ICE Magazine

February 1998

In 1997, the RUMOURS-era lineup of Fleetwood Mac returned to the spotlight with a highly publicized live album (The Dance), an MTV special of the same name and a mega-successful reunion tour. Two new projects are likely to keep the Mac's profile high through the first quarter of 1998: RUMOURS REVISITED, a various-artists salute to the band's 1997 magnum opus, and ENCHANTED, a three-CD Stevie Nicks box set featuring two best-of discs and one CD filled with soundtrack songs, unheard outtakes, home demos and the like. The tribute album is due March 17 from Lava/Atlantic, while the Nicks box arrives a week later, on March 24, from Modern/Atlantic.

Modern/Atlantic has March 24 slated for ENCHANTED, the new three-CD box set covering Stevie Nicks' career (apart from Fleetwood Mac). The first two CDs present the best tracks from Nicks' five solo albums: BELLA DONNA, THE WILD HEART, ROCK A LITTLE, THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MIRROR and STREET ANGEL. Also included are four non-album B-sides mixed in with the album tracks: "Edge of Seventeen" (the unedited eight-minute live version, only released promotionally), "Garbo", "One More Big Time Rock and Roll Star" and "Real Tears".

All tracks on the first two discs are being presented in their original mixes. At the beginning of the decade, Nicks remixed much of her best material for a greatest-hits disc called TIMESPACE. So the thinking was, ENCHANTED would be a good forum to re-present the original mixes.

The third disc of ENCHANTED contains all of the collector's items, and its contents were still being finalized at press time. Tentative plans called for the following 15 tracks to be included:

"Crying in the Night" ~ from the coveted BUCKINGHAM NICKS album that Nicks recorded with lifelong collaborator Lindsey Buckingham back in the early '70s. The marks the first official CD release of any track from that album, generally considered to be "America's most wanted" missing CD. We asked a source closely involved with the project how this particular track was chosen. "We sat down with the tracks that had the bulk of her lead vocals on them," our source says, "and we all agreed that this was the catchiest track, and the one that people would probably enjoy the most. It was also the first single from BUCKINGHAM NICKS back then."

"Whenever I Call You Friend" ~ sung with Kenny Loggins, from the latter's 1978 album NIGHTWATCH.

"Gold" ~ done with John Stewart, from Stewart's 1979 album BOMBS AWAY DREAM BABIES.

"Blue Lamp" ~ from the HEAVY METAL soundtrack, a cult item itself which was unavailable on CD for years. A track from the BELLA DONNA era.

"Sleeping Angel" ~ from the 1982 soundtrack for FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH.

"Golden Braid" ~ unreleased outtake from THE WILD HEART. Fans may be familiar with it from Nicks' concerts, but this is the unreleased studio version. Both "Sleeping Angel" and "Golden Braid" are outtakes from THE WILD HEART.

"Violet and Blue" ~ from the 1984 soundtrack to AGAINST ALL ODDS.

"I Pretend" ~ performed with singer-songwriter Sandy Stewart, from the latter's 1984 album CAT DANCERS. "Sandy wrote and performed with Stevie during THE WILD HEART/ROCK A LITTLE era," says our source. "She co-wrote, and performs on, 'Nightbird.' So this duet, from Sandy's album which is out of print, is kind of a payback."

"Battle of The Dragons" ~ from the 1986 soundtrack to AMERICAN ANTHEM.

"Thousand Days" ~ an unreleased performance.

"Somebody Stand By Me" ~ from the 1995 BOYS ON THE SIDE soundtrack.

"Free Fallin'" ~ from the 1996 PARTY OF FIVE album.

"Twisted" ~ Nicks' songwriting demo of the song that wound up on the 1996 TWISTER motion picture soundtrack. "It's her playing guitar, with something like a percussion loop, and Jesse Valenzuela of Gin Blossoms adding a little mandolin part," says our source. "It's structurally different from the version that ended up on TWISTER. It's really nice, kind of pure and sweet. Recorded in her living room, by her, on 4-track."

"It's Late" ~ a cover of Ricky Nelson's 1959 hit, also with Valenzuela on guitar. "It's an unusual side of her," says our source. "It has kind of a rockabilly feel."

"Reconsider Me" ~ an unreleased outtake from ROCK A LITTLE, written by Warren Zevon, with vocal parts added by Don Henley.

The new box set will be housed in a 6x10-inch package with digitrays, much like the box sets by Abba, The Police and Bob Marley. Tentative plans call for a 64-page booklet with lyrics to all the songs, musician credits, liner notes by Larry Flick of BILLBOARD, an introductory essay by Nicks, and lots of unreleased photos, including some taken by the artist herself. Superimposed over some of the photos will be handwritten extracts from Nicks' diaries, revealing personal reflections on particular moments in her career. Her brother, Christopher, served as art director for the project, and our source says that Nicks "has been extremely involved in every aspect of the box set." Published reports also indicate that Nicks will tour this spring in support of the project.