"Well, I wonder what Greta would say..." A Street Angel Appreciation Thread

[Macfanforever]

What did all of you thought about the tour?

[Maxd9]

Originally Posted by mikebise

I was just listening to (my expanded version of) Street Angel, and, just like the first time I heard it, I got chills the final time Stevie sings the line:

"I wonder what Greta would say..."

Wow!!!! That background Stevie just comes out of nowhere and takes over ~ I LOVE it when Stevie does that!

"Greta" remains my favourite song from Street Angel, from 1994 to now. I got a huge amount of outtakes a few weeks before Street Angel was released in May 1994, and, even with all of the fabled classics, "Greta" had me the most excited.

One reason I love this song is Stevie's voice and ONLY Stevie's voice on this song (and "Blue Denim"). No damn pack of superfluous backing vocalists! (Sorry, Sara ~ don't UnFriend me!). I just think Stevie can harmonize herself the best. And "Greta" showcases this so amazingly.

Ooh! And if you listen to the end and crank it up, there's Stevie wailing away as the music fades, overdubbing herself...

She also does it wonderfully at the end of "Docklands". Just LOVE the ending, as the keyboards and guitars are swirling wildly, one of the Stevies is begging, "Give me your HAND!" as another Stevie implores, "Hold on..." The backing girls are okay on this song, but Stevie is the star, as she should be.

"Hold on..." just in the background... "I-I-I-I-I-I beg of you!!!!"

Listen, the very last thing is Stevie saying, "Hold on..."

This is just a rambling post about my love for Street Angel. No one will know how much my heart was broken in April 1995 when I first got on the old AOL Stevie Board, and every single poster (it seemed) absolutely hated Street Angel. I mean it, I was heartbroken. I love Stevie's music, and I took it personally to see her savaged so.

All these years later, I try to just ignore the Anti-Stevie "Fans", and just focus on my love for her wonderful music. Sure, I think I've improved the running order of Street Angel's tracks, including the three b-sides and "If You Were My Love", but the songs themselves are all good and feature some of Stevie's BEST vocals of her career.

As much as I love The Wild Heart version of "Destiny" (recorded here in Dallas in 1982), with all of its darkness and wild vocals, I still prefer the Street Angel version. Despite the sadness of some of the lyrics, Stevie still seems hopeful. Oh! Her voice on "Well,it wasn't like the others... it was nothing at all..."!!!!!! Listen to her, Unbelievers!!!

Enjoy/hate my rave/rant. I'll be listening to Stevie rambling at the end of "Destiny" ~

"Heartbroken... unspoken..."

Mike, you mention having an extended version of Street Angel with added tracks and improving the running order. Would you post your track list for us? I'd love to make a playlist; I love Street Angel!

[petep9000]

Originally Posted by mikebise

"Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind" is a great single

I always say that this should have been a hit. It was 'right' for the time, I agree.

As for 'I Call You Missing', I also LOVE the part where she sings "Well you're uptight lady! Outta sight!"

[petep9000]

Originally Posted by mikebise

I'm not sure why (if) Stevie preferred the Enchanted mix of "Blue Denim" ~ I thought she did not like Glyn Johns' mixes. ?? To me, it is flaccid and weak. My favourite is the CD-single remix, same as in the video ~ just rocking like crazy!

If the authors of the Wikipedia article are to be believed, the 'Blue Denim' on Enchanted was Stevie's mix. To me, her mix sounds like she took important, ear-friendly components off the song- resulting in a duller 'Blue Denim'. Why take off all the Hammond organ???

The record label rushed the production so Nicks would be ready to promote the album once out of rehab, but this meant that she had no input into the overall sound or tracklisting of the album - these duties were overseen by co-producer Thom Panunzio, who had previously worked with Nicks' close friend Tom Petty. On coming out of rehab, Stevie returned to the studio, minus Johns, to overdub and re-record a lot of what had already been done. Despite her efforts, the album did not turn out how she wanted. She was, however, able to present some of the album's tracks ("Street Angel", "Destiny", and "Blue Denim") in her own final mixes on the 3-disc Enchanted retrospective in 1998.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_Angel_(album)

[mikebise]

Those 4 songs on Enchanted are the mixes of the 1993 Street Angel that Glyn Johns turned in in February 1993. I just listened to all 8 back-to-back ~ identical.

Somebody better wiki that out, 'cause it's erroneous.

As she said in interviews, Stevie added Waddy to "Street Angel" and "Rose Garden" in 1994 to beef the songs up. If she did that, those are her visions of the song, not the stripped-down Enchanted versions.

I personally think the studio guys just grabbed the original mixes, since the point (mentioned in the ICE article) was to use the original album versions, not the TimeSpace remixes, and slapped them on Enchanted, not realizing these were not the final versions from the released Street Angel. Maybe Stevie didn't catch it.

But those are Glyn Johns mixes, not Stevie/Thom.

[mikebise]

Nathan, somehow, you always know those same lyrics that rock me as well:

"Well, I believed in love ~ I called it worth it!"

Max, since my Street Angel fest yesterday, I've decided to change up my running order again, but I will post my newest Street Angel track listing today!

Macfanforever, I thought the 1994 tour was one of Stevie's best! Incredible, strong vocals ~ that "Rhiannon" was in her best performances of all-time. "Talk To Me" ~ wow!!! "Destiny" was so beautiful, and I loved how she changed the lyrics to: "Well, he wasn't like the others, it was nothing at all. He wasn't like anyone, it was easy to fall..." Stevie explained the real meaning of the song a few times, and it was hilarious (In 1973, Stevie almost left LB, and "Destiny" is about this other guy Stevie almost left him for!!! )

I loved seeing Stevie wear the Bella Donna shawl on "Blue Denim" and the white crystal sparkly one on "Edge of Seventeen".

Of course, I went to the Dallas and Houston shows, so it was amazing to watch Stevie perform "Rooms on Fire" and "The Chain"! Ooh, and after the music ended on "Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind", Stevie wailing out:

"A kiss ~ for luck!"

[petep9000]

Originally Posted by mikebise

Those 4 songs on Enchanted are the mixes of the 1993 Street Angel that Glyn Johns turned in in February 1993. I just listened to all 8 back-to-back ~ identical.

But those are Glyn Johns mixes, not Stevie/Thom.

Well that makes sense then. The Stevie/Thom version of 'Blue Denim' is meatier and more pleasing to the ear. You can tell they added production to it to 'fix' it (successfully, I might add). Why the Johns one wound up on 'Enchanted' is a mystery, since we've always heard Stevie say in interviews that she loves sequencing her own albums. She probably didn't give it a final listen, she probably made a sequence list and said 'put Blue Denim here' and didn't specify which version.

[mikebise]

Yeah, I just think that makes the most sense. Or, Stevie was trying to give her fans a "bonus" with the previously unreleased mixes?

I think you phrased it right, John, that Stevie just said something like, "Put 'Blue Denim' here, put 'Rose Garden' after so-and-so', etc." Yes, Stevie made it clear she sequenced Enchanted, "making it seem like one big recording session" with all the songs from different eras together. But I'm not so sure she dictated: "Dig out those old Glyn Johns tapes that I hated and spent thousands of dollars trying to fix, and slap them on Enchanted! Get to work! Chop chop!"

[mikebise]

Ooh!!!! While working on my latest re-sequencing of Street Angel, I found a track listing that Atlantic had as the final lineup on January 1, 1994. I was at a record store in Dallas where there was this computer that showed you current in stock releases as well as upcoming releases, and Street Angel was in there!

Interestingly, "Jane" is not on the track listing, but the following songs are:

"If You Were My Love"
"Inspiration"
"I Call You Missing"
"Playing In God's Garden"

I remember an interview where Stevie said she had to fight to get "Jane" on the album. Hmmm... This was January 1st, 1994, right as Stevie was coming out of Klonopin rehab/withdrawal, so she hadn't yet re-recorded "Jane" (and "Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind"). Maybe by re-recording the song, she convinced the record company to let "Jane" be on the record after all. Just a guess.

[StreetAngel95]

Originally Posted by mikebise

Ooh!!!! While working on my latest re-sequencing of Street Angel, I found a track listing that Atlantic had as the final lineup on January 1, 1994. I was at a record store in Dallas where there was this computer that showed you current in stock releases as well as upcoming releases, and Street Angel was in there!

Interestingly, "Jane" is not on the track listing, but the following songs are:

"If You Were My Love"
"Inspiration"
"I Call You Missing"
"Playing In God's Garden"

I remember an interview where Stevie said she had to fight to get "Jane" on the album. Hmmm... This was January 1st, 1994, right as Stevie was coming out of Klonopin rehab/withdrawal, so she hadn't yet re-recorded "Jane" (and "Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind"). Maybe by re-recording the song, she convinced the record company to let "Jane" be on the record after all. Just a guess.

that would've made the album PERFECTION.

[petep9000]

Originally Posted by mikebise

Interestingly, "Jane" is not on the track listing, but the following songs are:

"If You Were My Love"
"Inspiration"
"I Call You Missing"
"Playing In God's Garden"

I remember an interview where Stevie said she had to fight to get "Jane" on the album. .

I wish there was a fight to get 'I Call You Missing' on SA too. Sigh, such a spooky, creepy, dark song. About Joe, most likely, right?
"Well, I cared about Saturday night!!!"

[mikebise]

Well, since Stevie said "Love Is Like A River" is specifically about Joe, and "I Call You Missing" shares some of the most cutting lyrics Stevie has ever written:

"You used to call me 'wicked'
I used to call you 'friend'
'They say your life is wild!'
Compared to what lifestyle?!"

... Yes, I would say that "I Call You Missing" is also about Joe.

Also:
"Some call it love...
Some are above that..."

But not all lyrics are shared; they're not the same song. "I Call You Missing" is even darker, more obsessed, desperate... "Love Is Like A River" seems angrier and more defiant, while "I Call You Missing" is sheer loss of control. It really sounds like something you'd write drunk. Well, something I'd write drunk.

I just love:
"So, life begins again
The outlaws are gone..."

Maybe, Stevie, but it doesn't sound like you're actually moving on with your life after getting dumped by Joe. She's still leaving a candle burning for him every night. Only in "Love Is Like A River" does Stevie seem to move on, with:

"Everything all around me
Is electric now...
But I haven't burned a candle
In a real long time...

And then Stevie stresses:
"And only when your heart
Says it's over
Does it die..."

But, of course, there are also the shared lyrics with "Whole Lotta Trouble". Why do people think this is about LB??? It's clearly another Joe Walsh song! (And another thread!)

"Well, that's just what I wanted to hear!
Outta sight!!!!"

[StreetAngel95]

I've never heard of anybody thinking this song was about Lindsey! That's interesting....

[petep9000]

Originally Posted by mikebise

I just love:

The outlaws are gone..."

I'd say that line is about Joe, something about 'The Outlaws' calls to mind The Eagles.

Don't you love how Stevie and the ladies sing in almost unison at the beginning? Don't you love Sharon's out of control shrieky "Well I cared about Saturday night!"??

"No one said it would be fair..."

[mikebise]

Okay, with this Street Angel track order, I was very nostalgic for 1994 and stuck fairly closely to the officially released version. I moved a few things around for a few reasons. One is that I don't like two songs Stevie didn't write being back-to-back. Weird, huh? However, in today's nostalgic mood, I broke that rule with "Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind" and "Inspiration". The reason is because that's how I first heard these two songs in May 1994. My ex-husband Eric & I were living in the dreaded Houston at the time, and were about to leave for a Memorial Day Weekend trip to Dallas when I bought the US CD and cassette singles for "Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind". Eric's car only played cassette, so that's how we listened to the two songs on the trip to Dallas. So, looking back in nostalgia on great memories, those two songs just go together, even if Stevie did not write both (breaking my rule).

Another of my "rules" when making expanded versions of Stevie's albums is not to put together two of the unreleased/b-side/outtake songs back-to-back. I cheat on my Bella Donna compilation and I cheat here with Street Angel. I refuse to leave out "If You Were My Love", but finding the right place for it has always been a challenge. I think I've solved having the right song flowing after it, but it's another song not on the official release: "Thousand Days". It's either that, or swap "Thousand Days" with "Unconditional Love", but I love those pounding drums and saxophone right after the end of "If You Were My Love". We'll see. Edit: I did move things around and like this much better.

I've done other Street Angels with the song order nowhere near the official version, but, like I said, this is a nostalgic version.

Oh, and, unless noted, all versions are from the official release of Street Angel (I used the Japanese CD since it sounds a bit crisper to my ears). "If You Were My Love" is the only song from the Street Angel Masters, and I did not use any of the mixes from Enchanted (except "Thousand Days").

1. Blue Denim ~ US CD-single remix
2. Greta
3. Street Angel
4. Thousand Days ~ Enchanted version because it's longer
5. Docklands
6. If You Were My Love
7. Unconditional Love
8. Destiny
9. Playing In God's Garden
10. Listen To The Rain
11. Rose Garden
12. Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind ~ UK CD-single remix
13. Inspiration
14. Love Is Like A River
15. Just Like A Woman
16. Kick It
17. Jane