Street Angel - the original version

[TheWILDheart]

This is for PenguinHead and all the other fans who have never seen this. I know it was posted on here a few years back, but thought I'd bring it to the attention of the newer members.

This is a press release, dating from 1992, giving the original release details for "Street Angel" including the tracklist.

"God's Garden" and "Inspiration" both ended up as b-sides and were included as bonus tracks on the Japanese release of SA. "I Call You Missing" from the SA sessions has never surfaced.

Both "God's Garden" and "Inspiration" were written by Ethan Johns, Glyn Johns' son, and recorded at Glyn's insistence. After Glyn walked away from the project, Stevie scrapped both tracks (along with ICYM) and recorded "Docklands", "Jane", "Greta" and "Love Is Like A River" for the album.

"Unconditional Love" was originally planned as the first single and a video WAS shot for it. IIRC, the pics of Stevie in the Enchanted boxsett it in the tan/cream coloured outfit with the hood are from this shoot. I'm not sure if I video was ever completed, but there were sessions for it.

Here is what Stevie said of "Street Angel" and working with Glyn Johns from the infamous "Off The Record" interview - one of very few promotions for SA.

Announcer: "...Street Angel, the 1994 solo album that Stevie won't be putting in anyone's Christmas stocking"

SN: "No, I've really walked away from it. It's really over for me. It took...it was started in the summer of '92, I hope I get this right, and it went...um...we recorded through 'til after Christmas in '93, when the inauguration was, and then we went back and worked for like another six weeks on it, and then we finished it, basically. And then...all the English people that were involved went home to England and I listened to it for two months and I didn't like it.

And so I went back in, with Thom Panunzio, to try and fix what I was not happy with. And I didn't fix it while I was working with the person that I was working with [Glyn Johns]...who dosen't like to be talked about because he's not speaking to me, um...I didn't like it when he was there, and he knew it, and basically he told me to...like, in no uncertain english, very rough terms, to shut up and deal with it and this was the way it was going to be.

So I waited for him to not only leave, but be gone for two months, before I summoned up enough courage to say well, I know this isn't right, this is just not me. This is not my record. So I went back in for about eight weeks and I didn't mess with the vocals, which I should have. But I was so sort of overwhelmed with trying to fix the things that I didn't like about the music, which was like...there was no percussion, there was no Waddy Wachtel. Because I was told that the last thing that I would need was Waddy Wachtel. And I, you know...I mean, to that comment I was so speechless that I just didn't do anything, I said ok. So when I went back in, I had Waddy come in and play, and I had Peter Michael come in and put percusssion on, and Michael Campbell came back and put some more guitar on it, and we re-mixed everything, and we did a lot of other things besides that.

I should have gone back in and really worked with the album, with the vocals. Because that's something that...I guess that was the last thing that I knew was wrong with it, and after being in two months trying to fix everything that I thought was wrong about the music and the mixes, it was almost kind of like, you know, maybe you just need to let this go and go on. I mean, this is three years now. And this record should have been out a long time ago. It may be new for everybody else, but it's really old for me.

And, it's not my favorite record anyway, so, maybe it's just time to stop. So I did stop."

<a href="http://s147.beta.photobucket.com/user/TheWILDheart83/media/StreetAngelalt.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r313/TheWILDheart83/StreetAngelalt.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo StreetAngelalt.jpg"/></a>

[PenguinHead]

Thanks WILDheart for posting that promo. It's fascinating to see the original promotional ad for the album, prior to all the changes.

I find it so strange that "Unconditional Love" was slated to be the first single, and that Stevie conceded to record (and include on the album) two songs written by the producer's son! It appears she was completely under the control of the "English people." I can't reconcile how Stevie, a powerful, opinionated force in her own right, could feel so dominated and complict in the process of recording the album.

And, why the heck did God's Garden and Inspiration get released, and I Call You Missing hasn't seen the light of day?

[TheWILDheart]

Thanks WILDheart for posting that promo. It's fascinating to see the original promotional ad for the album, prior to all the changes.

I find it so strange that "Unconditional Love" was slated to be the first single, and that Stevie conceded to record (and include on the album) two songs written by the producer's son! It appears she was completely under the control of the "English people." I can't reconcile how Stevie, a powerful, opinionated force in her own right, could feel so dominated and complict in the process of recording the album.

And, why the heck did God's Garden and Inspiration get released, and I Call You Missing hasn't seen the light of day?

Well, I don't think Stevie was in a particularly fighting mood at that point. Not only was this the worst of her klonopin dependency years, she'd also been pushed around and walked all over in regards to "Sometimes It's a Bitch" by the suits at the record label.

I think she was just doing as she was told by this point. Sort of on "auto-pilot" just going through the motions, and it wasn't until she came out of rehab in 93 that she got herself back and was able to go in and give Glyn Johns the boot.

She removed his name from the album too, and made damn sure he got squat for 2 years work.

I know Stevie doesn't like it, but there are some killer songs on "Street Angel". It certainly deserves more credit than it gets.

[SpyNote]

Thanks for posting the press release. It's so interesting to see all the leg work that was done to get that album out. What a PR mess for Stevie.

I agree that there are some good songs on Street Angel. Stevie was definitely too hard on herself. The original versions of "Jane" and "Unconditional Love" were much better than the revised ones. You can hear the 1993 version of the album here (http://www.stevie-nicks.info/street-angel-1994.html).

[TheWILDheart]

Thanks SpyNote for the link.

You can really tell what Stevie was getting at with her comments in the interview about the drums. The whole album sounds "hollow". Stevie had always surrounded herself with a great band, but this just sounds empty and cold.

[HejiraNYC]

That Glyn Johns must be a total douche nozzle. The other day I was reading an article about Carly Simon's Hello Big Man album:

Well, I was trying to find a new producer. Because Warner thought Mike (Mainieri) couldn't make a really commercial album. I disagreed with them. But I went along because they were so nice about Torch. Even though they didn't think it was commercial, they really did get behind it. And it actually sold more copies than some of my "commercial" albums.

So I looked for another producer. And I settled on Glyn Johns. We started work at Compass Point in Bermuda. And it simply didn't work out. I wasn't happy. So I went back to Mike.

Yes, he's got an impressive track record of classic rock albums under his belt, but Buddah knows how many projects never came to fruition because he was so insufferable.

[BombaySapphire3]

Johns may have been a good producer back in the 1970s but I believe he was losing his touch by SA..The Ronstadt /Harris joint The Western Wall fared better a few years later but I chalk it up to those two great singers being more in control of the process than a Klonopin addled Stevie was.The last thing he produced was Mirage Rock last year, an album by the neo-folk rock group Band of Horses whose previous three albums are quite good.The Johns produced album is a botch I bought the MP3 on Amazon and could not listen to it all the way through.

[Christopher]

Well, I don't think Stevie was in a particularly fighting mood at that point. Not only was this the worst of her klonopin dependency years, she'd also been pushed around and walked all over in regards to "Sometimes It's a Bitch" by the suits at the record label.

I think she was just doing as she was told by this point. Sort of on "auto-pilot" just going through the motions, and it wasn't until she came out of rehab in 93 that she got herself back and was able to go in and give Glyn Johns the boot.

She removed his name from the album too, and made damn sure he got squat for 2 years work.

I know Stevie doesn't like it, but there are some killer songs on "Street Angel". It certainly deserves more credit than it gets.

Not quite, Glyn Johns surely would have been paid for his work on "Street Angel" in an upfront contract before sessions began.

When Stevie emerged from Klonopin detox/rehab and listened to Glyn's final mixes of SA with sober ears, she obviously didn't like what she heard. She said she waited for Glen to go home, somewhere in the UK I presume, and against Glyns wishes, Stevie & Thom Panuzio embarked to open up the mixes and layer in new guitar & drum fills. Glyn allegedly demanded that his name be removed from the final project according to Stevie, to which I'm sure Stevie happily obliged.

[KarmaContestant]

You know, the thing is, I could almost believe that Stevie simply was too out of touch to take Glyn's work with any seriousness.

Imagine - she comes out of rehab - and the whole project is deemed unacceptable? I'm sure the guy was difficult, but I have to wonder how much of Stevie's dislike of the material was really a struggle with a post-medicated identity crisis and how much of it was actual bad workmanship from Glyn.

I do like the Street Angel album, quite a lot, to be honest, so whatever she did is fine by me.

[Phil]

I have seen and heard a 1993 promo cassette featuring the same track-listing/sequencing mentioned in the above 1992 press release and it poses a question regarding "I Call You Missing". The first track on Side B of the cassette is "Love Is Like A River", but it is actually titled "I Call You Missing". Now I don't know if this could have been an alternate title for "Love Is Like A River" or if it was just a mistake. Given the time period involved, it would seem that oversights were allowed to occur, hence the 1984 recording of "Mirror Mirror" being included on the b-side of the "Blue Denim" cassingle when the 1992 version was intended for inclusion.
I realise that we have it on good authority (courtesy of various sources) that "I Call You Missing" was indeed recorded during the Street Angel sessions, but I'm just wondering if it was considered for actual inclusion at any of the projected 1992/1993/1994 release stages? Can anyone shed more light on the matter?

[SpyNote]

I have seen and heard a 1993 promo cassette featuring the same track-listing/sequencing mentioned in the above 1992 press release and it poses a question regarding "I Call You Missing". The first track on Side B of the cassette is "Love Is Like A River", but it is actually titled "I Call You Missing". Now I don't know if this could have been an alternate title for "Love Is Like A River" or if it was just a mistake. Given the time period involved, it would seem that oversights were allowed to occur, hence the 1984 recording of "Mirror Mirror" being included on the b-side of the "Blue Denim" cassingle when the 1992 version was intended for inclusion.
I realise that we have it on good authority (courtesy of various sources) that "I Call You Missing" was indeed recorded during the Street Angel sessions, but I'm just wondering if it was considered for actual inclusion at any of the projected 1992/1993/1994 release stages? Can anyone shed more light on the matter?

It's possible that the tape was mislabeled. By the end of February 1993, the Glyn Johns version of Street Angel was mastered, and "I Call You Missing" was not one of the master mixes.

[Phil]

Thanks SpyNote, that's what I suspected to be the case.

[TheWILDheart]

You know, the thing is, I could almost believe that Stevie simply was too out of touch to take Glyn's work with any seriousness.

Imagine - she comes out of rehab - and the whole project is deemed unacceptable? I'm sure the guy was difficult, but I have to wonder how much of Stevie's dislike of the material was really a struggle with a post-medicated identity crisis and how much of it was actual bad workmanship from Glyn.

I do like the Street Angel album, quite a lot, to be honest, so whatever she did is fine by me.

Well, as far as I'm aware, the album was finished by the time Stevie entered rehab. All the Glyn Johns mixes are pre-rehab recordings and it was after Stevie left rehab, sober for the first time in over a decade, listen to the record and though "what the hell is this?". After being worn down by the label over Timespace, the battle with Mick and the years of klonopin and fluoxetine use had left her lifeless - she was more the likely just going through the motions with Glyn and doing as she was told, likely due to lack of energy to fight anymore.

[Aussie W/Heart]

So who produced I Call You Missing & Mirror Mirror the awesome 92 version? Glyn Johns? Such a shame they were not included on Street Angel.

[On Ice]

I agree that there are some good songs on Street Angel. Stevie was definitely too hard on herself. The original versions of "Jane" and "Unconditional Love" were much better than the revised ones. You can hear the 1993 version of the album here.

I'm actually in the love Street Angel camp, I don't think it's a bad album at all and her singing is actually quite good on most tracks. Sure it has duds like the awful Docklands and a horrible vocal on Jane but those '93 versions are great and if she had included that wonderful version of Mirror Mirror, to me she would have a hard time convincing people that the album is bad.

[TheWILDheart]

So who produced I Call You Missing & Mirror Mirror the awesome 92 version? Glyn Johns? Such a shame they were not included on Street Angel.

Yes, Glyn producted both.

I actually prefer the '84 version of "Mirror Mirror" personally.

I'm actually in the love Street Angel camp, I don't think it's a bad album at all and her singing is actually quite good on most tracks. Sure it has duds like the awful Docklands and a horrible vocal on Jane but those '93 versions are great and if she had included that wonderful version of Mirror Mirror, to me she would have a hard time convincing people that the album is bad.

I agree, I love "Street Angel", but I have to listen to a revised version of it because "Jane", "Docklands" and "Unconditional Love" make me want to commit arson. I don't like Stevie's "Just Like A Woman" either - snooze fest. She was never great at recording covers, to say how well she does them live (I Need To Know, Rock and Roll, Circle Dance).

[vivfox]

Yes, Glyn producted both.


I absolutely LOVE the Glyn John's produced tracks. Stevie went in the studio and ruined most of them as far as I am concerned. Docklands & Listen To The Rain were masterpieces til her and Tom Panunzio destroyed 'em.

[mitzo]

Gotta agree, the Johns-produced things sound much more professional and slick, pleasant to the ears.

[TheWILDheart]

Docklands & Listen To The Rain were masterpieces til her and Tom Panunzio destroyed 'em.

I couldn't disagree more. I LOVE "Listen To The Rain" as it is, and "Docklands" is so terrible, even different production couldn't save it.

Have you heard the Timespace version of "Listen to the Rain"?

[KarmaContestant]

Well, as far as I'm aware, the album was finished by the time Stevie entered rehab. All the Glyn Johns mixes are pre-rehab recordings and it was after Stevie left rehab, sober for the first time in over a decade, listen to the record and though "what the hell is this?". After being worn down by the label over Timespace, the battle with Mick and the years of klonopin and fluoxetine use had left her lifeless - she was more the likely just going through the motions with Glyn and doing as she was told, likely due to lack of energy to fight anymore.

See, but that's the thing - the Glyn Johns mixes sounded great. The whole CD of Glyn's original mixes has been circulating for a couple of years, and a few of the tracks even got used on the Enchanted box set (Destiny, Rose Garden & Street Angel).

I really just believe Stevie is/was being melodramatic when she talks about this point in the birth of the Street Angel album. Let us not forget how many of her songs have been "ruined" by Lindsey for not sounding like the demos. Because Gypsy and Sara are are *so* terrible and Lindsey is so very mean to Stevie - or so she would have had us believe at various points in time.

I would not go so far as to say that Stevie and Thom Panunzio ruined the songs that Glyn produced, but I do honestly believe there was nothing wrong with them and that Stevie just wanted to scrub Glyn away because he was not enamoured with her the way other producers have been, and he ran a tight ship with actual rules and schedules. And admittedly, as a long-time fan I have many times myself thought that the last thing Stevie needs is Waddy Wachtel, so I guess I agree with Glyn in that respect.

[Christopher]

So who produced I Call You Missing & Mirror Mirror the awesome 92 version? Glyn Johns? Such a shame they were not included on Street Angel.

Yes, Glyn producted both.

I'm not sure anyone knows with certainty who produced "I Call You Missing" for the SA sessions, it seems to be the missing holy grail of outtakes for fans. But the 1992 recordings of "Mirror, Mirror" & "Thousand Days" were produced by Chris Lord-Alge according to Sara Fleetwood. She claimed that these were recorded before Glyn Johns was brought on board as producer for the whole project.

I always thought it was a possibility that "I Call You Missing" was actually "Love Is Like A River" and was misprinted on some of the initial press releases, since these two songs share practically the same lyrics. :shrug: But allegedly Sara Fleetwood has confirmed to some in the fan community that they did in fact record ICYM.

[markolas]

Yeah, I've never questioned that they recorded "I Call You Missing" for Street Angel. I also got the impression that "Running Through the Garden" was recorded for it as well.

The Street Angel tracks on Enchanted are the Glyn Johns versions, IIRC...which seemed odd to me, since Stevie always talked about how much she hated his work. I do prefer the Glyn Johns versions of those songs, and the ones she put on Enchanted are by far the best songs on the album (although I do like "Love Is Like a River" an awful lot).

[KarmaContestant]

The Street Angel tracks on Enchanted are the Glyn Johns versions, IIRC...which seemed odd to me, since Stevie always talked about how much she hated his work. I do prefer the Glyn Johns versions of those songs, and the ones she put on Enchanted are by far the best songs on the album (although I do like "Love Is Like a River" an awful lot).

Me too! I love those RAL demos more, though, with the pulsing synth beats.

[TheWILDheart]

Yeah, I've never questioned that they recorded "I Call You Missing" for Street Angel. I also got the impression that "Running Through the Garden" was recorded for it as well.

The Street Angel tracks on Enchanted are the Glyn Johns versions, IIRC...which seemed odd to me, since Stevie always talked about how much she hated his work. I do prefer the Glyn Johns versions of those songs, and the ones she put on Enchanted are by far the best songs on the album (although I do like "Love Is Like a River" an awful lot).

"Love is like a River" is my fav track on SA :thumbsup:

I prefer the SA mixes to be honest. That roaring guitar in "Street Angel" is fantastic. The single edit of "Blue Denim" is soooooo much better than either version - it has way more kick too it than Glyn's and Thom's mixes, which makes it so much more rock and roll than the folky sounding version on the album.

[Johnny Stew]

Yeah, I've never questioned that they recorded "I Call You Missing" for Street Angel. I also got the impression that "Running Through the Garden" was recorded for it as well.

"Running Through The Garden" has a 4/27/1992 copyright date on the US Copyright website. Same for "Mirror Mirror" and "Thousand Days."

We know now that the latter two were produced by Chris Lord-Alge at that time, so I think it's a safe bet that there's a CLA produced version of "Running Through The Garden" in the vaults somewhere too.

[Johnny Stew]

I prefer the SA mixes to be honest.

I prefer the album versions too, but it is interesting to hear the original mixes for comparison. To my ears, though, there's something "off" about the original Glyn Johns mixes.

[TheWILDheart]

"Running Through The Garden" has a 4/27/1992 copyright date on the US Copyright website. Same for "Mirror Mirror" and "Thousand Days."

We know now that the latter two were produced by Chris Lord-Alge at that time, so I think it's a safe bet that there's a CLA produced version of "Running Through The Garden" in the vaults somewhere too.

not quite the same, but here is the RAL demo of "Running Through The Garden"

http://www.sendspace.com/file/201q9s

[Phil]

If Stevie had continued with Chris Lord-Alge at the production helm, the album could have been vastly improved upon. A track-listing featuring the following, in Chris' capable hands, really could have been something:

Blue Denim
Greta
Street Angel
Listen To The Rain
Destiny
I Call You Missing
Mirror Mirror
Thousand Days
Running Through The Garden
Kick It
If You Were My Love

I also think the likes of Maybe Love and Unconditional Love could have been brought up to scratch by Chris (although I do quite like the versions of these produced by Glyn Johns). He may have even been able to resurrect Love Is Live A River, which I happen to think is a bit of a mess (although I do quite like the Rock A Little era version).

Docklands is virtually unsalvagaeable, but I remember preferring the slower demo version that may have originated from the The Other Side Of The Mirror sessions. Can anyone confirm this?

With regard to the remaining tracks, I don't think there is much anyone could do with Rose Garden, Just Like A Woman,Jane, Inspiration or God's Garden - they're all pretty woeful.

I have to say that in the absence of an entire Chris Lord-Alge production, I definitely prefer Glyn's version to Thom Panunzio's since the released album truly sounds listless and over-worked. It is immensely frustrating, in my opinion, that Stevie had eleven excellent songs at her disposal, all of which she had written, and yet what eventually emerged was an unmitigated disaster. I agree with an earlier post that it seemed as if Stevie's musical vision had abandoned her and she no longer had the will to fight "the suits".

PS TheWILDHeart, I detest that guitar howl in the official Street Angel and much prefer the Glyn Johns version, which is more subtle and ethereal (the keyboards almost remind me of Peter Gabriel).

[KarmaContestant]

......since the released album truly sounds listless and over-worked. It is immensely frustrating, in my opinion, that Stevie had eleven excellent songs at her disposal, all of which she had written, and yet what eventually emerged was an unmitigated disaster.

Totally. I love the album, but you really hit it on the nail with that.

[vivfox]

not quite the same, but here is the RAL demo of "Running Through The Garden"

http://www.sendspace.com/file/201q9s


This link contains a virus. Don't DL it.

Not your fault TheWILDheart.

[vivfox]

"Running Through The Garden" has a 4/27/1992 copyright date on the US Copyright website. Same for "Mirror Mirror" and "Thousand Days."


In 1986 I got Mirror Mirror and A Thousand Days demos.

[Phil]

Upon reflection, it's astounding to me that Stevie actually relegated the likes of "Thousand Days" and "Mirror Mirror" to b-sides when, by her own admission, she had delivered a rather lacklustre album. I can understand that she may have been keeping the likes of "I Call You Missing" and "Running Through The Garden" up her sleeve for future projects if she wasn't satisfied with the 1992 versions, but she actually sanctioned the release of "Thousand Days"' and "Mirror Mirror" (remember the 1992 recording was intended, not the 1984 version), yet didn't consider them superior to anything that made the released album? What further mystifies me about this decision is that she actually wrote these songs and still didn't consider them superior to the likes of "Docklands", "Unconditional Love", "Maybe Love", "Just Like A Woman" or "Inspiration" and "God's Garden" (both of which were included on the Japanese edition of the album). That's six songs written by others that made it to the final album release (one way or another) at the expense of her own compositions. Stevie really must have been devoid of confidence during that period. I simply can not imagine her allowing such a turn of events occurring these days.

[Phil]

English singer-songwriter Charlie Dore's second album was produced by Glyn Johns, but she ended up re-recording the album with another producer, with Johns' version never being released.

[SpyNote]

Upon reflection, it's astounding to me that Stevie actually relegated the likes of "Thousand Days" and "Mirror Mirror" to b-sides when, by her own admission, she had delivered a rather lacklustre album...

Stevie really must have been devoid of confidence during that period. I simply can not imagine her allowing such a turn of events occurring these days.

I think she generally tries to keep a positive spin on her material and keep the darker material off the final, enduring product. That's why I think she released songs like "Mirror Mirror," "Battle of the Dragon," "Thousand Days,""Violet and Blue" as b-sides or on soundtracks, where they will be heard but get less attention. Even though many of these songs are catchy and melodic, there's anger and bitterness attached to them, too. And she probably wouldn't want to sing them live if they became hits. Remember when she gradually stopped singing the line "Well, take your violet and blue mornings with you" at the end of "I Need to Know" in concert. I think that started with the Enchanted tour. She would turn away from the mic and sing "well take your violet and blue mornings" to her band and turn back to the mic just to sing "....with you!" Today she doesn't even sing the line at all.

[sparky]

Remember when she gradually stopped singing the line "Well, take your violet and blue mornings with you" at the end of "I Need to Know" in concert. I think that started with the Enchanted tour. She would turn away from the mic and sing "well take your violet and blue mornings" to her band and turn back to the mic just to sing "....with you!" Today she doesn't even sing the line at all.

This line always seemed utterly nonsensical to me. Not only because the song from whence it sprung made no sense, but what does it mean?

Violet and blue marks on your arm from shooting up?

Violet and blue bruises on my body from having been punched?

I never saw a single interpretation of this this song lyrically. It is kind of obviously about JW. But still... any guesses out there?

[vivfox]

""Violet and Blue" And she probably wouldn't want to sing them live if they became hits.


I forget the name of the movie right now but in it she sings this live. Some parts of the music are dimmed to account for the dialogue but at least the whole song is sung. Back in the 1980's I recorded it onto a cassette tape to play in the car and on the boombox.

[mitzo]

I forget the name of the movie right now but in it she sings this live. Some parts of the music are dimmed to account for the dialogue but at least the whole song is sung. Back in the 1980's I recorded it onto a cassette tape to play in the car and on the boombox.

Violet and Blue is on the soundtrack of Against All Odds but I do not recall her singing it live in the movie.

[TheWILDheart]

Violet and Blue is on the soundtrack of [I]Against All odds[I] but I do not recall her singing it live in the movie.

It wasn't live. IIRC, "Violet and Blue" wasn't quite finished in time for the production of the film, so the version in the film is more of a demo. It is different from the version on the soundtrack, but they're both studio versions.

[vivfox]

It wasn't live. IIRC, "Violet and Blue" wasn't quite finished in time for the production of the film, so the version in the film is more of a demo. It is different from the version on the soundtrack, but they're both studio versions.


What does IIRC mean?Is it if I recall?

[TheWILDheart]

What does IIRC mean?

If I Recall Correctly :thumbsup:

[vivfox]

Violet and Blue is on the soundtrack of Against All Odds but I do not recall her singing it live in the movie.

Somebody arrived at a nightclub in the movie but was prevented from entering. During that scene V&B was played on the sound system in the club in the movie. From what I remember at that time I had read it was recorded live at The Stark Club in Texas and was used in the movie. Stevie had part ownership in that club.

[michelej1]

This line always seemed utterly nonsensical to me. Not only because the song from whence it sprung made no sense, but what does it mean?

Violet and blue marks on your arm from shooting up?

Violet and blue bruises on my body from having been punched?



I don't think "violet and blue" is a negative thing. I think they spent beautiful mornings together and when he leaves she wants him to take those lovely memories with him, because when she's alone with them, they will only hurt. What felt good at the time, plagues you when it's gone.

Usually skies are just blue, but with him they were tinged with violet and had a rare twilight beauty, which hurts to remember.

Michele

[StreetAngel86]

It's possible that the tape was mislabeled. By the end of February 1993, the Glyn Johns version of Street Angel was mastered, and "I Call You Missing" was not one of the master mixes.

so is there a Street Angel version AND a Rock a Little version of I Call You Missing?
because the RAL demo version that's out there is a hot mess and one of my fave demos :D

so I think it's a safe bet that there's a CLA produced version of "Running Through The Garden" in the vaults somewhere too.

WHAT ??????????? oooooh my. covet.



Blue Denim
Greta
Street Angel
Listen To The Rain
Destiny
I Call You Missing
Mirror Mirror
Thousand Days
Running Through The Garden
Kick It
If You Were My Love

this is almost a perfect track listing.
but i'd leave in Docklands and God's Garden maybe as bonus tracks and have Greta sounding more like the RAL version

[SpyNote]

The Street Angel version of "Mirror Mirror" is posted on YouTube for those who haven't heard it.

Mirror Mirror, 1992 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMY_kXZ67uU)

[Oooh Missionary]

This is for PenguinHead and all the other fans who have never seen this. I know it was posted on here a few years back, but thought I'd bring it to the attention of the newer members.

This is a press release, dating from 1992, giving the original release details for "Street Angel" including the tracklist.

"God's Garden" and "Inspiration" both ended up as b-sides and were included as bonus tracks on the Japanese release of SA. "I Call You Missing" from the SA sessions has never surfaced.

Both "God's Garden" and "Inspiration" were written by Ethan Johns, Glyn Johns' son, and recorded at Glyn's insistence. After Glyn walked away from the project, Stevie scrapped both tracks (along with ICYM) and recorded "Docklands", "Jane", "Greta" and "Love Is Like A River" for the album.

"Unconditional Love" was originally planned as the first single and a video WAS shot for it. IIRC, the pics of Stevie in the Enchanted boxsett it in the tan/cream coloured outfit with the hood are from this shoot. I'm not sure if I video was ever completed, but there were sessions for it.

Here is what Stevie said of "Street Angel" and working with Glyn Johns from the infamous "Off The Record" interview - one of very few promotions for SA.

Announcer: "...Street Angel, the 1994 solo album that Stevie won't be putting in anyone's Christmas stocking"

SN: "No, I've really walked away from it. It's really over for me. It took...it was started in the summer of '92, I hope I get this right, and it went...um...we recorded through 'til after Christmas in '93, when the inauguration was, and then we went back and worked for like another six weeks on it, and then we finished it, basically. And then...all the English people that were involved went home to England and I listened to it for two months and I didn't like it.

And so I went back in, with Thom Panunzio, to try and fix what I was not happy with. And I didn't fix it while I was working with the person that I was working with [Glyn Johns]...who dosen't like to be talked about because he's not speaking to me, um...I didn't like it when he was there, and he knew it, and basically he told me to...like, in no uncertain english, very rough terms, to shut up and deal with it and this was the way it was going to be.

So I waited for him to not only leave, but be gone for two months, before I summoned up enough courage to say well, I know this isn't right, this is just not me. This is not my record. So I went back in for about eight weeks and I didn't mess with the vocals, which I should have. But I was so sort of overwhelmed with trying to fix the things that I didn't like about the music, which was like...there was no percussion, there was no Waddy Wachtel. Because I was told that the last thing that I would need was Waddy Wachtel. And I, you know...I mean, to that comment I was so speechless that I just didn't do anything, I said ok. So when I went back in, I had Waddy come in and play, and I had Peter Michael come in and put percusssion on, and Michael Campbell came back and put some more guitar on it, and we re-mixed everything, and we did a lot of other things besides that.

I should have gone back in and really worked with the album, with the vocals. Because that's something that...I guess that was the last thing that I knew was wrong with it, and after being in two months trying to fix everything that I thought was wrong about the music and the mixes, it was almost kind of like, you know, maybe you just need to let this go and go on. I mean, this is three years now. And this record should have been out a long time ago. It may be new for everybody else, but it's really old for me.

And, it's not my favorite record anyway, so, maybe it's just time to stop. So I did stop."

<a href="http://s147.beta.photobucket.com/user/TheWILDheart83/media/StreetAngelalt.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r313/TheWILDheart83/StreetAngelalt.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo StreetAngelalt.jpg"/></a>

Thanks for sharing this again... I love stuff like this showing how projects developed.

"Greta" is my favorite song off of SA, so I'm glad the release was pushed back. I remember picking up the cassette the week it was released (oblivious to all of the delays and drama that went into getting the album out) and thought it was alright. I pretty much treated it as a "Blue Denim"/"Greta" single after that first listen, rewinding the tape back to the beginning before "Street Angel" could start. :laugh:

She was working with Chris Lord-Alge and he remixed both "Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind" and "Blue Denim" for single release with fantastic results. He'd already proven his remixing abilities -especially on TimeSpace- and I'll never understand why he didn't just rework the entire Street Angel LP with her given how unhappy she was with the initial mix.

Frankly, a world where the Street Angel album boasts a whittled-down, Lord-Alge mixed track listing complete with sleeve art that looks something like it's promotional posters is a world I want to live in. A world we should all live in. :nod:

http://www.purplemoon.com/stevie-poster-promo-streetangel-standing2.jpg

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Stevie-Nicks-Postcard-Promo-Photo-Street-Angel-Maybe-Love-Will-Change-You-Mind-/00/s/MTYwMFgxMjU3/$T2eC16VHJHYE9nzpeCqeBQQ8G4Mh0w~~60_35.JPG

[Phil]

I agree, Chris Lord-Alge could have salvaged the album better than Thom Panunzio. Such a wasted opportunity.

[bombaysaffires]

English singer-songwriter Charlie Dore's second album was produced by Glyn Johns, but she ended up re-recording the album with another producer, with Johns' version never being released.

all these comments, the common thread seems like this guy has a real problem with women artists. is he some sort of macho misogynist jerk?:shrug:

[Christopher]

all these comments, the common thread seems like this guy has a real problem with women artists. is he some sort of macho misogynist jerk?:shrug:
I'm not sure it's just women. Even The Eagles -- who at first were awestruck to be working with Glyn on their 1st two albums (even though Glyn initially passed.) They wanted Glyn because he had produced so many records that they loved the sound & sonics of, but they too ended up feeling that Glyn was a control freak, not open to any of their input in the studio, so they ended up parting ways and it really opened up their sound. Apparently Glyn feels like he has a signature sound and is a bit of a totalitarian in the studio. He even made The Eagles fly to London to record. The surprising fact is that Stevie even agreed to work with him having to had known that his reputation preceded him. I think she & her team envisioned that Glyn could get her back to the stripped-down "Bella Donna" sounding classic record that began her career so successfully. Unfortunately, it backfired for many reasons - Stevie being zonked out on Klono & Prozac, as well as not having the same caliber of songwriting she had earlier in her career.

I never really understood "Street Angel"- the song or the even liked the title, I know it's about a homeless gypsy, etc., but I never found it believable, it's far-fetched, even for a Stevie song. I've grown to like the song, but it wouldn't even register in my top 40 Stevie songs, and I do not believe it was ultimately worthy of inclusion or even esp., as the title a Stevie album. And ultimately that's the real problem with this record -- it's missing a strong anchor, some direction, it just hangs, and is aimless. It needs one killer title song, or two - and then drop "Jane", "Docklands"(love the song, just not for Stevie), "Just Like A Woman" (horrible cover) & finally kick off "Unconditional Love", unless it's arranged as the acoustic beauty of the demo w/some re-arrangement of the chorus. Add in a killer title song, "Inspiration", and "If You Were My Love." This album is hard -- because it's kind of a mess:o. The Chris Lord-Alge production of "Thousand Days" & "Mirror, Mirror" really does not fit the style of this body of material. Those songs (the production) resonate too slick and are even more early 90's adult-contemporary sounding - exactly what Stevie did not need back then. Chris is a great mixer, but they obviously didn't think he had the chops to produce an entire project, otherwise Stevie would have hired him.:shrug:

[KarmaContestant]

I never really understood "Street Angel"- the song or the even liked the title, I know it's about a homeless gypsy, etc., but I never found it believable, it's far-fetched, even for a Stevie song. I've grown to like the song, but it wouldn't even register in my top 40 Stevie songs, and I do not believe it was ultimately worthy of inclusion or even esp., as the title a Stevie album. And ultimately that's the real problem with this record, It's missing a strong anchor, some direction, it just hangs, and is aimless. It needs one killer title song - and then drop "Jane", "Docklands"(love the song, just not for Stevie), "Just Like A Woman" (horrible cover) & finally kick off "Unconditional Love" unless it's re-arranged as the acoustic demo sounds. Add in one killer title song, "Inspiration", and "If You Were My Love." This album is hard... because it's kind of a mess:o. The Chris Lord-Alge production on "Thousand Days" & "Mirror, Mirror" does not fit with the rest of this material. Those songs sound too slick and are even more early 90's adult-contemporary sounding. Exactly what Stevie did not need back then. Chris is a great mixer, but they obviously didn't think he had the chops to produce an entire project, otherwise Stevie would have hired him.:shrug:

Oh Lord, how can anyone think that god-awful SA vocal on If You Were My Love is worthy of inclusion on an album is beyond me. :laugh: It's terrible, truly. She sounds half awake and distracted by a pizza.

I personally love Street Angel (the song) but otherwise agree with your assessment, by and large. That part of the 90's was an odd time for music, with Salt & Pepa and Tori Amos and Ace of Bass toppng charts, I don't know that *anything* Stevie could have done would have sounded current.

[Oooh Missionary]

The Chris Lord-Alge production on "Thousand Days" & "Mirror, Mirror" does not fit with the rest of this material. Those songs sound too slick and are even more early 90's adult-contemporary sounding. Exactly what Stevie did not need back then. Chris is a great mixer, but they obviously didn't think he had the chops to produce an entire project, otherwise Stevie would have hired him.:shrug:

Yeah, I certainly wasn't suggesting he PRODUCE the album. I just find it odd that he didn't remix all of the tracks before it was released.

[Johnny Stew]

Oh Lord, how can anyone think that god-awful SA vocal on If You Were My Love is worthy of inclusion on an album is beyond me. :laugh: It's terrible, truly. She sounds half awake and distracted by a pizza.

Lol. I've grown to appreciate that version of "If You Were My Love" for various reasons -- but, yeah, Stevie sounds like she'd rather be anywhere than in the studio right then.

I've often imagined that recording "IYWML" with Glyn Johns' oddball pseudo-calypso arrangement was the very moment Stevie realized she had hit bottom. lol

[Christopher]

Oh Lord, how can anyone think that god-awful SA vocal on If You Were My Love is worthy of inclusion on an album is beyond me. :laugh: It's terrible, truly. She sounds half awake and distracted by a pizza.

I personally love Street Angel (the song) but otherwise agree with your assessment, by and large. That part of the 90's was an odd time for music, with Salt & Pepa and Tori Amos and Ace of Bass toppng charts, I don't know that *anything* Stevie could have done would have sounded current.

Yes, it was a sleepy vocal, but for me it somehow worked with that slinky, jazzy arrangement & IMO it is 100 x's more enjoyable than "Just Like A Woman." Ultimately, IYWMY (SA Version) is a guilty pleasure. But it's still not as snoozy as the dreadful vocal on "Playing In God'd Garden!":distress:

Like I said, ultimately "Street Angel" suffered from not having a couple of killer songs."Greta" , "Blue Denim", & "Kick It" were nice, but there were no epic songs, no killer Stevie moments, just glimpses of what could've been. Stevie seemed to be suffering from writers block and any clear direction. I feel like she combed through her vaults - armed with a few older early 80's demo's, WH & RAL demos, and one OSOTM demo (Docklands) for good measure, and prayed that Sandy Stewart would deliver a hit song. "Unconditional Love" is the worst song she EVER gave to Stevie. The WORST!

I don't entirely buy that Stevie couldn't have had a modest hit at this stage in her career. If she had her sh*t together & worked with the right people it could have happened. I look to Melissa Etheridge's "Come To My Window", as a good example from that time period of what could have been. Concrete Blonde had released the gorgeous "Mexican Moon", and 4-non Blondes were riding high with "What's Up". There was a lot of good female acoustic/rock going on at this time.

[vivfox]

Like I said, ultimately "Street Angel" suffered from not having a couple of killer songs."Greta" , "Blue Denim", & "Kick It" were nice, "Unconditional Love" is the worst song she EVER gave to Stevie. The WORST!


Kick It was on TISL.

Unconditional Love is one of my favorite tracks on SA.

[Oooh Missionary]

Kick It was on TISL.

Um.

http://www.coverdude.com/covers/stevie-nicks-street-angel-1994-back-cover-66404.jpg

http://www.freecodesource.com/album-cover/51g0tVyQ2JL/Stevie-Nicks-Trouble-in-Shangri-La.jpg

[Oooh Missionary]

Like I said, ultimately "Street Angel" suffered from not having a couple of killer songs."Greta" , "Blue Denim", & "Kick It" were nice, but there were no epic songs, no killer Stevie moments, just glimpses of what could've been.

I completely agree with you on this. The three you named are the three highlights for me and I even have a love-hate thing with them. For instance, putting together a retrospective of her stuff, they just pale by everything on either side of them.

Even isolating them is problematic... I tried compiling a spruced up version of the album (for portability purposes) and just stalled out.

1. Blue Denim (Chris Lord-Alge Remix)
2. Greta
3. Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind (Chris Lord-Alge Remix)
4. Somebody Stand By Me*
5. Kick It
6. Love Is Like A River
7. Thousand Days

...and then I just got stuck because I don't really want to hear anything else from the album. I just haphazardly threw everything else from the era on to fill out the disc.

* In early '95 it was such a relief to hear her perform "Somebody Stand By Me", a well written song with a strong vocal performance. It was the first time in years that it felt like she really meant the words she was singing. The sentiment fit where she was in her life at that moment and it's a shame it didn't go out as a single release to soften the negative impact Street Angel had.

[TheWILDheart]

Kick It was on TISL.

Unconditional Love is one of my favorite tracks on SA.

I really cannot abide "Unconditional Love" - one of the only songs of Stevie's I really hate.

and "Kick It" was on Street Angel

[Oooh Missionary]

I still can't believe there's an "Unconditional Love" music video hiding somewhere and that it was going to be the lead single from the album.

I MEAN, HONESTLY.

[TheWILDheart]

I still can't believe there's an "Unconditional Love" music video hiding somewhere and that it was going to be the lead single from the album.

I MEAN, HONESTLY.

There's some stills from the UL music video in the Enchanted booklet. And as far as I know, the video was set to the original Glyn Johns mix.

[vivfox]

Um.
http://www.coverdude.com/covers/stevie-nicks-street-angel-1994-back-cover-66404.jpg


Wow! That took me by surprise. The thing is, is that I never cared for the last 4 SA tracks. So they just didn't exist as far as I was concerned. I loved 4 songs from TISL and didn't enjoy the rest of it and after all these years I could have sworn Kick It was a TISL track.

[Oooh Missionary]

:laugh:

I definitely like TISL more than SA but, yeah, there is some fluff there too.

Not to derail the thread, but "That Made Me Stronger" was such a disappointment. That little opening riff was nice and then the lyrics start pouring out and it just goes to hell from there.

Anyway, at least even the worst stuff on TISL was mixed well! :p

[TheWILDheart]

:laugh:

I definitely like TISL more than SA but, yeah, there is some fluff there too.

Not to derail the thread, but "That Made Me Stronger" was such a disappointment. That little opening riff was nice and then the lyrics start pouring out and it just goes to hell from there.

Anyway, at least even the worst stuff on TISL was mixed well! :p

I love EVERYTHING on TISL. That album is perfection for me

[Phil]

As it stands, I would only rate four songs from the released album as being worthwhile excursions. Whilst none of them are perfect, Blue Denim; Greta; Street Angel (Abbey Road version as featured on Enchanted) and Kick It are all quite decent in my opinion and solid vocally, particularly Blue Denim and Street Angel (the latter featuring a rather alert and committed vocal from Stevie, which was definitely not typical of the album).

I agree that the vocal on If You Were My Love is rather lacklustre, but at the same time, I love the deepness of her voice and find it strangely captivating. I think the version we've heard sounds more like a working demo than a finished mix and just wonder where it could have gone with a little more work.

Christopher, I think the 1992 version of Mirror Mirror could have served as the epic title track we were all hankering after. Once again, it's not perfect, but is far superior to most of what was eventually released in my opinion.
(Concrete Blonde's Mexican Moon album was my absolute favourite album of 1993 and I always thought that Stevie could have done a killer version of the opening track, Jenny I Read.)

If I were to compile a listenable version of the album, I would choose the following:

Blue Denim (Album Version)
Greta (Master Reel Mix with the jangly guitar - I can't believe this was mixed out of the final version!)
Street Angel (Abbey Road Version)
Listen To The Rain (Timespace Version)
Unconditional Love (Abbey Road Version - I know it's far from perfect, but there's something enticing about the prettiness of the song and Stevie's wavering vocal. NB The version I'm referring to has not yet been posted in this thread - the one I'm thinking of features more prominent keyboards and what sounds like bells. I despise the more guitar-oriented acoustic mix.)
Thousand Days (Chris Lord-Alge Version with some judicious editing.)
Destiny (Abbey Road Version - I prefer the tinkling piano to the icky sax!)
Mirror Mirror (Chris Lord-Alge Version)
Maybe Love (Abbey Road Version)
Kick It (Album Version)
Plus I'd tack on the following for good measure as they were released soon afterwards:
Twisted
Fee Fallin'

I won't get started on the dreaded Jane, but I must say that the Master Reel Version that I've heard with the piano intro (circa 1992 perhaps?) showed promise. Obviously, those unmentionable lyrics would need to be edited out, but this could have been salvaged with the correct approach.

[StevieNicksfann]

Blue Denim has to be one or her most monotone deliveries of a vocal I have ever heard. I wish I could like the song but it's drivel to me. Just Like A Woman and Docklands should be thrown out.

Greta, Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind, and Listen To The Rain are the standouts to me. I would include Unconditional Love, Destiny, Mirror Mirror, and If You Were My Love, and Inspiration to the album and that's it.

[drzubritsky]

Oh Lord, how can anyone think that god-awful SA vocal on If You Were My Love is worthy of inclusion on an album is beyond me. :laugh: It's terrible, truly. She sounds half awake and distracted by a pizza.

I personally love Street Angel (the song) but otherwise agree with your assessment, by and large. That part of the 90's was an odd time for music, with Salt & Pepa and Tori Amos and Ace of Bass toppng charts, I don't know that *anything* Stevie could have done would have sounded current.

For IYWML, it sounds like they were going for a slow jazzy lounge vibe with the arrangement, sort of like some of the tracks on kd lang's Ingenue. Stevie may have been trying for the same feel with her vocal. That type of feel is tricky to pull off in a pop song and neither the production nor Stevie's vocal are successful.

I actually think there could have been a scenario for Stevie to achieve a moderately successful comeback at that time, but it would have taken a lot of work and luck. Apart from Stevie's personal issues, the biggest problem was that she was viewed as unhip by most of the music-buying public. But new female acts were quite popular in 1993/1994, such as Tori Amos, Natalie Merchant, Sheryl Crow, Sarah McLachlan, Lisa Loeb, Hole, etc. Stevie's camp could have positioned her as the godmother of those acts, with some smart, strategic publicity and alignment with some of those artists.

Along with the careful market positioning, find a producer that could provide a current, fresh sound (without straying too far from Stevie's roots). Most of those then-hot female acts were not utilizing overly trendy arrangements and the production approach used by Sheryl or Lisa Loeb would have worked fine for Stevie. With this combination, and some more thoughtful song choices, SA might have been a successful project.

Of course, Stevie was in no shape to pull off such a maneuver in that era, so it would have been a moot point.

[TheWILDheart]

Stevie's camp could have positioned her as the godmother of those acts

Which is precisely what they did in 1998

[Christopher]

Today I just happened across an old Blender magazine interview with Stevie from May 2007
The "Street Angel" quagmire was brought up. I found it funny.

Q: You recorded 1994's "Street Angel" when you were addicted to Klonopin. What did you think when you first heard it after you got out of rehab?

S: "I went back in and I tried to fix it! It wasn't that it wasn't good, it was just, if you're taking a lot of tranquilizers everyday, it makes sense that the music will be verryy tranquil. So I tried to fix it, which is kind of like trying to redo a house: You end up spending way more money than if you had just burned it to the ground and started over. It wasn't fixable."

Yes, she sould have burned it to the ground and started over ;) :laugh: :laugh:

[drzubritsky]

Today I just happened across an old Blender magazine interview with Stevie from May 2007
The "Street Angel" quagmire was brought up. I found it funny.

Q: You recorded 1994's "Street Angel" when you were addicted to Klonopin. What did you think when you first heard it after you got out of rehab?

S: "I went back in and I tried to fix it! It wasn't that it wasn't good, it was just, if you're taking a lot of tranquilizers everyday, it makes sense that the music will be verryy tranquil. So I tried to fix it, which is kind of like trying to redo a house: You end up spending way more money than if you had just burned it to the ground and started over. It wasn't fixable."

Yes, she sould have burned it to the ground and started over ;) :laugh: :laugh:

Well, I don't agree that SA should have been burned. I think that it's not without problems, but much better than Stevie's harsh assessment. But I do see what she's talking about...it's one thing to fix a stray vocal here or there but quite another when you're unhappy with virtually all of the production.

It's still puzzling, though, given that Stevie & co. were in complete triage/salvage mode, that she didn't put the Chris Lord-Alge tracks back in. Those were as strong or stronger than many of the cuts that were in the released version.

[Phil]

It's still puzzling, though, given that Stevie & co. were in complete triage/salvage mode, that she didn't put the Chris Lord-Alge tracks back in. Those were as strong or stronger than many of the cuts that were in the released version.

Exactly my thoughts and additionally, he could have done all of the remixing/fixing that was required. I think his ears could have saved the day.

[Christopher]

Exactly my thoughts and additionally, he could have done all of the remixing/fixing that was required. I think his ears could have saved the day.

I'm guessing that Stevie turned to Thom Panunzio, because they had a long history going back to "Bella Donna" and the Jimmy Iovine days, along with Shelly Yakus as an engineering & mixing team. The three of them together had engineered, mixed, or produced several successful records under their belts including: Patti Smith (Easter), several Bruce Springsteen records, Lone Justice & Maria Mckee, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, and several more notables. I think Chris Lord-Alge working relationships with Stevie was new at this point in time. I believe her first time working with Chris was on the "Whole Lotta Trouble" radio remix single, & then the TimeSpace retrospective to remix/freshen-up her hits. Some of which I have to say had mixed results. I absolutely hate the mix on "Stand Back", it's too cluttered & he mixed out the essence of what was good about the song in the first place, needless to say I never play that mix. On the other hand his remix of "Rooms On Fire" is bliss & brought that song to life. :shrug:

[KarmaContestant]

If I were to compile a listenable version of the album, I would choose the following:

Blue Denim (Album Version)
Greta (Master Reel Mix with the jangly guitar - I can't believe this was mixed out of the final version!)
Street Angel (Abbey Road Version)
Listen To The Rain (Timespace Version)
Unconditional Love (Abbey Road Version - I know it's far from perfect, but there's something enticing about the prettiness of the song and Stevie's wavering vocal. NB The version I'm referring to has not yet been posted in this thread - the one I'm thinking of features more prominent keyboards and what sounds like bells. I despise the more guitar-oriented acoustic mix.)
Thousand Days (Chris Lord-Alge Version with some judicious editing.)
Destiny (Abbey Road Version - I prefer the tinkling piano to the icky sax!)
Mirror Mirror (Chris Lord-Alge Version)
Maybe Love (Abbey Road Version)
Kick It (Album Version)
Plus I'd tack on the following for good measure as they were released soon afterwards:
Twisted
Fee Fallin'



I like where you're going with this, though I would have to include Rose Garden - which is, for me, one of the best tracks on the album. Also, Love is Like A River, which is oddly my favorite SA track, though I much prefer the RAL demos.

[DashingDan]

Blue Denim has to be one or her most monotone deliveries of a vocal I have ever heard. I wish I could like the song but it's drivel to me. Just Like A Woman and Docklands should be thrown out.

Greta, Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind, and Listen To The Rain are the standouts to me. I would include Unconditional Love, Destiny, Mirror Mirror, and If You Were My Love, and Inspiration to the album and that's it.

I always thought I missed something regarding Blue Denim, because so many folks list this as a favorite. I never understood the appeal. When she sang it on the tonight show, way back when, I got a little embarrassed for her.

[Phil]

I like where you're going with this, though I would have to include Rose Garden - which is, for me, one of the best tracks on the album. Also, Love is Like A River, which is oddly my favorite SA track, though I much prefer the RAL demos.

I really enjoy the Rock A Little takes of Rose Garden and Love Is Like A River, but don't care for the versions recorded during the Street Angel sessions. To be honest, I also preferred the faster, more intense RAL version of Greta as well.


I always thought I missed something regarding Blue Denim, because so many folks list this as a favorite. I never understood the appeal. When she sang it on the tonight show, way back when, I got a little embarrassed for her.

Regarding Blue Denim, I actually really dig this song and think her vocal is one of the most committed deliveries of that era. Plus I really loved the live performances she did on Letterman and Leno in 1994. The Letterman version was the stronger of the two, but she acquitted herself well on both occasions. I realise she appeared to have hit rock bottom at the time, but I was actually quite moved by these performances.

[drzubritsky]

I always thought I missed something regarding Blue Denim, because so many folks list this as a favorite. I never understood the appeal. When she sang it on the tonight show, way back when, I got a little embarrassed for her.

I can see why some don't like BD because in some aspects it is a bit pedestrian. But I do feel that it's one of her catchiest songs of the post-RAL/pre-TISL period. And she does kick the vocal up a notch in the coda, which is nice.

One of the problems with BD is the song title itself, which sounded stale in 1994 and may have subconsciously conjured up images of the mid-70s, jeans-wearin' Fleetwood Mac, which was most certainly an unhip image in 1994. Not really fair to judge a song by its title, but I don't think releasing a song called "Blue Denim" was going to do much for Stevie's chart success at that time.

[Phil]

I agree regarding the title and wonder if it was her attempt (ironically) at courting the public in response to the hit "Black Velvet"? Now that was a truly atrocious song... and to think Stevie ended up covering it four years after "Blue Denim".

[SpyNote]

I remember "pedestrian" coming up a lot when Street Angel was critiqued. :laugh: I think "Blue Denim" has a good hook. It reminded me a lot of REM's "Losing My Religion" musically when I first heard it.

[AnthonyMI]

I agree regarding the title and wonder if it was her attempt (ironically) at courting the public in response to the hit "Black Velvet"? Now that was a truly atrocious song... and to think Stevie ended up covering it four years after "Blue Denim".

I do not recall Stevie ever overing Black Velvet in 1998-ish. UNLESS it was recorded for TISL and never released. I DO recall that in the days of Napster that things were often mislabeled as being sung by another artist and showing up in searches. I STILL have old files floating in my MP3 collection that are mislabeled this way. I can totally see some person titling a Black Velvet as "Stevie Nicks - Black Velvet" out of ignorance, or some haughty little Ledgie back in the day as a "april fools" joke on the Ledge. Within minutes that file would have been proliferated across the globe.

[seekerj]

I remember "pedestrian" coming up a lot when Street Angel was critiqued. :laugh: I think "Blue Denim" has a good hook. It reminded me a lot of REM's "Losing My Religion" musically when I first heard it.

lol... I remember thinking "Blue Denim" sounded a lot like an Alan Parsons Project song from the early 80's... I think it was "Games People Play".

[johnnystorms]

I do not recall Stevie ever overing Black Velvet in 1998-ish. UNLESS it was recorded for TISL and never released. I DO recall that in the days of Napster that things were often mislabeled as being sung by another artist and showing up in searches. I STILL have old files floating in my MP3 collection that are mislabeled this way. I can totally see some person titling a Black Velvet as "Stevie Nicks - Black Velvet" out of ignorance, or some haughty little Ledgie back in the day as a "april fools" joke on the Ledge. Within minutes that file would have been proliferated across the globe.

She covered it at a one-off event honoring songwriters, i believe. no recordings or video were allowed tho.

[Phil]

Thanks JohnnyStorms, that's the 1998 event I was recalling. If my memory serves me correctly, I thought there was a brief video snippet of Stevie's performance (perhaps from a news report) broadcast somewhere, albeit in very poor quality. Someone here may have a copy or it could be available somewhere online?

[drzubritsky]

I remember "pedestrian" coming up a lot when Street Angel was critiqued. :laugh: I think "Blue Denim" has a good hook. It reminded me a lot of REM's "Losing My Religion" musically when I first heard it.

I agree that BD has a pretty good hook. I hadn't noticed a resemblance to "Losing My Religion", but regardless of any melodic similarities, "Religion" has one crucial quality that BD lacks: an interesting and creative arrangement. Its prominent use of mandolin was surprising (and initially considered uncommercial by the label). BD and many of the other SA tracks could have used creative touches like that.

[BlueLight]

Bumping this thread in honor of the 20th anniversary of SA's release. It's by far my least favorite of Stevie's album, but it's grown on me over time, particularly the Master Mixes.

Here is my current SA-era tracklist:

Sometimes It's A B*tch
Blue Denim (CD single mix)
Street Angel (album mix)
Thousand Days (CD single mix)
Destiny (Enchanted mix)
Mirror, Mirror (1992 version)
Rose Garden (Enchanted mix)
Maybe Love (album mix)
Kick It (album mix)
Listen To The Rain (Timespace outtake)
Twisted (Enchanted demo)
Love's A Hard Game To Play

[seekerj]

See, but that's the thing - the Glyn Johns mixes sounded great. The whole CD of Glyn's original mixes has been circulating for a couple of years, and a few of the tracks even got used on the Enchanted box set (Destiny, Rose Garden & Street Angel).

I really just believe Stevie is/was being melodramatic when she talks about this point in the birth of the Street Angel album. Let us not forget how many of her songs have been "ruined" by Lindsey for not sounding like the demos. Because Gypsy and Sara are are *so* terrible and Lindsey is so very mean to Stevie - or so she would have had us believe at various points in time.

I would not go so far as to say that Stevie and Thom Panunzio ruined the songs that Glyn produced, but I do honestly believe there was nothing wrong with them and that Stevie just wanted to scrub Glyn away because he was not enamoured with her the way other producers have been, and he ran a tight ship with actual rules and schedules. And admittedly, as a long-time fan I have many times myself thought that the last thing Stevie needs is Waddy Wachtel, so I guess I agree with Glyn in that respect.

I distinctly remember Stevie being asked about this at the time (why the versions on "Enchanted" were different from the album versions). I do not remember her exact words or which interview it was, but her answer was that they requested the songs they wanted from wherever the master tapes were stored, and these were the tapes they got. It was not a deliberate choice on her part. They just went with what they were sent rather than going back and digging.

When did Stevie ever complain about "Sara" or Gypsy"? Are these really the songs that she had issues with when it comes to Lindsey's production choices?

[seekerj]

Oh Lord, how can anyone think that god-awful SA vocal on If You Were My Love is worthy of inclusion on an album is beyond me. :laugh: It's terrible, truly. She sounds half awake and distracted by a pizza.

I personally love Street Angel (the song) but otherwise agree with your assessment, by and large. That part of the 90's was an odd time for music, with Salt & Pepa and Tori Amos and Ace of Bass toppng charts, I don't know that *anything* Stevie could have done would have sounded current.

You really nailed it! That is so true!

LOL LOL.... this is probably the best laugh I've had all year! Thanks!

(Plus, IMO, the arrangement of the music just doesn't support the emotion you feel with earlier reordings; it's like the emotion was just SUCKED right out of the song.)

[seekerj]

As it stands, I would only rate four songs from the released album as being worthwhile excursions. Whilst none of them are perfect, Blue Denim; Greta; Street Angel (Abbey Road version as featured on Enchanted) and Kick It are all quite decent in my opinion and solid vocally, particularly Blue Denim and Street Angel (the latter featuring a rather alert and committed vocal from Stevie, which was definitely not typical of the album).

I won't get started on the dreaded Jane, but I must say that the Master Reel Version that I've heard with the piano intro (circa 1992 perhaps?) showed promise. Obviously, those unmentionable lyrics would need to be edited out, but this could have been salvaged with the correct approach.

Please mention them. Is it just the word "chimpanzee" that ruins the whole song for you, or are there other parts of the lyrics that you think are "unmentionable"? I think the lyrics are thought-provoking. I love them. I only care about lyrics (because I'm going to like any music, so it's the lyrics that make a song a good song for me), and I'm an animal rights activist, so I LOVE this song. But then again, I like all the songs that get trashed on this board, and I hate all the "lightweight" lyric stuff, like "Unconditional Crap" or "Maybe Love Will Make You Barf", or whatever it is called.

[mitzo]

Please mention them. Is it just the word "chimpanzee" that ruins the whole song for you, or are there other parts of the lyrics that you think are "unmentionable"? I think the lyrics are thought-provoking. I love them. I only care about lyrics (because I'm going to like any music, so it's the lyrics that make a song a good song for me), and I'm an animal rights activist, so I LOVE this song. But then again, I like all the songs that get trashed on this board, and I hate all the "lightweight" lyric stuff, like "Unconditional Crap" or "Maybe Love Will Make You Barf", or whatever it is called.

I am not sure why the line "the forgotten chimpanzee" is so horrendous used in song which is a tribute to Jane Goodall, the advocate for the jungle chimpanzees. I never had any problem with that at all.

I do have problems with:

understanding me understanding you is not an easy thing to do
love is like a river
I fell down the stairs a broken rag doll
It's got roses dangling down to the ground
...phantom of the opera...
just lay back and watch the rain
I'm waited for in Egypt

[KarmaContestant]

You really nailed it! That is so true!

LOL LOL.... this is probably the best laugh I've had all year! Thanks!



:D

It is a lovely song lyrically, but I don't know what she was thinking with that island beat.

[StreetAngel86]

Here is my current SA-era tracklist:

Sometimes It's A B*tch
Blue Denim (CD single mix)
Street Angel (album mix)
Thousand Days (CD single mix)
Destiny (Enchanted mix)
Mirror, Mirror (1992 version)
Rose Garden (Enchanted mix)
Maybe Love (album mix)
Kick It (album mix)
Listen To The Rain (Timespace outtake)
Twisted (Enchanted demo)
Love's A Hard Game To Play


I JUST made a new track listing for my "ultimate" Street Angel the other day :laugh:

1 - Blue Denim (single remix)
2 - Greta (RAL demo)
3 - Street Angel (album)
4 - Thousand Days (RAL outtake)
5 - Listen to the Rain (master)
6 - Rose Garden (Enchanted)
7 - If You Were My Love (SA outtake ... though the Mirage version needs proper FM recording)
8 - Love Is Like a River (album)
9 - Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind (master)
10 - Mirror Mirror (SA outtake)
11 - Kick It (album)
12 - God's Garden (album)
13 - Inspiration (album)

[StreetAngel86]

I do have problems with:

I fell down the stairs a broken rag doll

I'm waited for in Egypt


WHY ... Street Angel ends with her throwing herself down the stairs and killing herself. it's a tragic line and my favorite ... because it's so vivid and awful mashed up in a song about rainbows and angels

the 'waiting for in egypt' line

wasn't that discussed here years ago as being from a poem or something ... i forget. but i liked where she probably originally pulled it from. as all good poets do, they borrow from each other :laugh:

[KarmaContestant]

Hopefully someday an expanded Street Angel will include the tracks we know about but haven't heard.

[Autumn Ocean]

I always thought Docklands was an absurd choice of song for her.

The go down to the laundromat line always makes me picture Stevie (in platform boots and batwing sleeves) pulling a wad of capes out of the washing machine to untangle before putting them in the dryer.

[welcomechris]

I always thought Docklands was an absurd choice of song for her.

The go down to the laundromat line always makes me picture Stevie (in platform boots and batwing sleeves) pulling a wad of capes out of the washing machine to untangle before putting them in the dryer.

I love docklands! It's a good song

[welcomechris]

Yes, Glyn producted both.

I actually prefer the '84 version of "Mirror Mirror" personally.



I agree, I love "Street Angel", but I have to listen to a revised version of it because "Jane", "Docklands" and "Unconditional Love" make me want to commit arson. I don't like Stevie's "Just Like A Woman" either - snooze fest. She was never great at recording covers, to say how well she does them live (I Need To Know, Rock and Roll, Circle Dance).

Not True, Chris Lord Age Produced the Amazing 1992 Mirror, Mirror

[StreetAngel86]

I always thought Docklands was an absurd choice of song for her.

The go down to the laundromat line always makes me picture Stevie (in platform boots and batwing sleeves) pulling a wad of capes out of the washing machine to untangle before putting them in the dryer.

i love the song
but glad she didn't write it.
everytime i hear it, i envisage the scene in Beaches where they're playing cards :laugh:

[michelej1]

I always thought Docklands was an absurd choice of song for her.

The go down to the laundromat line always makes me picture Stevie (in platform boots and batwing sleeves) pulling a wad of capes out of the washing machine to untangle before putting them in the dryer.

Stevie hoarding quarters so she will have enough coins.

Michele

[TheWILDheart]

Hey folks,

Sorry to bump an old thread, but does anyone have the original SA mixes available? The original links are dead and I've lost mine!

Many thanks!

[Netter75]

I'd be interested in these as well!

[petep9000]

Enchanted's "Blue Denim" is definitely the original mix. How anyone could possibly prefer it to the album version amazes me, because it's so dull to the ear where the album version pops with more energy. Considering that this was one of the songs Stevie re-worked to add more 'stuff' to the mix, I find it hard to believe she actually intended this version to be on her compilation. I believe my former friend Mike's assertion that this was a screw-up by the record company.