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.

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.”