Some Street Angel love

[PenguinHead]

I have to admit , like many others I was a little disappointed when Street Angel came out in 1994. But I did appreciate the "earthy" sound of it. I was unaware of all of the problems and issues Stevie had while recording it.

I was bored tonight, and I popped the CD in my computer and listened to selected songs at full volume with headphones. Isolating the songs I think come off best (as an EP) let me really appreciate certain songs.

Blue Denim
Listen to the Rain
Love is Like a River
Rose Garden
Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind
Kick It

I don't dislike the other songs, but collectively they dragged the entire album down.
Of the limited songs from the album she performed, she made some poor choices: Docklands and Destiny!

It's too bad some of of the interesting and decent songs in her catalog are obscured by the bad blood, execution and reputation of the record. Thankfully Chris Nick's career as an art director/graphic designer started and ended quickly (except for some really awful tour books).

[KarmaContestant]

I have to admit , like many others I was a little disappointed when Street Angel came out in 1994. But I did appreciate the "earthy" sound of it. I was unaware of all of the problems and issues Stevie had while recording it.

I was bored tonight, and I popped the CD in my computer and listened to selected songs at full volume with headphones. Isolating the songs I think come off best (as an EP) let me really appreciate certain songs.

Blue Denim
Listen to the Rain
Love is Like a River
Rose Garden
Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind
Kick It

I don't dislike the other songs, but collectively they dragged the entire album down.
Of the limited songs from the album she performed, she made some poor choices: Docklands and Destiny!

It's too bad some of of the interesting and decent songs in her catalog are obscured by the bad blood, execution and reputation of the record. Thankfully Chris Nick's career as an art director/graphic designer started and ended quickly (except for some really awful tour books).

I too was very disappointed when Street Angel was released, especially because the release date was delayed a couple of times, which only served to amplify my anticipation. It collected dust for a number of years, and it was only in the following decade that I really grew to appreciate the songs, and the production, and the overall mood of the record.

I like most of the album, excluding Listen To The Rain (which has great vocals, but just isn't appealing to me) and Unconditional Love (though I like some of the early takes with more stripped down instrumentation). I *love* Destiny, and Street Angel is probably my favorite track. Docklands is OK, but not *great*, and was an unconventional choice for her to have made. I really like Love Is Like A River, but don't care for the excessive backing vocals from Lori and Sharon, and all the repetition of 'hey hey' really annoys me. I would have used Thousand Days on the album, and relegated Unconditional Love to being the b-side instead.

The fact that Stevie started the tour with Docklands in her setlist really speaks to how much the song meant to her...the fact that she dropped it and replaced it with Rooms On Fire speaks volumes about her sensitivity to audience reaction.

I'm really glad that both of the Ethan Johns tracks were omitted from the album. Admittedly, Inspiration isn't a bad song and might have been a better choice than Docklands, but God's Garden is just...no. Tacky.

The artwork could have been better, but I do like the album cover. I wish the black-and-white promo poster shot would have been used for the cover. This one: http://stevie-nicks.info/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/1994-street-angel-promo-poster.jpg The pink shots would have been good for the art space normally reserved for the album inserts.

A vinyl reissue of this album is a Stevie holy-grail item for me, and I have pestered Rhino and Warner about it numerous times. I envision white vinyl, 180 gram double LP, with pink custom labels that have the STREET ANGEL lettering, and a gatefold sleeve, of course. :D

[pattyfan]

It always fascinates me how different people have different likes and dislikes.

I love
Kick It (it's one of my all time favorite Stevie songs, go figure)

I like a lot
Blue Denim
Street Angel
Rose Garden
Jane (I know that a lot of people hate this song, but I'm not one of them)

I kind of like
Destiny
Inspiration (I have the Japanese version)

I don't like
Gretta
Docklands
Listen to the Rain
Unconditional Love
Love is LIke a River
Maybe Love
Just Like a Woman
God's Garden

So the songs that I don't like, I really don't like and never listen to. So it's probably my least favorite CD, but not without its moments. :)

Kevin

[StreetAngel86]

aaaaah my favorite topic :D

i really dislike Unconditional Love, Just Like a Woman and the album version of Jane.
Greta is okay ... but the demo is better.

I utterly love Docklands ... yes I know she didn't write it and people have a problem with the laundromat line, but I think you need to understand why these songs appealed to her in the first place and why she identified with it enough to even bother recording it let alone include it on the album. Just like Inspiration and God's Garden ... terribly sad songs but I like both of them too.

Best 4 songs on the record are Blue Denim, Street Angel, Love Is Like a River & Rose Garden. :nod: include Kick It and that would have been a great EP

[TheWILDheart]

I do love me some "Street Angel". Much more so than OSOTM. I prefer the Chris Lord-Alge single remixes of "Blue Denim" and "Maybe Love" - they pack so much more of a punch, especially BD. The album versions sound a bit pathetic and half-finished in comparison.

I really do not like "Docklands", "Jane", or "Just Like A Woman" and "Unconditional Love" is one of the worst songs she's ever recorded. How this could have been selected as a first single initially is beyond me.

Like others, I listen to an edited version of the album:

1. Blue Denim (single remix)
2. Greta
3. Street Angel
4. Listen to the Rain
5. Destiny
6. Love is like a River
7. Inspiration
8. Rose Garden
9. Maybe Love (single remix)
10. Kick It
11. God's Garden

[nightbird28]

Street Angel was the first cd I remember playing of Stevie's for my brother who fell in love with it. Even my youngest 3 year old loves Greta. I really think Stevie should go in and re-record this entire album. It's always been a sore spot in her career, I would enjoy hearing her mixes of what she wanted for these songs. Aside from that,

I love:
Greta
Blue Demin
Street Angel
Maybe Love
Listen to the Rain
Inspiration

I like:
Unconditional Love
Destiny
Docklands
Kick It
Love is Like A River

Dislike:
Jane
Just Like A Woman
God's Garden

I would have traded these for "Mirror Mirror", "If you were my Love" or "Thousand Days".

[Kena]

The black and white promo poster would have been an excellent choice for the album cover, especially considering "Street Angel" was inspired by an old black and white movie. This would have been very fitting indeed. On another note, the title "Street Angel" has always bothered me, as a "street angel" is a hooker. But anywho, I could very well be missing Stevie's point with the album title and song inspiration (feel free to educate me on this if you know!)
Rose Garden is one of my favorite Stevie songs. (I especially love the live performance from Woodstock 99).

Oh we, this part is my favorite:


Now...I've a big house
With pillars standing tall all around
Yeah, and I've got a garden
And it's got roses dangling down to the ground
Yes, and I've got money
Men to love me...and acres of land
Well, I've got all these things...
All these things but a small gold band
On my finger...on my left hand

Destiny is another favorite...because Love don't mean what it says at all....I'm destined to fall.

[KarmaContestant]

I utterly love Docklands ... yes I know she didn't write it and people have a problem with the laundromat line, but I think you need to understand why these songs appealed to her in the first place and why she identified with it enough to even bother recording it let alone include it on the album.

Interestingly, I think Stevie misunderstood the original song, and thought Docklands was Darklands. I've seen it written in her handwriting as Darklands. And..it makes sense. Give me your hand - come in out of the darkness. It's quite a statement about her own life at the time, and the heaviness she must have felt, especially after the 1992 Clinton innauguration where she last saw Lindsey. And those years she spent ordering takeout from the deli down the street, sitting at home, doing nothing. I'm sure in retrospect, she was indeed in the Darklands.

http://31.media.tumblr.com/9a119a589ffd3566d24238b5dfe93f19/tumblr_mf2pqdpqSK1qcaugio1_1280.jpg

[louielouie2000]

aaaaah my favorite topic :D

I did appreciate the "earthy" sound of it.

...It's too bad some of of the interesting and decent songs in her catalog are obscured by the bad blood, execution and reputation of the record.


Street Angel is a favorite topic of mine as well. It honestly tickles me that most Stevie fans loathe the album with such vehemence because Stevie herself has dismissed it. Street Angel has some truly great tracks on it. I too love the earthy, back to basics classic rock sound many of the songs exhibit. It's a crying shame that some of these songs will never be performed live again.

I just love the rocking tracks, such as: Blue Denim, Listen To The Rain, Love Is Like A River, and Kick It.

Docklands, with it's admittedly un-Stevie lyrics, has some fantastic Stevie vocals.

Greta is wonderfully quirky, and just plain fun.

The title track is eerie, atmospheric, moody, and the subject matter is heartbreaking. How many other Stevie songs encompass all of those things in one track? :shrug:

Yes, there are turds... but every single Stevie solo album has them. Street Angel has Jane, In Your Dreams has Cheaper Than Free, Rock A Little has Sister Honey, The Other Side Of The Mirror has I Still Miss Someone, Trouble In Shangri-La has Love Changes, etc.

[PenguinHead]

The black and white promo poster would have been an excellent choice for the album cover, especially considering "Street Angel" was inspired by an old black and white movie. This would have been very fitting indeed. .

I have the that black and white poster! It is so much better than the cover. I also have a color poster, with a different pose.

I get livid when I look at the booklet. What a hack job! I tend to rail against piss-poor lyric sheets. More often than not, they are not presented properly. And let it known, ellipses have no place in lyrics. You don't sing ellipses, nor are they indicative of anything. Chris Nicks took the whole thing to a new low hackneyed level.
And repeating the chorus three times is not needed. The standard is to identify the chorus with "Chorus:" and then "Repeat chorus."

On the Nix Fix, most her song lyrics are there. It kills me to see how badly they are presented. I want to go in and clean them up for the sake of integrity. Most people don't see or care. I do.

[bombaysaffires]

http://31.media.tumblr.com/9a119a589ffd3566d24238b5dfe93f19/tumblr_mf2pqdpqSK1qcaugio1_1280.jpg

Wow that is just one sad Stevie face. She looks…unhappy, tired, beat down….sumthin'.

At first I thought, well maybe she was trying to look alluring, but… all I see is tired and sad.:(

[sorcerer999]

Yes, there are turds... but every single Stevie solo album has them. Street Angel has Jane, In Your Dreams has Cheaper Than Free, Rock A Little has Sister Honey, The Other Side Of The Mirror has I Still Miss Someone, Trouble In Shangri-La has Love Changes, etc.

:shocked:GASP!!!! BLASPHEMY!!! ;)

[KarmaContestant]

:shocked:GASP!!!! BLASPHEMY!!! ;)

:laugh: Iknowright?

[Neal]

I actually really like everything about Street Angel, with the exception of the title track (:sorry:) and "Docklands".

And "Jane" would probably be one of my top tracks on the album if not for that one single word that almost kills it for me... you know which one. :cool:

[Neal]

Yes, there are turds... but every single Stevie solo album has them. Street Angel has Jane, In Your Dreams has Cheaper Than Free, Rock A Little has Sister Honey, The Other Side Of The Mirror has I Still Miss Someone, Trouble In Shangri-La has That Made Me Stronger, etc.

Fixed that for ya... :p

[KarmaContestant]

Fixed that for ya... :p

:laugh: Agreed!

[TheWILDheart]

Yes, there are turds... but every single Stevie solo album has them.

"Bella Donna" and "The Wild Heart" don't.


Street Angel has Jane, In Your Dreams has Cheaper Than Free, Rock A Little has The Nightmare, The Other Side Of The Mirror has I Still Miss Someone, Trouble In Shangri-La is perfect.


Fixed.

I adore both "Sister Honey" and "Love Changes". I wouldn't change a damn thing about TISL.

I think the turds issue is that "Street Angel" had more than a few. Whilst there may be 1 track on a Stevie album that you're less keen on, SA has plenty that divide opinions. "Jane" and "Just Like A Woman" are widely regarded as being...well...crap. "Unconditional Love" and "Greta" get a lot of hate too (I love "Greta", btw!). "Destiny" gets stick for being over half of old lyrics, not just a line or 2. "Docklands" has that laundromatt line.

Other things that take critique are the lazy cover art, the (at times) flat vocals and Stevie's entire attitude at the time and in hindsight.

I wish she had more fire in her to fight Glynn Johns, because there's really nothing wrong with a lot of the songs, they're just so poorly presented. The stuff I love from SA I really love - Blue Denim, Love is like a River, Greta, Street Angel etc. But the stuff I dislike (Uncondtional Love, Jane, Just Like A Woman, Docklands) I consider the worst of her career.

[wheart]

I love the cover but agree that the b/w poster would have worked much better. She looks fierce in that pic! I remember the first time I played SA...yes, it didn't thrill me but I loved it nonetheless. I probably play it the least out of all my Stevie albums due to her flat vocals and boring production but some of the highlights for me are:

Blue Denim
Destiny ( the only decent vocal on the record)
Love is Like a River
Unconditional Love ( I love the melody)
Street Angel ( a great song! I wish she'd play it live. It could be a major atmospheric moment on stage)

[sorcerer999]

"Bella Donna" and "The Wild Heart" don't.

Respectfully disagree. The Wild Heart has "I Will Run To You" which is a wrist cutter, in my opinion. I don't think it flows well with the rest of the album and Stevie's vocals are lazy. It's also just kind of a boring song. That still doesn't change The Wild Heart from being my personal favorite, though.

Bella Donna is perfect, but still not my fav.

Going back to the original topic, though. I also dig Street Angel, though admittedly not my favorite. I must be in the minority because "Greta" is my favorite off this record and most of you guys seem to despise it. It puts me in a good mood and is a great "driving" song and, lyrically, it's so catchy.

"I bet she says just how many art lovers can one get to know?"

[wheart]

Respectfully disagree. The Wild Heart has "I Will Run To You" which is a wrist cutter, in my opinion. I don't think it flows well with the rest of the album and Stevie's vocals are lazy. It's also just kind of a boring song. That still doesn't change The Wild Heart from being my personal favorite, though.

Bella Donna is perfect, but still not my fav.

Going back to the original topic, though. I also dig Street Angel, though admittedly not my favorite. I must be in the minority because "Greta" is my favorite off this record and most of you guys seem to despise it. It puts me in a good mood and is a great "driving" song and, lyrically, it's so catchy.

"I bet she says just how many art lovers can one get to know?"

I forgot to add Greta to my list. It is a great song and I love the lyrics.

[mitzo]

I also found it disappointing when released, with some shockingly poor songs. To me the memorable ones are:

Kick It
Jane (I know, but it is just so .... sweet, somehow)
Greta
MLWCYM

I have always been embarrassed by the lyrics of Blue Denim but the song would be excellent if it were just hummed or something.

Destiny would be gorgeous if it were not for the god-awful production, the jerky snare-drum-driven horrendousness of it, my God.

Listen to the Rain is great fun but again marred by dreadful lyric missteps.

Unconditional Love is marred by grating vocal "harmonies" that kill the prettiness of the song overall

Docklands is well done but a mysterious song choice, in the bad sense of mysterious

The trash to me include:

Love Is Like a River - a hot mess of random lyrics and meandering shouted tunelessness
Street Angel - how to make Stevie sound like a comatose walrus stuck in an empty oil drum
Rose Garden - I cannot understand the love for this feeble song badly sung and ever so badly produced. A horrifically boring cringer.
Just Like a Woman - don't try to imitate Dylan. Just don't.

[KarmaContestant]

"Bella Donna" and "The Wild Heart" don't.




Um..I beg to differ. Gate and Garden. :nod:

[KarmaContestant]

I think the turds issue is that "Street Angel" had more than a few. Whilst there may be 1 track on a Stevie album that you're less keen on, SA has plenty that divide opinions. "Jane" and "Just Like A Woman" are widely regarded as being...well...crap. "Unconditional Love" and "Greta" get a lot of hate too (I love "Greta", btw!). "Destiny" gets stick for being over half of old lyrics, not just a line or 2. "Docklands" has that laundromatt line.


I wish she had more fire in her to fight Glynn Johns, because there's really nothing wrong with a lot of the songs, they're just so poorly presented. The stuff I love from SA I really love - Blue Denim, Love is like a River, Greta, Street Angel etc. But the stuff I dislike (Uncondtional Love, Jane, Just Like A Woman, Docklands) I consider the worst of her career.

See that's intersting, because I'm not a Bob Dylan fan but I love Stevie's cover of Just Like A Woman. It fits her so well, I'd believe it if Bob said he wrote it about Stevie while having a vision of the future. :laugh:

Greta is absolutely sublime, to my ears.

Destiny isn't bad, but Stevie should have used it on The Wild Heart. Her vamping at the end of the WH version is great. I feel that Enchanted and Destiny would have been great paired together as the opening and closing tracks of The Wild Heart.

[KarmaContestant]

Street Angel ( a great song! I wish she'd play it live. It could be a major atmospheric moment on stage)

I totally agree. I'd love this song to be in her live sets! I imagine it drawn out and slightly weird, much like Gold Dust Woman.

[KarmaContestant]

"I bet she says just how many art lovers can one get to know?"

Years ago, a friend of mine was told by a guy she was dating that she looked like a Boticelli, body-wise. :laugh: She was, of course, mortified by that 'compliment' and would bring it up everytime we listened to Greta.

[PenguinHead]

I have to agree that Bella Donna is her most consistent album. And despite my criticisms, I actually like all of her songs to varying degrees. She could sing the phone book, and I'd listen, and I'd buy it.

There are songs people skip; songs their ears can't stand to hear. I'm not that hard-lined. Call it unconditional love (though not one of my favorites).

[MikeInNV]

I was always baffled by the "Greta" hate. It's pretty easy for me to single that one out as my favorite from the album.

Regarding "Just Like a Woman," I will never forget reading two reviews shortly after the album's release. One said that the album was fantastic with the exception of the horrible cover of the Bob Dylan song. The other said the album was terrible, with "Just Like a Woman" being the only redeeming track. You know what they say about opinions.

[PenguinHead]

I totally agree. I'd love this song to be in her live sets! I imagine it drawn out and slightly weird, much like Gold Dust Woman.

I imagine a different senario: Flash back to the Street Angel tour. She opens the show very dramatically, singing the first verse/chorus of Street Angel, then busts into a rocking song.

[BlueLight]

Destiny isn't bad, but Stevie should have used it on The Wild Heart. Her vamping at the end of the WH version is great. I feel that Enchanted and Destiny would have been great paired together as the opening and closing tracks of The Wild Heart.

Right?! The end of the WH version of Destiny is perfection - a real shame she didn't include it as a bookend to The Wild Heart. It's hard for me to listen to the SA version, largely because of how great the original track was.

[StreetAngel86]

Interestingly, I think Stevie misunderstood the original song, and thought Docklands was Darklands. I've seen it written in her handwriting as Darklands. And..it makes sense. Give me your hand - come in out of the darkness. It's quite a statement about her own life at the time, and the heaviness she must have felt, especially after the 1992 Clinton innauguration where she last saw Lindsey. And those years she spent ordering takeout from the deli down the street, sitting at home, doing nothing. I'm sure in retrospect, she was indeed in the Darklands.

http://31.media.tumblr.com/9a119a589ffd3566d24238b5dfe93f19/tumblr_mf2pqdpqSK1qcaugio1_1280.jpg

that is my laptop wallpaper :D

yah i have seen her Darklands mistake as well
reminds me of Shadowlands :laugh:
but i think she knew what it really was called
because of her love of all things English
and the Dickensian imagery in Street Angel
maybe she was imaging the literal Docklands in dickensian times
coz why would a laundromat be in (near) the woods? :lol:

[StreetAngel86]

>>


Yes, there are turds... but every single Stevie solo album has them. Street Angel has Jane, In Your Dreams has Cheaper Than Free, Rock A Little has Sister Honey, The Other Side Of The Mirror has I Still Miss Someone, Trouble In Shangri-La has Love Changes, etc.

TOTALLY agree with all of this ... except Sister Honey
really??? :laugh:
i dont know, i like it, but i have to be in the mood.
i prefer imperial hotel

>>

I have the that black and white poster! It is so much better than the cover. I also have a color poster, with a different pose.

i have them too :D
in a mailing tube.
waiting to be framed one day
i love the B&W one for the cover
but this shot is my fave :nod:

[TheWILDheart]

The trash to me include:

Love Is Like a River - a hot mess of random lyrics and meandering shouted tunelessness
Street Angel - how to make Stevie sound like a comatose walrus stuck in an empty oil drum
Rose Garden - I cannot understand the love for this feeble song badly sung and ever so badly produced. A horrifically boring cringer.
Just Like a Woman - don't try to imitate Dylan. Just don't.

LILAR is my favourite song off the whole damn record. It's just so awesome.

I also love "Street Angel" (even if it does sound a little bit like a Phil Collins song)and "Rose Garden".

[GarboSpeaks!]

A vinyl reissue of this album is a Stevie holy-grail item for me, and I have pestered Rhino and Warner about it numerous times. I envision white vinyl, 180 gram double LP, with pink custom labels that have the STREET ANGEL lettering, and a gatefold sleeve, of course.

Ah Karma, it's been far too long since I've professed my adoration for you. lol ;)

Sublime thought and I'm now jumping your holy grail train!!

I love SA. Always have. I was well into my love of SN and attending concerts more, and for me the SA outing was a very special time. I am sad that SM was in such a rut then, but the fact that she still came out trying to give us that Nicks that we love so much. The album has a LOT of heart.

My least fav song on album is Unconditional Love-but ONLY because it was used as the lead single. I think this was a terrible idea for competition on radio waves circa 1994. FAR too soft for a woman that always had a voice amongst any genre. Lots of bad moves & choices for SA, but for me very special and still a favorite today.

[PenguinHead]

>>



TOTALLY agree with all of this ... except Sister Honey
really??? :laugh:
i dont know, i like it, but i have to be in the mood.
i prefer imperial hotel

>>



i have them too :D
in a mailing tube.
waiting to be framed one day
i love the B&W one for the cover
but this shot is my fave :nod:

That is a stunning photo, and so much more appropriate as an image for an album titled Street Angel, instead of the pink outfit/pink washout Chris Nicks chose. I still hold so much resentment for the complete graphic hack job he did for that album. As if it wasn't enough to have some lack-luster produced songs, the graphics further enhanced those flaws.

[TheWILDheart]

My least fav song on album is Unconditional Love-but ONLY because it was used as the lead single.

It wasn't actually used as the lead single in the end, though, was it? The original Glynn Johns mix was stated to be the lead single from the original 1992 release, but by the time the album landed, the lead isngle was "Maybe Love".

[bombaysaffires]

Un. Cun. Dishonal. Love.

Just something about how she sings those words grates for me. Kinda like "watsamatta baby" :shrug:

[PenguinHead]

I can't even fathom the logic of even considering Unconditional Love as the potential lead single. What the f*ck were they thinking? I wonder if Stevie had any say in the matter. It's a deep album track at best.

It's the only solo album that has four songs that were not penned by Stevie. Maybe Love was one of the best of them.

Notice that,except for a surprise appearance of Rose Garden on the Enchanted tour, she has performed anything from the album. Even on her Street Angel tour, only four songs from the album were performed - Blue Denim, Maybe Love, Destiny and Docklands (which was dropped from the set early on).

I wish she would have performed Kick It, Love is Like a River, Listen to the Rain and Street Angel. Perhaps live renditions could have recast and redeemed them. Blue Denim was just an okay song, but it sounded better live.

I don't think we will ever again see a Street Angel track wander into her set list.

[BlueLight]

Un. Cun. Dishonal. Love.

Just something about how she sings those words grates for me. Kinda like "watsamatta baby" :shrug:

Right? Just awful. The raw mixes of that song, without backing vocals, are about the worst recordings I've heard from her.

[GarboSpeaks!]

My bad-SN fan error # 2138 lol. I meant to say Maybe Love and had Unconditional Love on the brain from reading thru posts. Thank you and yes, Maybe Love as lead single-that's my story & I'm sticking to it! lol

[vivfox]

aaaaah my favorite topic :D
I utterly love Docklands ... yes I know she didn't write it and people have a problem with the laundromat line, but I think you need to understand why these songs appealed to her in the first place and why she identified with it enough to even bother recording it let alone include it on the album.


I love Docklands also but I would be interested in hearing your explanation of your words that I highlighted if you feel like doing so.

[vivfox]

I love Unconditional Love. My turd picks are Jane and Just Like A Woman.

[bombaysaffires]

I love Unconditional Love. My turd picks are Jane and Just Like A Woman.

Jane is absolutely a turd. One of the turdiest of all the turds at that.:nod:

[Machu]

Does anybody have the any of the Street Angel photo shoot with her curly hair and black dress on in HQ? I've searched over the years but had no luck. I always wanted to make an alternate album cover for iTunes.

I love Kick It and Blue Denim. I also really like Listen to the rain and Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind but a lot of the rest is pretty average as they are. I think most of the songs on the album could have been great if they were produced better but what really drags the album down the most is Stevie's vocals--though she sounded great during that tour. I know she's said she regrets not redoing the vocals when she went back and had the songs re-mixed. And for the record, I like most of the original mixes better than the mixes that ended up on the album.

[Bandon]

One of the most underrated Stevie recordings. ..UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. .I'll be there when you fall...the one condition of love...there are none at all....:xoxo:

[StreetAngel86]

That is a stunning photo, and so much more appropriate as an image for an album titled Street Angel, instead of the pink outfit/pink washout Chris Nicks chose. I still hold so much resentment for the complete graphic hack job he did for that album. As if it wasn't enough to have some lack-luster produced songs, the graphics further enhanced those flaws.

Chris Nicks needs to be on photoshop's Most Wanted/Do Not Sell to list :laugh:

I love Docklands also but I would be interested in hearing your explanation of your words that I highlighted if you feel like doing so.

don't have one. sorry.
i just think there's a very dark, ominous theme about (most of) the songs she wrote/recorded between TOSOTM and SA
even if XYZ songs aren't her most glorious work to date, I think they're all important.

[TheWILDheart]

For those who haven't seen it, here is the original press release for "Street Angel"

<a href="http://s147.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>

[WatchChain]

If it's any consolation, "Rose Garden" makes my list of the Top 20 Stevie Nicks Songs. It is one of my favorite all-time Stevie Nicks songs. I guess that makes "Street Angel" valuable for something.

[James89]

So 'Unconditional Love' was going to be the first single but was changed to 'Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind'? Well that was a good call!!!

I like MLWCYM and I think UL would've been a very poor single choice as for me it's just one of those songs that you want to skip if it came up on shuffle!!! My favourite song on 'Street Angel' is 'Blue Denim' because I just love the rhythm and lyrics. This DEFINITELY should've been a hit but I do think MLWCYM was a much better first single choice.

My main view on 'Street Angel' though is that overall it isn't up to the same standard and feel of her previous albums, but still was good in places. So why was it such a failure? 'The Other Side of the Mirror' was released when, let's face it, Stevie was not at her most popular and yet with just one hit, it managed to hit Top 10 and went Platinum.

This is the point I'm trying to make. Even when Stevie was not extremely popular she could still sell a lot of records. And yet, with all these famous and talented collaborators and a Top 60 single (MLWCYM), the album only reached a dismal #45? I can't understand that at all. She also did a few TV appearances on chat shows promoting it which she didn't do with TOSOTM and Letterman also said "I think this will be huge", yet within 3 weeks it was out of the Top 100?

Somebody please explain to me why 'Street Angel' was such a failure compared to her previous albums. :shrug:

[wheart]

If it's any consolation, "Rose Garden" makes my list of the Top 20 Stevie Nicks Songs. It is one of my favorite all-time Stevie Nicks songs. I guess that makes "Street Angel" valuable for something.

I love Rose Garden...such a beautiful melody and I love the country flavor of the production.

[AnthonyMI]

So 'Unconditional Love' was going to be the first single but was changed to 'Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind'? Well that was a good call!!!

I like MLWCYM and I think UL would've been a very poor single choice as for me it's just one of those songs that you want to skip if it came up on shuffle!!! My favourite song on 'Street Angel' is 'Blue Denim' because I just love the rhythm and lyrics. This DEFINITELY should've been a hit but I do think MLWCYM was a much better first single choice.

My main view on 'Street Angel' though is that overall it isn't up to the same standard and feel of her previous albums, but still was good in places. So why was it such a failure? 'The Other Side of the Mirror' was released when, let's face it, Stevie was not at her most popular and yet with just one hit, it managed to hit Top 10 and went Platinum.

This is the point I'm trying to make. Even when Stevie was not extremely popular she could still sell a lot of records. And yet, with all these famous and talented collaborators and a Top 60 single (MLWCYM), the album only reached a dismal #45? I can't understand that at all. She also did a few TV appearances on chat shows promoting it which she didn't do with TOSOTM and Letterman also said "I think this will be huge", yet within 3 weeks it was out of the Top 100?

Somebody please explain to me why 'Street Angel' was such a failure compared to her previous albums. :shrug:

Why? Reality Check here... This is not mean, but this is what I think people saw other than us hard core fans.....Because she was a fat COW on Letterman! Hardly talked, just shook her head. She showed up, and people were expecting youthful she was mid 40s!), energetic sexy Stevie Nicks and they got bloated whale in taffeta poofy dress with crazy Crimp-it hair!! She might have been off Klonopin, but she looked terrible. She knew it too. Plus, the vocals on Street Angel were awful, the songs were not up to her normal standard. Nobody wanted to hear a bloated whale-goat bleet out monotone croaking noises. Nobody. There was no single that was playable on radio at that time as well. No Voice, fat, boring, terrible clothes. Nothing to see here, nothing to listen to. It was a total misfire. All those things.

3 years later OLD Stevie was back, looking good, thinner, sultry, sexy and not wearing her drapes as clothes. She got her voice almost back to early 80's form, she LOOKED like Stevie Nicks again. Trouble In ShangraLa showed what she was REALLY capable of when she was in better voice and sexier again.

[James89]

I actually agree with you. I just didn't want to say I disliked 'Street Angel' because Stevie looked fat and terrible but I still feel as though 'Street Angel' should've charted higher than #45.

[PenguinHead]

WOW! Was this the original track list?

Blue Denim
Rose Garden
Street Angel
Just Like A Woman
Unconditional Love
Destiny
I Call You Missing
Inspiration
Maybe Love
Kick It
Listen to the Rain
Playing in God's Garden

How strange that five of the songs weren't written by Stevie. Notice how Greta, Docklands and Love is Like a River were not on the originally planned album.

The biggest enigma in Stevie's catalog is the awkwardly titled song I Call You Missing -- ironic because it has been missing for a long time.

When was the crappy example we do have actually recorded? I assume it was done around the time of The Other Side of the Mirror(some of the lyrics appear in Whole Lotta Trouble). Is there a possibility a finished Street Angel version is lingering somewhere?

Having been able to obtain so much unreleased material over the years, where are the reasons this one particular song has gone missing for so long? I call this Stevie's Amelia Earhart song --people have searched for it over the years, but it's never been found.

[Johnny Stew]

The biggest enigma in Stevie's catalog is the awkwardly titled song I Call You Missing -- ironic because it has been missing for a long time.

When was the crappy example we do have actually recorded? I assume it was done around the time of The Other Side of the Mirror(some of the lyrics appear in Whole Lotta Trouble). Is there a possibility a finished Street Angel version is lingering somewhere?

The version that fans have, is from the 'Rock A Little' era.

Like you said, a lot of the lyrics were then used in "Whole Lotta Trouble." Stevie often revisits certain lines, so that isn't unusual -- but nearly half of "I Call You Missing" was made redundant by "Whole Lotta Trouble," and it's hard to imagine she would have kept all of that in when she recorded it for 'Street Angel.'

Maybe that's why she ultimately decided to fashion an entirely new song ("Love Is Like A River") out of most of what remained of "Missing."

[Johnny Stew]

Why? Reality Check here... This is not mean, but this is what I think people saw other than us hard core fans.....Because she was a fat COW on Letterman! Hardly talked, just shook her head. She showed up, and people were expecting youthful she was mid 40s!), energetic sexy Stevie Nicks and they got bloated whale in taffeta poofy dress with crazy Crimp-it hair!! She might have been off Klonopin, but she looked terrible. She knew it too.

It was The Tonight Show, with Jay Leno, where she was quiet for the first minute or so of the interview -- presumably catching her breath after performing. She was chatty after that, however. And was also chatty when she did appear on Letterman's show.

She may not have been at her absolute best during that era, but I think 'Street Angel' did about as well as it possibly could have, considering how drastically the landscape of radio had changed by that point. Very few of Stevie's peers were scoring any hits, unless they chose to go full-on Adult Contemporary. Most of everything else on the radio was grunge, hip-hop, or bubblegum pop.

[TheWILDheart]

The biggest enigma in Stevie's catalog is the awkwardly titled song I Call You Missing -- ironic because it has been missing for a long time.

When was the crappy example we do have actually recorded? I assume it was done around the time of The Other Side of the Mirror(some of the lyrics appear in Whole Lotta Trouble). Is there a possibility a finished Street Angel version is lingering somewhere?

Having been able to obtain so much unreleased material over the years, where are the reasons this one particular song has gone missing for so long? I call this Stevie's Amelia Earhart song --people have searched for it over the years, but it's never been found.

From what I understand, there is a full, finished version of "I Call You Missing" from the SA sessions. Some hoarder in Germany has a copy on cassette from an eBay auction that she refuses to share. Don't ask me who or why, but I remember there was quite a discussion about it on here a few years back.

However, the song eventually morphed into "Love Is Like A River". Here is the copyright info:

Type of Work: Music
Registration Number / Date: PA0000757323 / 1995-08-09
Application Title: I call you missing.
Title: Love is like a river.
Appears in: Street angel. Modern Records 92246-2, c1994. Compact disc
Publisher Number: Modern Records 92246-2
Performer: Performed by Stevie Nicks.
Copyright Claimant: Welsh Witch Music
Date of Creation: 1993
Date of Publication: 1994-06-07
Authorship on Application: words & music: Stevie Nicks.
Previous Registration: Prev. reg. 1993, PAu 1-730-343.
Names: Nicks, Stevie
Welsh Witch Music

[KarmaContestant]

The version that fans have, is from the 'Rock A Little' era.

Like you said, a lot of the lyrics were then used in "Whole Lotta Trouble." Stevie often revisits certain lines, so that isn't unusual -- but nearly half of "I Call You Missing" was made redundant by "Whole Lotta Trouble," and it's hard to imagine she would have kept all of that in when she recorded it for 'Street Angel.'

Maybe that's why she ultimately decided to fashion an entirely new song ("Love Is Like A River") out of most of what remained of "Missing."



Except that Love Is Like A River is an RAL-era song as well...and it's way cooler than what she recorded for Street Angel, but largely because of that 80's synth beat and witchy vocals.

[Johnny Stew]

Except that Love Is Like A River is an RAL-era song as well...and it's way cooler than what she recorded for Street Angel, but largely because of that 80's synth beat and witchy vocals.

Oh man, I completely forgot about that version! I think I only listened to it once, quite a few years ago, because the copy I heard was of such crummy sound quality. All these years later, it slipped from my memory. Damn senility! My fan-card is going to be revoked, lol. :o

Anyway, I just found it at IvoryKeys and listened again. Yeah, some pretty terrific, unbridled vocals, and I'm always a sucker for a great synth-line.

The lyrics this version of "LILAR" has in common with the 'Rock A Little'-era version of "I Call You Missing," are:

"She burns a candle for him."
"Some call it love -- some say they're above that. Well, she believed in love -- she called it worth it."
"No, in the middle of the night -- you can't stay home and give up the fight."
"I care about you Saturday night."

So the two must have already been connected in Stevie's mind from the very beginning, and then she melded them together (minus, of course, the lyrics she re-purposed for "Whole Lotta Trouble"), for what became the version of "Love Is Like A River" on 'Street Angel.'

Which makes me all the more intrigued now to hear the 'SA'-era version of "I Call You Missing." I have to wonder if it had basically the same lyrical structure as the "LILAR" that was ultimately released, but with the chorus from "ICYM" instead.

[The Highwayman]

I'm not so sure Street Angel is my least favorite Stevie album; There are a few songs on here that outdo just about everything she did on The Other Side of The Mirror (except the completely awesome 'Ooh My Love') and SA's production is better (now we're gonna have a Some OTSOTM Love thread..:D).
'Rose Garden', 'Destiny' and the title track are all excellent, and hey they're reason enough to own the album (although I must note the mixes of 'Rose Garden' and 'Destiny' are far, far better on Enchanted).

[PenguinHead]

http://stevie-nicks.info/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/1994-street-angel-promo-poster.jpg
A vinyl reissue of this album is a Stevie holy-grail item for me, and I have pestered Rhino and Warner about it numerous times. I envision white vinyl, 180 gram double LP, with pink custom labels that have the STREET ANGEL lettering, and a gatefold sleeve, of course. :D

Was there a original vinyl version of the album in 1994? By then, vinyl had fallen out of favor for compact discs. If it ever got re-released on vinyl, I hope they would clean up the train wreck that is the booklet with the lyrics. It's really a hack job.

Having been a type-setter, then a graphic designer, and then a copywriter/creative director, I'm a stickler for how lyrics should be properly presented. Sometimes the designers get it right, but mostly the standard is so sub-par, it kills me to see.

Often the lyrics are presented as dictations of the vocals, with "oohs and ahhs" representing the vocal inflections. But those aren't lyrics, and completely unnecessary; they just muddle the visual integrity of the lyric. And ellipses are useless. Take a look at the lyrics in Street Angel; there are ellipses in the oddest places, as if to refer to pauses her delivery! That is not needed at all. A lyric sheet doesn't have to infer pauses! And commas are very essential to clear communication, so why aren't they being used properly? If you cut out all the superfluous crap, you get the core essence of the song. Here are some examples, which reveal the actual poetry in the lyrics. They aren't perfect, but presented in a more improved form.

STREET ANGEL
I've been walking under rainbows too long to tell
You keep walking down means streets, my street angel
I tried to bring you in, out of the cold
But street angels live on the street, and they always will

Street angels aren't like anyone you know
They do what they want, and they go where they go
They may tell you that you hold the world in your hands
But they always give it back, they always give it back

No amount of crying changes your mind
No amount of praying brings you inside
I know that you love me, and that you always will
You just stand outside and call to me, my sweet street angel

A Charles Dickens character, with your top hat and your scarf
When you pulled me through the rainbow, I thought you’d stop
But you didn't, you turned around, you went back
To the children, and your music, and the people that you love

I can’t help but wonder, if every once in a while
You remember the girl, when you were a homeless angel
That drove you wild, strange and elusive

So I ended it all, for the both of us,
I fell down the stairs, a broken rag doll
But you never knew, you just thought I went away
With nothing more to hope for
But you don’t hear voices anymore, my sweet street angel

GRETA
Rhinestone collections all the time
I wonder what Greta would say
Another lady, another time
Another heart- broken state of mind
Alone in her chambers, she dreams of her home

Outside, she’s got a movie star view
Outcries, well where will the kings go
Where will the kings go now?

She’s got her eyes wide open
And she’s ready to stare you down
She says, in words unspoken
She’s from out of town

Well some cry, “Well I really don’t
dance down stormy weather”
It cuts like a knife

She’s got her bags packed
And she’s off to the valley
Where the sun meets the sea
You understand that,
She wants to live by the ocean
And no one is pleased
She gets a house by the mountains
The next day, the next day
She leaves the station

Do you really want to change her?
Do you really want to change her?
Or is it your right?

Alone in her chambers, she dreams of her home
In a very real way, she’s the purest art form
I bet she said “just how many art lovers
can one get to know?”

She doesn't have an hour
She doesn't have five minutes
She’s got to go

I wonder what Greta would say
I wonder what Greta would say
I wonder what Greta would say
Oh, where will the kings go?
Where will the kings go now?
Say Greta, say Greta

[gssmith]

I love the album! I like them all but as a whole, better then rock a little and osotm. Just like all her albums, the cover picture is cool. And just like the tour she gave strong vocals. I say that about most studio work of hers though.
blue denim: great catchy song, love the guitar.
Street angel: like the Radom guitar flares, great bongo like percussion very atmospheric.
Greta, her vocals are good love the story. especially the movie star view line makes me laugh.
Docklands is ok.
Listen to the rain great rocker. After the bridge, love the slow raspy vocal.
Unconditional love and love is like a river are terrible!!!
Rose Garden: kind of dumb, but ok. Destiny is a lot better I don't mind the recycled lyrics.
The music for Maybe Live sounds like Say You Will. It's pro bobbly her worst single. But as a song in an album I'd give it a 5/10 stars.
Kick It is ok.
I really like Just line a woman and jane. I hate bob Dylan's voice so Stevie's is much better. Love his lyrics. The song has some atmosphere too. Jane is sweet. Why hate on the chimp line? It's about Jane Goodall! I love the vocal acapella at the end between the ladies.

[BLY]

I always liked this album. It's so interesting and cool how all of us like different tracks. My stand out tracks are;

Blue Denim, Greta, Rose Garden, Destiny, kick It and Jane.

[James89]

To the person who said that they would like 'Street Angel' put on vinyl, I would like to see ALL of Stevie's albums put on vinyl even including 'Bella Donna' because it would be nice to see shiny new vinyls of hers in stores. If not ALL of her albums, 'Street Angel', 'Trouble in Shangri-La', 'Crystal Visions' and 'In Your Dreams' would be amazing to see on vinyl and I know thanks to Dave's confirmation that '24 Karat Gold' will be on vinyl anyway.

[Phil]

With regard to the discussion pertaining to "I Call You Missing", I actually don’t believe a finished version exists, let alone a Street Angel era recording. All I’ve ever heard is what I consider to be a Rock A Little era demo and nothing more. Like others have already suggested, some of the demo lyrics went to “Whole Lotta Trouble” and basically what remained migrated to “Love Is Like A River”, which of course, had also been demoed during the Rock A Little sessions.

I have seen and heard a 1993 promo cassette featuring the same track-listing/sequencing referred to in the previously mentioned 1992 Street Angel press release and it definitely does not feature “I Call You Missing” as we know it. The first track on Side B of the cassette is "Love Is Like A River", but it is actually titled as "I Call You Missing" on the cassette slick. This may have been an alternate title for "Love Is Like A River" or it simply could have just been 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 had been intended for inclusion.

I also understand that this cassette promo version of Street Angel, as produced by Glyn Johns, had been mastered by late February 1993 and that “I Call You Missing” – as we know it - was not one of the master mixes, but that "Love Is Like A River" was one of these tracks.

I realise there has been speculation that "I Call You Missing" was indeed recorded during the Street Angel sessions, but there is no evidence that it was or ever actually considered for inclusion at any of the projected 1992/1993/1994 release stages. Therefore, it is my opinion that any reference to “I Call You Missing” between 1992 and 1993 is in regard to what eventually became the released version of “Love Is Like A River” was done so in error. Either the final title had not been decided upon until it's release in 1994 or someone had made a mistake with the title circa 1992/1993.

[KarmaContestant]

With regard to the discussion pertaining to "I Call You Missing", I actually don’t believe a finished version exists, let alone a Street Angel era recording. All I’ve ever heard is what I consider to be a Rock A Little era demo and nothing more. Like others have already suggested, some of the demo lyrics went to “Whole Lotta Trouble” and basically what remained migrated to “Love Is Like A River”, which of course, had also been demoed during the Rock A Little sessions.

I have seen and heard a 1993 promo cassette featuring the same track-listing/sequencing referred to in the previously mentioned 1992 Street Angel press release and it definitely does not feature “I Call You Missing” as we know it. The first track on Side B of the cassette is "Love Is Like A River", but it is actually titled as "I Call You Missing" on the cassette slick. This may have been an alternate title for "Love Is Like A River" or it simply could have just been 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 had been intended for inclusion.

I also understand that this cassette promo version of Street Angel, as produced by Glyn Johns, had been mastered by late February 1993 and that “I Call You Missing” – as we know it - was not one of the master mixes, but that "Love Is Like A River" was one of these tracks.

I realise there has been speculation that "I Call You Missing" was indeed recorded during the Street Angel sessions, but there is no evidence that it was or ever actually considered for inclusion at any of the projected 1992/1993/1994 release stages. Therefore, it is my opinion that any reference to “I Call You Missing” between 1992 and 1993 is in regard to what eventually became the released version of “Love Is Like A River” was done so in error. Either the final title had not been decided upon until it's release in 1994 or someone had made a mistake with the title circa 1992/1993.

I think you're right. There are some who 'swear' they've heard it, though. :rolleyes:

[Phil]

Yeah I know Karma, but I wonder what people have actually heard in regard to "I Call You Missing"? Someone has asserted that a fan in Germany has a master of a Street Angel era recording and is unwilling to share it - perhaps that's because it doesn't actually exist? Who knows? Some people love to keep a myth alive...

I should say that I really dig the "I Call You Missing" demo and I even put it in my wish-list for the upcoming Stevie solo album, but I've since concluded that it most probably never progressed beyond a riff and some vampy ramblings. I'm now quite convinced that it just evolved into "Love Is Like A River", possibly as early as 1984. I would imagine that Stevie and her team could have referred to the track by either title up until the ultimate release of it in 1994, hence the confusion over the years.

[TheWILDheart]

Someone has asserted that a fan in Germany has a master of a Street Angel era recording and is unwilling to share it - perhaps that's because it doesn't actually exist? Who knows? Some people love to keep a myth alive...


An eBay auction was won by a lady in Germany which included a cassette of the original album, as per the press release. "I Call You Missing" was on the tracklist. It's mentioned in a few Street Angel threads, and infact I remember it originally coming up. She's a known hoarder from what I remember.

There's more info about it in other threads, including this one:

http://ledge.fleetwoodmac.net/showthread.php?t=47820

[Phil]

With due respect TheWILDHeart, that is the promo cassette I have been referring to in my earlier posts, or at least one that is from a similar time period. "I Call You Missing" was seemingly the earlier or incorrect title for "Love Is Like A River". There is no evidence that "I Call You Missing" as we know it was recorded during the Street Angel era, only versions of "Love Is Like A River". Therefore, "I Call You Missing" was either a working; alternate or incorrect title for "Love Is Like A River".

[AnthonyMI]

please....This thread calls for a FLOW CHART!

I call you missing was a demo in RAL era

became ....

Love is like a river AND Whole lotta trouble?

Whole lotta trouble was recorded as a demo first using some of I call you missing during RAL

Whole lotta trouble was "finished" for OSOTM

Meanwhile Love is like a River continued using some of the other lyrics form I call you missing, and new lyrics here and there, plus some repeated ones form Whole Lotta Trouble.

Finally, Love is like a river was demoed for Street Angel, but since it originated as the previously copywritten I call you missing, she updated that copywriter as the original song title, but eventually changed the title to Love is like a River anyhow since that was more or less what it had morphed into and I call you missing had DIVERGENT SPECIES into two separate though genetically similar species.

[KarmaContestant]

please....This thread calls for a FLOW CHART!

I call you missing was a demo in RAL era

became ....

Love is like a river AND Whole lotta trouble?

Whole lotta trouble was recorded as a demo first using some of I call you missing during RAL

Whole lotta trouble was "finished" for OSOTM

Meanwhile Love is like a River continued using some of the other lyrics form I call you missing, and new lyrics here and there, plus some repeated ones form Whole Lotta Trouble.

Finally, Love is like a river was demoed for Street Angel, but since it originated as the previously copywritten I call you missing, she updated that copywriter as the original song title, but eventually changed the title to Love is like a River anyhow since that was more or less what it had morphed into and I call you missing had DIVERGENT SPECIES into two separate though genetically similar species.

Yes, but you missed one little part - Love Is Like A River was also a demo during the RAL era, separate and distinct from I Call You Missing. :p

And, actually, I don't subscribe to the idea that Love Is Like A River or Whole Lotta Trouble evolved from I Call You Missing. I tend toward the belief that all three were conceived as separate songs, possibly meant to be companion pieces, and just happened to share lyrics - much like Enchanted and Destiny, both written and recorded for The Wild Heart album.

[Johnny Stew]

Whole lotta trouble was recorded as a demo first using some of I call you missing during RAL

One adjustment -- "Whole Lotta Trouble" was written in Australia early in 1986, after 'Rock A Little' was released.

Karma has an excellent point that it (along with the original "Love Is Like A River") still could have been meant as a companion piece to "I Call You Missing," however -- rather than having evolved from it.

And, actually, I don't subscribe to the idea that Love Is Like A River or Whole Lotta Trouble evolved from I Call You Missing. I tend toward the belief that all three were conceived as separate songs, possibly meant to be companion pieces, and just happened to share lyrics - much like Enchanted and Destiny, both written and recorded for The Wild Heart album.

The final, 'Street Angel' version of "Love Is Like A River" is an interesting beast. Perhaps, as you said, it's not a true evolution, but it's certainly an amalgamation of the original "LILAR" and "ICYM." I would love to know when Stevie decided to combine them, and how that came about. Had they already been joined together in the years before 'Street Angel,' or was that done specifically for the album?

[Jondalar]

The only song I liked from Street Angel was Inspiration and she kicked it off the album because she didn't write it. It was the only song a lot of people liked off that album when they heard it, but she didn't put it on the album.

Inspiration is a great song to chill and get drunk to.

[KarmaContestant]

Inspiration is a great song to chill and get drunk to.

Ugh, how depressing. I'd much rather get drunk to Greta. :D

[Christopher]

I realise there has been speculation that "I Call You Missing" was indeed recorded during the Street Angel sessions, but there is no evidence that it was or ever actually considered for inclusion at any of the projected 1992/1993/1994 release stages. Therefore, it is my opinion that any reference to “I Call You Missing” between 1992 and 1993 is in regard to what eventually became the released version of “Love Is Like A River” was done so in error. Either the final title had not been decided upon until it's release in 1994 or someone had made a mistake with the title circa 1992/1993.
For what it's worth, The Atlantic Group (Modern records distributer in the U.S.) issued quarterly upcoming new release catalogs to retailers, radio promoters, etc. (as was standard for major labels back then) and "Street Angel" was featured in the 4th quarter 1993 issue. The 1993 SA tracklist included "I Call You Missing." :shrug: These scans are from my personal copy of The Alantic Group" 1993 new release catalog.
http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t118/longdistancewinner/eeb36bf5-345f-4f08-81e5-f998311506d8_zps1cec5316.jpg
http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t118/longdistancewinner/bb348214-5424-4fd8-9e4e-49db1796658d_zps1d350880.jpg

[ricohv]

Was there a original vinyl version of the album in 1994? By then, vinyl had fallen out of favor for compact discs. If it ever got re-released on vinyl, I hope they would clean up the train wreck that is the booklet with the lyrics. It's really a hack job.

Having been a type-setter, then a graphic designer, and then a copywriter/creative director, I'm a stickler for how lyrics should be properly presented. Sometimes the designers get it right, but mostly the standard is so sub-par, it kills me to see.

Often the lyrics are presented as dictations of the vocals, with "oohs and ahhs" representing the vocal inflections. But those aren't lyrics, and completely unnecessary; they just muddle the visual integrity of the lyric. And ellipses are useless. Take a look at the lyrics in Street Angel; there are ellipses in the oddest places, as if to refer to pauses her delivery! That is not needed at all. A lyric sheet doesn't have to infer pauses! And commas are very essential to clear communication, so why aren't they being used properly? If you cut out all the superfluous crap, you get the core essence of the song. Here are some examples, which reveal the actual poetry in the lyrics. They aren't perfect, but presented in a more improved form.

STREET ANGEL
I've been walking under rainbows too long to tell
You keep walking down means streets, my street angel
I tried to bring you in, out of the cold
But street angels live on the street, and they always will

Street angels aren't like anyone you know
They do what they want, and they go where they go
They may tell you that you hold the world in your hands
But they always give it back, they always give it back

No amount of crying changes your mind
No amount of praying brings you inside
I know that you love me, and that you always will
You just stand outside and call to me, my sweet street angel

A Charles Dickens character, with your top hat and your scarf
When you pulled me through the rainbow, I thought you’d stop
But you didn't, you turned around, you went back
To the children, and your music, and the people that you love

I can’t help but wonder, if every once in a while
You remember the girl, when you were a homeless angel
That drove you wild, strange and elusive

So I ended it all, for the both of us,
I fell down the stairs, a broken rag doll
But you never knew, you just thought I went away
With nothing more to hope for
But you don’t hear voices anymore, my sweet street angel

GRETA
Rhinestone collections all the time
I wonder what Greta would say
Another lady, another time
Another heart- broken state of mind
Alone in her chambers, she dreams of her home

Outside, she’s got a movie star view
Outcries, well where will the kings go
Where will the kings go now?

She’s got her eyes wide open
And she’s ready to stare you down
She says, in words unspoken
She’s from out of town

Well some cry, “Well I really don’t
dance down stormy weather”
It cuts like a knife

She’s got her bags packed
And she’s off to the valley
Where the sun meets the sea
You understand that,
She wants to live by the ocean
And no one is pleased
She gets a house by the mountains
The next day, the next day
She leaves the station

Do you really want to change her?
Do you really want to change her?
Or is it your right?

Alone in her chambers, she dreams of her home
In a very real way, she’s the purest art form
I bet she said “just how many art lovers
can one get to know?”

She doesn't have an hour
She doesn't have five minutes
She’s got to go

I wonder what Greta would say
I wonder what Greta would say
I wonder what Greta would say
Oh, where will the kings go?
Where will the kings go now?
Say Greta, say Greta

Thank you for your effort and for pointing this out. I agree whole-heartedly. Stevie IS
smart, but so much around her makes her seem stupid, including how her lyrics are printed and the over-use of ellipses. Ricoh

[Jondalar]

Ugh, how depressing. I'd much rather get drunk to Greta. :D

I liked Greta to a point, but I always felt like it was a ripoff of Betty Davis Eyes. I would of liked it much better if it had been recorded first.

[Phil]

Originally posted by Christopher
For what it's worth, The Atlantic Group (Modern records distributer in the U.S.) issued quarterly upcoming new release catalogs to retailers, radio promoters, etc. (as was standard for major labels back then) and "Street Angel" was featured in the 4th quarter 1993 issue. The 1993 SA tracklist included "I Call You Missing." These scans are from my personal copy of The Alantic Group" 1993 new release catalog.

Yes, but people don't seem to accept that the track-listing contained an error of one sort or another. "I Call You Missing" (as we know it) was not included on the promo cassette that accompanied/was issued around the time of the 1993 new release catalogue, but "Love Is Like A River" was. Therefore, either the wrong song (ie "Love Is Like A River) was included as track 1, side b OR it was mistitled as “I Call You Missing”.

As previously stated, I adore the demo version of “I Call You Missing” that we have heard, but it is by no means a finished, structured song. It seems like an early draft with only a looped riff and stream of consciousness lyrics. Both “I Call You Missing” and “Love Is Like A River” were demoed during the Rock A Little era, but we don’t know which came first and whether “I Call You Missing” progressed beyond this point. Of course, I concede I could be entirely wrong about this (and I hope I am!), but there is no evidence to suggest that (the real) “I Call You Missing” was recorded for/included on the earliest version of the Street Angel album. I am just basing my opinion on the facts as we know them.

[PenguinHead]

Going back to the original topic, though. I also dig Street Angel, though admittedly not my favorite. I must be in the minority because "Greta" is my favorite off this record and most of you guys seem to despise it. It puts me in a good mood and is a great "driving" song and, lyrically, it's so catchy.

"I bet she says just how many art lovers can one get to know?"

"She doesn't have an hour, she doesn't have five minutes. She's got to go!"

I do love 'Greta' for being so quirky. It has some really nice, breezy lyric lines. It's a type of unique song only Stevie could write.

[gssmith]

She's got a mooovie star view! That's my favorite part

[GypsyBlueEyes]

I love Street Angel, though I'll admit that it's the most un-Stevie of all her albums.

I love:

Blue Denim, Street Angel, Rose Garden, Listen to the Rain, Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind, Destiny, Kick It, and Unconditional Love.

And, I know that most people don't like it, but I loved her cover of Just Like a Woman.

I also love the chorus part of Docklands...the rest wasn't that great, though.

I can take or leave Greta & Love is Like a River.

The only song I really don't like is Jane...and there aren't words efficient enough to accurately describe just how bad it is. YIKES.

[PenguinHead]

She's got a mooovie star view! That's my favorite part

She's got her bags packed, and she's off to the valley where the sun meets the sea.

[gssmith]

[QUOTE=PenguinHead;1134299]She's got her bags packed, and she's off to the valley where the sun meets the sea.[/

She's got her eyes wide open and she is ready to stare you down. You understand that? She wants to live by the ocean.

I don't know where we are going with this but ok. I have lived in the desert north of LA for the past 3 years. I can see all that too! I know this sounds nasty but, I had to go to the bath room to drop a Duce. I played Stevie. She is right! Music sounds better in the bath room. I wonder what Greta would say?