Fleetwood Mac: Classic or Dud

https://i.imgur.com/hsWrJFO.jpg

guys

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGCV3m22o4o

When she got home I asked my wife what song she wanted to play in her memory, to my surprise the first thing she said was "Honey Hi."

My favourite single Mac recording - the way she sings, and that heartbroken, beautiful final guitar solo, and the way it interacts with Christine's organ. Just the greatest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjEGeDf4p1M

― his cartoon heart expands, then he relaxes by smoking crack (stevie), Wednesday, 30 November 2022 23:16 (yesterday) link

that was my gateway into Mac - I couldn't believe a band at height of their popularity would open an album with such a delicate number. RIP.

It struck me that every lyric of hers that I can think of is about interpersonal relationships, maybe with the exception of "Homeward Bound" on Bare Trees.

when i first got into FM the only pre buckingham-nicks era material i'd heard was the peter green blues rock stuff. i remember being shocked when i first heard "why" and learned that it was from two albums prior to lindsey and stevie joining. to me that song, more than any other from the early albums, shows what the band would become

rip <3

Wow, my Your Missed Hits list is some hot garbage. I think there's a reason these hits were missed.

xp Absolutely. I think Christine's songwriting was pretty much fully developed by the time they made Bare Trees (and even before then she had at least a couple of gems). The most audible difference is what Buckingham brought as a producer. "Everywhere" may be a great example of this - does anyone know how much input Christine had in the production and arrangement? It's her song, but a lot of that sounds like something Buckingham would do to a record. Regardless, it's been pointed out that if you break down the songwriting credits on their hit singles of the Buckingham-Nicks era, Christine has sole or co-writing credit on something like half of them, far more than anyone else. (Stevie would be in second, but with half as many credits.)

xp

ended up in the completely wrong thread, sorry folks

xpost I'm pretty sure, especially by then, that the music/production was largely directed by Buckingham, who no doubt made that a condition of his return. Plus he had his new Fairlight to play with.

Found this:

https://ultimateclassicrock.com/fleetwood-mac-everywhere/

Even when it came to Buckingham taking the reins on her song, McVie had faith in his ability. "It's just sort of a natural leadership. He spends all his time in the studio, and frankly, someone has to do it," she said. "It's not like we all sit around and say, 'Yes, Lindsey, no, Lindsey.' We have input. I could (veto) things he does to my songs, but he is very good at his craft."

Here's McVie's "Mystified" demo, on which Buck share songwriting credit. Sounds like it's mostly there before he got his hands dirty.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zo5kmOp9gsc

love this one, her in a rocker mode, great chorus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErBLC4GxgRs

Bare Trees is the best album of the Hidden Years imo

i can't call it between bare trees and future games, both excellent

I'd say Mystery to Me, Bob Welch really stepped up for that one album. Danny Kirwan's songwriting contributions in that era are probably the most consistent.

if you can get past the horrible cover, heroes are hard to find has some great tunes

A big drop-off considering that Mystery to Me had the greatest cover in rock history!

xxp Kirwan's guitar was also a great asset. I think that was a significant loss until Buckingham came aboard.

Christine had a pair of excellent tunes, probably the best ones too, on Heroes are Hard to Find.

xp lol yeah

i do like that in the midst of fleetwood mac's catalog there's a very serious song about the Bermuda Triangle.

I think of that as a photocopy of "Hypnotized" - Welch thinking, "my Castañeda song got lots of FM airplay, we need more songs that could double as episodes of In Search Of..."

Christine drew the sleeve to Kiln House, unless Wikipedia is lying to me

wow! i did not know that

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0902/5612/products/fleetwood_mac_kiln_house_vinyl_inside_gatefold_grande.jpg?v=1629610717

Here's a pic of the gatefold: Cover design - Christine McVie

She played some uncredited piano on it as well. In fact, she was on every regular Mac studio album except the first one and the Chicago Jam sets.

That's clearly her backing vocals on Station Man too

that live over and over from 1980 is so fucking good

I've always been struck by how she introduces it in such a crestfallen way. "We haven't played anything from Tusk yet... [notable lack of audience reaction to the mention of what was then FM's white elephant] So we're going to play one for you... [silence continues]". But it's astonishing. That whole live album is excellent, even its downer moments - a Don't Stop, taken from a soundcheck, that is absolutely drained of the studio take's joie de vivre. It's like Lindsey's playing cinema verite with the album, offering a picture of where they were emotionally in 1980 as stark as the drugged-out portraits inside the gatefold.

Great description, stevie

future games is my favorite pre-buckingham/nicks album

Relistening to the pre Buck/Nicks LPs for the first time in ages tonight, that cover of Roadrunner off Penguin bangs. I mean, maybe it's such a great song you can't fuck it up, but it is very much in the pocket.

xp Absolutely. I think Christine's songwriting was pretty much fully developed by the time they made Bare Trees (and even before then she had at least a couple of gems). The most audible difference is what Buckingham brought as a producer.

i agree she already had her songwriting style down, but i’ve also seen both christine and lindsey make reference to the hours they’d spend jamming and writing stuff together. so his contribution wasn’t just production. the guitar keyboard interplay on christine songs post-lindsey joining is the best

I just learned he played guitar on "Got a Hold On Me."

i agree she already had her songwriting style down, but i’ve also seen both christine and lindsey make reference to the hours they’d spend jamming and writing stuff together. so his contribution wasn’t just production. the guitar keyboard interplay on christine songs post-lindsey joining is the best

― flopson, Thursday, December 1, 2022 5:59 PM (thirty-two minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

I mentioned in the other thread (lol) how the 2017 album, he said, reminded him how in awe he was over her chops. As far as we know their bond was as two musicians, and they understood each other as far back as "World Turning."

I mean:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbZZEzq94d8

Made me realize that when Stevie Nicks finally dies I will -- after the mockery has passed -- be totally devastated.

Same.

In one of the two Ken Caillat books, he mentions that Buckingham was always helpful when working on McVie songs, without any drama arising.

That's clearly her backing vocals on Station Man too

Listening again to Kiln House this afternoon, it sounds like she's harmonizing on "Mission Bell" too.

The live version of "Tusk" sounds a lot more dire than the studio version, even with the accordion.

I think McVie and Buckingham were creating better material

In the main, maybe, but then there are "Dreams" and (especially) "Landslide," which are peerless.

https://www.discogs.com/master/1352330-Fleetwood-Mac-The-Alternate-Tango-In-The-Night

Worth hearing?

This was a good listen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhMmI32LKtY