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The Other Side of the Mirror (album)

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The Other Side of the Mirror
Studio album by
Stevie Nicks
ReleasedMay 30, 1989[1]
Recorded1988
Studio
  • Farmyard, Buckinghamshire, UK
  • Lion Share, Los Angeles
  • The Castle, Los Angeles
  • Soundcastle, Hollywood
  • Ground Control, Hollywood
  • Smoketree Ranch, Chatsworth
  • Hit Factory, New York City
Genre
Length56:10
LabelModern
ProducerRupert Hine
Stevie Nicks chronology
Rock a Little
(1985) 		The Other Side of the Mirror
(1989) 		Timespace: The Best of Stevie Nicks
(1991)
Singles from The Other Side of the Mirror
  1. "Rooms on Fire"
    Released: April 24, 1989[2]
  2. "Long Way to Go"
    Released: July 31, 1989 (UK)[3]
  3. "Two Kinds of Love"
    Released: August 11, 1989 (US)
  4. "Whole Lotta Trouble"
    Released: October 30, 1989[4]

The Other Side of the Mirror is the fourth solo studio album by American singer and songwriter Stevie Nicks. Released on May 30, 1989, through the Modern Records label, the album was recorded in California, New York, and Buckinghamshire in England, and is loosely based around the theme of Lewis Carroll's novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865).

The album was a commercial success. It reached No. 10 on the US Billboard 200, propelled by the hit single "Rooms on Fire" (US No. 16), and achieved Platinum status for selling in excess of one million units. The album reached No. 3 in the United Kingdom and was certified Gold there for sales in excess of 100,000 units.[5] The Other Side of the Mirror is Nicks' highest charting album to date in various European countries including Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

Background

[edit]

Following the huge success of Fleetwood Mac's album Tango in the Night (1987) in the United Kingdom, The Other Side of the Mirror became Nicks' highest-charting solo album there, reaching No. 3 and spawning her first UK Top 40 hit with "Rooms on Fire" (reaching No. 16), which Nicks performed on the BBC show Top of the Pops. The album was certified gold in the United Kingdom for sales in excess of 100,000 copies. Her first, and so far only, solo tour of the United Kingdom and Europe (including Sweden, France and the Netherlands), followed the album. There was also a US tour, though Nicks has famously since commented that she has no recollection of the tours due to her increasing dependency on the prescribed tranquilizer Klonopin at that time.

In the United States, "Two Kinds of Love" was released as a single, featuring vocals by Bruce Hornsby and an instrumental interlude by Kenny G, which became Nicks' first single to fail to chart, missing both the Billboard and Cash Box charts. However, "Long Way to Go" gained substantial airplay, making Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart, and it also made the Top 75 on the UK Singles Chart, as did "Whole Lotta Trouble". Promotional music videos were shot for "Rooms on Fire" and "Whole Lotta Trouble". The former was released with two slightly different edits, while the "Whole Lotta Trouble" video was shot during the American leg of Nicks' tour at the Summit Arena in Houston, Texas.

An earlier, instrumental version of the song "Juliet" (titled "Book of Miracles") was released by Fleetwood Mac in 1987 as the B-side to "Seven Wonders", while “Ooh My Love” was demoed for Tango in the Night but was ultimately shelved. The song "Cry Wolf" was originally recorded by American singer Laura Branigan for her fifth studio album Touch (1987).

Modern Records also released a special long-form interview video on the making of the album, titled "Reflections from the Other Side of the Mirror", which contained newly filmed material shot by Herbert Worthington III.[6] However, it was limited to a worldwide release of 10,000 albums and only 500 VHS releases.

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[7]
Chicago Tribune[8]
Deseret News(Positive)[9]
Hi-Fi News & Record ReviewA:2[10]
Los Angeles Times[11]
People(Mixed)[12]
Record Mirror[13]
Rolling Stone[14]

Duncan Holland, reviewer of British music newspaper Music Week, praised the album. He wrote: "This is a remarkably strong record from the single, "Rooms on Fire", to the 11 other tracks on show. Some rather overworked "Alice in Wonderland" imagery aside, this is excellent stuff, floating, melodic, twisting and turning."[15] Pete Clark of Hi-Fi News & Record Review also found some warm words. He considered that this work is destined "for those evenings when you just have to leave your brain at the door, there are worse things that can ooze into your ears."[10]

Track listing

[edit]
The Other Side of the Mirror track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Rooms on Fire"
4:35
2."Long Way to Go"
  • Nicks
  • Nowels
  • Charles Judge
4:06
3."Two Kinds of Love" (with Bruce Hornsby)
4:46
4."Ooh My Love"
  • Nicks
  • Nowels
5:02
5."Ghosts"
4:54
6."Whole Lotta Trouble"
  • Nicks
  • Campbell
4:58
7."Fire Burning"
  • Nicks
  • Campbell
  • Hine
3:16
8."Cry Wolf"Jude Johnstone4:12
9."Alice"
  • Nicks
  • Hine
5:50
10."Juliet"Nicks4:55
11."Doing the Best That I Can (Escape from Berlin)"Nicks5:36
12."I Still Miss Someone (Blue Eyes)"
4:08
Total length:56:06

Personnel

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Musicians

  • Stevie Nicks – vocals, percussion (1, 6), tambourine (2, 4, 5, 7, 10)
  • Rupert Hine – keyboards, percussion (1, 3, 4, 6), drum programming (3, 9, 11, 12), synth bass (9), bass (12)
  • Rick Nowels – guitars (1, 2, 4), acoustic guitar (1)
  • Jamie West-Oram – guitars (1-4, 6, 8, 9, 11)
  • Waddy Wachtel – acoustic guitar (3, 7, 9, 12), guitars (6, 7, 10)
  • Mike Campbell – guitars (5, 6, 7), slide acoustic guitar (6, 10)
  • Vail Johnson – bass (1, 4, 5, 7, 10)
  • Tony Levin – stick bass (2, 6, 11), bass (3, 8, 12)
  • Derek Murphy – bass (7)
  • Geoff Dugmore – drums (1, 8), keyboards (8)
  • Jerry Marotta – drums (2, 4-7, 10)
  • Kenny G – soprano saxophone (3), tenor saxophone (9)
  • Marc Russo – saxophones (6)
  • Larry Williams – saxophones (6)
  • Gary Grant – trumpet (6)
  • Jerry Hey – trumpet (6)
  • The L.A. Horns – additional brass (6)
  • Kelly Johnston – tin whistle (12)
  • Sharon Celani – backing vocals (1, 2, 3, 5-12)
  • Lori Perry-Nicks – backing vocals
  • Bruce Hornsby – vocals (3), acoustic piano (10), additional vocals (10), backing vocals (10)

Production

  • Rupert Hine – producer, arrangements
  • Stephen W. Tayler – recording, mixing
  • Tim Leitner – engineer
  • Jimmy Hoyson – assistant engineer
  • Lance Krive – assistant engineer
  • Paul Loeves – assistant engineer
  • Derek Murphy – assistant engineer, mix assistant
  • Ray Pyle – assistant engineer
  • Bob Salcedo – assistant engineer
  • Arun Chakraverty – mastering
  • Herbert Worthington III – art direction, photography
  • DNZ, The Design Group – design, layout

Studios

  • Recorded at Farmyard Studios (Buckinghamshire, England); Lion Share Recording Studios and The Castle Studios (Los Angeles, California); Soundcastle and Ground Control Studios (Hollywood, California); Smoketree Ranch (Chatsworth, California); The Hit Factory (New York City, New York).
  • Mixed at Farmyard Studios
  • Mastered at Master Room (London, UK).

Charts

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Certifications and sales

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Certifications and sales for The Other Side of the Mirror
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia — 100,000[27]
United Kingdom (BPI)[5] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[28] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Releases and promotions

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  • The UK 12-inch and CD single releases of "Rooms on Fire" feature an extended version of the song running at 9:00, and also includes a live version of "Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You?" recorded during the Rock a Little tour as featured in the video/DVD release of the Red Rocks concert in 1986. A limited edition of the UK 12-inch also came with a glossy, full-size, double-sided poster.
  • The single release of "Long Way to Go" ("Two Kinds of Love" in the United States) features the non-album track "Real Tears", while the UK 12" and CD single releases feature an extended remix of "Long Way to Go", running at 6:23 (and not 7:37 as stated on the label). The UK 12-inch release of "Long Way to Go" was also available in a limited edition gatefold sleeve.
  • The UK CD-single release of "Whole Lotta Trouble" features a live version of "Beauty and the Beast", recorded during the Rock a Little tour as featured in the video release of Live at Red Rocks. A limited edition of the UK 12-inch release also came with a glossy, full-size, double-sided poster.
  • The Japanese CD release of the album includes the bonus track "Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You?" recorded live during the Rock a Little tour.
  • As a promotional giveaway in the United Kingdom, the album was released with a limited edition holographic sticker (the size of the sticker was dependent upon the format; vinyl album, cassette, CD). Album buyers were also given the opportunity to purchase a special display stand for the sticker by mail order.

Tour[29]

[edit]

Setlist:

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "BPI".
  2. ^ "New Singles". Music Week. April 22, 1989. p. 47.
  3. ^ "Stevie Nicks singles".
  4. ^ "New Singles". Music Week. October 28, 1989. p. 49.
  5. ^ a b "British album certifications – Stevie Nicks – The Other Side of the Mirror". British Phonographic Industry.
  6. ^ "Stevie Nicks - Reflections From The Other Side Of The Mirror". Discogs. Retrieved 2018-01-11.
  7. ^ Henderson, Alex. "Allmusic Review: The Other Side of the Mirror". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 2014-04-13.
  8. ^ Silverman, David (1989-06-08). "Stevie Nicks Other Side of the Mirror". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2013-11-13.
  9. ^ Spangler, Jerry (1989-06-06). "'MIRROR' REFLECTS NICKS' TALENTS - SOLO OR OTHERWISE". The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-08-31.
  10. ^ a b Clark, Pete (August 1989). "Review: Stevie Nicks — The Other Side of the Mirror" (PDF). Hi-Fi News & Record Review (magazine). Vol. 34, no. 8. Croydon: Link House Magazines Ltd. p. 110. ISSN 0142-6230. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 September 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2021 – via World Radio History.
  11. ^ Hochman, Steve (1989-05-28). "Record Rack: STEVIE NICKS "The Other Side of the Mirror." Modern/Atlantic". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2013-11-13.
  12. ^ "Picks and Pans Review: Rock A Little". People. 1985-01-13. Archived from the original on 2014-04-29. Retrieved 2013-11-11.
  13. ^ Masters, Steve (10 June 1989). "Review: Stevie Nicks — The Other Side of the Mirror" (PDF). Record Mirror. London: Spotlight Publications Ltd. p. 32. ISSN 0144-5804. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 October 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2022 – via World Radio History.
  14. ^ Rolling Stone review
  15. ^ Holland, Duncan (10 June 1989). "Review: Stevie Nicks – The Other Side of the Mirror" (PDF). Music Week. London: Spotlight Publications Ltd. p. 20. ISSN 0265-1548. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 December 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2022 – via World Radio History.
  16. ^ "australian-charts.com The Other Side of the Mirror" (ASP). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
  17. ^ "Top Albums/CDs - Volume 50, No. 12". RPM. 1989-07-17. Archived from the original (PHP) on 2016-09-27. Retrieved 2013-11-01.
  18. ^ "dutchcharts.nl Stevie Nicks – The Other Side of the Mirror" (ASP). dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 2013-11-19.
  19. ^ "Album Search: Stevie Nicks – The Other Side of the Mirror" (ASP) (in German). Media Control. Retrieved 2013-11-19.[dead link]
  20. ^ "charts.nz – Stevie Nicks – The Other Side of the Mirror" (ASP). Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
  21. ^ "swedishcharts.com Stevie Nicks – The Other Side of the Mirror" (ASP). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 2013-11-19.
  22. ^ "Stevie Nicks – The Other Side of the Mirror - hitparade.ch" (ASP). Hung Medien (in German). Swiss Music Charts. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
  23. ^ "Stevie Nicks > Artist > Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 2013-09-08.
  24. ^ "Allmusic: The Other Side of the Mirror : Charts & Awards : Billboard Albums". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2014-03-01.
  25. ^ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1989". RPM. 1989-12-23. Archived from the original on 2013-12-31. Retrieved 2014-04-29.
  26. ^ "European Top 100 Albums 1989" (PDF). Music & Media. December 23, 1989. p. 9. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 27, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  27. ^ "Pacing the Majors" (PDF). Billboard. January 20, 1990. p. A-10. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  28. ^ "American album certifications – Stevie Nicks – The Other Side of the Mirror". Recording Industry Association of America.
  29. ^ "Stevie Nicks - The Other Side of the Mirror Tour 1989".
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