Stevie Nicks on the only musician who fully understood her music: “Exactly as I had written it”
Finding a musical soulmate is one of the rare joys an artist can experience behind the scenes. Not everyone shares the same creative rhythm, but when someone is on your wavelength and can seamlessly complete every track you present, that connection is something to treasure for life. Stevie Nicks, however, revealed that one of the few people who truly understood her artistic vision wasn’t even a member of Fleetwood Mac—it was one of Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers.
Then again, the constant love affair that Nicks had with the heartland rockers can’t be overstated. By the time she had started tearing up the charts with ‘The Mac’ on Tusk, she had already become exhausted of their sound when suddenly a new band started bubbling up from California who blended everything from blues to country to rock and roll without breaking a sweat.
Nicks was so enthralled that she even contemplated leaving Fleetwood Mac to join the Heartbreakers, but she ended up doing the next best thing by having Petty’s longtime producer, Jimmy Iovine, produce her first solo record. When she suggested that the Heartbreakers work with her on the song ‘Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around’, though, something came alive the minute Mike Campbell plugged in.
While never the most flashy guitar player, Campbell always aimed to serve what was right for the song. It’s clear that he can play based on heavier cuts like ‘Too Much Ain’t Enough’ or the freakout solo on later tracks like ‘Room At the Top’, but he might be the most silent guitar hero this side of George Harrison, only choosing to play when the time calls for it.
And that’s before you even get to his slide-playing. When performing alongside everyone from Petty to Don Henley to left-field choices like Bad Religion, Campbell is never afraid to dive into a song and see where it goes, usually using his slide as some sort of emotional translator every time he picks up the guitar.
When working on Nicks’s song ‘Whole Lotta Trouble’ from The Other Side of the Mirror, though, Nicks was awestruck by how well he understood what she was going for, saying, “He could play his track right along with me playing rock and roll guitar… I was totally flattered. On the other side of the coin, he is the only person in my whole life who has EVER done one of my songs exactly as I had written it.”
At the same time, Nicks may have found it refreshing not having to listen to other people trying to flesh out songs for her. Working with Lindsey Buckingham was always going to be an uphill battle trying to get any song exactly right, so to have someone who hears the tune for what it is and plays perfectly for it wasn’t lost on her.
If anything, Campbell might be the unofficial master of being a sideman. He doesn’t like the idea of grandstanding like guitar players that came before him, but his true art is being able to listen to a song and react in the perfect way to whatever the artist in question is looking for.
