Wikipedia

Rock a Little

Rock a Littleis the third solo studio album by American singer and songwriterStevie Nicks,released on November 18, 1985, byModern Records.

Rock a Little
Studio albumby
Stevie Nicks
ReleasedNovember 18, 1985
Recorded1984–1985
Genre
Length45:20
LabelModern
Producer
Stevie Nickschronology
The Wild Heart
(1983) 		Rock a Little
(1985) 		The Other Side of the Mirror
(1989)
SinglesfromRock a Little
  1. "Talk to Me"
    Released: October 1985
  2. "I Can't Wait"
    Released: December 1985
  3. "Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You?"
    Released: May 12, 1986
  4. "Imperial Hotel"
    Released: September 1986
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Chicago Tribune(Favorable)[2]
The New York Times(Favorable)[3]
People(Positive)[4]
Rolling Stone(Mixed)[5]

Released in late 1985 whileFleetwood Macwere still on a lengthy hiatus following their albumMirage(1982),Rock a Littlehit the top 20 in its second week. The album peaked at No. 12 on the USBillboard200,and was certifiedPlatinumby theRecording Industry Association of America(RIAA) after just one month of its release for sales in excess of 1,000,000 copies. The album was also certified Gold in the United Kingdom for sales in excess of 100,000 copies.[6]The album was ranked No. 41 in the best-selling albums of 1986 in the United States, although sales did not match Nicks' earlier albums,Bella Donna(1981) andThe Wild Heart(1983) (which have sold in excess of four and two million copies in the US, respectively).

Rock a Littlespawned the singles "Talk to Me"(US No. 4),"I Can't Wait"(US No. 16), and the mainstay encore for Nicks' live shows"Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You?"(US No. 60). A fourth single," Imperial Hotel ", was released in Australia only.

Album history

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Recording for her follow-up project to 1983's multi-platinum albumThe Wild Heartoriginally began in 1984. Selected songs were recorded, including "Running Through the Garden" and "Mirror Mirror". However, Nicks scrapped these recordings and parted ways with long-time producer and romantic interestJimmy Iovine,and in late 1984 began work on what is now recognized as theRock a Littleproject.[7]"Running Through the Garden" would resurface in completed form in 2003 on theFleetwood MacalbumSay You Will.Nicks' subsequent relationship withEaglesmemberJoe Walshproduced the ballad "Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You".Keith Olsen,Rick Nowelsand Nicks herself took over production duties after Iovine's departure.[8]

The album is reputed to have cost $1 million to record (according to Mick Fleetwood in his autobiography). It was later revealed thatMartin PageandBernie Taupinhad specially written the track "These Dreams"for inclusion on the album, but Nicks turned it down. The track was then recorded by the bandHeartand became their first number 1 hit in 1986.[9]Tom PettyandDavid A. Stewartalso wrote "Don't Come Around Here No More"for the album, but after hearing Petty perform the vocals for her, she declined it as well, feeling she couldn't do the song justice.[10]Tom Petty and the Heartbreakerswould record and release the song on their 1985 albumSouthern Accents.

Nicks had recorded various other tracks prior to the album's release, including "Battle Of The Dragon". Rather than include on her own album, it was featured on the movie soundtrack forAmerican Anthem,and later included on Nicks' 3-disc retrospective boxsetEnchantedin 1998. A duet withEaglesdrummer and former loverDon Henleytitled "Reconsider Me" would also see the cutting room floor,[8]and the rock ballad "One More Big Time Rock and Roll Star" was relegated to the B-side of the "Talk to Me"single.

Many other discarded demos from the sessions have never seen the light of day, but a few, including "Greta" and "Love Is Like A River", were dusted off for Nicks' 1994 album,Street Angel.The song "Thousand Days" was also relegated to a B-side. "Mirror, Mirror" was tried out again for 1989'sThe Other Side of the Mirror,and was again revisited in 1994 for inclusion onStreet Angel,but ultimately the originalRock a Littleversion was only released on a cassette single of "Blue Denim" in 1994.

Upon its release in November 1985,Rock a Littlereceived very mixed reviews. Combined with Nicks' growing addiction to cocaine at the time which hampered her tour performances (she would infamously check into theBetty Ford Clinicat the tour's conclusion), the album did not achieve sales or chart positions expected of Nicks at that time. It entered the U.S. Billboard chart at No. 60, eventually peaking at No. 12 in its ninth week of release. The album spent 35 weeks on theBillboard200chart, including 13 weeks in the Top 20.

Track listing

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Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."I Can't Wait"
  • Jimmy Iovine
  • Rick Nowels
4:37
2."Rock a Little (Go Ahead Lily)"NicksIovine3:39
3."Sister Honey"
Nowels3:50
4."I Sing for the Things"NicksIovine3:45
5."Imperial Hotel"
  • Mike Campbell
  • Iovine
2:53
6."Some Become Strangers"
  • David Williams
  • Amy Latelevision
  • Peter Rafelson
Iovine3:30
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
7."Talk to Me"Chas Sandford
  • Chas Sandford
  • Iovine
4:10
8."The Nightmare"
  • Nicks
  • Chris Nicks
Nowels5:23
9."If I Were You"
  • Nicks
  • Nowels
Nowels4:11
10."No Spoken Word"NicksKeith Olsen4:14
11."Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You?"
  • Nicks
  • Keith Olsen
Nowels4:38

Alternative versions and 12-inch releases

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  • "I Can't Wait" was released as a 12-inch single in an extended 6:00 rock version in many territories, but the UK release exclusively included a longer and different version of the album track "Rock a Little (Go Ahead Lily)" running at 5:12, currently unavailable on any other release.
  • "Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You?" was also released in a 12-inch version in the UK, and included a 'dub' rock version of "I Can't Wait", clocking in at 5:50.
  • All 7-inch and 12-inch releases of "Talk to Me"included the non-album track" One More Big Time Rock and Roll Star ", written by Nicks, which later appeared with a slightly truncated ending on her 1998 retrospective boxset,Enchanted.

Personnel

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Technical credits

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  • Dave Hernandez – engineer (1)
  • John Koverek – engineer (1, 3, 8, 9, 11), mi xing (11)
  • Shelly Yakus– engineer (2, 4), mi xing (2, 4, 5, 7)
  • Gabe Veltri – overdub engineer (2, 7), engineer (3, 5, 6, 8)
  • Robert Feist – engineer (3, 9)
  • David Leonard– engineer (3)
  • Don Smith – overdub engineer (6), mi xing (7)
  • Chas Sandford – engineer (7), mi xing (7)
  • Gary Skardina – engineer (9)
  • Brian Foraker – engineer (10)
  • Dennis Sager – engineer (10)
  • George Black – mi xing (1, 3)
  • Jimmy Iovine– mi xing (1)
  • Chris Lord-Alge– mi xing (1)
  • Rick Nowels – mi xing (1, 3)
  • Mick Guzauski– mi xing (6)
  • Herńan Rojas – mi xing (8)
  • Csaba Pectoz – mi xing (9)
  • Keith Olsen– mi xing (10)
  • Tom "Gondo" Gondolf – additional engineer
  • Tom Swift – additional engineer
  • John Agnello– assistant engineer
  • Carol Cafiero – assistant engineer
  • Mark Corbrin – assistant engineer
  • Dan Garcia – assistant engineer
  • David Glover – assistant engineer
  • Steve Hirsch – assistant engineer
  • Glen Holguin – assistant engineer
  • Jon Ingoldsby – assistant engineer
  • Bill Jackson – assistant engineer
  • Robin Laine – assistant engineer
  • Ray Leonard – assistant engineer
  • Paul Levy – assistant engineer
  • Casey McMackin – assistant engineer
  • Frank Pekoc – assistant engineer
  • Alex Schmoll – assistant engineer
  • Duane Seykora – assistant engineer
  • Paul Wertheimer – assistant engineer
  • Bruce Wildstein – assistant engineer
  • Ernie Wilkens – assistant engineer
  • Barry Diament – mastering

Production credits

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  • Debbie Caponetta – production coordinator
  • Beth Jacobson – production coordinator
  • Nina King – production coordinator
  • Tim McDaniel – production coordinator
  • Glen Parrish – personal manager
  • Michael Hodgson – art direction, design
  • Tony McGee – front cover photography
  • Herbert Worthington– back cover photography, inner sleeve photography
  • Stevie Nicks – handtinting back photography
  • John Reed Forsman – additional photography

Music videos

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Promotional videos were shot for the singles "Talk to Me"and" I Can't Wait ". In 1986 a 6-track VHS tape titledI Can't Waitwas released in many territories, and featured the following promos:

This release is notable for including a live solo performance of "Leather and Lace" from the last night of Nicks' 1981 Bella Donna Tour, which was cut from the VHS release ofWhite Wing Dove: Stevie Nicks Live,a 9-track edit of the same concert. The version was used as the song's music video, and was played onMTVin 1981.

Five of these promos are included on the DVD supplement to Nicks' 2008 collectionCrystal Visions — The Very Best of Stevie Nicks,but the only DVD availability of the live version of "Leather and Lace" is the Australian release ofFleetwood Mac's Mirage Tour concert, for which all six videos of theI Can't Waitcollection are included as a special bonus feature.

Tour

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The US leg of theRock a Little Tourkicked off in 1986 and concluded with a show at the famousRed Rocks Amphitheatrein Colorado, which was captured and released on video (and later on DVD) usually entitledLive at Red Rocks.Evidence of Nicks' drug abuse is apparent in both performance and vocals, but the show is noticeably 'cleaned up' with re-shot close-ups, inserts and vocal overdubs. The video/DVD is also a shortened version of the actual setlist, clocking in at 57 minutes, 15 of which are devoted to "Edge of Seventeen", though this was adjusted on the DVD release.

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia — 100,000[22]
United Kingdom (BPI)[23] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[6] Platinum 1,000,000^

^Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^Allmusic review
  2. ^Brogan, Daniel (1985-12-06)."Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers Move In Spirited Tracks".Chicago Tribune.Retrieved2013-11-13.
  3. ^Holden, Stephen(1986-02-09)."HIGH-GLOSS POP ALBUMS FLOURISH ONCE AGAIN".The New York Times.Retrieved2013-08-31.
  4. ^"Picks and Pans Review:Rock A Little".People.1985-01-13. Archived fromthe originalon December 12, 2013.Retrieved2013-11-11.
  5. ^Rolling Stone review
  6. ^ab"American album certifications – Stevie Nicks – Rock a Little".Recording Industry Association of America.
  7. ^Evans, Mike (2011).Fleetwood Mac: The Definitive History.New York: Sterling. p. 219.ISBN978-1-4027-8630-3.
  8. ^abHowe, Zoë (2015).Stevie Nicks: Visions, Dreams & Rumours.Omnibus Press. pp.238–239, 356.ISBN978-1-4683-1066-5.
  9. ^Wall, Mick (March 20, 2020)."Stevie Nicks:" All of us were drug addicts, but I was the worst "".Louder.Retrieved2024-01-31.
  10. ^"Stevie revisits 'Don't Come Around Here No More' in Petty bio".StevieNicks.info. November 9, 2015.RetrievedNovember 10,2019.
  11. ^abKent, David(1993).Australian Chart Book 1970–1992.St Ives, NSW:Australian Chart Book.ISBN0-646-11917-6.
  12. ^"Top Albums/CDs – Volume 43, No. 23".RPM.1986-03-01. Archived fromthe original(PHP)on 2016-03-06.Retrieved2013-11-01.
  13. ^"dutchcharts.nl Stevie Nicks –Rock a Little"(ASP).dutchcharts.nl(in Dutch).MegaCharts.Retrieved2013-11-19.
  14. ^"charts.nz – Stevie Nicks –Rock a Little"(ASP).Recording Industry Association of New Zealand.Retrieved2013-11-19.
  15. ^Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005).Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002(1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE.ISBN84-8048-639-2.
  16. ^"swedishcharts Stevie Nicks –Rock a Little"(ASP).Sverigetopplistan.Retrieved2013-11-19.
  17. ^"Stevie Nicks > Artist > Official Charts".UK Albums Chart.Retrieved2013-09-08.
  18. ^Allmusic – Rock a Little> Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums
  19. ^"Album Search: Stevie Nicks –Rock a Little"(in German). Media Control. Archived fromthe original(ASP)on July 7, 2014.Retrieved2013-11-19.
  20. ^"RPM Top 100 Albums of 1986".RPM.1986-12-27.Retrieved2013-11-13.
  21. ^"Billboard.BIZ – Year-end Charts – Billboard 200 – 1986".billboard.biz.Retrieved2011-11-17.
  22. ^Barker, Glenn A. (November 15, 1986)."Majors (Australia Spotlight)".Billboard.p. A-10.RetrievedSeptember 10,2019.
  23. ^"British album certifications – Stevie Nicks – Rock a Little".British Phonographic Industry.
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