Yes, in many ways the loss is comparable. Hooky’s bass is arguably the sound of New Order and his antoginistic relationship with the band’s lead guitarist and singer Bernard Sumner is arguably the tension responsible for the bracing impact of their releases. However, as early as 1993, New Order really became Barney’s band. He is a genius. And he doesn’t want disagreement. Hooky declared the band disbanded in a public fit that lead to his ouster and the ultimate resurrection of the band without him. I call it Bernard Sumner’s New Order. Which is a great thing but different thing.

On their last album together, I listen to “I’ve Got a Feeling” the counterpoint of Barney’s guitar and Hooky’s bass always makes me cry in the bridge after Barney sings “There wasn’t a day that I wasn’t true / You were the one I thought I knew” and then the outro after “You can’t hurt me / you Can’t hold me / why can’t you see you don’t own me / ... / people may come and people may go / but yours was the love I got to know”

They love each other so much they think they hate each other.

This has happened many times and not just to the Mac. The casual Mac fans storm out of the arena for Rick and Billy tunes (1987 and 1990). Or even worse, anytime Stevie leaves the stage. In 1987 my heart sank during Over My Head. On that tour Stevie did not participate on Over My Head and You Make Loving Fun. She went backstage. Over My Head was a hit song but when Stevie left the stage about 20% of the arena got up and left. You can see this from the stage. I stayed put but I still felt shame and embarrassment :(
So it even happens during "hits."

:lol: :lol:
hold me.

Fleetwood Mac have been a tribute band since Unleashed when they were just bunging it on. how many times can you seriously tour with NO new music :rolleyes:

You’re right , they really are taking the mick, no pun intended.
They would not be able to do tour on top of tour anywhere else but The USA. America is so large with a big population, they can churn out the same old same old.....
People only see them once in awhile but it’s still enough to make gazillions of cash....
No new material required....
No offence it’s just the USA is so large, and can accommodate them over and over.

I feel they changed music twice, once as Joy Division with their Doors meet Kraftwerk poetic doom rock and again as New Order by bringing dance music to the alternative rock arena. To go from such gloom to euphoria is historic and bizarre! Hooky and Barney should bury it and get on. It's not like it all goes on forever and they have a history together that should be celebrated that way.

Yes, when Mr. Debbie Downer died, the band took off into the stratosphere.

Yes, they should have just stayed Bad Lieutenant—truly Barney’s band—but the fact is the brand makes a difference, ensuring ears to hear and butts to buy seat tickets.

In many ways, the Bad Lt experiment reflects the BuckVie experiment. If that album had been called Fleetwood Mac... but they were also being honest to the fireflies. It having, relatively, failed, Mac became Stevie’s Mac and the offending element ejected.

all this sucks for both bands, but Barney was here and he looked really happy. Maybe the drugs? Maybe no Hook? Both?;)
For months I've been ready to burst into tears over Lindsey's departure. ...then, I realized he's got a 6 vinyl lp box set coming out, he's gonna make a bundle, I'm gonna buy it to show support and it sounds like a pretty definitive solo career recap.....

I do, however, feel there's much more of a chance of a New Order regroup of core members than a Mac regroup at this point.