Rock a Little
| Rock a Little | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
||||
| Studio album by Stevie Nicks | ||||
| Released | November 18, 1985 | |||
| Recorded | 1984–85 | |||
| Genre | AOR,pop rock | |||
| Label |
Modern Records (US) Atlantic Records (Canada) Parlophone Records (outside US & Canada) Reprise Records (reissue) |
|||
| Producer |
Rick Nowels Jimmy Iovine Stevie Nicks Keith Olsen |
|||
| Stevie Nicks chronology | ||||
|
||||
| Singles from Rock A Little | ||||
|
||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    |
| Chicago Tribune | (Favorable) |
| The New York Times | (Favorable) |
| People | (Positive) |
| Rolling Stone | (Mixed) |
Rock a Little is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter and Fleetwood Mac vocalist Stevie Nicks.
Released in late 1985 while Fleetwood Mac were still on a lengthy hiatus following their album Mirage in 1982, Rock A Little hit the top 20 in its second week and ultimately peaked at #12 on the U.S. Billboard charts, and was certified platinum after just one month of its release for sales in excess of 1,000,000 units. It was also certified gold in the UK for sales in excess of 100,000 units. The album was ranked #41 in the best-selling albums of 1986 in the U.S. Although sales did not match Nicks' earlier albums, Bella Donna and The Wild Heart (selling in excess of 4 and 2 million copies in the U.S. respectively at the time), Rock A Little produced the hits "Talk to Me" (US#4), "I Can't Wait" (US#16), and the mainstay encore for Nicks' live shows, "Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You?" (US#60). A fourth single, "Imperial Hotel" was released in Australia. The album was most successful in Australia, where it peaked at #5 and was the sixth biggest selling album of 1986.
Recording for her follow-up project to 1983's multi-platinum album The Wild Heart originally 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 interest Jimmy Iovine, and in late 1984 began work on what is now recognized as the Rock A Little project. "Running Through the Garden" would resurface in completed form in 2003 on the Fleetwood Mac album Say You Will.
The album is reputed to have cost $1 million to record (according to Mick Fleetwood in his autobiography), and is seen as a watershed in the singer's career. The vocal style is distinctively huskier and nasal (many claim this was due to increasing cocaine abuse) than on previous recordings. It was later revealed that Martin Page and Bernie Taupin had specially written the track "These Dreams" for inclusion on the album, but Nicks turned it down. The track was then recorded by the band Heart and became their first number 1 in 1986.
...
Wikipedia