I have this album on vinyl. In the credits, it lists her as "harmony vocal."
When Stevie and Lindsey joined FB, I understand that they were signed to WB as members of the Mac, but not for their individual careers, as might be expected. This likely left them free to do a lot of guest appearances in the late 1970s without needing label permission (Walter Egan, John Stewart, Todd Rundgren, Warren Zevon).
I've thought that Stevie definitely deserved full duet credit on "Whenever I Call You 'Friend'." And she surely could have demanded it. But maybe she wasn't at the stage of her solo career where there was somebody was managing her individual interests. To her, maybe it was just one more guest spot. Since she didn't write the song, she may not have considered it enough of her own to launch her solo brand.
There are other famous examples of this type of uncredited duet where there is no mention of the other artist on the single label as an artist (though in some cases they are credited for co-writing or production):
* "U Got the Look" (Prince w/Sheena Easton)
* "Wrap Her Up" (Elton John w/ George Michael)
* "Tonight" (David Bowie w/Tina Turner) - I've read she was at the height of her popularity when this came out and there was concern this minor hit could detract from her better solo singles
* "Money for Nothing" (Dire Straits w/ Sting) - today this would easily earned a "featuring" credit; Sting is all over it
* "Eaten Alive" (Diana Ross w/ Michael Jackson) - Michael drowns out Diana through most of the song
* "A Love Bizarre" (Sheila E. w/ Prince) - Prince's guest vocals gave this song most of its personality
There are surely other cases. But few as puzzling as "Whenever I Call You 'Friend'"
I like the song, but it is kind of cheesy. Maybe Stevie was right to maintain a little mystery in this case. It's made for interesting music trivia.
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