The original Street Angel mixes?

TheWILDheart · #1 06-30-2011, 02:42 PM

Hi all,

does anyone have the "original" mixes for Street Angel from what was meant to be the 1993 release? I know an alternate version of "Unconditional Love" was planned as the first single, and I know I've heard it somewhere before, but I can't seem to find it on my collection anywhere. Same applies to the 1991 version of "Listen To The Rain". Can anyone help at all?

Thanks,
Chris

mikebise · #2 06-30-2011, 04:49 PM

I'm actually working on an all-encompassing Street Angel project, but I'm sure someone will post the original Glyn Johns mixes/versions since I'm not finished uploading everything.

Like most people know, after Johns left the project (did Atlantic reject the album? No idea, but Stevie says she didn't like it), Stevie re-recorded several songs from the original turned in version from 02/24/1993, including:

"Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind"
"Jane"
"Unconditional Love"
AND, I've just realized in my working on this project, that the "original mix" of "Listen To The Rain" on the 02/24/1993 Master Reel is a completely different version than the final release on the album! I just thought it was a different mix. But, nope, it's a totally different recording, not just remixing/adding instruments.

NOT to be confused with the 1991 recording of "Listen To The Rain" which was to be the first single for TimeSpace.

goyourownway · #3 06-30-2011, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikebise

I'm actually working on an all-encompassing Street Angel project, but I'm sure someone will post the original Glyn Johns mixes/versions since I'm not finished uploading everything.

Like most people know, after Johns left the project (did Atlantic reject the album? No idea, but Stevie says she didn't like it), Stevie re-recorded several songs from the original turned in version from 02/24/1993, including:

"Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind"
"Jane"
"Unconditional Love"
AND, I've just realized in my working on this project, that the "original mix" of "Listen To The Rain" on the 02/24/1993 Master Reel is a completely different version than the final release on the album! I just thought it was a different mix. But, nope, it's a totally different recording, not just remixing/adding instruments.

NOT to be confused with the 1991 recording of "Listen To The Rain" which was to be the first single for TimeSpace.

I love reading your posts -- you always have these nuggets of info that are so interesting.

So, questions:

To expand on the 1991 recording of "Listen to the Rain"; what is the store with the recording of new material? Was it all recorded at the same time or were BonJovi and Michaels after? I don't know a lot about Timespace beyond the stories I've seen Stevie tell about pressure to record those songs, etc.

mikebise · #4 06-30-2011, 06:21 PM

First off, thanks! I find Stevie's history and mythology almost as enthralling as her songs!

Second: "Listen To The Rain" and the whole TimeSpace era are so filled with secrets it seems. In Spring 1991, Ginny Kamano sent out an official letter to the fans, talking about Stevie's upcoming new single, "Listen To The Rain", which was produced and co-written with Jon Bon Jovi. I used to think Ginny got the writing facts messed up a bit, until a few years ago I found the very first copyright for "Listen To The Rain" with JBJ listed as one of the writers of "Listen To The Rain", along with Stevie and those 2 guys from the band Venice. All copyrights afterwards do not list him as an author of the song.

In that same letter, Ginny also mentions "Love's A Hard Game To Play" ("done with Poison") and "Desert Angel", but no mention at all of "Sometimes It's A Bitch". Only later in Early Summer of 1991 does Ginny mention "Sometimes It's A Bitch" being recorded as the first single. There is ALSO a copyright for an Atlantic cassette single release of "Listen To The Rain" with the b-side of "Desert Angel", which really blew my mind!

So, I got to wondering: since the TimeSpace Tour started in July 1991 in Houston, with no album until September, did Atlantic delay the album's release while making Stevie record a new single to replace the presumably-rejected-at-the-last-minute "Listen To The Rain"? Of course, the tour dates would already have been set in motion, but the album could be delayed. Was this why there was no album during the tour?

Other tidbits:

One newspaper interview from 1991 has Stevie mentioning that she recorded "Sometimes It's A Bitch" Jon's way, even though she didn't like it. But, after he finished the project and moved on, Stevie re-recorded the song more to her liking, so it would sound like a song she did write, and she was pleased with her version.

In Fall 1990, during the final leg of the Behind The Mask tour, Stevie already knew that Mick was blocking her putting the Rumours version of "Silver Springs" on TimeSpace. So, she decided to record a new version, as she legally could since she and her mother own the rights to the song itself. However, the NUMBER ONE selling point for the in-progress Fleetwood Mac box set was the CD inclusion of "Silver Springs"; nothing else mattered on that compilation. So, WB (which owns Atlantic) discouraged Atlantic from letting Stevie release a new version (that I have a good source confirming that she did record in Late 1990), so that the original "Silver Springs" could have maximum impact on sales for the 1992 box set, The Chain. So, Stevie was not happy about that as well, and her new "Silver Springs" went on the shelf (but she hoped to put it on Street Angel, but that never happened either.)

These new cassettes we got also contradict Stevie's stories about re-recording certain Street Angel songs after Klonopin detox in January 1994. These cassettes have the preliminary beginnings of these new versions in June 1993, well before the Klonopin detox.

I try to find official sources (like copyrights, which tell a lot of stories!), official letters from Stevie's camp, plus the close source here and there. Some of the more outlandish stuff I tend to downplay, like this one I was told in 1997: The clips-only version of the video for "Sometimes It's A Bitch" was originally put together as the video for Stevie's new version of "Silver Springs". It seems like a cool bit of info, but then it also seems like something a fan would dream up. Who knows?

Supernaut · #5 06-30-2011, 07:23 PM

Wow! Cool info. Thanks for sharing. It's stuff like this that keeps me hitting the refresh button.

Someday, someone is going to find the tapes, tales and tidbits from the making of The Wild Heart. On that day, the paroxysms of excitement I will experience will send me into a new dimension. I hope that day comes soon.

Surely someone in Dallas knows someone who knows someone who knew...

goyourownway · #6 06-30-2011, 07:33 PM

That's great info! I had no idea about Silver Springs being rerecorded?!

I meant to include another question -- wasn't "Listen to the Rain" supposed to be the first single from "Street Angel"? Was this pre-rehab or post?

mikebise · #7 06-30-2011, 08:06 PM

"Unconditional Love" was sent to radio stations in August 1993 on a promo tape, announcing it as the first single for Street Angel, which was to be released in September 1993. This was our first glimpse into the album. It is the later recording, but a slightly different mix on this promo clip.

Single choices changed often, with "Blue Denim" listed as the first single for Street Angel on Atlantic's upcoming release list in January 1994, then "Unconditional Love" again, then "Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind". I never saw anything about "Listen To The Rain" being a single, but I could have easily missed that.

In January 1994, Atlantic released the track listing for the March release of Street Angel:

Blue Denim
Rose Garden
Street Angel
If You Were My Love
Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind
Greta
Inspiration
I Call You Missing
Destiny
Listen To The Rain
Just Like A Woman
Unconditional Love
Love Is Like A River
Playing In God's Garden

No "Jane" or "Kick It" (or "Thousand Days").

Supernaut: someone is Dallas DID give me some information about The Wild Heart when I interviewed Gordon Perry in Summer 1996. That's when he told me about Iovine hating "Julia" and axing it from both Bella Donna and The Wild Heart. Also, that the songs Gordon produced for The Wild Heart were "Wild Heart", "Destiny", "Julia", "Gate And Garden" and "All The Beautiful Worlds", all five here in DALLAS!

Supernaut · #8 06-30-2011, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikebise

Supernaut: someone is Dallas DID give me some information about The Wild Heart when I interviewed Gordon Perry in Summer 1996. That's when he told me about Iovine hating "Julia" and axing it from both Bella Donna and The Wild Heart. Also, that the songs Gordon produced for The Wild Heart were "Wild Heart", "Destiny", "Julia", "Gate And Garden" and "All The Beautiful Worlds", all five here in DALLAS!

Can you imagine the INSANITY of those sessions? Also, the rumor was that someone shot video as well?!? I can't.

If anyone can find this stuff, I have confidence that it will be you Mike.

It makes sense to me that Iovine hated "Julia". Like "Mirror Mirror" and "Belle Fleur" and some of the other songs that have been kicked from record to record over the decades, it never seemed fully realized.

Sorry, I know I'm OT.

mikebise · #9 06-30-2011, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Supernaut

It makes sense to me that Iovine hated "Julia". Like "Mirror Mirror" and "Belle Fleur" and some of the other songs that have been kicked from record to record over the decades, it never seemed fully realized.

Ah, but Gordon said "Julia" was Stevie's favourite song on Bella Donna, and it killed her when Iovine dumped it at the very last minute. That's why she had Gordon re-record the song with her in Dallas in 1982, but, as exec producer, Iovine again cut it from the final album. Gordon said it was important to Stevie for "Julia" to be on The Wild Heart since it was partly about her and Robin. Stevie was Lily and Robin was Julia from the Jane Fonda/Vanessa Redgrave movie, Julia. (Which the song "Impossible Task" is also written with inspiration from).

Travis · #10 06-30-2011, 08:50 PM

I love reading all these little tidbits Mike - thank you ... and I'm looking forward to you posting Listen to the Rain from 91, I think I read that somewhere ... I tend to skim sometimes ... but I remember liking that version very much.

Supernaut · #11 06-30-2011, 09:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikebise

Ah, but Gordon said "Julia" was Stevie's favourite song on Bella Donna, and it killed her when Iovine dumped it at the very last minute. That's why she had Gordon re-record the song with her in Dallas in 1982, but, as exec producer, Iovine again cut it from the final album. Gordon said it was important to Stevie for "Julia" to be on The Wild Heart since it was partly about her and Robin. Stevie was Lily and Robin was Julia from the Jane Fonda/Vanessa Redgrave movie, Julia. (Which the song "Impossible Task" is also written with inspiration from).

Interesting.

I'm not surprised to hear that, either. "Julia" and those other songs are like the Stevie Nicks apocrypha. They've got all the big Stevie themes - the mystery, the mythos, the pathos, the drama - but somehow, in my opinion at least, she (or maybe THEY) never quite NAILED it, so they never made the final cut. For whatever reason.

Listening to the (crappy sounding) WH "Julia", it actually sounds like Iovine maybe didn't GET it. The production, to my ear, sounds all wrong for the song.

Again, apologies for going OT.

mikebise · #12 06-30-2011, 09:16 PM

A nice guy here posted a spectacular quality recording of "Julia" from The Wild Heart (produced by Gordon Perry). I'm trying to get my files to upload to post "Listen To The Rain" 1991, and will get "Julia", too (but Mediafire is NOT working for me tonight...)

goyourownway · #13 06-30-2011, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikebise

"Unconditional Love" was sent to radio stations in August 1993 on a promo tape, announcing it as the first single for Street Angel, which was to be released in September 1993. This was our first glimpse into the album. It is the later recording, but a slightly different mix on this promo clip.

Single choices changed often, with "Blue Denim" listed as the first single for Street Angel on Atlantic's upcoming release list in January 1994, then "Unconditional Love" again, then "Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind". I never saw anything about "Listen To The Rain" being a single, but I could have easily missed that.

In January 1994, Atlantic released the track listing for the March release of Street Angel:

Blue Denim
Rose Garden
Street Angel
If You Were My Love
Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind
Greta
Inspiration
I Call You Missing
Destiny
Listen To The Rain
Just Like A Woman
Unconditional Love
Love Is Like A River
Playing In God's Garden

No "Jane" or "Kick It" (or "Thousand Days").

Supernaut: someone is Dallas DID give me some information about The Wild Heart when I interviewed Gordon Perry in Summer 1996. That's when he told me about Iovine hating "Julia" and axing it from both Bella Donna and The Wild Heart. Also, that the songs Gordon produced for The Wild Heart were "Wild Heart", "Destiny", "Julia", "Gate And Garden" and "All The Beautiful Worlds", all five here in DALLAS!

I meant "Unconditional Love"; I still had the previous info on my brain, obviously.

I'm fascinated by this whole period of Stevie's career. Thanks for all this good stuff!

PenguinHead · #14 06-30-2011, 09:36 PM

It's all new news to me:

The Time Space drama...

Listen to the Rain slated to be the new single

Silver Springs re-recorded

Sometimes It's a Bitch - two versions

It appears that Stevie doesn't have as much executive/artistic control over her music as her the studio producers. That is very surprising. Does she defer to them because she feels they are making the right marketing decisions, or does she have no choice in the matter?

Good luck with the Street Angel project. I'd love to hear the final product. Obviously there are various versions/mixes, and material we never knew existed! It's mind-boggling how songs get bounced around in various forms through the years.

mikebise · #15 06-30-2011, 09:56 PM

This is a much upgraded quality version from Maureen's Mystery Box, which we in the Master Reels group had transfered from cassette to CD in 2004, with some enhancing. A few weeks ago, our own JeffD8382 enhanced it again, and I think it is spectacular!

"Listen To The Rain" - 1991 TimeSpace version (Produced by Jon Bon Jovi)
http://www.mediafire.com/?wq1il3g31095346

"Listen To The Rain" - Original Street Angel version 02/24/1993 (Produced by Glyn Johns)
http://www.mediafire.com/?0funuf5q5c0gelj

Note that this version of "Listen To the Rain" is very different, not just a remix. Listen to Stevie yelling, "Well, take it! Take it!" near the end.

"Julia" - The Wild Heart (Produced by Gordon Perry in Dallas, 1982)
http://www.mediafire.com/?q0d2qq7aqc5ki34

"Playing In God's Garden" - Original Street Angel mix 02/24/1993 (Produced by Glyn Johns)
http://www.mediafire.com/?1z221b3ntfm57of