Nicks, Isaak: Who's the soft-rock champ?

Clearly, Stevie Nicks and Chris Isaak are at the very least on good terms. It's quite possible they're good buds. They definitely don't hate each other, since they're playing a show together tonight at the Tweeter Center in Camden, N.J.

Even still, we feel like it'd be amusing to pit the two soft-rock titans against each other in a Caribbean Barbed Wire Lumberjack Steel Cage Death Match, just to see who is the true champion of soft rock radio.

Plus, there's not much to write about this week, so here goes.

•Songwriting chops. Edge: Nicks, by a mile. After Stevie moved outside the Fleetwood Mac fold, everyone wondered what she could do without Lindsey Buckingham or Christine McVie there to help as a foil, co-songwriter or musical collaborator. The answer was "Stand Back," "Talk to Me," the classic "Leather and Lace" -- which is a killer cut despite the presence of Don Henley -- not to mention "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around," which she didn't write but made awesome by blending her scratchy vocals with Tom Petty's Florida-flavored faux-Dylan lead vocal. Isaak has, er, "Wicked Game."

•Vocal chops. Edge: Draw. If you go for pure pleasantness of voice, Isaak would be the clear winner. His Elvis-meets-Roy Orbison croon and sneer could make almost any tune a hit. But Nicks' now-weathered pipes still burst with personality, and like Jules Winnfield said in "Pulp Fiction," personality goes a long way.

•Previous band. Edge: Uh, Nicks. Isaak was in a rockabilly band called Silvertone in the mid-1980s.

•Versatility. Edge: Isaak. In addition to being a great singer and decent songwriter, the studly Isaak has appeared in several films, including a brief appearance as a cop who gets duped by Hannibal Lecter in "The Silence of the Lambs." Aside from her soap opera-esque moments in Fleetwood Mac footage, Nicks doesn't act.

•Onstage accessories. Edge: Isaak. He brings the sneer and the greaser-style hairdo, but Isaak isn't really a props kind of guy. Nicks loses here for those weird cape/curtain-type things she hangs from her arms to cover herself up. Why? You go girl.
Although it looks close on paper, Nicks slaughtered the California boy.

Nicks and Isaak will be at the center at 8. Tickets are $25, $45, $79.75 and $125 at www. ticketmaster.com.

Stevies Rockin' the Beige Boots!

Stevie played the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ last night (June 12, 2007). Below are a few shots taken by Kelly (softsilverchain). The setlist doesn't seem to ever change, but it appears there are quite a few wardrobe changes on this tour.

Soundscan Sales Update for Crystal Visions

Update on the Soundscan Sales for Crystal Visions.

Date / Chart # / Sales / Total Sales
04/14/07 #21 - 33,944
04/21/07 #52 - 20,884 = 54,828
04/28/07 #49 - 13,384 = 68,212
05/05/07 #71 - 9,687 = 77,899
05/12/07 #73 - 9,531 = 87,430
05/19/07 #91 - 7,829 = 95,259
05/26/07 #116 - 7,421 = 102,680
06/02/07 #138 - 5,535 = 108,215
06/09/07 #131 - 5,705 = 113,920
06/16/07 #108 - 6,558 = 120,478
06/23/07 #152 - 5,212 = 125,690

Stevie Nicks Stand Back EP Released on itunes

A total of 9 Remixes of Stand Back which was a top 5 hit for Stevie Nicks back in 1983 have been released on a 4 track EP and also as single downloads on itunes. The following is available now:

EP: $3.96
1. Morgan Page Edit - 4:30
2. Ralphi's Beefy Retro Radio - 4:30
3. Tracy Takes You Home Mixshow - 6:54
4. Tracy Takes You Home Radio - 3:51

Singles: (sold seperately for 99 cents each)
1. Ralphi's Beefy Retro Mix - 11:11
2. Ralphi's Beefy Retro Edit - 7:30
3. Tracy Takes You Home Dub - 11:32
4. Tracy Takes You Home Mix - 11:26
5. Morgan Page Vox Mix - 7:01

Lindsey Buckingham Live on KLOS 95.5 FM June 5, 2007

Lindsey was interviewed on the Mark and Brian show on KLOS in Los Angeles today. He was interviewed from his home about his current tour in support of Under The Skin and the upcoming shows in the LA area.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/s1t4ik

Stevie Nicks "Vision Quest" Performing Songwriter Article

Daniel over at Stevie-Nicks.INFO typed out the entire article from the June, 2007 edition of Performing Songwriter. Click the picture to be taken to his site and the article...

Stevie Nicks Houston Review June 2, 2007 - Woodlands Pavilion

June 03, 2007
Nicks sends Woodlands fans into a frenzy

Stevie Nicks' book of spells hasn't changed much since her halcyon days as a gypsy rock goddess. But there's a good reason--actually, several decades' worth--why scores of fans still turn out for shows. Nicks' alluring mix of mood and music still weaves considerable magic.
The faithful were there Saturday night at the Woodlands Pavilion. Some in lace, some in shawls and still others in khaki shorts and polo shirts. Several brought flowers. Many scooped up several souvenir shirts and posters as they waited for their queen.

Nicks appeared soon enough, looking trimmer than usual in the requisite black, her blonde hair (still) cascading down her shoulders. She charged through opening number Stand Back and began twirling early in her hour-and-40-minute set, inciting rapturous cheers from the sizable crowd.

The song packed a glossy punch despite being more than two decades old, and it has recently resurfaced via fresh club remixes from DJ Tracy Young. (Coming soon to a dance floor near you, no doubt.)

Fleetwood Mac classics (Dreams, Gold Dust Woman) flowed seamlessly into solo hits (1983's If Anyone Falls) throughout the evening. Nicks has an easy, unfussy grace with her material. It's a familiarity that can only come with time and extensive touring.

She made slight changes to arrangements, and stretched some songs out into formidable showcases for her band and singers.

And for all the otherworldly gypsy drama that marks her image, Nicks comes off surprisingly warm and accessible onstage. Kind of like a really groovy aunt. She thanked the crowd repeatedly for its enthusiasm and chattered casually with her ten-piece band.

A lovely piano intro preceded Rhiannon, which also made time for a quick outfit change. (More flowy black, of course.) Enchanted was a nice change of pace--a jangly, rootsy gem that inspired the title of a 1998 box set.

Nicks introduced Sorcerer as a tune she had written (and demoed) more than three decades ago. It eventually found its way onto 2001's Trouble in Shangri-La, Nicks' last studio disc. The song required more vocal punch than much of the evening's material, and she proved up to the task.

The sly gallop of Gold Dust Woman was like welcoming back a mischevious friend. Images of mystical women and dancing lights flickered on the backdrop.

Nicks described the ubiquitous Landslide as simply being "about family." It still shows no signs of age, and accompanying photos of her late father only added to the tune's bittersweet shimmer.

Extended drum and guitar solos gave way to the sexually charged groove of Edge of Seventeen, the evening's unofficial closer. Nicks disappeared backstage and returned in what looked like schizophrenic wedding wear--a white dress and black tails with fringe. She did her usual meet-and-greet at the foot of stage, making off with several bouquets of flowers and cards.

Led Zeppelin's Rock and Roll was the first of two encores, and a top-hatted Nicks played it like a freewheeling karaoke number. Better was Beauty and the Beast, a dramatic ballad accompanied by arresting black-and-white images from Jean Cocteau's 1946 French film. The stark beauty was matched by Nicks' own soaring vocals, and it proved a captivating closer to a familiar, feel-good set.

Show opener Chris Isaak was crooning and cutting up well before the announced 8 p.m. start time. Many were still mulling over Nicks merchandise and standing in line for beer and nachos.

His 70-minute set teetered toward alt-country, but it was peppered with rock, blues and plenty of wry comedy. He tore the front of his pants early in the evening and jokingly tried to cover the hole with his pink jacket and a stage towel. "The kids are getting scared," Isaak cracked. "Mommy!"

Moody breakout tune Wicked Game drew cheers of familiarity, its guitar still sexy and evocative. And Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing (famously used in Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut) should have been--but wasn't--another monster smash.

Isaak's voice is a wonder: low and smoky one minute, high and piercing the next. He played up the Roy Orbison influence with a sincere take on Only the Lonely and had the crowd singing along to Cheap Trick's I Want You To Want Me. (Both are on a recently issued Best Of collection.)

He tempered the noirish Blue Hotel with a light touch--literally. As his band Silvertone started the song, Isaak sauntered onstage in a discoball suit that reflected light from every angle. It was the perfect encapsulation of Isaak's crazy-sexy-cool credo.