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James
 Rep: 664 

Re: Fleetwood Mac

James wrote:

Been listening to this a lot this past week.  I have a new appreciation for it. It's got some stellar deep cuts and a killer b side left off the album in favor of part 2 of the same song.

It's criminal that this wound up being the last real Fleetwood Mac album. I suppose we're lucky to even have it. Last album easily could've been Mirage.

As you may know, this album started out as a Lindsey Buckingham solo album but Mick talked him into turning it into a Fleetwood Mac album. Lindsey agreed but almost immediately regretted it. He left the band after recording it and right before the tour started.

This is also the album where Stevie stopped giving a shit. It was recorded over a year in Lindsey's house. Stevie showed up a couple times during the span of a two weeks. Lindsey had so little to work with he had to use studio wizardry to put together her vocals...and some parts that sound like Stevie aren't even her.

At least Mick finally credited Lindsey's brilliance for shouldering the load and putting this album together.

Had some big hits....

Big Love
Little Lies
Everywhere
Seven Wonders


Buried treasure...


^That needed to be on the soundtrack of some cheesy 80s movie.


^ Looks like this was a single in the UK.


What a beautiful little song. Should've closed the album. They did put it on the deluxe edition though.

James
 Rep: 664 

Re: Fleetwood Mac

James wrote:

I can't believe they didn't work more on this song and left it off the album.

It's really, REALLY good....very unconventional...and is one ingredient away from being spectacular.



I guarantee Robert Plant, a huge fan of Fleetwood Mac, heard this song back then and 5-6 years later when recording his Fate of Nations album  got inspired by Ricky and then wrote 29 Palms.

You can hear a sketch of it in Ricky.

exoterica
 Rep: 18 

Re: Fleetwood Mac

exoterica wrote:

It's a great album, a little too long.

I haven't listened to it in awhile but probably their best post-Rumours work, imo.

I'm a big Say You Will fan but the dropoff in quality and flow is undeniable.

James
 Rep: 664 

Re: Fleetwood Mac

James wrote:
Wagszilla wrote:

It's a great album, a little too long.

It's mediocre deep cuts really drag it down. It's why I ignored it for eons....the album's hits made it to their greatest hits albums.

It's only a 12 track album but the track sequencing is all out of whack. Makes it a chore to listen to.

They all deserve blame....the band was in turmoil and Lindsey is months away from quitting....but a lot of it falls on Stevie. She didn't give them much to work with.

The deluxe edition which I've had in heavy rotation shows the project had more potential but it also shows weaknesses... especially the quality of Stevie's vocals on demos. She's an alcoholic mess and the Seven Wonders demo highlights this.

It's also the only decent song she brought to the table.

Spend a few more months working on Tango, tell Stevie to go to rehab or go on vacation, and tighten up the screws.  It's sad that they have no idea that Tango is their swan song.

Here's a much tighter and improved track list I made out of the Deluxe edition....



You and I part 1 -   Part 2 was Tangos outro. Why exclude the superior part 1?

Big Love

Seven Wonders

Isn't It Midnight -    the alternate take of this track without Lindsey's backing vocal on the chorus, that great solo, and less going on musically overall is great. I love both versions but I'd include this one on the album. It flows seamlessly with the rest of Christine's tracks.

Everywhere

Family Man - It will forever blow my mind that this never made it to an 80s movie soundtrack. This also sounds like a solo Buckingham song....and that's probably what it initially was. Love his guitar work on this.

When I See You Again - The 2nd and final track of Stevie's I would include. It's serviceable, and Welcome to the Room Sara should've been on her next solo album instead of Tango.

Little Lies

Down Endless Street -  Musically it's reminiscent of Rod Stewart's Some Guys Have All the Luck. I like it though... just needs a bit more work.

Ricky - A quirky, great Christine track. Loads of potential and should've been A listed.

You and I part 2 as the outro.


Excluding the intro/outro, that's 9 songs. Use what's left for B sides.

exoterica
 Rep: 18 

Re: Fleetwood Mac

exoterica wrote:

Yeah, I'll have to give it a spin soon.

I listened through a Fleetwood compilation album with a bunch of rarities earlier this year.

Unlike Gn'R, they were hugely prolific and had a lot of unreleased stuff from each era so there's a lot to sort through.

James
 Rep: 664 

Re: Fleetwood Mac

James wrote:

Yeah.... their demos, sketches, alternate takes, and B sides are a treasure trove.

I love the early version of I Don't Want To Know. We get to hear the version of it before they told Stevie she wasn't getting Silver Springs on Rumours and she has to sing on this instead.

It's good with Lindsey by himself....but he knew she would take it to the next level.

How about the original demo of The Chain? An acoustic track with Stevie singing different lyrics.

Lindsey keeps the chorus, writes more lyrics and music, and they grab the outro from this Christine demo...


And Voila.....

Out comes one of the greatest songs ever recorded...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDG2m5hN1vo





The talent in this band was just off the charts. There is no weak link.

Edit

I'm referring to the 75-87 lineup. The earlier lineups have a small handful of decent songs but they were lacking a powerhouse like Lindsey to pull it all together and everyone brought their A game to the table when he arrived. The cherry on top was bringing Stevie who they initially didn't even want....she was literally his secret weapon.

Having said that, I've always wondered what this lineup would've done had Bob Welch stayed or come back...say during the recording of Tusk.

Not a good 'What if?' I suppose since his departure is what led to Lindsey's arrival.

Then take into consideration Lindsey didn't like him yet Stevie loved him. That's a recipe for disaster.

As far as the post 1987 lineups go, they mean nothing to me and other than the 97 reunion, I don't consider them the real Fleetwood Mac. They were always missing either Lindsey, Christine, or Stevie.

Always found it funny they always needed two guitarists to replace Lindsey and it still wasn't enough.

James
 Rep: 664 

Re: Fleetwood Mac

James wrote:

Call me crazy but I prefer Take 2 of Dreams over the album version. I know it's missing Mick's bombastic drumming, John's killer bass, and those subtle backing vocals but there's a vibe on this take that is sorely missing on the album version... especially that intro.


Having said that, Dreams was never one of my favorite songs from Rumours.  It's the 3rd worst... behind Oh Daddy and Songbird.

James
 Rep: 664 

Re: Fleetwood Mac

James wrote:

By the way... there is surprisingly a Guns N Roses connection to Fleetwood Mac.

In the mid-late 80s they were rehearsing in Bob Welch's garage.

Gallealonso
 Rep: 0 

Re: Fleetwood Mac

Gallealonso wrote:

This is truly a legendary classic!

James
 Rep: 664 

Re: Fleetwood Mac

James wrote:

It's over.

Christine McVie said she felt she was “too old” to tour with Fleetwood Mac again.

The singer and keyboardist, 77, also expressed doubt that singer Stevie Nicks and bassist John McVie would agree to take part in any post-coronavirus road trip, although she was sure drummer Mick Fleetwood would sign up.

“That’s an impossible question to even answer,” McVie said when asked about a future tour on BBC Radio 2 recently. “If we do, it would be without John and without Stevie, I think. I think I’m getting a bit too old for it now – especially having had a year off. I don’t know if I could get myself back into it again.”

While she didn’t offer her thoughts on why Nicks might refuse, she said ex-husband John is "feeling a little bit frail. He’s fine, but he just hasn’t got the heart for it anymore. He wants to get on his boat. … You reach a certain age where you go, ‘Hey, I’m not going to bust a gut doing this any more.”

She noted that "it all looks very nice when you come and see the show, but the work that goes behind it to get to that point is unbelievable. ... I know Mick would do it in a lightning strike, but I couldn’t possibly say. … We’re certainly not touring this year either.”

Fleetwood Mac revamped their lineup in 2018 by adding Mike Campbell and Neil Finn as replacement for Lindsey Buckingham, who’d recently been fired. Speaking in November 2020, Campbell said he expected to record an album with his new bandmates and was surprised to find himself hitting the road with them instead. “At the end of that tour, we were all pretty tired: You know, we went around the world once or twice," he recalled.

"So, we had a meeting and everybody said, ‘Let's take a couple of years off and relax and do other things, and see how we feel in a couple of years. And if everybody is engaged. … We'll reconvene and see what we can do. So, it's up in the air.”

I find it laughable that Campbell was expecting to record an album with them...not realizing that the only reason he was brought in was so they could tour.

It really shows the band's lack of communication and the fact Campbell wasn't keeping up with current events.

Stevie shit canned the idea of the real lineup doing a final album years ago. It's what led to the Buckingham/Mcvie album.

Even IF they considered the possibility of an album, they'd never do it without Buckingham. History shows them doing so would be pointless.

It's all over. They are simply too old to bother restarting the touring machine....and Stevie's reluctance and her issues with Buckingham prevent an album from happening.

An incredible career...but it should've been even better. Fans deserved one more album after the reunion in 97.

The Stones are the next band to hang it up in a Covid world. They are no longer a creative entity either....lack of touring potential gives them no reason to exist.

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