1989 Atlantic interview

[Macfan4life]

I think most of us have heard this interview before. But for some reason it came to me and I listened again and a few things hit me. OSOTM is a very Stevie album more so than anything except Bella Donna. She mentions that Rupert was the first producer that did not make her remove lines from lyrics or verses. It stands out on the album. Also she did lots of the backing vocals which again stands out. Some Wild Heart songs were drowning in her back up vocalists. The album is also very personal and much more direct than her previous albums. She claims that there were so many demos and songs it was hard to pick 10 songs. But why did she end up putting 2 covers on the album? From the OSOTM demos or leftovers I heard they are terrible. Its a miracle this album was made before her lights were completely turned off.
I have always loved the phrase "Have fun tell the world" which she says is a way of saying F**K OFF to Joe Walsh.
Escape From Berlin is dark but she says she could have yelled the lyrics because she was so angry. She was with her other management then so she is still bitter about rehab thus "Escape from Berlin." She left Betty Ford 3 days early because he hated it so much. Something that gets glossed over or forgotten today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6KHLnZlIiQ

[David]

I hate this album. I have always hated this album. The engineering is the worst of any Nicks project from 1981 to the present. Everything about the album screams trash and vulgarity — even the hand-tinting of the cover photograph. I’m amazed at the glowing response the album gets from the fan base. It’s Stevie’s fairy album, they’ve been saying for years. People actually like the trashy keyboards and shlocky sounds. I would call it adult contemporary, except that it never sounded contemporary and didn’t remotely pass as adult.

The handful of good songs are destroyed by the band, the singing, and the production. I remember buying the cassette single of the first single, popping it into the car player, and my face just sunk with disappointment. It sounded like shlockmeister Laura Branigan, only Laura had the sense to put out her album five years earlier. Mirror is an album for kiddies who always loved Olivia Newton-John and Richard Marx. Oh, and Debbie Gibson — although even her albums were better produced.

In 1989, there was Full Moon Fever and Like a Prayer and Rhythm Nation and End of the Innocence and Mother’s Milk and Nick of Time and Don’t Tell a Soul and Seeds of Love and Automatic ... and this?! I think I’m in kind of a sour mood today.

[Macfan4life]

Originally Posted by David

I hate this album. I have always hated this album. The engineering is the worst of any Nicks project from 1981 to the present. Everything about the album screams trash and vulgarity — even the hand-tinting of the cover photograph. I’m amazed at the glowing response the album gets from the fan base. It’s Stevie’s fairy album, they’ve been saying for years. People actually like the trashy keyboards and shlocky sounds. I would call it adult contemporary, except that it never sounded contemporary and didn’t remotely pass as adult.

The handful of good songs are destroyed by the band, the singing, and the production. I remember buying the cassette single of the first single, popping it into the car player, and my face just sunk with disappointment. It sounded like shlockmeister Laura Branigan, only Laura had the sense to put out her album five years earlier. Mirror is an album for kiddies who always loved Olivia Newton-John and Richard Marx. Oh, and Debbie Gibson — although even her albums were better produced.

In 1989, there was Full Moon Fever and Like a Prayer and Rhythm Nation and End of the Innocence and Mother’s Milk and Nick of Time and Don’t Tell a Soul and Seeds of Love and Automatic ... and this?! I think I’m in kind of a sour mood today.

I don't disagree with much of what you say. But I had the same reaction to RAL. Maybe the excitement of waiting almost 3 years had my expectations too high. Because of how bad RAL was my expectations were grounded. I also bought the cassette and listened on my way home. I thought it was so much better than RAL. Real drums and real instruments and her voice was not fried. IMHO Rooms on Fire, Long Way To Go, Ooh My Love, and Doing The Best That I can is better than any song on RAL.
I do not think this album has much love in the fan base. IMHO RAL seems to have much more love than this one which confuses me. RAL is hardly Stevie. OSOTM is totally rambling Stevie telling deeply personal stories of staying up all night, falling in love, doing cocaine, escaping from rehab, and telling off ex boyfriends. It does not get more Stevie than that.

[anusha]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

OSOTM is totally rambling Stevie telling deeply personal stories of staying up all night, falling in love, doing cocaine, escaping from rehab, and telling off ex boyfriends. It does not get more Stevie than that.

Perfect. That should be the review.

I think Rooms on Fire is among the best songs she's ever done. The rest of the album has not aged nearly as well, though I find it to be on a par with Rock a Little with the song content. I always liked The Nightmare, Some Become Strangers, I Can't Wait in their 80s glory -- though two of those are co-writes and one has non-Stevie writers, so take from that what you will about her state at the time.

I think her solo work really peaked with the first two albums, and then we are talking about a handful of very good songs over half a dozen albums or so. And I still would have preferred to get the original demos released over what they did to them on 24K Gold. But that's for another thread

[Macfan4life]

Originally Posted by anusha

Perfect. That should be the review.

I think Rooms on Fire is among the best songs she's ever done. The rest of the album has not aged nearly as well, though I find it to be on a par with Rock a Little with the song content. I always liked The Nightmare, Some Become Strangers, I Can't Wait in their 80s glory -- though two of those are co-writes and one has non-Stevie writers, so take from that what you will about her state at the time.

I think her solo work really peaked with the first two albums, and then we are talking about a handful of very good songs over half a dozen albums or so. And I still would have preferred to get the original demos released over what they did to them on 24K Gold. But that's for another thread

It also was the start or peak of her "she said, he said, she says, he says lyrics"
Rupert let her off the chain so its very vintage Stevie of that era that was late 80s early 90s. There are several OSOTM demos on youtube like Beautiful Ghost and Dial The Number. I can see why they did not include them on the album and had to look for covers. I think she does an ok job at Cry Wolf but she had much better material. I think her singing on the album is fine but some of the demos you can hear how tranquilized she was. I always wonder WHAT IF Sometimes Its A Bitch was the lead single off the album in 1989. Bon Jovi was HUGE. I think it could have been a huge hit in the late 80s.

[Macfan4life]

I was listening to an old Street Angel interview right before release when she was still somewhat happy promoting the album. The interviewer brought up OSOTM and Stevie made some valid comments. She said the album is full of tragedy and looking back she hears and understands how solemn it is and sounds. She says that was not her intent but accepts the criticism. Its also her most direct and deeply personal album she put out. She did not write in a subtle way. It was very direct which I think those story lines are hard to put into song. Usually someone cuts them up into a more commercial song.
I think half of OSOTM is pretty good. But it was my least favorite tour. Besides being heavily tranquilized her set had this same mood that almost made you feel like you were also tranquilized. I also hated her band except Russel and maybe Carlos. There was talk about adding a second guitarist but it did not happen. Too bad because her 1991 tour was really good with 2 guitarists.

[BrownEyedGirl26]

Originally Posted by anusha

Perfect. That should be the review.

I think Rooms on Fire is among the best songs she's ever done. The rest of the album has not aged nearly as well, though I find it to be on a par with Rock a Little with the song content. I always liked The Nightmare, Some Become Strangers, I Can't Wait in their 80s glory -- though two of those are co-writes and one has non-Stevie writers, so take from that what you will about her state at the time.

I think her solo work really peaked with the first two albums, and then we are talking about a handful of very good songs over half a dozen albums or so. And I still would have preferred to get the original demos released over what they did to them on 24K Gold. But that's for another thread

I love these comments: "Perfect. That should be the review", and "Her state at the time" Rupert was an important part of her life at this time, especially as a producer! The intense drama was very present. I hope that she will always be in control of her intense feelings, personally and as an entertainer. For example:

Paraphrasing lyrics from "Escape From Berlin" ("Doing The Best That I Can!") below:

"It was one for you,
It was three for me,
It was very nice,
It was everything,
So here it is,
In little pie..ces.
In my distress,
I wanted someone to blame.. me!,
In my devast..ation,
I wanted so.. to change,
But it's alr..ight baby..,
I'm doing the best.. that I can!,
Yes, it's alright baby,
I'm doing the best that I can!,
And I'm trying hard to change,
But I'm doing it, the best that I can!,
Still she says,
It's alright ba.by,
I'm doing it, the best that I can!,
Aha...., Aha....!"

Wow! Just Wow...! Especially how the musical drama builds between all of the instruments.

I just hope that she still has more to share with us, before she retires.

[Macfan4life]

Originally Posted by BrownEyedGirl26

I love these comments: "Perfect. That should be the review", and "Her state at the time" Rupert was an important part of her life at this time, especially as a producer! The intense drama was very present. I hope that she will always be in control of her intense feelings, personally and as an entertainer. For example:

Paraphrasing lyrics from "Escape From Berlin" ("Doing The Best That I Can!") below:

"It was one for you,
It was three for me,
It was very nice,
It was everything,
So here it is,
In little pie..ces.
In my distress,
I wanted someone to blame.. me!,
In my devast..ation,
I wanted so.. to change,
But it's alr..ight baby..,
I'm doing the best.. that I can!,
Yes, it's alright baby,
I'm doing the best that I can!,
And I'm trying hard to change,
But I'm doing it, the best that I can!,
Still she says,
It's alright ba.by,
I'm doing it, the best that I can!,
Aha...., Aha....!"

Wow! Just Wow...! Especially how the musical drama builds between all of the instruments.

I just hope that she still has more to share with us, before she retires.

Stevie had a handful of producers she was testing out for OSOTM. She said it was Rupert's interpretation of Escape from Berlin (Betty Ford) that led her to hire him to produce the album. How in the world to you lay that poem to music. Its one of the rare times that almost hypnotic trance synth works. And it works very well. I wonder had she not been under the influence during this album she would not have been so blunt in so many of these songs. My favorite is Long Way To Go where she loops together drug addiction and an ex-boyfriend.

[Steviegirl]

I always loved this album, too, and I love this thread because it reminds me of the intensity of my fandom and love for Stevie prior to 2018. It also makes me chuckle and shake my head about the severe scolding some of us get when we share our disappointment, sadness, and astonishment at the behaviors we see now.

[vermicious knid]

Originally Posted by David

I hate this album. I have always hated this album. The engineering is the worst of any Nicks project from 1981 to the present. Everything about the album screams trash and vulgarity — even the hand-tinting of the cover photograph. I’m amazed at the glowing response the album gets from the fan base. It’s Stevie’s fairy album, they’ve been saying for years. People actually like the trashy keyboards and shlocky sounds. I would call it adult contemporary, except that it never sounded contemporary and didn’t remotely pass as adult.

The handful of good songs are destroyed by the band, the singing, and the production.

I can get into this album and enjoy it, but I totally get what you are saying. When I see that album insert picture of her and Rupert Hine gazing deep into each other's eyes, it makes me think she was captivated by HIM, and that blinded her to how inadequate the production was. She thought HE was magical, so that automatically made the music magical too.

When I listen to this album, part of my enjoyment is "fixing" it in my mind to make it better. Like the pedestrian keyboard sequence throughout "Two Kinds of Love" needs to be catapulted into outer space. "Whole Lotta Trouble" had a good feeling in the verses and needed a total reconstruction of the chorus. "Ooh My Love" needed to keep some cool elements that are in that bad-quality demo that has circulated for a long time.

I contrast this album with Billy Idol's 1986 album Whiplash Smile, which I have been listening to a lot lately in amazement at how thoroughly satisfying the production is. Even on the songs that aren't strong melodically, it always SOUNDS terrific. That is difference that production makes, and The Other Side of the Mirror is lacking there.