Fleetwood Mac

[liebzz]

Behind the Mask

Lindsey Buckingham out. Rick Vito and Billy Burnette in. This one contains a few interesting highlights. In the Back of My Mind feels like the rare occasion lately where there’s intentional space that works for them, at least since I’m so Afraid. When the Sun Goes Down is a nice jangly almost country tune that kept my attention. Freedom, written with Mike Campbell is pretty damn good. The rest, is extremely vanilla and not very engaging. Just sort of there, much of it just boring and listless.

Well, we’ve finally got some slide work that’s beyond the Elmore James licks of Jeremy Spencer. Beyond that, they’re back to a hand trying to capture a new identity. You don’t really realize what Buckingham brought to the table until he’s gone. There’s nothing I would ever listen to again.

What’s tough is that here we are in 1990 going back to 1967, and what we have to show for it is 2 great albums, 3 albums I would listen to again, and selected tracks. For a band that carries their legend, they were batting maybe .250 from their inception to their prime. I frankly have no background on the next 30 years coming, but the batting average ain’t great.

[tragabigzanda]

Top 10 maybe?
Hello Morning
Close Captioned
The Kill
Place/Position
Do You Like Me?
Latest Disgrace
Recap Modotti
Nightshop
Break
Life & Limb

I'd maybe bump Life & Limb for Epic Problem

[liebzz]

I’m surprised you didn’t enjoy some of the earlier stuff, but not surprised that everything after Tusk gets progressively worse

It’s more selected tracks with the earlier stuff. The blues years with Peter Green are probably too much like Chicago blues, which I like, but it’s less a reimagination (Stones) and more of a replica of a replica kind of deal. Then Play On was the exception and I really liked that. The next album I was drawn to was Mystery to Me, which took me by surprise. The self-titled and Rumors are really great albums, and Tusk is a disjointed but ultimately worthy listen. I haven’t really found much else to latch on to but for a few songs here and there. In the midst of the next Buckingham album and I am feeling pretty good about it so far.

[wease]

Tango in the Night isn’t worse. It’s better than Tusk!

[wease]

I’m surprised you didn’t enjoy some of the earlier stuff, but not surprised that everything after Tusk gets progressively worse

It’s more selected tracks with the earlier stuff. The blues years with Peter Green are probably too much like Chicago blues, which I like, but it’s less a reimagination (Stones) and more of a replica of a replica kind of deal. Then Play On was the exception and I really liked that. The next album I was drawn to was Mystery to Me, which took me by surprise. The self-titled and Rumors are really great albums, and Tusk is a disjointed but ultimately worthy listen. I haven’t really found much else to latch on to but for a few songs here and there. In the midst of the next Buckingham album and I am feeling pretty good about it so far.

I’ll post my review in a little while. Really liked it.

[JuanHamm]

Family Man is a favorite of mine.

[tragabigzanda]

[liebzz]

Lindsey Buckingham - Out of the Cradle

On his third solo album, Buckingham seems to find the balance between scratching his itch for a different sound with the natural elements that made him such an excellent fit with Fleetwood Mac in their heyday. And the guitars sound great! Don’t Look Down, Wrong, All My Sorrows, Surrender the Rain, Doing What I Can, and Say We’ll Meet Again are all highlights on this one showing different elements of his sound. The winner for me is the epic This Is the Time - which is basically what I always want to hear from him - an interesting tune that turns it on as it goes along and just slays to the finish. After a collection of mediocre albums from all these folks, this is something fresh and worth tuning into.

[tragabigzanda]

[wease]

Lindsey Buckingham - Out of the Cradle

On his third solo album, Buckingham seems to find the balance between scratching his itch for a different sound with the natural elements that made him such an excellent fit with Fleetwood Mac in their heyday. And the guitars sound great! Don’t Look Down, Wrong, All My Sorrows, Surrender the Rain, Doing What I Can, and Say We’ll Meet Again are all highlights on this one showing different elements of his sound. The winner for me is the epic This Is the Time - which is basically what I always want to hear from him - an interesting tune that turns it on as it goes along and just slays to the finish. After a collection of mediocre albums from all these folks, this is something fresh and worth tuning into.

I'll check it

Totally agree. Can’t really add anything to this. There’s not a bad song on here. It’s like it finally all came together. Can’t recommend enough.

[wease]

Fleetwood Mac - Time

Rick Vito is out. After getting pissed at Mick for not letting her include Silver Springs on her greatest hits collection, Nicks is out. C McVie is pretty much held hostage by Mick and the record company. What to do? Hire Dave Mason and Bekka Bramlett. Now let me preface by saying I’m a Bramlett fan. I’ve loved her voice for a long time now. And Dave Mason was pretty much a legend by this point. What comes from this is really two separate albums released in the same package. McVie releases 5-6 tracks of pretty lackluster material and no one else from the band is even on it. (Interestingly, Buckingham appears on one track). Meanwhile the band releases Delaney & Bonnie 2.0. As a blues-roots album, it’s quite enjoyable. As a Fleetwood Mac album, not so much. It would’ve been quite interesting to hear Bekka and Christine harmonizing together and could’ve made the album feel more cohesive. Instead we’re left with a band wandering aimlessly again just trying to stay afloat and keep going. And to show what kind of presence this lineup had, I never even knew either one of them were in the band.

I did find a few shows on YouTube with this lineup. They’re quite interesting. The older material sounded quite strange. Bekka’s pure soul delivery didn’t really lend itself to that type of song. Musically, it was ok for the most part. I do recommend looking them up just to hear what they were offering.

[liebzz]

Stevie Nicks - Street Angel

For this one, marred in all sorts of issues with her producer, her issues with klonopin, etc., Stevie Nicks brings along all her famous rock star buddies. Her first after she left Fleetwood Mac (for now), but rather than finding a creative angle away from the band, she seems, perhaps to those issues, to have fallen into a place where she’s a spectator on her own album. It’s detached, filled with god-awful lines (“oooh, you’re consistent, and that’s good”), and nothing much is particularly interesting. Even where you hear a Mike Campbell solo, or she’s covering Dylan, it’s all pedestrian especially for such an icon. Seems like her low point here.

[liebzz]

Fleetwood Mac - Time

Rick Vito is out. After getting pissed at Mick for not letting her include Silver Springs on her greatest hits collection, Nicks is out. C McVie is pretty much held hostage by Mick and the record company. What to do? Hire Dave Mason and Bekka Bramlett. Now let me preface by saying I’m a Bramlett fan. I’ve loved her voice for a long time now. And Dave Mason was pretty much a legend by this point. What comes from this is really two separate albums released in the same package. McVie releases 5-6 tracks of pretty lackluster material and no one else from the band is even on it. (Interestingly, Buckingham appears on one track). Meanwhile the band releases Delaney & Bonnie 2.0. As a blues-roots album, it’s quite enjoyable. As a Fleetwood Mac album, not so much. It would’ve been quite interesting to hear Bekka and Christine harmonizing together and could’ve made the album feel more cohesive. Instead we’re left with a band wandering aimlessly again just trying to stay afloat and keep going. And to show what kind of presence this lineup had, I never even knew either one of them were in the band.

I did find a few shows on YouTube with this lineup. They’re quite interesting. The older material sounded quite strange. Bekka’s pure soul delivery didn’t really lend itself to that type of song. Musically, it was ok for the most part. I do recommend looking them up just to hear what they were offering.

In the midst of this now.

[liebzz]

Fleetwood Mac - Time

After we hear what is likely Stevie Nicks’s low point, we get treated to what might be Fleetwood Mac’s. As wease noted, another drastic lineup change, this one without Nicks, and this band is really just a shell of its former selves. Yes, Bella Bramlett has a good voice. That’s the best thing I can say. It’s just listless and lifeless, and utterly bland from start to finish.

[wease]

Stevie Nicks - Street Angel

For this one, marred in all sorts of issues with her producer, her issues with klonopin, etc., Stevie Nicks brings along all her famous rock star buddies. Her first after she left Fleetwood Mac (for now), but rather than finding a creative angle away from the band, she seems, perhaps to those issues, to have fallen into a place where she’s a spectator on her own album. It’s detached, filled with god-awful lines (“oooh, you’re consistent, and that’s good”), and nothing much is particularly interesting. Even where you hear a Mike Campbell solo, or she’s covering Dylan, it’s all pedestrian especially for such an icon. Seems like her low point here.

Oh, I forgot to post about this one. Which really says it all. A highly forgettable album.

[liebzz]

The Dance

What is a Fleetwood Mac story without short lived redemption. Getting the band we know best back together for what feels like the first time in the room together in a decade, they bang out a bunch of hits and a few new songs in fine fashion. I’m so Afraid is phenomenal, as is they’re playing with the USC marching band on Tusk and Don’t Stop. A flash of a moment where they all seem happy and excited to be together. This is Fleetwood Mac, however, so don’t get too comfortable.

Had the story ended here, it would have been such a fine ending…

[wease]

The Dance

What is a Fleetwood Mac story without short lived redemption. Getting the band we know best back together for what feels like the first time in the room together in a decade, they bang out a bunch of hits and a few new songs in fine fashion. I’m so Afraid is phenomenal, as is they’re playing with the USC marching band on Tusk and Don’t Stop. A flash of a moment where they all seem happy and excited to be together. This is Fleetwood Mac, however, so don’t get too comfortable.

Had the story ended here, it would have been such a fine ending…

Big Love on here is a transcendent performance. Absolutely phenomenal. The new tracks are ok. Nothing to be excited about.

[liebzz]

Yes. I forgot about Big Love. That was exceptional - especially the guitars.

[JuanHamm]

Yes. I forgot about Big Love. That was exceptional - especially the guitars.

Guitar.

[bart]

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