August 1, 2022
This musical biography by music historian Morrison ((Princeton Univ.; Bolshoi Confidential: Secrets of the Russian Ballet from the Rule of the Tsars to Today)) surveys musical biography surveys the works of Stevie Nicks, starting with her childhood in Arizona and ending with the "Night of 1000 Stevies" tribute celebrations. Morrison walks readers through Nicks's career using her songs to ground his exploration, combining a deep dive into the writing, recording, and production of her most popular and more obscure songs, with a glimpse into her personal life. The iconic singer-songwriter and mystical diva has been a staple in the rock world for over five decades. Focusing not only her time with Fleetwood Mac and her personal and musical relationship with Lindsey Buckingham, Morrison also highlights Nicks's close collaborations with artists such as Tom Petty and Vanessa Carlton. Morrison's extensively researched biography does not shy away from Nicks's battles with addiction and emphasizes how as a woman musician, she has had to work harder and be better than the men around her. VERDICT Nicks fans will appreciate Morrison's care in the details of her songwriting and the song production, but the text may be a little dry and formal for readers looking to get more personal insight into Nicks, who was not interviewed for this book.--Rebekah J. Buchanan
Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
August 1, 2022
A scholarly account of the musical icon's impact on rock. Morrison, a professor of music history at Princeton and author specializing in 20th-century Russian and Soviet music, shows how writing about pop culture is not as easy as it may seem. He does well with the early part of Nicks' life, using a framework of biographical details and previously published interviews to flesh out how and why she became a singer. Morrison also skillfully handles deep dives into the imagery of Nicks' lyrics, providing more information about the legend of Rhiannon than most fans will want to know. "The main character in the First Branch of the Mabinogi, Rhiannon is an otherworldly woman who marries Pwyll, the mortal prince of Dyfed (South Wales)," writes the author. "Rhiannon is associated with three songbirds who accompany her; mythographers have also associated her with the Gaulish horse goddess, Epona." Unfortunately, throughout the narrative, Morrison drops in long asides about subjects that are tangential to Nicks and her artistry, including a lengthy bit about cocaine and its origins and uses: "Cocaine is extracted from the paste of the leaves of the Erythroxylum coca shrub that grows in the Andes Mountains, and its use goes back over a millennium to ancient spiritual practices." More problematic are the pages of detailed descriptions about recording sessions that don't involve Nicks as well as snide, speculative comments about her behavior ("she asks to dash to the bathroom, presumably for a bump") and that of others in her orbit. Furthermore, because some of Nicks' collaborators spoke to Morrison, but she did not, there is often a feel of them being more responsible for the music than her--which is odd given that Nicks is the only woman to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice. A dry biography that lacks the mystical sparkle and steely resolve of the superstar's success.
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