ENCHANTED: THE WORKS OF STEVIE NICKS (1998)

“Stevie Nicks is more than a rock icon: She’s the high priestess of her own religion, ruling a world of prancing gypsies, gold-dust princesses and white-winged doves… On Enchanted, she still has that soulful ache in her voice, and you can hear how faithfully Nicks has followed her vision.” —Rolling Stone

Enchanted: The Works of Stevie Nicks (1998) is Stevie Nicks‘ second solo career retrospective. The three-disc box set contains three-and-a-half hours of digitally-remastered music — 46 songs, spanning 17 years of Stevie’s solo career (1981-1998). It also contains a 64-page color booklet with previously unseen photos, complete lyrics, and Nicks’ personal reminiscences.

Discs 1 and 2 contain songs from Stevie’s first six releases: Bella Donna (1981), The Wild Heart (1983), Rock a Little (1985), The Other Side of the Mirror (1989), and Timespace: The Best of Stevie Nicks (1991), and Street Angel (1994); and a selection of b-sides. Disc 3 is a mix of demos, duets, remixes, soundtrack songs, and previously unreleased material.

Track List

Disc 1

1. Enchanted (3:07)
2. Outside the Rain (4:19)
3. After the Glitter Fades (3:32)
4. Wild Heart (6:10)
5. Leather and Lace (Full Version) (3:57)
6. Garbo (3:30)
7. Stand Back (4:48)
8. Nightbird (5:01)
9. Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around (4:01)
10. Beauty and the Beast (6:02)
11. Kind of Woman (3:11)
12. If Anyone Falls (4:07)
13. One More Big Time Rock and Roll Star (4:25)
14. Blue Denim* (4:13)
15. Bella Donna (5:22)

Disc 2

1. Edge of Seventeen (Live 1981) (8:07)
2. Street Angel* (4:07)
3. Rock a Little (Go Ahead Lily) (3:39)
4. I Sing for the Things (3:40)
5. Rooms on Fire (4:18)
6. I Can’t Wait (Extended Rock Mix) (5:58)
7. Two Kinds of Love (4:48)
8. The Highwayman (4:51)
9. Rose Garden* (4:25)
10. Talk to Me (4:12)
11. Destiny* (4:36)
12. Ooh My Love (5:04)
13. Desert Angel (5:22)
14. Whole Lotta Trouble (Edited Remix) (4:32)
15. Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You (4:32)

Disc 3

1. Twisted (Demo) (3:20)
2. Long Distance Winner (4:49)
3. Thousand Days (5:18)
4. Battle of the Dragon (5:18)
5. Gold (4:22)
6. Free Fallin’ (5:35)
7. It’s Late (Demo) (2:11)
8. Violet and Blue (5:05)
9. Whenever I Call You Friend (3:53)
10. Sweet Girl (Demo) (4:32)
11. Blue Lamp (3:46)
12. Gold and Braid (Live 1981/Remix) (5:16)
13. Reconsider Me (3:47)
14. Somebody Stand by Me (5:05)
15. Sleeping Angel (Remix) (4:45)
16. Rhiannon (Piano Version) (6:41)

* Original mix

Buckingham Nicks, other rarities

Disc 3 includes “Long Distance Winner,” the first time a Buckingham Nicks track has ever appeared on a commercial CD.

Stevie recorded a cover of Dorsey Burnette’s “It Late,” a song that dates back to her early childhood. Stevie used to sing the song with her grandfather, country singer A.J. Nicks. (Dorsey Burnette is the father of former Fleetwood Mac member Billy Burnette.)

Release

Modern Records released Enchanted on April 28, 1998. It debuted at No. 85 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart, selling 56,000 units in its first week, which exceeded sales expectations for the box set.

Modern promoted the box set by releasing the single “Reconsider Me” (featuring Don Henley), an outtake from the Rock a Little recording sessions, and Selections from Enchanted for radio play. Stevie then promoted the release with a national tour. Best Buy issued Stevie Nicks: The Enchanted Tour, a 2-CD various-artist sampler to help promote the tour.

In 1997, the RIAA certified Enchanted gold for the shipment of 500,000 units to retailers. Enchanted is now out of print, though it is widely available in the used marketplace.

Press release

“When you’re in Fleetwood Mac, you don’t have much of a life…you don’t have much of a personal life, anyway. You’re a member of a band, part of the team. My solo work is a whole other thing. Everything that happens is my decision, which makes it a lot more special. Now it’s all together in one place. There’s stuff on this collection that, otherwise, there really wouldn’t be a place for. If it wasn’t for this set, some of these songs might never be heard.”

Enchanted is a three-CD boxed set that stands unrivaled in its encapsulation of Stevie Nicks’ remarkable solo career. In addition to collecting material from her six Modern/Atlantic solo albums — 1981’s RIAA quadruple-platinum Bella Donna, 1983’s double-platinum The Wild Heart, 1985’s platinum-selling Rock a Little, 1989’s platinum-certified The Other Side of the Mirror, 1991’s RIAA platinum Timespace: The Best of Stevie Nicks, and 1994’s gold-certified Street Angel — the 46-track set is highlighted by a number of previously unreleased tracks, studio demos, and live cuts, along with songs Nicks has contributed to motion picture soundtracks. All told, Enchanted is a thoughtfully constructed celebration of Nicks’ solo success, artistic achievement, and collaborations with some of her most gifted peers.

Promos

News & Coverage

• Atlantic honors Stevie Nicks with lavish 3-CD ‘Enchanted’ anthology April 18, 1998 - A quarter-century ago, Stevie Nicks penned a tune about embracing a paradox, its music an upward spiral that predicted a… More
• Q & A with Stevie Nicks April 26, 1998 - Stevie Nicks talks about compiling first retrospective box set, new solo album, and the future of Fleetwood Mac Anyone who… More
• High Priestess June 19, 1998 - Shedding drugs, weight and breast implants, Stevie Nicks whirls back ENTHRONED UPON HER FOUR-poster bed, incense and candles burning as… More
• A storm called Stevie July 1, 1998 - With her swirling robes, angel-witch presence, and glorious, mellifluous voice, Stevie Nicks emerged as the most unabashedly ethereal and feminine… More

References

Jackson, R. (1998, May 6). Enchanted exceeds the initial first week sale expectations. Business Wire.
Modern Records (1998). Stevie Nicks [Press release].
Nicks, S. (1998, April 29). Enchanted: the works of Stevie Nicks.
Sheffield, R. (1998, May 14). Enchanted: The works of Stevie Nicks. Rolling Stone.

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