Enchanted ~ What Might Have Been...

[SapphireSister]

Originally Posted by starshine

.....I do wonder what songs you /meaning everyone here....what songs would you have included on it.....???? Just wondering.....thanks......

I can tell you off the bat what I would not have included (in no particular order):
Oooh My Love
The Highway Man
Kind of Woman
Somebody Stand By Me
Twisted
Gold
Whenever I Call You Friend
2 Kinds of Love
Destiny
Free Fallin
I Sing for the Things
Reconsider Me

*prepares for tomatoes to be thrown at her*

I know this might sound harsh but keep in mind...these are not songs that I don't necessarily dislike (some), just not on my long list of favorites. Songs I would have included without a doubt:
All the Beautiful Worlds (I know, I'm a dreamer)
How Still My Love (instead of The Highwayman)
Sable on Blond (although that would have made it a little WH heavy)
Alice (instead of Ooh My Love or 2 kinds of Love)
Jane - just kidding!
More demos from the vaults on disc 3! I have a feeling some of what was on disc 3 were songs they were pushing at the time instead of spaces that could have been filled with old demos. Bastards! lol

[Grinnygog]

Originally Posted by Christopher

Overall I'm pretty content with what what ended up on "Enchanted"

I am happy they ended up using "Long Distance Winner" over CITN. Although CITN is cathy, I find it repetitive and cloying as well. LDW has always been a favorite of mine from BN. The only better selection would have been "Frozen Love", which was probably not considered cause of time constraints, and or maybe Lindsey wouldn't approve letting go of that one.

Other than that I wish they had included the Album Tracks:
"Long Way To Go" (one of Stevie's best rockers & totally underrated) in place of "Desert Angel"
"Doing The Best That I Can" in place of "I Sing For The Things"
"Nothing Ever Changes" in place of "Two Kinds of Love"

Beside the fact that NEC & LWTG were FM radio staples and promotional songs released to FM radio only in the U.S.. And I believe NEC even charted on the Top Ten Rock Radio charts the summer of 83 along with "Enchanted". These songs also bring a more rock vibe to the overall flow of the box set.

On the 3rd CD:
Mirror Mirror (duh!)
Real Tears (respectable b-side)
I Pretend (love Stevie's vocal on this plus it's a great song)

And if they were going to include a "Rhiannon" demo....they should have included one of the old looser and far superior 70's demos. Preferably the "Birds Rising" one with the siren vocal and dramatic frenzied piano playing. From a marketing standpoint, the addition of any version of "Rhiannon" was a BIG PLUS....Just not a fan of Stevie's recreated demo, It boring and too calculated, I never listen to it. What a waste of space.......

It would have also been nice to have alt. takes on some of the previously released tracks.

I too, was ecstatic that "Long Distance Winner" was chosen for the box and not "Crying In The Night". "Doing The Best That I Can" WAS in the original track listing in that ICE article that Mike quoted from. It was dropped for some reason!

I've never been disappointed in ENCHANTED - I think it's a great set. It should have had DTBTIC, and the "Rhiannon" piano demo SHOULD have been the "birds rising" one.....AND "Mirror Mirror" and "Real Tears" SHOULD have been included - they are both listed as bsides under their asides info in the liner notes! But I think it was a great package nonetheless.

I've always assumed more demos and outtakes weren't included so they could be released in their OWN boxset. You all know Stevie needs to release a boxset of unreleased material!! With these long years of no new albums, she really should release her RHIANNON album or at least a box of demos including "Running Through The Garden", "Prettiest Girl in the World", and "All The Beautiful Worlds"!

[Grinnygog]

Originally Posted by mikebise

>Sigh<

In early 1998, Stevie turned over the above outtakes & demos listed in my post to Atlantic Records. An employee at the Manhattan office of Atlantic back then was a big Stevie fan, as well as the fiance of a good friend of mine. My friend is on my FaceBook friends list ~ who could she be?! (You'll never guess).

Her fiance made copies, gave them to her and she gave them to me and many of her friends back in 1998.

There: long story very short.

I know the fiance/now husband. He exists, a real person. So is my friend. Yes, her fiance copied these recordings illegally. Yes, "All Over U" was among these songs that Stevie herself (!!!!!!!) handed over to Atlantic. Stevie herself. Done deal.

And my copies of "Gypsy Beggar", "All Over U", "The Nightmare" and the rest are sparkling, crystal clear, perfect... just as they were when the Atlantic employee copied them and gave them to his soon-to-be-wife who gave them to me.

I've never understood "All Over U". I sort of hear Stevie, but it sounds like Sheryl Crow is singing with her. Stevie herself has said that Prince came into her life - at the recording studio while recording "Stand Back" then walked out of her life never to be spoken to again. Now we know Stevie changes her stories from time to time, but she's mentioned Prince several times and it's always the same. I actually don't think it sounds much like Prince vocally, just his style. So maybe that's the answer. Maybe it isn't Prince! LOL

Have there been any interviews with Stevie OR Prince that have mentioned the history behind this song? Has anyone done a copyright check on when it was written or recorded?

Mike, have you uploaded your first generation copy yet? The one I downloaded from DarkAngel doesn't sound very great. I've always loved this "Edge of 17" with the dove coos......and the "How Still My Love" (Still of the Night version) is my FAVORITE!!! So glad Stevie likes it herself - I sure wish they'd put it on ENCHANTED. I've always wondered - is that version on a Master Reel?

[mikebise]

Interesting about that. There are four outtakes of "How Still My Love" that are performed in the same style on the Masters (among the 25+ full versions of the song, not to mention the many, many demos of it). All are completely different recordings and Stevie sings them all very differently. However, neither of the two takes that Stevie turned in to Atlantic in consideration for Enchanted are on the Masters. Four similar takes, but not these two.

I got "She Still Loves Him" to upload this morning, and then when I tried to upload "Fire Burning" for someone, Mediafire crapped out on me. Actually, it's my crappy connection. I'll try another day again.

Stevie ~ She said Prince was "in & out of her life and that was it". Well, she saw him and spoke with him at the Purple Rain premiere a year and a half after "Stand Back" was recorded. Who knows?

In 1999, I did give "All Over U" to several huge Prince fans I'd met online and they all believed it to be their beloved Prince, the artist they worship and know the sound of his voice. Who knows?

[markolas]

The only issue I ever had with Enchanted was that I thought the "duet" songs (Gold, Whenever I Call You Friend, was there another?) shouldn't have been on there. They're not really Stevie songs, and I don't care that much for them, besides. More demos would've been nice - lord knows she's got a treasure trove, and even if she did an album a year for the next 7 years with nothing but old demos, she'd barely scratch the surface of what she's got.

I didn't really get a couple of the soundtrack choices - "Somebody Stand By Me" doesn't do much for me - "If You Ever Did Believe" was much better, but I'm not sure if it came out before or after Enchanted.

The songs chosen from her studio albums were spot on, IMO, and the Enchanted remix versions of the SA tracks are far better than what was on the album.

[vermicious knid]

"Midnight Wind" is more of a showcase for Stevie than "Gold". That might have been an interesting substitution.

[drzubritsky]

Originally Posted by vermicious knid

"Midnight Wind" is more of a showcase for Stevie than "Gold". That might have been an interesting substitution.

Neither song was truly a duet and she really was just a prominent background vocalist, so I don't either really had a place in the box set. I like both those songs, but I would have much rather had a demo or previously released rarity (such as "The Nightmare" 12" version or "Mirror Mirror") in place of "Gold".