COLLECTING MUSIC & FILM MEMORABILIA

My love of music dates back to the early-seventies and over the fifty years that followed my music collection has gone from vinyl and cassettes to Compact Discs and, despite not being a great fan of the medium, digital downloads.

Anyone that knows me will know that I have a wide taste in music and listen to everything from rock 'n' roll to blues, country, Americana, country rock, pop and even jazz and orchestral. To be honest the only styles I am not interested in are rap and opera.

Just a few of my favourite artists are Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Gram Parsons, Fleetwood Mac, The Beatles and The Beach Boys, although this is only a small section of my music tastes.

I also enjoy films although my tastes are the films from the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s rather than the big blockbusters from the past few decades. However, there are still some favourites from the later years with Die Hard being top of my list. My favourite male and female movie stars all date back to the great days of Hollywood... James Stewart and Gene Tierney. You can read more about Gene Tierney here on my blog in the article Gene Tierney - Hollywood Beauty.

Although not an avid collector who has to have everything, I do collect items of music and film memorabilia including promo CDs, press photos, sheet music, lobby cards and press books. A few items from my collection are pictured below.

This brings me to books on collecting music and film memorabilia of which I have several in my library including The Lyle Price Guide - Film & Rock 'n' Roll Collectables by Tony Curtis,  The Elvis Collector - An Introductory Guide To Collecting UK Film Memorabilia 1956-1977 and The Elvis Collector - An Introductory Guide To Collecting UK Memorabilia 1956-1977 the latter two compiled and written by Harry Carrigan.

I recently received three books from Schiffer Publishing which cover Elvis Presley, The Beatles and Sheet Music from the 1960s, all three of which are reviewed below.

Elvis Presley Memorabilia - An Unauthorized Collectors Guide (Sean O'Neil) (Schiffer Publishing 2001 - ISBN 0-7643-1382-7) 

Following a brief introduction which covers prices and counterfeit items the 160-page book is split into seven chapters which cover Elvis' career - Elvis In Concert, Elvis Presley Enterprises and Novelty Items, Sun Records and RCA Victor Records, Magazines, The Movies, One-of-a-Kind and Autographs, Photos and Other Paper. Each chapter opens with a short introduction.

The Concert section features early press ads, photo albums that were sold at the concerts, ticket stubs and much more. Moving into the seventies there are more ads and souvenir photo albums, a few which I still have in my own collection.

The items produced by Elvis Enterprises ranges from the sublime to the ridiculous with record cases, photo cards and record players to jewellery and even  'I Like Elvis' and 'I Hate Elvis' badges, the Colonel certainly catered for both camps.

The Records section was of special interest to me as I love the old RCA ads and various sheet music featured.

Of the remaining sections there are various magazines from the 1950s through to the 1970s, movie posters, lobby cards and advertising, rare items that don't fit in any other part of the book, so are given their own chapter and finally some festive items. Christmas was a special time for Elvis and every year the Colonel produced a postcard, some classy and others less so... Elvis in a jumpsuit by a Christmas tree!

The book is beautifully produced, with mostly colour illustrations and includes a brief description of each item along with the then current values.

The Beatles Yesterday & Tomorrow - A Collector's Guide To Beatles Memorabilia (Courtney McWilliams) (Schiffer Publishing 1999 - ISBN 0-7643-0852-1) 

A preface explaining condition of memorabilia and an introduction that covers the early days of the group in Liverpool and Hamburg is followed by nine chapters covering various areas of collecting. Over 210-pages  the book covers - Vintage Beatles, All Movie Memorabilia, Fan Club Memorabilia, Jewellery, The Beatles As Art, Music Mediums, Ephemera, Solo Efforts and Something New.

Following the same format as the Elvis book this is a treasure trove of Beatles memorabilia, beautifully illustrated with an introduction to each chapter and every item has a brief description and guide to value.

I really enjoyed the sections on the movies with all the posters, lobby cards, press ads and stills. The records section includes the well known UK releases but also the albums released on Capitol in America, Beatles '65, The Early Beatles and Beatles VI. The infamous 'Butcher Cover' which was originally planned to be the cover of the Capitol album The Beatles Yesterday and Today is also included. One of the rarest Beatles items that nowadays is almost impossible to find and is worth at least the $6,000 - $12,000 value quoted for a copy in mint condition.

Like Elvis Presley there are items that fall into the same category... from the sublime to the ridiculous. Beatles wigs, masks, lunch boxes, thermos flasks and, depending who your favourite band members was, badges with 'I Love Paul', 'I Love John', 'I Love George' and 'I Love Ringo'. I couldn't see any 'I Hate The Beatles' badges and maybe none were ever produced.

A chapter on their solo work seems to devote more pages to John Lennon than Paul, George or Ringo which is had to understand when you look at the amount of solo work released by the other three ex-Beatles.

The final chapter, Something New, covers some of the more recent items available and those issued after the break-up in the 1970s.

Collecting Rock 'n' Roll Sheet Music Of The 1960s  (Valerie Carallo) (Schiffer Publishing 2006 - ISBN 0-7643-2373-3) 

Split over 176-pages this book includes an introduction which explains what sheet music is, the differences between USA, UK and Australian sheet music and value and condition. The book then covers seven different genres of music - Twist and Shout (The Beatles), Wipe Out (Surf and Folk), Psychotic Reaction (Garage, Hard Rock and Psychedelia), Lightnin' Strikes (Pop and Rock), Going To A Go-Go (R&B, Soul and Motown), Catch Us If You Can (The British Invasion) and Thank U Very Much (Bubblegum, Girl Groups, Novelty Songs etc).

I particularly enjoyed the chapter on The Beatles with many great cover images and designs including those for Ask Me Why, A Day In The Life, Till There Was You, Girl and Back In The U.S.S.R. A few foreign items are displayed... Tu Mano Cogere (I Want To Hold Your Hand) from Spain, Elle (Il) T'Auime (She Loves You) from France and the German issue of Twist im Blut (Twist And Shout).

Many of my favourite artists are covered in the book with The Beach Boys featured heavily with Sloop John B, Dance Dance Dance, The Man With All The Toys, God Only Knows and my personal favourite sheet music cover from the group, Surfer Girl.

With over 600 illustrations there are too many to cover in this review. However, besides those already mentioned these are just a few of my personal favourites... Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 (Bob Dylan), Mrs Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel), I'm A Boy (The Who), These Boots Are Made For Walking (Nancy Sinatra), Alternate Title (The Monkees), A Boy Named Sue (Johnny Cash) and Ode To Billy Joe (Bobbie Gentry). The latter has the title misspelled as the title is actually Ode To Billie Joe.

Being a big fan of Linda Ronstadt I couldn't end this review without mentioning the inclusion of Different Drum by The Stone Poneys which features the lovely Linda on the cover.

Many of those, me included, who collect sheet music are not buying them because they can read music but because of the images featured on the covers many of which were rare and differed from the image featured on the 45rpm single. 

Like the Elvis and Beatles books this one is beautifully produced, illustrated in full colour and printed on high quality, glossy paper. Each chapter has a brief introduction and, like the previous books, includes a description of each item featured along with a guide to the value.

I really enjoyed going through these books and seeing the amount of items that were produced with the names Elvis Presley and The Beatles, some tacky and some very collectable. I wonder how many of the items have survived in their original packaging and in mint condition. Likewise, the sheet music book, was a fascinating insight into what is still a very collectable market.

Although all three books were originally published between 1998 and 2006 they can still be found on various sites on the internet and if you are like me and find this kind of information fascinating then I recommend checking them out.

With thanks to Victoria Hansen at Schiffer Publishing Ltd for providing copies of the books for this article.

FLEETWOOD MAC IN CHICAGO

December 1968 found Fleetwood Mac undertaking their second tour of North America. Opening with a show at the Fillmore East in New York the tour would include December dates in Austin, Dallas, Boston, Detroit, Miami, Philadelphia and Chicago. The tour would continue throughout January and February 1969 with shows in Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Fresno, Sacramento, Cleveland and closing in Detroit.

Photo (c) Unknown

During the bands time in New York they recorded songs for their next album and single at an unknown studio. Among the tracks laid down were Do You Give A Damn For Me, Like It This Way, Jeremy Spencer's rockabilly take-off, Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight and a new Peter Green composition, Man Of The World, a track they would work on again in London on their return to the UK.

The following day they were back in the studio, this time Tempo Sound Studios, backing Otis Spann on a session arranged by producer and Blue Horizon Records founder, Mike Vernon. The tracks recorded this day would be released later in the year on Spann's album The Biggest Thing Since Colossus.

However, it is another session undertaken during their time in America that we will be looking at in this article.

Mike Vernon and Marshall Chess, the son of Chess Records co-founder Leonard Chess, had arranged a session which would see the members of Fleetwood Mac recording with a number of Chicago bluesmen.

The session was booked for 4 January and would be held at the Ter-Mar Studios located at 320 East 21st Street in Chicago. The studio was named after the sons of Chess Records co-founders Phil and Leonard Chess, Ter(ry) and Mar(shall). The original Chess studios had been on 2120 South Michigan Avenue but they closed in 1966 and moved to the new address in September.

Not every member of the band were keen on the idea. Vernon recalled this years after the event, "Everyone seemed to think it was a good idea except for John McVie and Peter Green, who was sitting on the fence. I think they all thought the studio was going to be ramshackle and the real deal - the place where all those old blues records were made - but of course it was much bigger and more professionally run than they expected. And I think that was a let-down for them. It was also the middle of winter and Chicago was bloody cold." Fortunately they finally agreed.

Willie Dixon, Chess Records A&R man, was bought in and tasked with organising the sessions and hiring the musicians. Unfortunately many of the blues greats were unavailable due to being out of town. However, he did manage to acquire the services of both Otis Spann (piano and vocals) and Buddy Guy (guitar) along with Shakey Horton (harmonica and vocals), J. T. Brown (tenor saxophone and vocals), Honeyboy Edwards (guitar and vocals) and S. P. Leary (drums). As well as organising the session Dixon would play upright bass.

Photo (c) Jeff Lowenthal

Mike Vernon produced the session alongside Marshall Chess while Stu Black was the recording engineer.

The sessions didn't go as smoothly as both Vernon and Chess had hoped for. There was some friction between the local bluesmen and the members of Fleetwood Mac, some of which can be heard on the track Rock Me Baby as featured on the The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions 1967-1969. However, the session did produce some great music with Fleetwood Mac obviously enjoying the chance to record with many of their idols and the artists that influenced their own style.

Throughout the session various members of the band and the blues musicians would step aside and recordings would often feature just Peter Green, Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, while others would find all the blues musicians accompanied by just one or two of the band.

They recorded almost thirty songs, many more than once. Several had been written by the blues musicians present at the session including I Need Your Love and I Got The Blues (Walter Horton), Someday Soon Baby and Hungry Country Girl (Otis Spann) and Black Jack Blues (J. T. Brown). They also turned to Howlin' Wolf for Sugar Mama and Ooh Baby, Memphis Slim's Everyday I Have The Blues and Little Walter Jacobs for Last Night.

Photo (c) Jeff Lowenthal

Vocals were handled mainly by members of Fleetwood Mac although Shakey Horton takes the lead for I Need Your Love and I Got The Blues, Otis Spann appears on Someday Soon Baby and Hungry Country Girl while J. T. Brown is the vocalist on Black Jack Blues.

The remaining songs are shared between Peter Green who delivers great versions of Watch Out, Ooh Baby, Last Night, Sugar Mama and Homework while Danny Kirwan records his own compositions Talk With You, Like It This Way and the Jimmy Rogers song World's In A Tangle.

Photo (c) Jeff Lowenthal

The highlight of the day is when Jeremy Spencer turns his attention to his favourite artist, Elmore James, and performs blistering performances of I'm Worried, I Held My Baby Last Night, I Can't Hold Out and Madison Blues. He also turns his attention to Memphis Slim's Everyday I Have The Blues.

Several instrumentals were also recorded including Walter Horton's South Indiana, Peter Green's Red Hot Jam, and Jeremy Spencer's Rockin' Boogie.

Mike Vernon recalled the sessions in 1999, "Memories of that day are still quite vivid although I have to be honest and say that I still cannot believe that we achieved so much in one day. I often ask myself as to whether we might not have actually taken two. I've even written to that effect but in truth I don't recall. We hardly ever did more than one take of any song so I guess the project could have been completed in one day." He went on to say, "I don't remember there being much sense of urgency although as the clock wound down I did push Peter and the lads to try and get a couple of other tunes in the bag before time ran out on us."

Photo (c) Jeff Lowenthal

Twenty-two tracks recorded on that cold January day in Chicago were released in the United Kingdom on Mike Vernon's Blue Horizon label in December 1969. Blues Jam At Chess was a 2-LP set in a gatefold sleeve and the inner sleeve featured several photos taken during the session. Interspersed between the tracks is studio chatter including conversations between the band members and producer Mike Vernon. Far from distracting the listener, these snippets are a welcome addition which gives an insight into the sessions.

On the album sleeve Buddy Guy is listed as Guitar Buddy and Mike Vernon recalled this in an interview, "Imagine my disappointment when I was told at a later date that I couldn't even use Buddy Guy's name even though the session had been co-produced by a member of the Chess family and cut in their own studio. Guy was instantly transformed into Guitar Buddy." Apparently it was due to Guy's battle with Chess over his contract and his reluctance to add too much to the sessions. He only plays second guitar and a few solos on the album.

In America the release history is far more complicated. Issued three times, in 1970, 1971 and 1975, the album had two different titles and three different cover designs.

The first release in America was as two individual albums with the titles Blues Jam In Chicago, Volume One and Volume Two, once again on the Blue Horizon label, and issued in June and October 1970. The covers featured colour images from the sessions.

In 1971 they issued the original 2-LP UK configuration on Blue Horizon with another different cover and title, Fleetwood Mac In Chicago.

To capitalise on the bands new found success with the Fleetwood Mac album, featuring new members Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, in 1975 a third variation was released. Using the same title as the 1971 issue, Fleetwood Mac In Chicago, the album featured plain artwork and was issued on the Sire label.

When Sony/Columbia released the 6-CD set The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions 1967-1969 in 1999 the two albums were presented in card sleeves with the original American artwork.

This set includes the most comprehensive selection of material recorded during the Chicago session. Alongside  the twenty-two previously released tracks are a number of previously unreleased and alternate versions, including take 1 of Red Hot Jam, Bobby's Rock, two versions of Horton's Boogie Woogie, an earlier take of Sugar Mama, Honey Boy Blues, an unissued early take of I Need Your Love, Have A Good Time, That's Wrong and Rock Me Baby. A handful of the original tracks also feature some additional studio chat. There are also in-depth liner notes on the sessions.

Blues Jam At Chess, and the subsequent releases, failed to chart and received a mixed reception on initial release. However, over the years the albums have gained more positive reviews and mentions in the music press.

Writing in 1976 after the release of the bands then current album Fleetwood Mac, better known as The White Album, Greil Marcus wrote, "Thanks to the near-permanent success of the current Fleetwood Mac LP, virtually all the bands pre-Warner Bros. material - featuring guitarists Peter Green, Danny Kirwan and Jeremy Spencer - is back on the market. The best stuff is to be found on Fleetwood Mac In Chicago (Sire), a double album cut in '69 at the Chess studios, with real-life black bluesmen sitting in... The Fleetwood Mac that cut this album was a rough, derivative band, full of enthusiasm and committed to their music... The shade of Elmore James smiled on the band, and never more so than on Chicago..."

"Put together on short notice, and recorded in one day, the sessions have something of a ramshackle feel, but the energy of the performances transcends any shortcomings on this date", is how AllMusic describe the album. They go on to say, "Given that the Peter Green-led Fleetwood Mac was already deeply rooted in Chicago Blues, the project proved to be a natural for the group."

Writing on Analog Planet, Michael Fremer said, "Whatever you think of the blues, you gotta love the sound of these recordings, and more importantly the spirited playing as the veterans join in the fun of playing with the white youngsters from across the sea. These are jams - surprisingly tight ones - with snippets of producer Mike Vernon's communication between the recording booth and the studio left in between the music to help give you an indication of how the tunes were conceived."

Rock Critic, Robert Christgau wrote about one of the re-issues, "Combining the recently released Vols. 1 and 2, this two-LP set lets five sincere but never sedulously irrelevant English lads explore their branches. It almost brings you back to those distant days when 'white blues' was more than a code for 'heavy.' Knowledgeable song selection, expressive playing - especially by Peter Green, who filters B. B. King through Santo & Johnny with a saxophonist's sense of line - and lots of help from Otis Spann, Willie Dixon, Shakey Horton, and others makes the thinness of the singing seem like a tribute to a new tradition."

The original albums featured almost 100 images taken during the sessions by Jeff Lowenthal, the only photographer present during the recordings. However, due to the size you would need a magnifying glass to really appreciate them. Thankfully you can now see the photos, along with many previously unseen images, in the new book Fleetwood Mac In Chicago - The Legendary Chess Blues Session written/compiled by Lowenthal with author Robert Schaffner and published by Schiffer Publishing Ltd. in Atglen, Pennsylvania.

Photo (c) Jeff Lowenthal

This beautifully produced coffee table book includes more than 160 colour and black & white images taken by Lowenthal during the session. Many are making their first appearance and even those that were featured on the album look so much clearer here and, of course, they are a much larger size. There are so many great images and it would take far too long to describe all my favourites but rest assured there are loads. Besides the musicians there are a few nice images of Mike Vernon, Marshall Chess and Stu Black working at the mixing desk and out in the studio directing the proceedings.

The image quality is amazing and despite the odd few that are slightly out-of-focus, a minor point when considering these are over fifty-years old, they really bring to life the session.

The photos are the main part of the book but they are interspersed with text, comments and interviews with a variety of people. Again the list is too long but includes Mick Fleetwood, John Mayall, Martin Celmins, Aynsley Dunbar, Buddy Guy and many more. Some of the interviews were held by Robert Schaffner.

The book includes forewords by both Mike Vernon and Marshall Chess along with introductions by Jeff Lowenthal and Robert Schaffner.

This is a wonderful book and deserves to be on the shelf of any Fleetwood Mac fan, of which I am one, and lovers of Chicago blues, again that includes me.

Pick up a copy of this excellent new book, put the CDs in the player, grab the headphones and relive that day in January 1969 when a band of British white blues enthusiasts teamed up with some of the legendary Chicago bluesmen to create a piece of music history.

With thanks to Harrison Lutz and Victoria Hansen at Schiffer Publishing Ltd for providing a review copy of the book. 

STEVIE NICKS - BELLA DONNA

Released forty-one years ago, Bella Donna was Stevie Nicks debut solo album which found her stepping away from the chaos that was Fleetwood Mac and releasing a hit-laden album that proved she could also fly solo as well as being a major part of the group.

With three songwriters in Fleetwood Mac, Nicks was frustrated as she was a prolific songwriter and many of her songs were not even considered for inclusion in their latest album Tusk. Over the previous six years with the band she had amassed an amazing amount of unused material. In an interview she spoke about the problems, "When we'd do an album, they'd hear fifteen of my songs and pick the two that were my least favourite. Some of my favourite songs wouldn't get used."

Following the release of Tusk in 1979 and the epic world tour that followed, Nicks returned to her Pacific Palisades home she shared with her new boyfriend, producer Jimmy Iovine. It was there that the seeds of a new album were sown.

By her own admission she was in a terrible shape following the tour. "I was so tired and sung out. I was so 'Landslide-ed' out and so 'Rhiannon-ed' out that I thought if I had to do that set one more time I was going to go nuts." It seemed the time was right to pursue a solo career.

Iovine agreed to produce her solo project and planned on a different approach to the one that Fleetwood Mac followed on their recordings. His idea was to go for a more live sound. He had previously worked with John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen and Meat Loaf. However, it was his work with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers that grabbed Nicks attention. She told Iovine that she wanted a 'girl version' of Petty's sound.

In September, at her house, Nicks and her girlfriends, Sharon Celani and Lori Perry, worked with Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench, who Iovine had asked to act as musical director on the project.

They rehearsed for two months as Nicks recalled, "We were like Joni Mitchell and Crosby, Stills and Nash, living in this great house and making music. It was one of those real rock 'n' roll experiences that you can never forget."

Tench recalled the rehearsals, "It was song after great song. I think she had enough for her first three solo albums and beyond." He went on to talk about how the girls worked together, "Lori and Sharon were so instinctive and so intuitive. They were all so tuned in to each other. At the drop of a hat they'd break into a-cappella versions of old songs like Chapel Of Love. They loved each other and loved to harmonize. They stood behind me at the piano, and when I heard their three voices together it was just: 'Wow', goosebumps."

Sessions took place at Studio 55 in Los Angeles. Built in 1940 by Decca Records it was the studio where the classic Bing Crosby festive standard White Christmas was recorded.

Recording began in November 1980 and would continue through to Spring 1981.Produced by Jimmy Iovine, the sessions marked the start of Nicks trend of calling on her musician friends. There was Tom Petty and Don Henley, who contributed vocals on a few tracks, along with session musicians Waddy Wachtel, Davey Johnstone, Bob Glaub, Benmont Tench and Russ Kunkel. Additional support was provided by a number of players including Mike Campbell, Donald 'Duck' Dunn, Dan Dugmore, Roy Bittan and Don Felder.

The recordings would also be the first to feature Nicks close friends and backing vocalists, Sharon Celani and Lori Perry, both of whom had worked with Nicks during the rehearsals for the album and would record and tour with Nick's in the years to come.

Talking about the sessions, Tench recalled, "We recorded all the songs essentially live with the whole band cutting at the same time, and Stevie, Lori and Sharon singing with us on the floor. We captured a beautiful feel. The same mood that was in her house made it to the vocal booth."

Bella Donna was released on 27 July 1981 and would reach #1 on the Billboard 200 and number three on the Billboard Rock Albums chart. In the United Kingdom it peaked at #3 while in Australia it repeated the US success hitting the top spot. The album spent almost three years on the Billboard 200 between July 1981 and June 1984.

It took less than three months to reach platinum status by the RIAA (Record Industry Association of America) and in 1990 was certified multi-platinum status for sales of over four million copies. 

For the albums cover photo Nicks turned to Herbert Worthington III who had taken the photos for Rumours. Taking a series of photos he managed to capture Nicks as a mystical woman in chiffon.

Talking about the images to Rolling Stone, Nicks said, "What I'm wearing is the exact opposite of my black outfit on Rumours. Over that it says: 'Come in from the darkness...', which is the dark side of anyone, the side that isn't optimistic, that isn't strong."

Bella Donna was a strong debut featuring some of Nicks best material and there wasn't a bad track on the album. 

The album opens with the title track, Bella Donna, a song she refused to give to Fleetwood Mac as she was saving it for herself. It meant so much to her that it became the title track of her debut solo album. As she told Rolling Stone in 1981, "Bella Donna is a term of endearment I use, and the title is about making a lot of decisions in my life, making change based on the turmoil in my soul. You get to a certain age where you want to slow down, be quieter. The title was basically a warning to myself and a question to others.

Co-written with Benmont Tench, Kind Of Woman actually had its roots back in 1973 during her time in Buckingham Nicks and around the same time she wrote Landslide. Apparently she wrote it while Lindsey Buckingham was touring with the Everly Brothers and how she imagined him meeting and getting involved with groupies while she was at home still doing her waitress job.

The only track on the album not written by Stevie Nicks was Stop Draggin' My Heart Around. Jimmy Iovine felt the album didn't have a hit single and through his work with Tom Petty asked him for a song she could include. At first she was annoyed about the thought of having somebody else's song on her album and she stormed out. She soon came back when she realised he was right. She apologised for being bitchy and knew that singing the song with Petty was something she couldn't turn down. Nicks knew how important the song was to the success of the album, "Had he not given me that song Bella Donna might not have been a hit. That song kicked Bella Donna right into the universe."

Think About It had been recorded during the sessions for Rumours but didn't make the final cut. That version was finally issued on the Rumours Deluxe Edition. It was written for Christine McVie when her marriage to John was falling apart.

With its country feel, After The Glitter Fades, dates back to the early-seventies and was written before she joined Fleetwood Mac and following her and Lindsey's move to Los Angeles. The lyrics referred to how bad it was going to be for them both in music and how hard the business was. However, they hadn't even made it that point, and she was still working as a waitress. It has been stated that Nicks wrote the song with Dolly Parton in mind.

The title Edge Of Seventeen was inspired by Tom Petty's wife Jane and something she said that Nicks misheard. She thought Petty's wife had said they had been together from the 'age of 17.'  The lyrics are a tribute to John Lennon, who was shot during the recording of the album, and homage to her Uncle Jonathan who passed away suddenly from cancer. Edge Of Seventeen is the song Nicks closes all her concerts with.

Telling the story about a woman getting involved with a man nobody thinks she should be with, How Still Is My Love, was one of Nicks favourite songs on the album. It could have been written about any of her lovers, Mick Fleetwood, Jimmy Iovine, Don Henley... no one really knows.

Leather And Lace is performed as a duet with Don Henley and is a song she wrote in 1976 at the request of country star Waylon Jennings for him and his wife Jessi Colter. At the time they were close to splitting up and they didn't record it so she kept it for herself. She wanted a fellow artist to perform the song with her. "I felt in my heart that either I had to do the song with Don, or Waylon had to do it with Jessi, or Waylon and I had to do it. Those were the only three possibilities.

Outside The Rain is a song that Nicks feels has a connection to Fleetwood Mac and is a bookend to Dreams. She has often said it was a song that the band would have liked to have recorded. In her solo concerts the song would often be performed alongside Dreams.

The album closes with The Highwaymen which is apparently about the Eagles, the male members of Fleetwood Mac and the masculine rock-stars of the seventies. Speaking to Rolling Stone in 1981 she commented, "They are the Errol Flynns and the Tyronne Powers of our day. So as long as I have to live with them, I try to make them into the most wonderful bunch of guys I can possibly think up."

A few weeks before the albums release Stop Draggin' My Heart Around b/w Kind Of Woman was released peaking at #3.

A further three singles were issued between October 1981 and April 1982. Leather and Lace b/w Bella Donna (October 1981) reached #6, Edge Of Seventeen b/w Outside The Rain (February 1982) peaked at #11 and After The Glitter Fades b/w Think About It (April 1982) stalled at #32.

Stevie Nicks headed out on a short promotional tour opening with a show at The Summit Arena, Houston, Texas on 28 November 1981 followed by shows in Dallas (Texas), Boulder (Colorado), Oakland (California) and Tempe (Arizona). The tour closed with five-nights at the Wilshire Fox Theater in Los Angeles, California.

Backing Nicks on the tour were many of the musicians who had worked on the album... Waddy Wachtel, Russ Kunkel, Roy Bittan, Benmont Tench and, of course, vocalists Sharon Celani and Lori Perry.

The final concert was recorded by HBO for a television special and would also be issued on VHS and Laser Disc as White Wing Dove - Stevie Nicks In Concert. Although the whole show was recorded only nine songs made it to the special and subsequent releases. Tracks included songs from Bella Donna - Outside The Rain (edited version), Stop Draggin' My Heart Around and Edge Of Seventeen along with Fleetwood Mac material - Rhiannon, Sara and Dreams.  One additional track, Leather and Lace, appeared on the I Can't Wait video which featured six of Nicks promo videos from the years 1981 to 1985.

The apparent reason for the short tour was the need for Nicks to return to Fleetwood Mac where, at the Chateau D'Herouville near Paris, they were recording basic tracks for their next album, Mirage. From my own research it appears the sessions in France were held in May-June 1981 and it is more likely Nicks rejoined Fleetwood Mac at The Record Plant in Los Angeles for the Mirage sessions at the end of the tour.

In November 2016, to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the albums release, Rhino issued the 3-CD Bella Donna Deluxe Edition.

Featuring a remastered original album on CD-1 with eleven bonus tracks on CD-2 and a third disc containing fourteen live recordings from 1981, the package also included an informative 24-page booklet with notes by Craig McLean, lyrics to the original album, credits and several photos.

The second disc, Bonus Tracks, included Think About It (alternate version), Bella Donna (demo), Edge Of Seventeen (early take) along with several tracks that didn't make the album, Gold And Braid, If You Were My Love and The Dealer. Two tracks, Blue Lamp and Sleeping Angel, had appeared previously on the Heavy Metal soundtrack and Fast Times At Ridgemont High soundtrack respectively.

The third disc, Live 1981, brought together the ten previously released on video live performances from the 1981 tour, including the restored full-length version of Outside The Rain, along with four previously unreleased performances of Angel, After The Glitter Fades, Bella Donna and How Still My Love.

Speaking to US Magazine about the album in 1981 she said, “It’s difficult to be a girl in a big rock’n’roll group for six years. You’re very protected and dependent. For so long you’re not allowed to make your own decisions, that suddenly you don’t want to any more. Doing my solo album was the only step I could take to show I still had control.”

FLEETWOOD MAC - MIRAGE

Forty years ago today (18 June) Fleetwood Mac released Mirage, the follow up to Tusk, and to celebrate I am looking back at the recording, release and success of the album.

Rumours had sold over 40 million copies worldwide, spent months on the charts in the USA and was a number one in many countries including Australia, Canada and, of course, the UK and USA. The follow up, Tusk, was a complete departure and from the record companies point of view was a flop, despite selling over 15 million copies and reaching the top spot in the UK album charts. It couldn't repeat the success of Rumours in the US where it stalled at #4.

Following the release of Tusk some members of the group had followed their own career paths, releasing solo albums.

Stevie Nicks had written a large number of songs which had not made it onto any Fleetwood Mac release. This was due to having three strong songwriters in the band and the impossible task of picking the best from each of the three for inclusion.

Released in July 1981 her solo debut album, Bella Donna, was a critically acclaimed success reaching number one in the USA and selling more than four million copies.

Lindsey Buckingham's first solo album, Law And Order, could not repeat the success of Bella Donna and only reached #32 while Mick Fleetwood's solo effort, The Visitor, just scrapped into the top 50. In no way is this a reflection of the music, as all three artists would go on to release more solo albums and, in the case of Buckingham and Nicks, have very successful solo career.

No doubt there were songs on their solo albums that could have been held over for the next Fleetwood Mac project. From Bella Donna there was Edge Of Seventeen and Outside The Rain while Law And Order had Trouble and That's How We Do It In La.

When it came time to record a new Fleetwood Mac album the decision was made to travel to France and the Chateau D'Herouville. Located in the village of Herouville near Paris it was built in 1740 from the remains of an earlier 16th-Century chateau. Among its previous occupants was composer Frederic Chopin and it's association with music would continue in the 1960s. The chateau was purchased by film composer Michel Magne to use as his own personal workspace, although the place needed a lot of restoration work. In 1969, with funds available to begin restoration, he decided to incorporate a recording studio into the property. In the 1970s several big names in the pop world recorded at the studio including Elton John, who recorded three albums between 1972 and 1973, Honky Chateau, Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Other artists to use the facilities were David Bowie (Pin Up and Low), Pink Floyd (Obscured By Clouds) and Cat Stevens (Catch Bull At Four).

In an interview Christine McVie talked about the decision to go to France to record the new album, "We decided we wanted to be outside of Los Angeles because we wanted to be without any distractions. We wanted to be just the five of us, and work something out."

Stevie Nicks had good memories of France, as she recalled in the liner notes to the expanded edition of the album, "When I think of Mirage now I think of living in the castle  and visiting Paris. I think of white fishnet stockings, red high heels and going to get my hair done and having five different hairdressers working on me." She also talked about the Chateau, "I also remember living in the Chateau, which was romantic, though I remember for some reason there was no ice. And they thought it might be haunted because there were strange sounds in there. So to me, the Mirage sessions were beautiful and insane."

Sessions in France were held between May and June 1981 with all the backing tracks laid down. Lindsey Buckingham produced the sessions which were engineered by Buckingham along with Richard Dashut and Ken Caillat.

Full details about the recordings are not available, and while some vocals may have also been recorded in France, following the sessions the band returned to Los Angeles where, between June and December, they overdubbed their vocals and finished the album at Larabee Sound and The Record Plant.

Released on 18 June 1982, in both America and the United Kingdom, the album saw the group return to the top of the Billboard 200 for the first time since Rumours back in 1977. With five weeks at #1 and 18 weeks in the top ten, it would eventually be certified double platinum for sales of over two million copies. In the UK it peaked at #5 selling more than 300,000 copies and certified platinum.

The album cover featured Lindsey with Christine and Stevie while the back featured Mick and John, taken by George Hurrell. The insert included the lyrics to all the songs, credits and a painting by Mac James. 

The album opens with Love In Store, the first of four songs Christine McVie contributed. Others were Only Over You, for which she credits ex-lover Dennis Wilson for the inspiration, Hold Me and the albums closing track Wish You Were Here.

Stevie Nicks wrote three songs, That's Alright, which dated back to her Buckingham Nicks days, Gypsy and Straight Back. Written after her break-up with Jimmy Iovine, Straight Back, can also be seen as a statement on the problems she encountered leaving a successful solo career to rejoin Fleetwood Mac. Gypsy, a typical Nicks song, is definitely the highlight on the album.

The remaining five songs were written by Lindsey Buckingham, three with co-producer Richard Dashut, Book Of Love, Empire State, the 1950s pastiche Oh Diane and two solo efforts, Can't Go Back and Eyes Of The World. The latter was the closest Buckingham gets to the kind of song he contributed to Tusk.

Lindsey Buckingham felt Mirage was a step backwards, "We should have progressed but instead we just reacted against Tusk. It was pleasant but much too safe. Mirage was quite reactionary after Tusk. I think, because forces within the band and without were saying to me 'You went to far on Tusk'. That was kind of hard to deal with, taking the flak over Tusk."

There are some interesting lyrics in his song Can't Go Back which might be his own personal opinion and mixed emotions on the songs they were recording... "Standing in the shadows, The man I used to be, I want to go back" are the opening lyrics and are answered by a mix of male and female voices declaring, "Can't go back."

Looking back on the album he said, "It was hard to know where to go at that moment when you had just gone somewhere in one direction that felt right - then to have to sort of reel it back in a more forced way felt difficult. But I understood that I was only one member of a group so what was I going to do?"

Mick Fleetwood understood his concerns, "I think Mirage was more preconceived as a kind of band record organically representing where we left off with Rumours. So in retrospect it wasn't as daring an album as Tusk which understandably would leave Lindsey with some trepidation."

Several tracks were lifted for single release. Hold Me backed with Eyes Of The World was the first single, released the same month as the album, reaching #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 but failed to chart in the UK.

A video was filmed to promote Hold Me featuring the band in a surreal scenario. They are seen in a desert where John McVie and Mick Fleetwood are dressed as archaeologists, complete with khaki shorts and pith helmets, where they find the desert covered with pieces of broken mirror. Other scenes show Christine McVie, surrounded by paintings, looking through a telescope and searching for Lindsey Buckingham. Stevie Nicks is featured relaxing on a chaise-longue when Buckingham sees her and paints a portrait of her. All very surreal and typical Fleetwood Mac from the time.

Issued in August, Gypsy was coupled with a non-album track, Cool Water, as the second single in both the USA and UK where it charted in both territories at #12 and #46 respectively.

Once again a promo video was filmed which was shot in colour with sepia toned and black and white footage both used to good effect. Directed by Russell Mulcahy, at the time it was the highest-budget music video ever produced. It was also the first 'World Premiere Video' on MTV. Many locations, costumes and dancers were featured in the video. The filming of the video wasn't without its problems, as both Buckingham and Nicks were hardly speaking and in the video they are seen dancing together. Nicks recalled in an interview, "We weren't getting along well then. I didn't want to be anywhere near him. I certainly didn't want to be in his arms." She went on to say, "If you watch the video, you'll see I wasn't happy. And he wasn't a very good dancer." Just another day in the Fleetwood Mac drama.

A third single was issued in November in the USA bringing together Love In Store and Can't Go Back which peaked at #22 on the Billboard Hot 100. Although not issued at the time in the UK Can't Go Back was issued with That's Alright in April 1983 but stalled at #83 in the charts.

The UK had an additional single release when, in December 1982, Oh Diane was coupled with Only Over You and became the bands highest placed single from Mirage when it reached a respectable #9. Whether based on the success of the song in the UK it did finally receive a US release in February 1983 but failed to chart. Interestingly, the picture sleeve featured the Penguin logo for the first time in several years.

Following deluxe editions of both Rumours and Tusk, Warner Brothers released the 3-CD, 1-LP and DVD Mirage Deluxe Edition in 2016. The set included a remaster of the original album, thirteen live tracks and a selection of outtakes, early versions and previously unreleased songs. There was also a vinyl copy of the album and a DVD-Audio disc with 5.1 surround and 24/96 Stereo mixes of the original album. They missed the opportunity to include a DVD of the live concert that was issued on VHS back in 1983, which has never had a DVD or Blu-Ray release in the United States or United Kingdom.

The outtakes/early versions included two songs, Goodbye Angel and Teen Beat, which had previously been issued on the 25 Years: The Chain box set. Making their first appearance were alternate and early versions of most of the tracks that made the album along with several that didn't... If You Were My Love, Smile At You, Put A Candle In The Window and a jam on the old Fats Domino classic Blue Monday. A nice addition was the extended version of Gypsy that was used in the video.

There was also a 2-CD expanded edition with just the original album and outtakes discs.

For Record Store Day 2017 an album, Alternate Mirage, was released in a limited run of just 6,500 copies. Featuring twelve tracks, early versions and outtakes, that were originally released on the deluxe edition they were making their first appearance on vinyl.

Following the release of Fleetwood Mac (White Album), Rumours and Tusk the band toured the world promoting the albums. However, with Mirage the band only toured for two months, in September and October 1982, with just twenty-nine concerts in the United States.

Two of the final concerts in Los Angeles were filmed and released on VHS in 1983. The over two hour show was edited to just 80 minutes and the running order was also altered. As mentioned earlier the Deluxe Edition of Mirage included a third CD with live recordings from the concert. In 2021 the Fleetwood Mac Live Deluxe Edition featured three more songs from the concert, Second Hand News, Brown Eyes and Hold Me.

As John Milward wrote in the August issue of Rolling Stone, "Fleetwood Mac have never pretended to be heavy thinkers. But like E.T. or baseball's pennant race, Mirage is another of 1982s sunny entertainments: it sounds great in the morning and fine over a sunset with wine."