Enchanted Disc 3 - Discussion
 

Hey guys

For the first time in ages I've dug out the Enchanted box set and seem to be in the mood to listen to the 3rd disc a lot so I thought I'd start a discussion thread.

What tracks do you think should not be there, or should have been and aren't etc?

Also, I'm really liking Thousand Days right now, apart from the horrid Time/Life lines. It's so cheesy and ott but I'm enjpoying it! I never listened to it much before, and reading the liner notes it seems to tbe the one song that doesn't have information as to where it's from. Which single was it a B-Side for or is it on a soundtrack?

I think it was B-side to "Blue Denim", but I'm too lazy to check.
I don't mind the Time/Life part, but her voice sounds strained in parts of the song - like it wants to break free from the melody but can't (typical of that period).

I do have issues with the sequencing of the disc & its overall mish-mosh quality, like no thought was given to how different songs (and Stevie's ever-changing voices) sound juxtaposed against one another. All the same, my bigger problem is with the first two discs: OMBTRARS has no place on Disc 1 & belongs on the keyboard-heavy Disc 2, while "The Highwayman" is completely out of place on Disc 2 and belongs on Disc 1 for the same reason.

I'll add that I'm one of the few Ledgies to like Disc 3's versions of "Sweet Girl" and "Twisted", and also "Somebody Stand by Me". But again, the sequencing makes no sense.

- Jake

Also, I was glad that "Cryin' in the Night" was scrapped for "Long Distance Winner", though both are great songs. Wish they would have included both.

I never got why "Gold" was included but not "Smiling Islands".

- Jake

I agree with both of these points but would have put One More Big Time Rock and Roll Star in Disc 3 - since it's the one that's supposed to have the B-sides, soundtrack cuts etc all gathered together on it.

I like God but it is an odd selection.

I think the only song on Disc 3 that I skip somewhat regularly is "Somebody Stand By Me." I know that she didn't write it, but it just sounds unlike a "Stevie" song.

I think it was a wasted opportunity, basically.

There's no reason whatsoever for Gold & Whenever I Call You Friend to be on there, and her choice of demos (Twisted and Sweet Girl) to include was pretty lame. I could also do without Somebody Stand By Me. Take off those five songs and replace them with Julia, Forest of the Black Roses, If You Were My Love, China Doll, and Mirror Mirror, and it would be awesome.

I agree....I wanted more unreleased tracks on Enchanted.

I think the inclusion of Twisted and Sweet Girl made sense, at least from Stevie's perspective. Those are demo versions of songs she had already released. We know how guarded she (supposedly) is about her unreleased tracks, and, given her subsequent practice of pulling some of those older demos from the vault for inclusion on studio albums, I think it makes sense that she would not include them on Enchanted. Who knows...she might decide to put If You Were My Love on the next FM album :shrug:

Point is, I would love to have had her put some of those songs on Enchanted...but as Stevie views them, they're still works-in-progress, and not "ready" to be released to the public.

All in all I like it. It was great to hear some of those songs for the first time. As far as I'm concerned, the disc is over after Sleeping Angel. That modern day Rhiannon grates on me. I've always wondered how it would have been had Christine played and harmonized. Oh well, wishful thinking...

Smiling Islands is "crap". That is all. ;-)

I like Gold and Long Distance Winner. Always listened to those on Disc 3.

Driving over Kanan
Singing to my soul
'Cause people out there turn the music into gold

*spins round in pretty skirt*

:lol:

Gold and Whenever I Call You Friend were included because they were big hits. The collection is of her greatest hits.. I just think they were relegated to disk 3 because the never appeared on an actual Stevie album. Kenny Loggins once commented that once you record a song with Stevie, you kinda lose ownership of it because it becomes so identified with her.

They also serve to remind folks who might not know what a hot commodity she was back in those days and how everyone wanted to work with her. She was definitely the "it" girl and other artists knew that working with her could totally enhance their visibility and hipness.

Kind of like Michael McDonald

Have to agree totally. :nod:

I love WICYF. Gold is a 1979 song and maybe because I was 13 I don't remember it, which I fdoubt, because I was already a radio listener and kept an eye on the charts. Don't know how well-known it was in other countries but I'm sure it wasn't a big hit around here. I don't remember if any of my friends recalled Gold when I bought and played Enchanted, but they did like the song.

I enjoy listening Disc 3 very much. Good songs content.

Speaking of demos...there's a killer EP waiting to happen if she re-recorded all of those beautiful piano demos i.e. Forest Of The Black Roses, China Doll, 3 Birds of Rhiannon, Lady (without all of the dramatic production used on the 24k Gold version)

No guest vocals
Do it in the right key, no straining/shouting
Minimalist arrangements & instrumentation
Hire a completely new set of musicians, no Waddy guitar hacking
Make it so moody you have to listen to it with the lights dimmed

Whatever...I know that's a pipe dream for such a "prolific" artist. Eye roll.

that voice departed long long ago. She could not do them justice now. :distress:

Gold was huge in the States. I think it went to #5. I also was a common song on those "pop hit" albums with various artists of hit songs. John and Stevie were really good friends. Her bathroom door is the back cover of his album with Gold. Stevie's contributions to the album are incredible. This board frequently says Midnight Wind is Stevie's best vocal of her career. That song is also an early release of Sisters of The Moon since Lindsey worked on both songs. They have very similar intros. Her contributions to Gold are stellar and gives the song a fun California vibe. Originally she was not to sing on Gold and only came into the studio for Midnight Wind. They were playing around in the studio and Stevie sang along to Gold for fun. When they heard it played back they decided to keep it.
David commented here awhile ago that Stevie and John did perform the song together once at a sound check on one of her 1981 solo concerts. Too bad it was never recorded.

Disc 3 of Enchanted is wonderful. It has all those movie soundtracks or old 45 records we all bought and collected in the 1980s. To have them on a CD was incredible. I am glad she was proud of her contributions singing with other artists.

Oh that's basically what I meant. The arrangements need to compliment her current voice/range.

What do you think the chances are of Stevie releasing an album of let’s say at least 10 songs in the next 5 years? She did release The Lighthouse last year with a big music video. Three years ago she said she might have written her best song and recorded it. She’s done three years of touring without any new songs played and it appears like that same style of touring is continuing this year. For myself, 24 Karat Gold Songs From The Vault would be a sad way to end her album discography. Stevie stopped playing songs from that album after 2017 but continued played songs from TISL and IYD from 2022-2024.
I hope she surprises us this year but I doubt it.

I honestly couldn't tell you. She's been talking about new music on and off for the last 5+ years. It seems like every time she has the choice between taking time off the road to work on the record or going out on the road - she opts to go on the road every time, which isn't surprising. She's refused to participate in any project that would require extended time in the studio for over a decade.

If anything does eventually come out as an album, I'd imagine it will be a hodge podge of producers and production styles - which has been her achilles' heel going back to Trouble In Shangri-La in 2000/2001. She's pretty much unwilling to let any one single producer help her get anything over the finish line. Dave Stewart may be the only exception in context of the 2010s.

If she really wanted to release something, I think she would have by now. She was expecting The Lighthouse to be a media sensation, which is wasn't. I'm sure she has many folks in her ear telling her the juice isn't worth the squeeze regarding making an album - and she's proven to be quite happy taking that advice. She openly admits that she didn't do anything but greatest hits tours from 2005-2010 because somebody told her thats what she should be doing instead of making new music. Heck, her team couldn't even be bothered to find some sort of solution for the issues she had with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra project - she just ditched the project all together - and went back out on tour.

TLDR: any string of dates that her management can put together will take priority over any kind of work on new music. If she's offered a double bill with The Doobie Brothers, she'll take it.

I’m reading as of May 2014, IYD had sold 199,000 copies just in the U.S. Couldn’t find Songs from the Vault sale numbers but it wasn’t certified Gold. I don't think global numbers would significantly change sales volume. Both albums peak position was #6, not bad. And their critical reception was mostly positive.

By those positive reviews, she might be motivated to release new material. But she also has expressed her point of view on the importance of sales during the discussion about whether Say You Will could be a double album. And it makes sense. From a business perspective, she might think... how much do I make on tours versus how much would a new album make? Besides, based on past results, I think the record label would give her a modest support.

It's amazing that after she said in 2011 that she's going to continue releasing albums and not go out and just play the old songs, that she's back to playing the old songs. And she said she doesn't care if people don't buy her albums, she's releasing them for her own satisfaction and by extension her fans because they'll love what she loves, and I agree with her. I just wish she'd release an album - it's been 11 years.
So what if her last two albums charted at #6 and #7? Go out and play the songs on tour where you'll make your money.

Even though it's only three songs and one of them is an old one (same case for Secret Love as an aside) - it's a miracle that EP even happened. The fact that she went into the studio with Lindsey and she actually to my knowledge didn't have any complaints about recording those three songs with him - she actually said they had a great time at his house, told stories to Karen, and did a photoshoot - is incredible.

Yeah I think a whole lot of us were hoping with baited breath that 2011 would mark some kind of creative resurgence. As with a lot of things that she says or claims - much of it never materializes.

She probably dislikes the FM EP as well, despite praising it initially. Several years after Say You Will, she soured on that and said she didn't like the way any of her songs came out.

She's mentioned spending several years trying to ink some sort of mini-series deal for the infamous "Rhiannon" project - which looks as if thats petered out. Again, I don't know how you can be working on something like that if you're constantly on the road.

When Stevie goes into 'marketing mode' you have to take anything that comes out of her mouth with a significant grain of salt. she's called every song for the last decade or more "the best song I've ever written" or "the best stuff I've written in a long time" etc etc etc. She knows she has to sell it and to her credit, she does. Howeverrrrrrr..... starting around the 80s and early 90s (pre Dance) after an album had come out and had its run and sold whatever it was going to sell, she'd start talking about the very same album she had called her 'best ever' and "proudest" work etc as "well, it wasn't exactly what I had wanted" and she'd tell stories of difficulty with whoever produced it or this or that or whatever. Was even THAT her being honest, or was that her once again putting the spin on something that didn't do as well as she had hoped? You know the old "well it wasn't how I wanted it which would have been so much better" i.e. 'it's not MY fault'

someone already noted that she'll take a tour over recording any day and this has been her mantra for the last 15+ years. She follows the money because she's about status and money and not the art no matter what she might say. if she were really about the 'art' she'd put stuff out regardless.

if that *ucker ever sees the light of day I will light my a$$ on fire.:eek:

She's nuts. I've got People magazines from the 1970's!!!, where she's talking about making it.

Does she not realize how dumb it makes her look, to be talking about making the same project for nearly HALF A CENTURY?

If Gold hadn't been included on Enchanted, I don't know if I would have ended up being a John Stewart fan. Maybe I would have but my fandom would have been delayed. If nothing else, I'm thankful it was included in the compilation because John's music has become a big part of my life.

What's hilarious is IF it ever does see the light of day, it will be so off the charts cheesy and cringey. My guess the main reason she hasn't been able to ink a deal is because she refuses to work with anyone. No director is going to tell her how to make a successful mini series or give her "notes" on anything.

I'm sure she walks into high level meetings thinking she can tell Netflix or HBO Max how to make her movie and that's not going to fly. Those folks are going to want to ensure the right people are involved to make the thing profitable and her diva behavior has probably resulted in her being shown the door multiple times. This isn't the same a$$ kissing contest that she and Fleetwood Mac have had with Warner/Rhino for the past 25 years.

Neither of those companies need to sign a deal with her or develop anything for her - especially if *gasp* the material just isn't that great and she refuses to work with anyone willing to put lipstick on the pig.

Would you say that to Bob Dylan?:lol:

I just watched the full Billy Joel documentary over the long weekend.... I can see Lindsey being 1000% capable of doing that kind of analysis of the songs, the production, etc involved in each of his/the band's albums.... but Stevie?? her musical ineptitude would be sooooo glaring..... I mean, Billy was talking in very technical music terms and playing classical piano pieces.... she'd be doing her ding-ding, ding-ding, "two finger" thing as she herself put it. :eek:

There’s a quote from Stevie from an interview where she says her demos become magical when Lindsey works with them. But somehow it’s disrespectful to Christine, John, and Mick to say Lindsey helped Stevie make her songs into productions. I mean Lindsey worked with Chris, Mick, and John in solo work and on Chris’ album. He may have played bass in his 20s and 30s which angered John but I think when the late 90s came around, Lindsey knew Mick and John were the best. He even said so in the LBCM documentary. Heck, Lindsey is even on Behind The Mask and Time!