[teedee]

Originally posted by Johnny Stew
I think it's stretching it a bit to say that Stevie's songs... despite the fact that they were pulled from the vaults... weren't "up to par with Lindsey's first-rate stuff."

I think songs like "Smile At You," "Goodbye Baby," and "Running Through The Garden" prove themselves to be far more than mere "rejects."
"Gypsy" was originally intended for 'Bella Donna,' before Stevie decided it would make a better Fleetwood Mac song... and I don't think anyone considers that masterpiece to be a "reject" either.

Stevie has said on many occasions that certain songs... no matter how much she loves them, or how proud she is of them... just don't fit the feel of certain albums. So instead of including something that might get lost in the shuffle, she'll pull it for another time and album, where it can have a place of honor (my wording, not hers).

"Thrown Down," for instance, given that it was written about Lindsey during 'The Dance' tour, Stevie decided that it would make a much better Mac song than a solo song, so she pulled it from the running for 'TISL.'

Of all of the songs that she has in her vaults, she hand-picked 17 that she thought would fit alongside Lindsey's songs, as well as supply certain textures that would help round out the album.
Which is not the least bit akin to just throwing the band some rejects.

In regards to her writing the "Phoenix Four," she has said that she felt the need to write some additional songs because of the experiences she had in the time the album was being recorded.
As a writer, she had new things she needed to say, and she knew that it needed to be done in a timely fashion.

Certainly not because her songs weren't on par with Lindsey's (an opinion for which I'll just consider the source ).

By the way, I don't at all feel that her material brings Lindsey's down. In fact, I totally believe that Stevie's songs added textures that Lindsey's album would have lacked otherwise... thus elevating the project.

I also wouldn't be the least bit surprised if about 500,000-600,000 of 'Say You Will's' 810,827 albums sold, could be attributed to "the Stevie Factor."

AMEN!