I think LB was saying he "agreed," perhaps under duress, with the record company's reasoning that a FM record is an easier sell, etc., than one of his solo records, which for whatever reason have not sold that well.
I cannot say that solely from a business point of view, I blame the record company for "influencing" this decision. Make no mistake, I love LB's music. However, if it was my dime/job being used/risked for production/promotion, I would also insist on a FM record than a LB solo record. Who would not solely from a business point of view. I mean with all due respect to John and Mick (and they deserve a bunch after 35 or so years), FM with Stevie and LB is historically proven to sell in big if not huge quantity, even though it may be viewed by whomever as unfair or constraining on both of them. That is what in my opinion is "wrong" with the record companies being these huge money making things. They seemingly from the public’s point of view do not care for "artistic" value; they have to sell records. I mean even LB said that the record company "brass" puts it on the line with artists' records and those same "brass" could lose their jobs if the record(s) fail. I would certainly hate to be in that position!
You know what, despite all of that and as much as I liked the GOS solo stuff, I like the new stuff I have heard more (granted I have not heard all of it). Moreover, despite whatever opinion I may have, LB stated (perhaps under threat of punishment from Warner Reprise
) that this process has been very creative. So, maybe LB does not feel his artistry was compromised by releasing these songs as FM songs. Who knows. I just cannot seem get away from the "loss(?)" of the greatness of the "unreleased" GOS demos even though I really like perhaps more these tracks that were altered for Say You Will.
NOTE: I hesitated posting this for fear of being unintentionally insulting as tone is difficult to discern in prose. So, let me say, I meant this post solely from an analytical point of view and not in an insulting “LB is nothing without Stevie or FM way” for in my opinion that could not be further from the truth.