Rhiannon Album Discussion

[David]

Originally Posted by mikebise

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

I didn't know that.

[Grinnygog]

What about LADY FROM THE MOUNTAIN? I always thought that was one of them, especially since it's referenced in SORCERER.

[Taurus19]

Originally Posted by SapphireSister

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?

If there are any other demos out there with her voice at that time, let me know! Love when she overlays her own vocals, too. AWESOME!!!

[mikebise]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhiannon_(song)

I post the above link because, aside from well-known info, it also mentions "Angel" as a Rhiannon song. Well, we all know anyone can put out wiki info, but this sticks in my mind for some reason. Like I had heard this before... This raise ears on anyone else?

"Lady From The Mountains" is an excellent possibility!

David, I have "Rhiannon" live from the Summer 1974 Buckingham Nicks Tour from Alabama. That's how it's listed. Perhaps it is mislabeled and is really from the short "farewell" B/Nicks Tour of 1975?

[SapphireSister]

Originally Posted by Taurus19

If there are any other demos out there with her voice at that time, let me know! Love when she overlays her own vocals, too. AWESOME!!!

Yay it worked! I'm so glad you love it. I'll go through some cd's and see what else I can come up with. Nothing makes me happier than spreading the Stevie love to my fellow fans.

[Dark Angel]

The problem is, Stevie has changed her statement many times about what songs were for the Rhiannon project, and when they were started and ended. We know from Rolling Stone and other articles from the '78-'80 period that she was writing songs at that time for the project. 'Sorcerer' and 'Kind Of Woman' were written before she even knew of the Mabinogion books, so I honestly don't see how they would fit in...even though she said in the interview that 'Sorcerer' was one of the songs. Perhaps she decided to add it to the original songs after redoing it for TISL.
Also, at the Indianapolis 1986 concert she told the audience that she'd just written the last Rhiannon song the night before the concert.

[mikebise]

This I can (sorta) confirm!!!!

In 1997, a guy I met online told me about knowing Stevie through business/whatever/blah blah blah. Anyway, he said that in 1986, Stevie wrote a Rhiannon song called:

"Legend of The Song of The Birds of Rhiannon"

Not to be confused with "The Maker of Birds" or other songs, but a (then) brand new 1986 Rhiannon song!

[Sanne2]

Originally Posted by mikebise

"Legend of The Song of The Birds of Rhiannon"

Lol, that's a horrible title!

[PenguinHead]

Originally Posted by Sanne2

Lol, that's a horrible title!

It doesn't exactly roll of the tongue, does it? lol
Don't be naive to give this much creedence as an actual song title, it's just hearsay. There's alot of bullsh*t that passes as fact.

[vermicious knid]

Originally Posted by mikebise

David, I have "Rhiannon" live from the Summer 1974 Buckingham Nicks Tour from Alabama. That's how it's listed. Perhaps it is mislabeled and is really from the short "farewell" B/Nicks Tour of 1975?

The two-date Alabama thing occured in January 1975. I think Stevie said something about asking Mick & co. if it was okay if they went and did them. And they announced to the crowd they were joining FM.

[vivfox]

These are the songs I have listed as the Rhiannon Songs:

1. Rhiannon
2. Forest Of The Black Roses
3. Sorceror
4. The Tower ( aka Goodbye Baby)
5. The 3 Birds of Rhiannon (aka Maker of the Birds)
6. Angel
7. Lady From The Mountain
8. Stay Away
9. Planets Of The Universe
10. The Legend Of The Song Of The Birds Of Rhiannon

I have made this list over the years from interviews with Stevie where she said these titles as being part of the Rhiannon songs.

[David]

Originally Posted by mikebise

David, I have "Rhiannon" live from the Summer 1974 Buckingham Nicks Tour from Alabama. That's how it's listed. Perhaps it is mislabeled and is really from the short "farewell" B/Nicks Tour of 1975?

I thought those concert tracks were from Jan or Feb 1975, as you mention. Didn't Gary Hodges post those tracks on Nancy's message board? He's still around. Maybe he can provide us more information about them.

Stevie keeps changing the date or year of composition of "Rhiannon" & "Landslide," & it's maddening. But there's still something that's more solidly believable about that story she told in the Source radio show from 1980/81 of being stranded in Aspen in fall/winter of 1974 & writing those songs while Lindsey was out supporting a solo Don Everly tour. Of course, I didn't know until much later when Michelej1 here said that that tour was only a week long because it was such a failure.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhiannon_(song)

I post the above link because, aside from well-known info, it also mentions "Angel" as a Rhiannon song. Well, we all know anyone can put out wiki info, but this sticks in my mind for some reason. Like I had heard this before... This raise ears on anyone else?

I've only heard other fans link "Angel" with the Rhiannon project or song cycle. I've never heard Stevie do so. I think some fans go back to that Jim Ladd Innerview of 1979 in which Stevie says that there's a stanza in "Angel" that's from the story of Rhiannon. From that interview, these fans seem to have extrapolated the view that "Angel" is from the Rhiannon song cycle. It might be, but the 1979 Innerview seems a weak basis for that conclusion because Stevie's explanations are taken out of context.

[David]

Originally Posted by vivfox

These are the songs I have listed as the Rhiannon Songs:

1. Rhiannon
2. Forest Of The Black Roses
3. Sorceror
4. The Tower ( aka Goodbye Baby)
5. The 3 Birds of Rhiannon (aka Maker of the Birds)
6. Angel
7. Lady From The Mountain
8. Stay Away
9. Planets Of The Universe
10. The Legend Of The Song Of The Birds Of Rhiannon

I have made this list over the years from interviews with Stevie where she said these titles as being part of the Rhiannon songs.

In which interview did Stevie say that "Angel" was part of the Rhiannon cycle? I must have missed it.

[SapphireSister]

Originally Posted by mikebise

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")

I don't know if this helps but I have a CD labeled Rhiannon Master Sessions 3-29-78. Here is the description:
Three beautiful takes of Rhiannon from the March 29, 1978 master reel to reel. These demos are piano & vocal only. The first track is labeled as a "complete" mix, the second as an "edit," and the third is labeled "master, better at end," but is more like an instrumental mix, since Stevie's vocals are barely audible. Each version is slightly over 13 minutes long, and the vocal on the first two tracks is crystal clear and beautiful.

Could these be from master reel we are talking about?

[mikebise]

Yes, that is one of the "Rhiannon" Master Reels. Another of the Reels has "Rhiannon", "Forsaken Love" and "Blue Water". Another has 4 versions, all different, of "Forsaken Love".

I was just about to start work on editing those 13-minute versions. Actually, the first of those 13-minute tracks contains two different piano versions each of "Rhiannon". Then, the next 13-minute track is the same 2 versions, but with overdubbed keyboards, in addition to just Stevie's piano. I'm sure David knows what kinds of keyboards are also being played. Stevie talks about adding more keyboards, "Christine can do it. Or someone can do it!"

The third "dim" one where Stevie can barely be heard must be for the studio in mixing the overdubbed keyboards. You can almost "hear" the keyboard player trying to follow Stevie and the song, flourishing the notes here and there.