A decline in Stevie’s tour books – agree or disagree?

[greendaze5]

Is it just me? I really think Stevie's more recent tour books are just crap! I like the ones for WH, RAL, OSOTM, Time Space, and SA, but the books really went downhill beginning with TISL. The postcard view of the Hawaiian beach with ‘I can see past you to the white sands’ inscribed on it is just ridiculous!

The newer tour books don’t have any good pictures of Stevie, and her band members should not be getting whole pages to themselves. The 2005 one with the ad for the 'Beauty and the Beast' DVD is laughable with the messed up fonts. Don't people check these things?! Also, the ‘Crystal Visions’ book uses the SAME picture of Stevie twice.

I blame Christopher Nicks (the artistic genius behind the boring SA and Enchanted CD covers) - who has been designing Stevie's tour books of late. There’s something to be said about not hiring relatives.

[Sanne2]

Originally Posted by greendaze5

I blame Christopher Nicks (the artistic genius behind the boring SA and Enchanted CD covers) - who has been designing Stevie's tour books of late. There’s something to be said about not hiring relatives.

THIS.
(tencharacters)

[PenguinHead]

Originally Posted by greendaze5

Is it just me? I really think Stevie's more recent tour books are just crap! I like the ones for WH, RAL, OSOTM, Time Space, and SA, but the books really went downhill beginning with TISL. The postcard view of the Hawaiian beach with ‘I can see past you to the white sands’ inscribed on it is just ridiculous!

The newer tour books ones don’t have any good pictures of Stevie, and her band members should not be getting whole pages to themselves. The 2005 one with the ad for the 'Beauty and the Beast' DVD is laughable with the messed up fonts. Don't people check these things?! Also, the ‘Crystal Visions’ book uses the SAME picture of Stevie twice.

I blame Christopher Nicks (the artistic genius behind the boring SA and Enchanted CD covers) - who has been designing Stevie's tour books of late. There’s something to be said about not hiring relatives.

Chris is certainly one of the culprets. You think Stevie or her handlers would have stepped in to say that these products (tour books, tv shirts etc..) that are being sold (at a high price) to your fans are crap!! There was no quality control because I think, frankly, Stevie doesn't really care about the collateral; she's very disconnected to it, which is very strange.

Being a creative director and a former graphic designer, I cringe and am so dissappointed at the severe lack of quality and inspired graphic design that has represented Stevie and Fleetwood Mac in the last ten years. Many, many less statured bands (and well-established) artists are given much greater presentation.

The significant thing is, these bands (or certain members of) are active participants and invested in the artisic design of their products. I think Fleetwood Mac members don't have the artistic inspiration/talent or inclination to get involved, so they are completely indifferent to what is presented to them, even if it's a hack job. Thus, the crap!

[jrpjr]

AGREE!! her Wild Heart one is the best...TISL???? after i bought it for like 15 bux...i think...i could not believe wat i just paid for...i actually gave it someone in the crowd....but Chris Nicks???? this guy is a theif!! ever go to his website?? selling OLD WH t shirts and other "left over" stuff at rediculous prices...wat an idiot....i e-mailed him once about a tourbook that wasnt listed and the e-mail he sent back to me was so ****ing flip..i thought "wat an ***hole!! i help put food on this guys table since 1983 and he talk to me like this....DONE w/him...and i am suppose to feel guilty about a few bootleg stevie demos?? NOT AT ALL!!

[vermicious knid]

I still remember some keychain or something related to the Gold Dust Tour, and it was supposed to be a pot of gold, but someone said "What is that?! A block of Velveeta rolling down the stairs?" That was exactly what it looked like.

[skuncles]

There is no question that Stevie's recent tour books suck. The formula for Wild Heart and Rock A Little was basically identical, but it worked. The last couple though are just garbage, they look like he spent an afternoon at his come computer slapping something together. They do not look professionally made at all.
This is one of the things that sucks about being a Stevie fan, there is SO much that could be done with marketing her (re-issued CD's, DVD's, tour merchandise etc) that other bands do. It's too bad that Stevie and the fans are getting shafted.

[Phoenixgypsy]

Agree! A lot of the fan made art you can find online looks better

[vivfox]

Originally Posted by skuncles

There is no question that Stevie's recent tour books suck. The formula for Wild Heart and Rock A Little was basically identical, but it worked. The last couple though are just garbage, they look like he spent an afternoon at his come computer slapping something together. They do not look professionally made at all.
This is one of the things that sucks about being a Stevie fan, there is SO much that could be done with marketing her (re-issued CD's, DVD's, tour merchandise etc) that other bands do. It's too bad that Stevie and the fans are getting shafted.

This post could have been wriiten by the ledgie known as Starshine. She's always saying things like this, in practicly every thread she posts.

[nailatixela]

Originally Posted by vivfox

This post could have been wriiten by the ledgie known as Starshine. She's always saying things like this, in practicly every thread she posts.

Only... if....it looked....like this....a shame....really....IMO

[vivfox]

Originally Posted by nailatixela

Only... if....it looked....like this....a shame....really....IMO

LOL

[David]

The first five tour programs were pretty good. But starting with the 1998 tour program, they sucked. Take the 1998 program: It has about ten totally wasted pages devoted to nothing but a calendar!!!!! who's the rocket scientist that came up with that brilliant idea?

[petep9000]

I think some of the candid photos in the tourbooks aren't very flattering to Stevie. For an artist who's fame is so tied up with her image, having photos included where she looks puffy, shiny or with dark circles under the eyes is odd.
Then again, the RAL tourbook had photos from the ICW video shoot and even though they were professionally shot, Stevie looks tired and puffy.
She should have tried ice on the face. The empress Catherine II of Russia used to pack her face with chunks of ice in the morning to reduce the puffiness. So did Joan Crawford.

[Bubba Fleetwood]

Originally Posted by David

The first five tour programs were pretty good. But starting with the 1998 tour program, they sucked. Take the 1998 program: It has about ten totally wasted pages devoted to nothing but a calendar!!!!! who's the rocket scientist that came up with that brilliant idea?

That rocket scientist would be named Christopher Nicks. However, Stevie deserves some blame too for the sad state of her tourbooks. Does she approve them? Does she even look them over? I don't think Stevie even cares about that stuff to be honest with you. That is a shame because if she wants her fans to shell out alot of money, then she should make sure it's the best possible she has to offer. Oh, and there is no doubt in my mind that any number of fans could put together one hell of a better tourbook ( easily) than what has been offered at her concerts for the last twenty years. There is something wrong with that picture, ya know?

[Ghost_Tracker]

Originally Posted by PenguinHead

Chris is certainly one of the culprets. You think Stevie or her handlers would have stepped in to say that these products (tour books, tv shirts etc..) that are being sold (at a high price) to your fans are crap!! There was no quality control because I think, frankly, Stevie doesn't really care about the collateral; she's very disconnected to it, which is very strange.

Being a creative director and a former graphic designer, I cringe and am so dissappointed at the severe lack of quality and inspired graphic design that has represented Stevie and Fleetwood Mac in the last ten years. Many, many less statured bands (and well-established) artists are given much greater presentation.

The significant thing is, these bands (or certain members of) are active participants and invested in the artisic design of their products. I think Fleetwood Mac members don't have the artistic inspiration/talent or inclination to get involved, so they are completely indifferent to what is presented to them, even if it's a hack job. Thus, the crap!

I remember how Stevie seemed to want SO badly the gig at Caesar's Palace when they were looking to replace Celine Dion - and how she had mentioned in many interviews about how AWESOME the light show and stage presentation and so on were going to be - It was going to be "trippy!" - and how incredibly disappointed everyone felt in that aspect of her show. I also remember that she didn't get the gig.
I honestly feel that Stevie doesn't really have a clear understanding of what's possible (and expected...) these days when it comes to those types of things. It's almost as if she's sayinig to herself, "WOW - this is 2010, it's AMAZING what's possible!!!" and yet what she has in mind is around 1985-level, technology-wise. That's my impression, anyway.

[WildHeart69]

Originally Posted by vermicious knid

I still remember some keychain or something related to the Gold Dust Tour, and it was supposed to be a pot of gold, but someone said "What is that?! A block of Velveeta rolling down the stairs?" That was exactly what it looked like.

Oh dear, yes! My friend who I worked with at the time asked me to get him a keychain when I went to the show and I felt like such an ass bringing that back!!! I remember apologizing as I gave it to him!!

I think the merch as a whole has gone completely downhill....I haven't bought a shirt since TISL and that tourbook WAS p*ss poor... I got the whole band to sign it though, so I will always treasure it. The photos were dark and/or washed out at the same time and the whole thing was a horrible mess