The Wild Heart liner notes weirdness

mikebise · #1 05-18-2011, 08:14 AM

For the last 28 years, I have been wondering some things about the liner notes/lyrics sheet of the vinyl and cassette versions of The Wild Heart. First off, on the original release-date vinyl The Wild Heart, the lyrics sheet has the order of "Enchanted" and "Nightbird" reversed. I used to wonder if that was because of the lengths of the printed lyrics, but they are of about the same length in lines.

In the cassette release, they were also reversed, but in later releases they were the right order of lyrics.

Next, in the lyrics to "Beauty And The Beast", the ending vamp lyrics have "le bete" printed, which is masculine in French. However, in the cassette, the lyrics say "la bete", which is feminine. I always wondered if that was Stevie's way of saying that she was the Beast in the song, much too blind to see. But then in later cassette releases, the spelling goes back to "le bete".

When Stevie wrote the liner notes for TimeSpace in 1991, she was furious at Mick at the time, and she says she finally realizes who truly is the Beauty and who is the Beast. Like, maybe, she used to think she was the wrong one, the "Beast", but then in 1991, she "realized" that Mick really was the Beast after all.

I thought maybe that was the hidden meaning behind "la bete" in the lyrics sheet.

I just always thought it was weird how the lyrics sheet changed a few times (and back!), and that would have had to be a deliberate thing. I'd understand if "la bete" was in the original release, and then someone told Stevie it was the wrong identifier. But "le bete" is in the title of her favourite movie, so she surely knew how it is spelled, so "la bete" was there on purpose in the later releases. And then changed back again even later (I have LOTS of copies of The Wild Heart in various formats!)

Yes, I find minute details like this very interesting.

skimmy · #2 05-18-2011, 08:24 AM

Although it's not really weirdness, I love how "For the nightbird" is etched on side 1 of the vinyl...

mikebise · #3 05-18-2011, 08:26 AM

In Stevie's hand-writing!!!!

And just what are the spaces in Sara that Jim Recor provided that Stevie was thankful for?

turquoise5 · #4 05-18-2011, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikebise

In Stevie's hand-writing!!!!

And just what are the spaces in Sara that Jim Recor provided that Stevie was thankful for?

I'm guessing the spaces are the 8 bars of music before each verse and chorus (before she starts singing).

Sara was married to Jim before she married Mick, right?

SaidSomething · #5 05-18-2011, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikebise

For the last 28 years, I have been wondering some things about the liner notes/lyrics sheet of the vinyl and cassette versions of The Wild Heart. First off, on the original release-date vinyl The Wild Heart, the lyrics sheet has the order of "Enchanted" and "Nightbird" reversed. I used to wonder if that was because of the lengths of the printed lyrics, but they are of about the same length in lines.

In the cassette release, they were also reversed, but in later releases they were the right order of lyrics.

Next, in the lyrics to "Beauty And The Beast", the ending vamp lyrics have "le bete" printed, which is masculine in French. However, in the cassette, the lyrics say "la bete", which is feminine. I always wondered if that was Stevie's way of saying that she was the Beast in the song, much too blind to see. But then in later cassette releases, the spelling goes back to "le bete".

When Stevie wrote the liner notes for TimeSpace in 1991, she was furious at Mick at the time, and she says she finally realizes who truly is the Beauty and who is the Beast. Like, maybe, she used to think she was the wrong one, the "Beast", but then in 1991, she "realized" that Mick really was the Beast after all.

I thought maybe that was the hidden meaning behind "la bete" in the lyrics sheet.

I just always thought it was weird how the lyrics sheet changed a few times (and back!), and that would have had to be a deliberate thing. I'd understand if "la bete" was in the original release, and then someone told Stevie it was the wrong identifier. But "le bete" is in the title of her favourite movie, so she surely knew how it is spelled, so "la bete" was there on purpose in the later releases. And then changed back again even later (I have LOTS of copies of The Wild Heart in various formats!)

Yes, I find minute details like this very interesting.

Yeah, I've wondered over similar stuff...like what was she thanking Bill Cosny and his house for? And then she thanked someone for the special thanks...both Bella Donna I think.

I'm wondering if you bought bootleged copies of cassette, cd, album. When I got the vinyl hot off the press...some of this sounds familiar...I bough Buckingham Nicks in a legit record store chain...the album had no liner notes just a plastic sleeve holding the record inside...the backside was a carbon copy of Stevie and Lindsey but in tye dye green ink. Then I heard it was a boot!
so I don't know.

HejiraNYC · #6 05-18-2011, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SaidSomething

I'm wondering if you bought bootleged copies of cassette, cd, album. When I got the vinyl hot off the press...some of this sounds familiar...I bough Buckingham Nicks in a legit record store chain...the album had no liner notes just a plastic sleeve holding the record inside...the backside was a carbon copy of Stevie and Lindsey but in tye dye green ink. Then I heard it was a boot!
so I don't know.

That was the 1977 reissue of BN, which was legit. I have both the original pressing (with the gatefold sleeve) and this poorly produced reissue. Would it have killed them to print up a lyric sleeve insert?

SaidSomething · #7 05-18-2011, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

That was the 1977 reissue of BN, which was legit. I have both the original pressing (with the gatefold sleeve) and this poorly produced reissue. Would it have killed them to print up a lyric sleeve insert?

The hot off the press vinyl I got was WH...this was the same time period I also found the BN record...thanks for clearing that up!

mikebise · #8 05-18-2011, 12:07 PM

There was also the cassette re-release of Buckingham Nicks that was labeled:

Nicks & Buckingham: BuckinghamNicks with Stevie's name first.

I think the Columbia House music club version of the cassette of The Wild Heart is where I noticed "la bete" first. I have so many copies, including one unopened vinyl with the "Featuring: Stand Back" on the round front sticker in pink lettering.

Sleepless-Child · #9 05-18-2011, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikebise

For the last 28 years, I have been wondering some things about the liner notes/lyrics sheet of the vinyl and cassette versions of The Wild Heart. First off, on the original release-date vinyl The Wild Heart, the lyrics sheet has the order of "Enchanted" and "Nightbird" reversed. I used to wonder if that was because of the lengths of the printed lyrics, but they are of about the same length in lines.

In the cassette release, they were also reversed, but in later releases they were the right order of lyrics.

Next, in the lyrics to "Beauty And The Beast", the ending vamp lyrics have "le bete" printed, which is masculine in French. However, in the cassette, the lyrics say "la bete", which is feminine. I always wondered if that was Stevie's way of saying that she was the Beast in the song, much too blind to see. But then in later cassette releases, the spelling goes back to "le bete".

When Stevie wrote the liner notes for TimeSpace in 1991, she was furious at Mick at the time, and she says she finally realizes who truly is the Beauty and who is the Beast. Like, maybe, she used to think she was the wrong one, the "Beast", but then in 1991, she "realized" that Mick really was the Beast after all.

I thought maybe that was the hidden meaning behind "la bete" in the lyrics sheet.

I just always thought it was weird how the lyrics sheet changed a few times (and back!), and that would have had to be a deliberate thing. I'd understand if "la bete" was in the original release, and then someone told Stevie it was the wrong identifier. But "le bete" is in the title of her favourite movie, so she surely knew how it is spelled, so "la bete" was there on purpose in the later releases. And then changed back again even later (I have LOTS of copies of The Wild Heart in various formats!)

Yes, I find minute details like this very interesting.

"Le bete"?? God, this makes me cringe. Whoever she's talking about, it's just not correct in french. I think it's supposed to be "la bete", and "le" was just a mistake. I hope so, since "le bete" = the dumb, the idiot, while "la bete" = the beast.