The Ledge

The Ledge (http://ledge.fleetwoodmac.net/index.php)
-   Stevie Nicks (http://ledge.fleetwoodmac.net/forumdisplay.php?f=7)
-   -   The Other Side of the Mirror Anniversary (http://ledge.fleetwoodmac.net/showthread.php?t=59249)

On Ice 05-11-2021 02:28 PM

The Other Side of the Mirror Anniversary
 
It's May, the month of many releases in Stevie's discography. This time, the Other Side of the Mirror hits 32 (32 ?!) released on May 11, 1989. Not to repeat the wonderful analysis of the group on You Tube, feel free to weigh in on her "Magic" album.

My thoughts, the strength of a few key tracks were not enough to carry the weaker ones and was a let down for many casual fans. Although, I feel Rooms on Fire is up there with singles, it's in every way wonderful and was picked up by non-Stevie radio stations and was popular in the UK. It set the bar incredibly high and Stevie and Rupert just could not pull off an entire album so strong. That said, some real gems after Rooms, Long Way to Go, the amazing Ooh My Love, and Escape from Berlin (love that title, so Stevie), second tier were Ghosts, Whole Lotta Trouble and Alice/Juliet (one song was enough of that couplet) but again atrocious covers, missed out on some really great songs, Julia would've fit nicely wink/nudge and All the Beautiful Worlds. Ending the album with Blue Water. Stevie doing covers except for Stop Draggin my Heart Around, was not one of her stronger points as a solo artist.

Final Verdict- I enjoyed it like all of her releases at the time. It has held up on the really strong tracks and she was in far better voice than Rock a Little.

bwboy 05-11-2021 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by On Ice (Post 1266887)
That said, some real gems after Rooms, Long Way to Go, the amazing Ooh My Love, and Escape from Berlin (love that title, so Stevie), second tier were Ghosts, Whole Lotta Trouble and Alice/Juliet (one song was enough of that couplet) but again atrocious covers, missed out on some really great songs, Julia would've fit nicely wink/nudge and All the Beautiful Worlds. Ending the album with Blue Water. Stevie doing covers except for Stop Draggin my Heart Around, was not one of her stronger points as a solo artist.

As I said in another thread, I like it when Stevie does some country- Think About It and That’s Alright are two of my favorite songs. I Still Miss Someone (Blue Eyes) falls in that category for me. She sounds so vulnerable and wistful on this song. I think it may be a bit much, with the whistle and carnival type music going on, but I overlook it. I also don’t mind when Stevie sings songs she didn’t write- Talk to Me, Whenever I Call You Friend, Stop Dragging My Heart, Seven Wonders, all are great songs. I really dislike Every Day, but because of the way she sings it- ugh. It has nothing to do with the fact she didn’t write it (at least not to me).

Macfan4life 05-11-2021 04:38 PM

I have my memory of driving back from the mall in my mom's 1983 Nissan Stanza and playing the tape in the car. I loved it. Not crazy about every song but the first side was played by the time I got home. I liked it so much more than RAL and Stevie's voice was strong and steady. Being she wrote most of the songs, I was a happy camper. It was not until I saw the tour about 3 months later that I sensed something was wrong (again).
It was a magic album for me too. I was on vacation in Daytona Beach in Aug 1989 and I remember walking the beach late at night with the waves crashing and stars out and this tape playing in my walkman. I was so excited for the upcoming show. Even though the album was not so successful as RAL, Stevie still played to packed arenas. Its just a shame that many reviews stated her opening act The Hooters put on a better show. :eek:
I remember getting to the mall hours before the tickets went on sale and there was a girl who spent the night on a lawn chair to be first in line. I was probably 6th in line and when she was at the window first, they offered her seats in section "C". Not great seats at all. I also had not the best seats either. Stevie was originally scheduled to open her tour in Pittsburgh but something happened and the show got moved. I suspect many VIPs kept their house seats. The tour ended up starting in Detroit. Pittsburgh was not early enough for Talk To Me in the set but we did get Juliet in the set. The Pittsburgh Press trashed her concert and constantly mentioned how she never moved away from the microphone the entire night. Her reps told the paper that she recently broke her foot and was favoring it. I spoke to some at the show who state they saw a cast painted black on her foot. I did not see that and dont know where the truth is on that one. Probably my least favorite Stevie solo concert.

On Ice 05-11-2021 04:48 PM

Hi BwBoy- I like her country influences as well and a full country album in 1976, a guy can dream, wouldn't that have been amazing. After the Glitter Fades, That's Alright, the Highwayman and to some extent Sleeping Angel, all extremely well written songs, Think About it, Rose Garden, all great.

MacFan- the show I saw in Toronto in Aug 1989 was really quite good and while she didn't move much, she sounded great and the outfits were "colourful" if not overly padded shoulders. I did like the album and still do, just has too many low points for me to make it outstanding, and like others, it could've been but we're now talking 32 years ago.

HomerMcvie 05-11-2021 10:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bwboy (Post 1266890)
As I said in another thread, I like it when Stevie does some country- Think About It and That’s Alright are two of my favorite songs. I Still Miss Someone (Blue Eyes) falls in that category for me. She sounds so vulnerable and wistful on this song. I think it may be a bit much, with the whistle and carnival type music going on, but I overlook it. I also don’t mind when Stevie sings songs she didn’t write- Talk to Me, Whenever I Call You Friend, Stop Dragging My Heart, Seven Wonders, all are great songs. I really dislike Every Day, but because of the way she sings it- ugh. It has nothing to do with the fact she didn’t write it (at least not to me).

I wouldn't consider Think About It country, at all!

The Highwayman and After The Glitter are great country songs, and two of my favorite songs on the album. But that guitar figure at the beginning of TAI doesn't sound country to me, at all.

greendaze5 05-12-2021 08:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Macfan4life (Post 1266893)
I remember getting to the mall hours before the tickets went on sale and there was a girl who spent the night on a lawn chair to be first in line. I was probably 6th in line and when she was at the window first, they offered her seats in section "C". Not great seats at all. I also had not the best seats either.

Oh the good old days of having to line up for tickets, and overnight too! :lol:

I remember doing that for the 1987 FM tour (from 9 PM to 10 AM), and then going very early in the morning for tickets for the 'OSOTM' show (which later got cancelled in my area :mad:).

Still, got to see the '89 tour at Great Woods, MA, and in Saratoga Springs, NY.

bwboy 05-12-2021 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HomerMcvie (Post 1266906)
I wouldn't consider Think About It country, at all!

The Highwayman and After The Glitter are great country songs, and two of my favorite songs on the album. But that guitar figure at the beginning of TAI doesn't sound country to me, at all.

:shocked::shocked: Well huh! Now I have to go and dig out Bella Donna to give the song another listen, but it seemed totally country to me. Curious what other folks think, too. Is Think About It country? I agree about After the Glitter Fades, but never really thought of Highwaymen as country, though I can see why other people might.

Neal 05-13-2021 06:53 PM

I still love almost everything about TOSOTM, and it remains in my Top 3 solo albums.

Totally agree with On Ice that "All The Beautiful Worlds" would have fit in perfectly here; maybe in place of "Two Kinds Of Love", which remains the weakest link for me.

Jondalar 05-20-2021 12:49 PM

She didn't even try to give good vocal performances on this album. Her voice is god awful on this thing. She hacked Cry Wolf and just went through the motions.

svnwndrs 06-09-2021 04:45 PM

Sorry for the late reply/post. Just had to quickly chime in. This is probably my favorite Stevie solo album. A lot of fans complain about the production but I honestly think the production is pretty sterling for 1989. Organic sounding compared to RAL. The synths and electronic elements could have been much more prominent. Rupert Hine was very into the electronic music scene producing other artists, so he definitely showed some restraint on this one. Her voice sounded much better than on RAL. Rooms On Fire is my favorite of her solo songs and I wish it wasn’t so underrated and overlooked. It’s seems like it’s never mentioned. It sometimes gives me goosebumps when I hear it. Truly beautiful, just like the rest of the tracks (except Cry Wolf and I Still Miss Someone). You have to take into consideration the state Stevie was in professionally and personally when it comes to listening to this album. She was going through some transitioning. Nonetheless, this was my first solo album of hers that I ever bought. I was hooked and listened to it every day after school for months. The lyrics are sooo Stevie and some of them are very moving. Also, what about some of the outtakes from this time period like Beautiful Ghost, Dial The Number, Love And War (Mixdown) or Prettiest Girl In The World. Some of those could have replaced the 2 covers. It’s hard to believe it’s been 32 years.


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:43 AM.

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
© 1995-2003 Martin and Lisa Adelson, All Rights Reserved