Street Angel- things I didn’t know

[bwboy]

I saw online that Glyn Johns released a book about his career working with various artists, which had additional links at the end of the article. One article in particular caught my eye- it said that Unconditional Love was supposed to have been the first single, and that a video had been shot for it. It also said pictures from the video shoot are in the Enchanted booklet.

It also said God’s Garden, Inspiration, and another song called I Call You Missing were removed from the album at Stevie’s request when she got out of rehab, and were replaced with Docklands, Listen to the Rain, and one or two other songs. I Call You Missing has never been heard by the public, or at least not when that article initially appeared.

Stevie also said Johns wouldn’t allow Waddy to play on Street Angel, saying he wasn’t needed. However, wasn’t the recording of SA about the same time he was charged with child pornography? If so, I figure that was more likely the reason, but I could be wrong about the timetable.

Are these well known anecdotes?

[Macfan4life]

Yes I think that is all commonly known. There were photos posted here and online of Street Angel promotion posters that lists "the new single Unconditional Love." The album was going for release and then things got "complicated."
Glyn Johns wanted Stevie to sing a song that his son wrote. It was recorded for the album but in her meltdown and retaliation she removed it from the album.
I understand why Stevie does not like the album. The time brings back horrific memories of her brutal rehab, her weight gain and critics, her fried hair, and an album and single that did not chart. She also was not drawing huge crowds on her tour and the southern leg was cancelled (but not officially announced yet).
I am in the minority but I like the album. It has great raw material. Yes it has duds. But I love Blue Denim, Greta, Listen to the rain, Love is like a river, Docklands, Rose Garden, and Maybe Love Will Change your mind. I usually hate songs that others wrote and she sings but Maybe Love is the exception. She sings with heart as if she wrote it. I hate the title track, Unconditional Love and Kick it.
And good heavens, I like Jane too. I cant understand the hate for Jane because of the word chimpanzee like the hate for Docklands because of the word laundromat. But to each their own.
Glyn Johns is known for his work but not easy to get along with. My hunch is that he did not like her work ethic. He was probably holding her accountable to show up on time which NO ONE ever dared do before. And it went downhill from there.
The album has a country rock vibe that suits her really well. All of her criticism makes no sense. She claims the vocals needed redone and the songs needed Waddy. Her vocals on the album are excellent. Its the last album with her traditional rasp. She went flat for the Dance and TISRL.
I cant even imagine how difficult it was working with her during peak klonopin addiction. So while she deflects her hate towards Johns she needs to acknowledge her own behavior. Stevie even commented when she got out of Betty Ford and started klonopin she would show up late during Tango sessions which irked Lindsey. Can you imagine what it was like in 1993? Glyn was there to work and produce and not be a therapist and cheerleader. He was not worshipping at the altar of Stevie Nicks and that was a problem.
Of course it was a problem.
Frontline baby!

[BLY]

Yes Macfan4life you are right on point. I also enjoyed most of Street Angel and that tour she really sounded good. That was also when I met her (along with my wife and twin daughters) and it was bittersweet. Have been a fan of hers since 1977 it wasn’t as obvious of her decline over the years as I followed her. I always saw the positive in the next release of hers (Mac or solo) but looking back and adding all the commentary from “fans” of hers over the years…..It gives me a very different perspective.

[bwboy]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

Yes I think that is all commonly known. There were photos posted here and online of Street Angel promotion posters that lists "the new single Unconditional Love." The album was going for release and then things got "complicated."
Glyn Johns wanted Stevie to sing a song that his son wrote. It was recorded for the album but in her meltdown and retaliation she removed it from the album.
I am in the minority but I like the album. It has great raw material. Yes it has duds. But I love Blue Denim, Greta, Listen to the rain, Love is like a river, Docklands, Rose Garden, and Maybe Love Will Change your mind. I usually hate songs that others wrote and she sings but Maybe Love is the exception. She sings with heart as if she wrote it. I hate the title track, Unconditional Love and Kick it.
And good heavens, I like Jane too. I cant understand the hate for Jane because of the word chimpanzee like the hate for Docklands because of the word laundromat. But to each their own.

I don’t think Stevie removed Inspiration or God’s Garden out of retaliation. I mean, they’re horrible songs. If she came to that decision after rehab, then rehab definitely worked! Listen to the Rain and Love is Like a River replaced Inspiration and God’s Garden, and like you said, they’re two of her better songs on this album.

Street Angel is an odd listen for me. I can’t say I love any songs on it, but there are some I do like. I can give you probably five more reasons I hate Docklands besides her use of the word laundromat LOL.

I love Unconditional Love, but absolutely can see why they scrapped making that a single. That just shows how much trouble they had deciding on which song to release first. I do recall a press release shortly before SA was released saying Blue Denim was the lead single. The fact that no video was shot for Maybe Love tells me that was a last minute decision to release it.

Wish we could see the video for Unconditional Love.

[blinker12]

^Inspiration is decent, IMO, but God’s Garden is jaw-droppingly bad. Her vocal performance on GG certainly doesn’t help, either.

[Macfan4life]

Originally Posted by bwboy

I don’t think Stevie removed Inspiration or God’s Garden out of retaliation. I mean, they’re horrible songs. If she came to that decision after rehab, then rehab definitely worked! Listen to the Rain and Love is Like a River replaced Inspiration and God’s Garden, and like you said, they’re two of her better songs on this album.

Street Angel is an odd listen for me. I can’t say I love any songs on it, but there are some I do like. I can give you probably five more reasons I hate Docklands besides her use of the word laundromat LOL.

I love Unconditional Love, but absolutely can see why they scrapped making that a single. That just shows how much trouble they had deciding on which song to release first. I do recall a press release shortly before SA was released saying Blue Denim was the lead single. The fact that no video was shot for Maybe Love tells me that was a last minute decision to release it.

Wish we could see the video for Unconditional Love.

We have completely different tastes and likes and dislikes. When I first heard Unconditional Love I thought it was a joke song. Its the cheeziest song ever and I hate when Stevie stoops so low to sing those kinds of songs. Its like Everyday IMHO. I also hate the Bob Dylan remake Just Like A Woman. That was a mistake and someone should have been brave enough to tell her.
I was really shocked Maybe Love did not crack the top 40. Although the radio station where I lived in 1994 played the hell out of that song.
Have you heard the Glyn version of Jane? Its almost like a HAEWAFY piano sort of ballad. She does a great vocal on it too. The album version is more slower and synth keyboards added.

This version is so beautiful and good vocal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxBgdMDmHKI

[bwboy]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

We have completely different tastes and likes and dislikes. When I first heard Unconditional Love I thought it was a joke song. Its the cheeziest song ever and I hate when Stevie stoops so low to sing those kinds of songs. Its like Everyday IMHO. I also hate the Bob Dylan remake Just Like A Woman. That was a mistake and someone should have been brave enough to tell her.
I was really shocked Maybe Love did not crack the top 40. Although the radio station where I lived in 1994 played the hell out of that song.
Have you heard the Glyn version of Jane? Its almost like a HAEWAFY piano sort of ballad. She does a great vocal on it too. The album version is more slower and synth keyboards added.

This version is so beautiful and good vocal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxBgdMDmHKI

Thank you so much for the link! That is a much better version of Jane. You’re right, it brings HAEWAFY to mind, and that’s a compliment. I read in the comment section that the only time Stevie performed Jane live, she got emotional and Sara Fleetwood had to finish the song, and Stevie had the audio and video destroyed. That’s too bad, and I wonder if Sara was allowed to keep a copy, since she finished the song. Would have been nice for her resume LOL!

Unconditional Love cheesy? I cannot deny that, and what can I say- I love cheese! I think Stevie’s vocals are great, but the backup vocals are too, I don’t know, pronounced for me. The way they sing “Un-con-dit-ion-al love” is very distracting and does kind of make it sound like a parody. But it is still so much better than Everyday! She sounds so flat on that song, and it was clearly a deliberate decision on her part to sing it that way.

[WatchChain]

The recording and release of "Street Angel" was an interesting time to be a Stevie Nicks fan - most notably because her lukewarm career was on life support by 1994.

The Dance reunion tour just three years later in 1997 made Stevie and Fleetwood Mac cool and relevant again. However, there was a short period of time in the early 90's when Stevie and Fleetwood Mac were box office poison.
She played a few half empty outdoor sheds on the Street Angel tour. I scored second row tickets on this tour because, frankly, there wasn't much demand.

Thankfully, with the induction with Fleetwood Mac to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998, Stevie's career regained momentum.

[Macfan4life]

Originally Posted by bwboy

Thank you so much for the link! That is a much better version of Jane. You’re right, it brings HAEWAFY to mind, and that’s a compliment. I read in the comment section that the only time Stevie performed Jane live, she got emotional and Sara Fleetwood had to finish the song, and Stevie had the audio and video destroyed. That’s too bad, and I wonder if Sara was allowed to keep a copy, since she finished the song. Would have been nice for her resume LOL!

Unconditional Love cheesy? I cannot deny that, and what can I say- I love cheese! I think Stevie’s vocals are great, but the backup vocals are too, I don’t know, pronounced for me. The way they sing “Un-con-dit-ion-al love” is very distracting and does kind of make it sound like a parody. But it is still so much better than Everyday! She sounds so flat on that song, and it was clearly a deliberate decision on her part to sing it that way.

I think this is the version where she got emotional. This was recorded just as the Whole Lotta Trouble tour ended. Its ok but very lethargic. Klonopin was killing her. But I still like the song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qveKi3kwSUk

[Jondalar]

Originally Posted by bwboy

I don’t think Stevie removed Inspiration or God’s Garden out of retaliation. I mean, they’re horrible songs. If she came to that decision after rehab, then rehab definitely worked! Listen to the Rain and Love is Like a River replaced Inspiration and God’s Garden, and like you said, they’re two of her better songs on this album.

Street Angel is an odd listen for me. I can’t say I love any songs on it, but there are some I do like. I can give you probably five more reasons I hate Docklands besides her use of the word laundromat LOL.

I love Unconditional Love, but absolutely can see why they scrapped making that a single. That just shows how much trouble they had deciding on which song to release first. I do recall a press release shortly before SA was released saying Blue Denim was the lead single. The fact that no video was shot for Maybe Love tells me that was a last minute decision to release it.

Wish we could see the video for Unconditional Love.

Inspiration was the best song and she removed it. It had a vibe. The album was an embarrassment.

[secret love]

Originally Posted by bwboy

I saw online that Glyn Johns released a book about his career working with various artists, which had additional links at the end of the article. One article in particular caught my eye- it said that Unconditional Love was supposed to have been the first single, and that a video had been shot for it. It also said pictures from the video shoot are in the Enchanted booklet.

It also said God’s Garden, Inspiration, and another song called I Call You Missing were removed from the album at Stevie’s request when she got out of rehab, and were replaced with Docklands, Listen to the Rain, and one or two other songs. I Call You Missing has never been heard by the public, or at least not when that article initially appeared.

Stevie also said Johns wouldn’t allow Waddy to play on Street Angel, saying he wasn’t needed. However, wasn’t the recording of SA about the same time he was charged with child pornography? If so, I figure that was more likely the reason, but I could be wrong about the timetable.

Are these well known anecdotes?

I would not say well known, but I was aware of Waddy being charged with child porn and the timeline seems similar (that part is well known I think).

Also knew that those songs (Inspiration and God's Garden) had been removed at Stevie's request - but had not heard that about I Call You Missing.

Stevie basically re-produced the album, spending two months on it after she was released from rehabilitation. She still says she isn't happy with her vocals and wishes she had got someone to re-record them as well as doing the edits she made to the music.