Gate and Garden - No backing vocals

[bombaysaffires]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

She did that on Street Angel. I heard an interview that when they were remixing the album the girls were not available so she added many of the background vocals. They are on other tracks but for the first time on a solo album she was using herself for background vocals on some tracks.
Gate and Garden is drowning in unnecessary background vocals which is a shame because Stevie's vocal is really good. All those extra layers and powerful background stuff is noise IMHO.
Bella Donna was raw and making great songs. Jimmy did not even think there would be a single from the album. That is so crazy. I think Jimmy tried to steer Wild Heart more adult contemporary and pop radio friendly which is why its not as good as its predecessor. Then RAL was trouble because no one could draft her writing into pop songs so the whole project was geared at making a pop star which again failed because the album was not as successful as the other 2. But then again it was the mid 80s and most music was crap.
I would not change a thing on Bella Donna. The Wild Heart I would change and tweak so many things. Its good but could have been sensational.

Jimmy had far less control on WH than he did on BD. Stevie had tasted solo fame and the power that goes with it and they fought a lot more over the direction of the music. She started going down that synth-dance music path over the rock and roll path. It got worse on RAL and at that point he left. Stevie herself said that Tom at some point made a comment about why was she doing this dance stuff instead of rock and roll. All roads lead to Stevie, and the influences she allowed herself to fall under and the people she let influence her choices during her heavy drug years. (Kenny G, anyone????)