Smile At You Revisited - Page 2

blinker12 · #16 12-18-2022, 08:57 AM

Did the original poster mean to include a link to the remix they created? I’d like to hear it!

I think my favorite versions of the song are the Tusk outtakes. Stevie’s not quite as angry as on Mirage, but her vocals have more range and the band sounds tighter.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=DDxGuIH_...SIkaIECMiOmarE

Macfan4life · #17 12-18-2022, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cbBen

Indeed. I don't know whether it was social politics or what (though that didn't seem to stop them from reaching back to "That's Alright" for Mirage) but, instead of "Welcome To The Room...Sara" and "When I See You Again," the band should have found a diplomatic way to tell Stevie that she had other "more Mac-like" songs they'd prefer, such as "Smile At You" and perhaps "Destiny Rules" or "Running Through The Garden." Maybe they did and she insisted, but her stated policy was that the band had first dibs on her songs (maybe she'd changed that policy by this point, but she didn't use any of the above songs on her following three solo albums).

My guess is that Stevie wanted to feel relevant. Digging up old songs could have made her feel washed up. All her Tango songs were recently written. But you are correct, Tango would have been so much better with any version of Smile At You and Running Through The Garden.

jcalzaretta · #18 12-18-2022, 11:04 AM

I did not care for - I should have turned away and ran....ah ah. as fast as I can. I thought it lost some meaning the way it was done.

UnwindedDreams · #19 12-18-2022, 11:12 AM

Tom Moncrieff is on guitar in the Smile At You demos, right?

SteveMacD · #20 12-18-2022, 01:56 PM

I think Stevie was trying to be profound about her rehab on TITN.

That said, WISYA would have been better served as a mid-tempo song a-la “If Anyone Falls.” WTTRS and WISYA weren’t great songs, but Lindsey’s production style further hurt them.

PDB · #21 12-19-2022, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blinker12

Did the original poster mean to include a link to the remix they created? I’d like to hear it!

I have not shared a link yet. I apologize for the delay. I am really proud of it and want to share it, but copyright concerns prevent me from sharing it broadly. I'm looking into options like doing a small listening party with a few folks where you can hear it but not download it and it wouldn't be a public performance.

**jbrownsjr** · #22 12-20-2022, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

I think Stevie was trying to be profound about her rehab on TITN.

That said, WISYA would have been better served as a mid-tempo song a-la “If Anyone Falls.” WTTRS and WISYA weren’t great songs, but Lindsey’s production style further hurt them.

Are there demo's of the WISYA? Because I felt like he saved these songs.

I don't mind either one of them. (Most people hate them.) But I can't imagine LB made these any worse than they were.

I love the guitar, back ground vocals, Christine's contributions etc. I actually like the sound of the drums on WTTRS. Kind of a Hugh Padgham feel. Now, I haven't really heard the demo's. So my opinion may be voided if there are demo's floating out there. But usually, her voice on a demo tends to make me nervous.

SteveMacD · #23 12-20-2022, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbrownsjr

Are there demo's of the WISYA? Because I felt like he saved these songs.

I don't mind either one of them. (Most people hate them.) But I can't imagine LB made these any worse than they were.

I love the guitar, back ground vocals, Christine's contributions etc. I actually like the sound of the drums on WTTRS. Kind of a Hugh Padgham feel. Now, I haven't really heard the demo's. So my opinion may be voided if there are demo's floating out there. But usually, her voice on a demo tends to make me nervous.

Here’s WTTRS
https://youtu.be/lbRiaQd76R0

Macfan4life · #24 12-20-2022, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbrownsjr

Are there demo's of the WISYA? Because I felt like he saved these songs.

I don't mind either one of them. (Most people hate them.) But I can't imagine LB made these any worse than they were.

I love the guitar, back ground vocals, Christine's contributions etc. I actually like the sound of the drums on WTTRS. Kind of a Hugh Padgham feel. Now, I haven't really heard the demo's. So my opinion may be voided if there are demo's floating out there. But usually, her voice on a demo always makes me nervous.

I dont think Lindsey had much time to spend on her demos. He probably did not care either. Her demos are better on songs like WTTRS and even the Dance's Sweet Girl. He kept both songs similar to the demo and the final track had less passion than the demo. Sweet Girl is a live track so maybe my judgment is not fair on that one.

**jbrownsjr** · #25 12-20-2022, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

Here’s WTTRS
https://youtu.be/lbRiaQd76R0

Ok, it's subjective of course. But, I think he made it slightly better. Lord, this gets worse as it goes on. But, it could be even better with more time. Her howling is the usual nails on a chalkboard voice.

The song is kind of a turd. Imagine if they tried to release this has a hit.

SteveMacD · #26 12-20-2022, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbrownsjr

Ok, it's subjective of course. But, I think he made it slightly better. Lord, this gets worse as it goes on. But, it could be even better with more time. Her howling is the usual nails on a chalkboard voice.

The song is kind of a turd. Imagine if they tried to release this has a hit.

I think his vocal arrangement was better, but I like the more driving tempo and the synth on the demo. I agree about her voice on either version, but I think Lindsey could have kept the elements that actually worked on the demo.

Macfan4life · #27 12-20-2022, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

I think his vocal arrangement was better, but I like the more driving tempo and the synth on the demo. I agree about her voice on either version, but I think Lindsey could have kept the elements that actually worked on the demo.

I agree. The demo is better. Its not a great song but the demo is better. But that's not saying much. However its a fairly clear demo. Many demos from Stevie around this time are a howling mess.

**jbrownsjr** · #28 12-20-2022, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

I think his vocal arrangement was better, but I like the more driving tempo and the synth on the demo. I agree about her voice on either version, but I think Lindsey could have kept the elements that actually worked on the demo.

I do like the synth in the demo (I get your If Anyone Falls ref, now)
And I agree, you can't make that vocal arrangement any worse!!

So, not giving LB lots of credit here. But that demo beside a few cool elements is garbage. The temp on Tango drags the song and this awful demo points that out.

Btw, ChiliD once jokingly said he would de-friend me because I defended WTTRS.

HomerMcvie · #29 12-21-2022, 02:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbrownsjr

Btw, ChiliD once jokingly said he would de-friend me because I defended WTTRS.

That Chili was something special. He left for a while, then came back and said(I'm paraphrasing) "I see Homer is holding up the curmudgeon end of things here".

Indeed.

**jbrownsjr** · #30 12-21-2022, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HomerMcvie

That Chili was something special. He left for a while, then came back and said(I'm paraphrasing) "I see Homer is holding up the curmudgeon end of things here".

Indeed.

I really miss him. He did not care if you had a different opinion. His knowledge was immense, and he often told me FM should have ended after the Tusk Tour. Mirage at the very latest. He also correctly hinted that Lindsey and Stevie would ruin FMac.
He had a great running order for Tusk, which actually changed over the years. He loved Rick Vito's guitar more than LB. He loved the extra tracks on BTM.