stevie says. “And that opened up the lines of communication and allowed us to try new ideas out.”

    Among the more satisfying results of their experimentation is “Sorcerer,” on which Nicks scales to a rich falsetto during the song’s verses. “She was completely open and in-the-moment while we were working,” Crow notes. “She never stops working or striving to be a better artist.”

    Stevie also never stops fighting for the lyrical integrity of her songs. She recalls being the studio with co-producer John Shanks (The Corrs, BB Mak), who helmed a number of songs on Trouble in Shangri-La, and playfully tangling with him while cutting the anthemic “Fall from Grace.”

    “The original version of the song had all of these verses…too many, in John’s opinion,” Stevie recalls. “So, we set out to edit the song to fit a workable structure, and it was just breaking my heart to let some of the words slip away.”

    Nicks remembers one particular session when pals Laura Dern and Rosanna Arquette were hanging out in the studio, and they caught a glimpse of the original draft of the song. “And they were like, you can’t cut all these words,” she remembers. “Poor, John, they were yelling at him and giving him a hard time. It was all done in fun and good spirit, but it convinced me that I had to fight for my words. Before the night was done, we got every syllable in. And it’s become one of my favorite songs on the album.”

    In fact, “Fall from Grace” is among the songs that Stevie plans to add to her concert set when she hits the road for a tour this summer. “It’s the perfect balance to ‘Edge of Seventeen,’” in terms of energy. It’s great a song to rock out to. I love just cutting loose to that one.”

    Actually, Stevie says there isn’t a song on Trouble in Shangri-La that she wouldn’t love performing onstage. “I’m so incredibly proud of this album,” she adds. “These songs have been such a big part of my life. I’m so pleased and excited to get them out there for the world to hear. There’s usually a period when an artist is nervous about how people will react to their new material. I’ve been there. But there’s something about this set of songs. I have such a great, positive feeling about it. I’m more itchy for people to finally hear them than anything else. That’s a pretty good sign, isn’t it?”

  • Reprise’s Stevie Nicks returns with Crow in tow

    Reprise’s Stevie Nicks returns with Crow in tow

    Stevie Nicks is ready for ‘Trouble’

    Stevie Nicks is enjoying a rare moment of quiet. It’s a comfortably warm February afternoon in her Los Angeles home, and she is taking a brief breather before diving into what she describes as the “happy madness” of promoting Trouble In Shangri-La (Reprise, May 1), her first solo collection since 1994’s Street Angel.

    “Even after all of these years, this is the hard part — living through that period of time between the day you finish a record and the day the world gets to hear it,” Nicks says, her voice brightening as she adds, “but I’m so content with these songs. I’m more itchy for people to finally hear them than anything else.”

    And with good reason. Trouble In Shangri-La shows the sometime Fleetwood Mac siren in her finest musical form since her 1981 solo breakout, Bella Donna.

    “In many ways, this album brings me full circle,” Nicks notes. “There are a couple of songs I’ve been holding on to since that era, waiting for the right context to bring them out. Also, there was an accumulation of time and life experiences — and songs — reminiscent of that period.”

    Despite a diverse roster of producers — including Sheryl Crow, John Shanks, and Pierre Marchand — Trouble In Shangri-La boasts cohesion in style and structure as it strikes a balance between Nicks’ signature rock poetry and concise, radio-conscious pop hooks. The artist credits a renewed confidence in her songwriting as the driving force in the album’s direction.

    “I remember asking my dear friend Tom Petty to work with me on some songs,” Nicks says. “I wasn’t feeling my best; I was unsure about a lot of things. He said, ‘No. You’re a premier songwriter. You don’t need anyone to help you with your songs. Do it yourself.’ It was the jolt I needed.”

    Petty isn’t the only musical figure with such high regard for Nicks. Trouble In Shangri-La is brimming with high-profile guests. Dixie Chicks belter Natalie Maines harmonizes on the twangy midtempo rocker “Too Far From Texas,” while Macy Gray weaves her distinctive purr into the atmospheric shuffler “Bombay Sapphires.” Sarah McLachlan lends her voice to the lilting, set-closing ballad, “Love Is.” The common denominator among such seemingly disparate guests? Each cites Nicks as a prime musical influence — something that tickles her.

    “OK, so now I’m ‘Mama Rockstar,’” Nicks says with a giggle. “It’s cool. Actually, it’s great. I take pride in knowing that people have benefited from the road I’ve traveled. We’ve had a wonderful time bonding.”

    No recent bond has been deeper or stronger than the one Nicks has forged with Crow. The pair has been gradually developing a friendship for several years, but Nicks says the ties have become “unbreakable” since the two collaborated on five Shangri-La songs.

    “First, Sheryl’s brilliant,” Nicks says. “She’s an amazing songwriter, singer, and musician. But she’s also someone who gets it. She understands the life of a woman in rock’n’roll. There’s no room for playing games with her or saying, ‘You don’t understand what I’m going through.’ She understands, and that’s brought us closer than I can explain.”

    For Crow, connecting with Nicks is something she tries not to “get too deep into my head about,” she says. “She represents such a huge chunk of my life that it’s almost unreal to be in the same room with her.”

    Still, Crow notes that there was an instant ease in their relationship — both in and out of the studio. “Stevie’s just so real, so completely open as a person,” she says. “And as an artist, she continues to work hard. Sometimes you meet your heroes, and you discover they’ve stopped growing or have gone past caring about what they do. Stevie’s still so vital. She’s still looking to try new things.”

    Nicks and Crow both point at the “Shangri-La” highlight “Sorcerer” — a song the pair co-wrote and on which Crow lends guest vocals and guitars — as an example of their successful experimentation.

    “Sheryl challenged me to explore different areas of my voice,” Nicks recalls, noting the soulful falsetto that she reaches during the song’s initial verses. “It was fun to do, and it wound up working so well within the song’s arrangement.”

    Adds Crow, “Stevie’s an incredible singer. She approaches music in a such a unique manner. It would be easy for her to just stick to the same old thing, but she’s clearly not content to do that.”

    In addition to “Sorcerer,” Nicks notes the Crow composition “It’s Only Love” as a personal favorite. “It’s a song that I love to sing,” she says. “I’m hoping that it will be part of the set for the tour.”

    Touring is a key component of the Shangri-La marketing strategy. But don’t expect Nicks to drench the set with songs from the new album. “I learned an important lesson back during the first Rumours tour with Fleetwood Mac,” she says. “You can’t shove new songs down your audience’s throat. You can do three or four at the most.

    “On that Rumours tour,” Nicks adds, “we did most of that album, and people didn’t want any part of it. They want familiarity. They want the comfort of songs that feel like old friends. You can’t exploit your fans by forcing them to embrace songs they don’t know yet.”

    Nicks may offer a blend of classics and new material on her U.S. tour planned to run from mid-June through September. But in a “fair trade-off,” she is planning to perform much of Shangri-La during a showcase in Los Angeles shortly before the set’s release.

    “This record is clearly from the heart — and it shows her as a fresh, vital artist,” Reprise executive VP Rich Fitzgerald says. “It’s the record her die-hard fans waited for, but it has the potential to draw new admirers.”

    The label will begin working two singles from the project at radio in early April. Triple-A, mainstream rock, and classic-rock formats will be served the guitar-charged “Planets of the Universe,” while pop and modern AC will be offered the sweet, string-laden “Every Day.” A video clip for the latter cut is being planned for production in March.

    Nicks’ Web site, nicksfix.com, will offer streaming samples of “Every Day” in late February/early March. Guest appearances on The Late Show With David Letterman and The Rosie O’Donnell Show are confirmed to air around the album’s release, while other shows — along with several special tie-ins with VH1 — are soon to be locked in.

    Label enthusiasm seems to be running high, but Nicks admits that she isn’t the most competitive artist. “I’m not willing to kick and scratch to win,” she says. “That doesn’t mean that I don’t want to reach the largest possible audience. I’m one of the hardest-working people you’ll meet, but I’m just not driven by commerce. I make music and want people to hear it. It’s that simple.”

    Nicks — who is managed by Sheryl Louis at the Howard Kaufman Agency and whose songs are published by Welsh Witch/Sony Songs (BMI) — is philosophical about releasing an album at a time when the music business continues to be dominated by teens.

    “If you’re in it for real, then that’s what counts,” she says.

    Here is the track listing of Stevie Nicks’ Trouble In Shangri-la:

    “Trouble In Shangri-la”
    Produced by John Shanks and Stevie Nicks
    Written by Stevie Nicks

    “Candlebright”
    Produced by Sheryl Crow and Stevie Nicks
    Written by Stevie Nicks

    “Sorcerer”
    Produced by Sheryl Crow and Stevie Nicks
    Written by Stevie Nicks

    “Planets of the Universe”
    Produced by John Shanks and Stevie Nicks
    Written by Stevie Nicks

    “Everyday”
    Produced by John Shanks
    Written by John Shanks and Damon Johnson

    “Too Far From Texas”
    Produced by Mike Campbell, Sheryl Crow, and Stevie Nicks
    Written by Steve Booker and Sandy Stewart

    “That Made Me Stronger”
    Produced by Sheryl Crow and Stevie Nicks
    Written by Stevie Nicks, Scott F. Crago, and Timothy Drury

    “It’s Only Love”
    Produced by Sheryl Crow
    Written by Sheryl Crow

    “Love Changes”
    Produced by David Kahne
    Written by Stevie Nicks

    “I Miss You”
    Produced by Rick Nowels
    Written by Stevie Nicks and Rick Nowels

    “Bombay Sapphire”
    Produced by Stevie Nicks
    Written by Stevie Nicks

    “Fall From Grace”
    Produced by John Shanks and Stevie Nicks
    Written by Stevie Nicks

    “Love Is”
    Produced by Pierre Marchand
    Written by Stevie Nicks

    Larry Flick / Billboard / Feburary 12, 2001