*The Street Angel fiasco*

ClintonScott · #1 12-19-2006, 05:51 PM

so I've recently been reading a lot about Stevie's disenchantment with the Street Angel cd. (it was actually the first Stevie cd i bought myself, and i like it). i have heard some of the original takes and they dont sound a whole lot different than the finished product.

my question is: how did Stevie get away with omitting Glyn Johns' name as producer? couldnt he sue her for this? i mean why doesnt the cd say produced my Thom P., Stevie Nicks and Glyn Johns...

i'm not in the music business but it seems like Johns did a lot of work on the album to get no credit...

anyone know how this stuff works...

i think Stevie could write a whole book about her Street Angel days... i'd read it!

amber · #2 12-20-2006, 01:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClintonScott

so I've recently been reading a lot about Stevie's disenchantment with the Street Angel cd. (it was actually the first Stevie cd i bought myself, and i like it). i have heard some of the original takes and they dont sound a whole lot different than the finished product.

my question is: how did Stevie get away with omitting Glyn Johns' name as producer? couldnt he sue her for this? i mean why doesnt the cd say produced my Thom P., Stevie Nicks and Glyn Johns...

i'm not in the music business but it seems like Johns did a lot of work on the album to get no credit...

anyone know how this stuff works...

i think Stevie could write a whole book about her Street Angel days... i'd read it!

I'm not totally sure about how this stuff works, but I think he would have had to do "more work" that ended up on the album to get credits. Seemingly, judging from my vague recollections of my intellectual property classes. There are small yet important distinctions about how much an original song resembles the song being accused of illegally sampling or imitating the original song.

Stevie's demos are often actually pretty concrete, melody wise, when she presents them. That is key. To make a joke, you don't "rewrite" a Stevie melody (perhaps sometimes unfortunately). So she would easily be able to prove that most of the "product" was from her brain. Legally.

She even has control of the band sound that goes around the songs, though she didn't literally make it up. So in the world of "music credit" his contributions may have been...well, "minor" enough to not get a producing credit. I'm not sure he did as much work as you think he did. I mean, I really don't know exactly.

I also think that so many things about Stevie's music get accomplished with her hand squarely in them, that it would be hard to argue successfully "your" (say for instance Glyn's) contributions to them.

Really. I can't remember a Stevie song that I've heard the demo to that changed very dramatically for the recording. It seems dramatic because so much cool band is around it, but usually the melody stays very consistent, the way she made it in the first place. In intellectual property law regarding this situation, it would be hard to argue that you changed the original product so much that you had rights to its creation.

But if he did contribute more than we think, would he even want his name on that album?
hehehe.
Actually, it is nice to meet you, as Street Angel was the first Stevie album I got, too (after Timespace), and I like it pretty well. Quite well. Except for the really sucky songs.

It's only you, me, and Curtie on the Street Angel Defense League!

Luckily, the SADL has great outfits, which helps us convince people of any goodness that Street Angel contains...

I have the feeling someone else knows more inside info about the whole "Glyn" thing, and will add dimension to what I just said - timewise and contribution wise. J-stew?

Anyway, blah blah, welcome!

Even though you have posted before, albeit scantily.

ClintonScott · #3 12-20-2006, 03:00 PM

hey thanks for you input! i find the SA ordeal interesting and wish Stevie would tell us more...

btw nice to meet you too.

StreetAngel86 · #4 12-23-2006, 02:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amber

It's only you, me, and Curtie on the Street Angel Defense League!

Luckily, the SADL has great outfits, which helps us convince people of any goodness that Street Angel contains....

EXCUSE ME??????????
are you forgetting a member of "your" posse?

::: runs away in need of a blue denim remix fix :::

i should have been Stevieness' producer on this record
i would have made it all purdy and shiny
and it would have sold millions

she really should have kept some of the original recordings and added all the songs that didn't make it. THEN it would be perfect

BlackWidow · #5 12-23-2006, 02:14 AM

Street Angel...needs to go away forever...

Musicman408 · #6 12-23-2006, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackWidow

Street Angel...needs to go away forever...

Hey, Street Angel Rocks, and I am sure there are plenty of people who could back me up on that.

PenguinHead · #7 12-23-2006, 04:34 PM

I was eagerly anticipating Street Angel before it came out because it had been a long time since her last solo album. I was somewhat dissappointed when I finally heard it. I couldn't (and still don't) understand why she recorded so many non-self-penned songs -- and drab, generic ones at that (Docklands, God's Garden, Inspiration, Unconditional Love).

Over time I've really come to appreciate the album for what it is (although it will always rank low when compared to her other albums). It's her only album that sounds "live"; meaning that much of the production sounds straight forward, without a lot studio fuss.

And I like that, for the tour, Stevie travelled in a bus, which added some authenticity to the "Street Angel" theme. I regret that I didn't see her perform on this tour. The stage sets looked great, and Stevie seemed to regain her vocal strength and control.

If I were managing her at the time, I would have encouraged her to play some surprise gigs throughout the tour, appearing in smaller venues/clubs so she could really get down to the "Street." In my head, she opens the show by walking on stage to sound of the organ in the beginning of "Love Is Like A River" and then launches into it. And she also performes "Listen To The Rain" and "Kick It."

For me, the most egregious element of Street Angel are the graphics, courtesy of Master Hack Chris Nicks. (If there is a lesson to be learned, it's never employ your relatives!!)

While the cover image is nice, the type treatment, font selection, and general layout are amatuer-looking at best. I guess they saved a lot of money by not hiring a real, talented graphic designer. However, any number of fans here could have done a much better job of it. It just looks slapped together.

And the inside cover booklet? How the hell did this pass quality control??? Evidently, there wasn't any! It's embarassingly hackneyed and horrible.
Inexplicable!

Sahara · #8 12-24-2006, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StreetAngel86

EXCUSE ME??????????
are you forgetting a member of "your" posse?

Over here too!!

rbs3676 · #9 12-24-2006, 11:03 AM

The demo's to "Listen To The Rain" are infinitely better than what was put on the release. There are a couple of high points on the CD but overall a very sad showcase.
The tour, however, was much better than TOSOTM tour (where she was basically a zombie). On the Street Angel tour, her voice was strong and she was truly putting a lot of effort into the shows.

rbs

gldstwmn · #10 12-24-2006, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClintonScott

i find the SA ordeal interesting and wish Stevie would tell us more...

I don't think she can. I think a lot of that period is just a big haze for her. We'd have to get the story from other people who were there. Paul Fishkin touched on it a bit in her Behind The Music.

skcin · #11 12-26-2006, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PenguinHead

I was eagerly anticipating Street Angel before it came out because it had been a long time since her last solo album. I was somewhat dissappointed when I finally heard it. I couldn't (and still don't) understand why she recorded so many non-self-penned songs -- and drab, generic ones at that (Docklands, God's Garden, Inspiration, Unconditional Love).

Over time I've really come to appreciate the album for what it is (although it will always rank low when compared to her other albums). It's her only album that sounds "live"; meaning that much of the production sounds straight forward, without a lot studio fuss.

And I like that, for the tour, Stevie travelled in a bus, which added some authenticity to the "Street Angel" theme. I regret that I didn't see her perform on this tour. The stage sets looked great, and Stevie seemed to regain her vocal strength and control.

If I were managing her at the time, I would have encouraged her to play some surprise gigs throughout the tour, appearing in smaller venues/clubs so she could really get down to the "Street." In my head, she opens the show by walking on stage to sound of the organ in the beginning of "Love Is Like A River" and then launches into it. And she also performes "Listen To The Rain" and "Kick It."

For me, the most egregious element of Street Angel are the graphics, courtesy of Master Hack Chris Nicks. (If there is a lesson to be learned, it's never employ your relatives!!)

While the cover image is nice, the type treatment, font selection, and general layout are amatuer-looking at best. I guess they saved a lot of money by not hiring a real, talented graphic designer. However, any number of fans here could have done a much better job of it. It just looks slapped together.

And the inside cover booklet? How the hell did this pass quality control??? Evidently, there wasn't any! It's embarassingly hackneyed and horrible.
Inexplicable!

This is a great post, spot on.