The Complete Journey of 'Landslide': from 1973 Aspen Cabin to Timeless Anthem
By James H. Sterling
In late 1973, Stevie Nicks sat alone on the living room floor of a cabin in Aspen, Colorado. Outside, snow blanketed the Rocky Mountains. Inside, her creative and personal world was unraveling. Nicks and her guitarist partner, Lindsey Buckingham, had released their debut collaborative record, Buckingham Nicks, earlier that autumn on Polydor Records. The LP flopped instantly. Dropped by their label and stripped of financial backing, the duo faced immediate poverty.
Buckingham left Colorado for a short stint touring as an auxiliary guitarist with Don Everly. Nicks stayed behind in the borrowed cabin belonging to their friend and road manager, Bob Aguirre. She spent those quiet winter afternoons working odd jobs, cleaning houses, waitressing, and questioning every decision she had made since leaving San Jose State University. Staring out at the towering slopes, she saw an avalanche waiting to happen. The mountains became an inescapable metaphor for her crumbling ambition.
James Sterling reports on renewable energy developments, climate policy, ecological conservation, and green tech innovations around the globe.
