Rhiannon Album Discussion

mikebise · #1 03-14-2010, 07:51 AM

Since we started talking about the Rhiannon album project and its offshoots on the demo timeline thread, it looks like time to start a new one dedicated to Stevie's project based on the Welsh goddess.

This includes all the various mentions Stevie has made over the decades about the project: the album, the movie, the ballet, the Lord of The Rings type project she alluded to in 2007, etc.

I'll get the ball rolling by starting with the known songs for the project. Demoed in Early 1978 were the following songs intended for the album:

"Rhiannon"
"Forsaken Love"
"Forest of The Black Roses"
"The Maker of Birds" (Stevie's copyrighted title, not "Three Birds of Rhiannon")

"Stay Away" ~ Circulated by Maureen Loftus in 1998, "Stay Away" mentions the Birds of Rhiannon and seems to be a song for this project. It sounds like it's from 1978 as well.

Other songs? In May 1989, at the "Alice in Wonderland" release party for The Other Side of The Mirror, Stevie revealed that twenty songs had been written for the Rhiannon album, and that eleven of the songs had been fully recorded, mixed and mastered! At the time, she said she hoped to do something special with those songs, perhaps releasing them and doing a tour.

Stevie didn't say when those 11 songs were recorded, just that they were fully-produced songs.

vermicious knid · #2 03-14-2010, 09:06 AM

We have it from Stevie herself that "Sorcerer" and "Planets of the Universe" are included. link

There is also this master reel called "Music Film Score" that includes "Blue Water". link

This is something that has been a matter of curiosity for so long. I just sent an email to Danny Goldberg asking him to solve the mystery for us. Wouldn't it be great if we finally got the answer?

vermicious knid · #3 03-14-2010, 09:15 AM

Never mind! Delivery failure notice

mikebise · #4 03-14-2010, 09:21 AM

The opening guitar line in “Planets” is a nod to Lindsey’s guitar part from “Rhiannon.” Did you write it that way back in ’76?

“Well, it’s the same chords basically as ‘Rhiannon’; it’s not exactly the same, but there are parts of it that are the same. ‘Planets Of The Universe’ was one of the ‘Rhiannon’ songs—I have 11 songs over all of these years that if I ever wanted to [I could] do a movie or something built around the story of ‘Rhiannon.’ Those songs are all continuations of each other—‘Planets,’ ‘Rhiannon’ and ‘Sorcerer.’ I have recorded all 11 of them, just sat and played them all in a row to see what my line was through the whole thing, and for a long time I didn’t want to separate them.”

Are we familiar with any of those other tracks or are they songs that haven’t been released yet?

“There’s two or three on all the solo albums all the way back, but there’s probably seven left.”

WOW!!!! How did I miss this interview??!!!!! Thanks for sharing!!!!!!!!!! This is amazing!!!

"Blue Water" is on the Master Reel, but I never considered it, as Stevie said it was written about her Hawaiian vacation during the Rumours tour. Of course, it very well could be part of Rhiannon!

mikebise · #5 03-14-2010, 09:27 AM

Rhiannon
The Maker of Birds
Sorcerer
Stay Away
Forest of The Black Roses
Forsaken Love
Planets of The Universe
Blue Water

I'm not sure which 2 or 3 songs on "all the solo albums" Stevie could be referring to...

Christopher · #6 03-14-2010, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikebise

I'm not sure which 2 or 3 songs on "all the solo albums" Stevie could be referring to...

"Kind of Woman" immediately springs to mind. That song seems to fit the same theme, and she wrote it around the the era of Rhiannon/Sorcerer . The only other song from her solo release's that seems possible is perhaps "Destiny".

I always thought that "Goodbye Baby" aka "The Tower" on certain bootlegs, was part of the Rhiannon songs. In the final SYW version, Stevie changes the lyrics a bit to make it feel more universal.

mikebise · #7 03-14-2010, 10:40 AM

"Kind of Woman", yes! Brain freeze!

"Goodbye Baby" is on all those demo reels from the same era, so that's a good choice.

"Destiny" was written in 1973, same Colorado trip as "Rhiannon", so I dunno. Possibly. (Although how she described writing it on the Street Angel tour make it seem much more personal, but it's a good contender).

Of course, Stevie could always have taken an older song (older than 1978) and have re-envisioned it as a Rhiannon song. Case in point: "Sorcerer" was written in 1974, well before Stevie read the Evangeline Walton books. It does fit the theme somewhat, being about Merlin and the sorceress Viviaine/Nimue/Morgaine/pick your own Arthurian seductress.

mikebise · #8 03-14-2010, 10:47 AM

OH!!!!!!! I just found a 1978 Master Reel with "Goodbye Baby" and "Kind of Woman" back-to-back on the same track! Both piano demos, a different vocal by Stevie than the widely circulated "Goodbye Baby" demo. "Kind of Woman" is the piano demo with the 14 Stevies overdubbing herself.

So, if these are on the same Master Reel, possibly they were for the Rhiannon album!

Rhiannon
The Maker of Birds
Sorcerer
Kind of Woman
Forsaken Love
Goodbye Baby
Planets of The Universe
Stay Away
Forest of The Black Roses

Blue Water
Destiny

I wish there was a piano demo of "Sorcerer"!!!!

ButterCookie · #9 03-14-2010, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikebise

OH!!!!!!! I just found a 1978 Master Reel with "Goodbye Baby" and "Kind of Woman" back-to-back on the same track! Both piano demos, a different vocal by Stevie than the widely circulated "Goodbye Baby" demo. "Kind of Woman" is the piano demo with the 14 Stevies overdubbing herself.

Would you be able to post this?

mikebise · #10 03-14-2010, 11:02 AM

I would love to, hopefully very soon when I move and get high speed internet. Right now, it's an impossibility. I'm very sorry.

David · #11 03-14-2010, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikebise

"Destiny" was written in 1973, same Colorado trip as "Rhiannon"

I thought that time in Aspen was in 1974, when Don Everly toured on his solo album. I know Nicks has flip-flopped on her years of composition for "Rhiannon" & "Landslide," probably inadvertently, but if she was stuck in Aspen while Lindsey was touring with Everly, it would have been 1974. Quick -- find out when Greyhound workers went on a national strike!

michelej1 · #12 03-14-2010, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David

Quick -- find out when Greyhound workers went on a national strike!

Let's say November 18-25, based on this excerpt from a NY Times article. I didn't pay for the whole thing.

______________________________

By The Associated Press

November 25, 1974, Monday

Page 1, 355 words

Greyhound Bus Lines and Amalgamated Transit Union reached an agreement today, ending a week-long strike by bus drivers and other workers. Buses began rolling again shortly after the accord was announced. The agreement is subject to ratification by union members

StreetAngel95 · #13 03-14-2010, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michelej1

Let's say November 18-25, based on this excerpt from a NY Times article. I didn't pay for the whole thing.

hehe, love that

mikebise · #14 03-14-2010, 02:19 PM

I know, but she performed "Rhiannon" in Spring & Summer 1974, well before November.

Stevie writing "Rhiannon" one month before joining FM does not match up with her live performances of it. I know, all these writing dates/Aspen trip dates come from Stevie herself, but live tapes from earlier in 1974 contradict this.

And "Destiny"'s original copyright is 1973. But.... Stevie said in 1994 that she wrote it on the same Colorado trip as "Landslide" & "Rhiannon".

Or was it a different, earlier trip?

SapphireSister · #15 03-14-2010, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ButterCookie

Would you be able to post this?

Not sure if this is it but it here's Kind of Woman:
http://rapidshare.com/files/36334621..._Demo.m4a.html
Does the link work? Were you able to download?