Tango Deluxe Release Ledgie Reviews and Comments
 

We have so many posts in the other thread that I wanted to reset and get your comments, reviews, etc. in this thread. Looking forward to hearing some new/old FMac. circa. 1987.

Just listening now (at work).
Ooh My Love is one of my favourites from OSOTM. This Tango version isn't anything like it. Shares a few lyrics but not much else. On first listen I don't think I like it.
Full version of You & I is Parts 1 and 2 combined - not noticing anything new or changed from what we've already heard (maybe a longer instrumental intro?)
Alt version of Mystified is nice - maybe more LB solo vocals?
Special Kind of Love - I like it, LB lead vocal, CMV harmony. Don't think any Stevie. Doesn't sound like demo we may have previously heard.
Haven't listened to everything yet - but a little underwhelmed at this stage.

The Juliet run through is the same as the bootleg we've had for ages but it's nice to hear it not cut off.
I love the Mystified instrumental, and I absolutely loathed the album version.
The album itself sounds nice and crisp and fresh, I'm sure the instruments all stand out a little more, like there's more space between them. It reminds me of when I first played the LP back in 1987.
Still listening to the remixes but nothing new to report there.
Also Isn't it Midnight (alt. version) isn't the version from The Chain box set. I noticed a lot of extra harmonizing on this new alt version.
The remastered Caroline is sublime, those drums and that bass are unnaturally awesome. I can't believe how much smoother all these remasters sound, streets ahead of the "Very Best of" remastered versions that were done back years ago.

I'm so in love with

Special Kind of Love

Sounds a bit unfinished, but very BuckVie..

Ooh My Love demo...I like the music but definitely prefer the finished song on TOSOTM!

Everything sounds so crisp. Wow.

Forgot how much I love Down Endless Street.

I love the long intro on You and I full version.

Big ol grin on my face from the Juliet run through. :thumbsup:

I only bought a few but they all sound amazing so far. Looking forward to the Seven Wonders dub mix at the gym.

Unfortunately, the whole tango deluxe isnt on spotify. They finally added all of the Mirage deluxe edition and all the Kirwan/Welch era albums!!:blob1::blob1:

Yes, itunes has the same set up. They want you to buy it and pay for the streaming service. :eek:

So is Why on Spotify? I want Why on my iTunes. Has anyone put up the Family Man music video on YouTube yet?

Thanks for the heads up!

Yes! I love the Welch years!

I know!!! :blob1::blob1:

Really delighted by this box set; it was very exciting unwrapping it - I felt 15 again!

I've been deliberately avoiding Tango since pre-ordering this months ago, so it's great to listen with fresh(ish) ears. Really going mad (in a good way) all over again for the title track and 'Mystified' - both so full of atmosphere. It's funny how an album that was recorded under pretty trying circumstances can seem to have such cohesion.

Wonderful to hear 'Ricky' in sparkling quality - I do love that song. And I adore the full 'You and I' -that beautiful linking passage that was only there in the fade-out on the B-side is just stunning.

I don't think I'll be rushing back to listen to the remixes very often - they really do date it. And I hated that craze for club mixes the first time round.

The DVD is great - it reminds me that when they first put out the Tango VHS tape, I got very excited thinking it would be the promo videos. Not happy to find it was a tour video without Lindsey... So it's great to have that excitement finally justified - only 30 years later! But the 'Family Man' promo is still a major rip-off. They should have used the lovely animation of the album cover from the UK TV commercial instead, especially as they took a still from it for the 'Family Man' single cover. Remember that little box set that came with prints?

Very strange choice to use the version of the 'Everywhere' video without any of those black and white shots of the band. I always used the think the highwayman was Lindsey in disguise!

Anyway, I'm happy.

Interesting that Stevie is quoted the most, while apparently Christine had nothing to say at all about the album, even though Tango is generally regarded as being a hit thanks to her contributions, more than anyone else's. I was surprised by Stevie's comments- she said Lindsey's songs on Tango are her favorite by him (even Family Man, a song I can't stand), and she's generous in her praise of Christine, as well.

The pictures are great, but as always, I wish there were more. They all look so good and classy.

I am not surprised that she praised their work since they unlike her put some work into it.If she had as well maybe it could be tied for the 3rd best album from the Rumours five instead of 5th.

Special Kind Of Love gave me goosebumps. I'm listening to it again right now and getting goosebumps again.

She did record 3 songs, plus at least 3 more. And nothing Stevie could have done would have made Family Man a good song. Lindsey deserves all the credit for the song that couldn't even make the top 60, even though 4 previous singles from Tango made it to the top 20.

Just to be clear, I didn't mean I was surprised Stevie was complimentary to her band mates, but rather HOW complimentary she was. I never knew she liked the album so much, and it was nice of her to mention specific songs by Lindsey and Chris that she liked.

I am shocked by how much I'm enjoying the outtakes and demos disc... the instrumental of Mystified is stunning, the harmonies on Isn't It Midnight make it seem like a whole new song, Seven Wonders, Tango in the Night, ooh My Love, I mean there's really not a loser in the bunch. If they had replaced Family Man and When I See You Again with Down Endless Street and Ooh My Love, Tango would have been so much better. Just my opinion, obviously, since those songs do have their fans. I'm curious what others would have liked to have seen switched.

My thoughts on TITN Deluxe

1. The remaster
The remastered album sounds great, even if it's not the ridiculous upgrade that Mirage and Tusk were. "Caroline", the title track, "Everywhere", and "Isn't It Midnight" are all standouts in this respect. Also I don't know if its the remaster or just my dumb brain, but "Welcome to the Room... Sara" feels like a whole new song to me and I appreciate it much more than I ever did before. I think I even like it! It was really fun revisiting Tango with closer ears, I realized I really love the instrumentals of every song (even the ones like Family Man and WISYA where I hate the vocals). It's so atmospheric, and the remaster really helps emphasize that aspect.

2. The demo disc
I was so dissapointed when I first saw the track listing for this a few months ago, but it turns out that all of this material is very interesting. While I don't care for the two b-sides very much, hearing them remastered has helped my appreciate them more (or in the case of "Ricky", just the instrumental).

The full version of "You and I" is great, as both parts always felt incomplete to me (duh). I was worried about how the bridge between the two would be done, since the two parts are so different, but it works really well! My new preferred way of listening to these two songs.

The alternate "Mystified" has a strange instrumental that I don't know if I like or hate, but the combination of vocals between Lindsey and Christine is fantastic. The instrumental track included is also pretty beautiful.

"Where We Belong" is a cool song and would've added a different vibe to the album if the verses had been worked out. Lindsey and Christine harmonize so well on this song.

"Ooh My Love" is awesome and blows TOSOTM version out of the water for me. It's got a bit more kick here and has a more traditional song structure and identifiable chorus. A little more polish and maybe another vocal take and it would be worthy of being on the album!

I like "Juliet" but can see why it wasn't used. It wouldn't have meshed with the polished album. The vocals are erratic and the backing track sounds closer to Tusk than TITN. It's great on TOSOTM though!

"Isn't It Midnight" is probably my favorite song from this album and this alternate version is great! The vocals are slowed down and Lindsey's fantastic backing vocals and the guitar have been ripped out for harmonies and synthesizers, but it's still a very interesting take. It may even mesh with the actual album better than the final track. The mix on "The Chain" boxset sounds like it's a combination of this version and the album version, and feels like a slog as a result. Overall I'm happy to have both this mix and the final mix on my shuffle!

I feel similarly about the "Seven Wonders" early version, an interesting take that changes the song's mood substantially but ends up being equal. I might even like it better. The added vocals at the end help with that, as well as the more distinct harmonies from Lindsey and Chrsitine.

I want to like "Special Kind of Love" but... I really can't. It's not awful or anything, it's just not grabbing me :(. Doesn't seem to have much edge to it (as if much of this album has an edge haha).

I wish "At the Fair" and "What Has Rock and Roll Ever Done For You?" (cheesy but still) had been included but I have a feeling these songs were worked on in the Mirror, Mirror/ Rock a Little Sessions and simply considered by Mac, so that's probably why they're not here. I also added "Eyes Wide Shut" and "Joan of Arc" to the track-listing myself to make it feel a little more complete ;)

3. The remixes
Can't say I care about these too much. Extended "Little Lies" and "Seven Wonders" are perfectly listenable, as is the jammy "Big Love" remix/edit with the crashing keyboards. But four versions of "Family Man"... I barely need the original haha.

It's cool that these were included but I would've preferred a live disc from the '87 set. I know its not a popular show around here, but "Isn't It Midnight" (the live arrangement is one of my favorite Mac songs ever), "Stand Back", and "Seven Wonders" are fantastic from this tour and it would've been nice to see those tracks remastered as my DVD-rip sounds really flat. If they could find the whole set from the San Fransisco show, a good recording of "Brown Eyes" or something would've been cool to see.

Overall? I LOVE IT.

Mystified is such a GORGEOUS song and I do not get the hate. The different takes on here are wonderful! One of the most melodic FM songs ever.

Is it me or is You and I part 1 sped up in the full version? Man how I love this song and we get to see what his vision was for the bridge between these two. AWESOME! Lindsey at his pinnacle creatively. Some of the B sides on this album are my favorite work of this band. They should have taken these b sides and made a Buckingham Mc vie album back then, which would have been killer. Where We belong is SO good and won't get out of my head.They should have finished it with back and forth vocals between the two. I had never heard Special Kind of Love and it's really fun. I guess there was another version floating around for a while so I juust listened to it and it's a little quirkier then the one they included. Love them both. Poor Stevie was at her worst on this record and it shows. Buckingham Mc Vie however were just on FIRE! I am really hoping the new album has alot of this same creativity but updated a bit. PLEASE!

Actually the bridge linking the two is totally different.

https://youtu.be/FEvzy0OMQ6s
MTV Fleetwood Mac Attack 1987

Stevie sounded really rough during Tango, I didn't realize how rough she sounded until hearing her Tango outtakes. Juliet does not appeal to me at all, it just sounds bad. Ooh My Love is alright, I really like the music part of it, but Stevie's singing does not work well with the music in this song. It would have been much better than When I See You Again though.

Lindsey's outtakes were really good. Special Kind of Love is really good and Down Endless Street is good too.

The alternate version of Isn't It Midnight is really good too. It is a very different take from the final version.

Ricky is fun. Book of Miracles is really good too, some singing would be really nice in that song.

All the extended and dub versions are really fun. I love Stevie's vocals at the end of the extended version of Little Lies.

I am just listening to the 12" Mixes disc now. I listened to the demo disc last night.

I love the Big Love mixes. I love Stevie's "It's a big big love" part. However, after reading the liner notes, I didn't realize that the female grunting echoing Lindsey on this song was not Lindsey. It kind of ruined the song for me just a tad now!

I had high hopes for the Ooh My Love demo, however it is obvious why she kept it for OSOTM. Juliet is very nice however.

Down Endless Street and Book of Miracles are incredible.

I had no idea Lindsey wrote Ooh My Love until I read the credits. Even though the song is different from the one on Stevie's solo album, they do share some lyrics. Yet Lindsey is not credited at all on her album. Interesting.

As rough as Stevie's singing is on "Juliet" and "Ooh My Love" the passion and warmth in her voice are still evident. I can see why neither song was chosen for TITN (they don't fit with the other material--or they fit even less than the ones that were chosen). But at least on these demos I can hear the old Stevie. On "When I See You Again" and "Welcome..." she sounds disengaged, distant, even tranquilized. I never understood why the band didn't try to record "Planets of the Universe" and "Smile at You" during these sessions. They'd tried both songs before and presumably that familiarity could have been used to their advantage.

On another note, I wish the version of "You and I Part 2" with Christine on lead vocals was included. Her performance of the song is so much more convincing than Lindsey's. I also wish the demo of "Everywhere" was included.

My overall reaction is that a number of these songs sound like FM under all the synths and drum machines. I wish more of them got a chance to stand naked.

I really don't get the love for Stevie's voice on Juliet or Ooh My Love. :eek:

She sounds a mess. Better on Juliet I supposed than Ooh My Love but she's very monotonic on both.....not her best. Interesting? Sure. Good? Not really. :shrug:

Special Kind of Love with more fleshed out lyrics could have replaced Family Man even though I love the acoustic guitar on FM. Ricky is just too spare... there are no real lyrics. Where We Belong had a lot of potential.
:eek:Mystified remains a total snooze......

Who needs 4 extended versions of Family Man??

Glad LB got rid of the overly tweaked squeaky vocals on Tango demo in favor of more of his "real" voice.

Used to, I couldn't stand Mystified or Only Over You. But they've grown on me over the years, and I love both, now.

But wouldn't Planets of the Universe or Smile at You have been even more out of place on Tango in the Night? I really can't imagine them with all that 80s pop sinth. Maybe If You Were My Love but even that is a bit of a stretch.

I think I'd have preferred the Tango In The Night version Richard Dashut unearthed a while back. That was a much earlier and more interesting version as it was so different to the final cut. This version is pretty much the same music but with crappier lyrics and silly voices...a bit annoying.

I love Mystified but the alternate does nothing for me. It sounds kind of eerie and slowly chugs along (but in a weird way).

Ooh My Love- perhaps should have replaced When I See You Again (but not with this vocal).

I doubt very seriously he did. I think that is an error on my he liner notes.

Hi all! Enjoying my first listen of the box set. Does anyone have details on the Tango in the Night demo. I was taken aback by that one.

Love Where We Belong, but really I liked all the demos and alternates except for Ricky, and I'm sure he'll grow on me.

Is this our first time hearing Ricky? I love it! Listen on headphones. So good.

An easy explanation :
"Juliet and "Ooh My Love " as well as "Seven Wonders " were recorded pre' Klonopin ..the other two after.

Her warbling was OUT OF CONTROL on every song in that era. I hate her singing on Rock a little and Tango. She kind of became of caricature of herself at this point. Thank God when the Dance came around she went back.

Her vocals on the The Other Side Of The Mirror were horrible to say the least!

OSOTM is the one that turned me from a huge fan,...into what I am now!:lol::lol::lol:

LB's production of Smile at You on SYW and the Chris Lord Algae(sp?)'s production of Planets on TISL seem very Tango-friendly. I think with a touch of imagination, these could have fit in nicely. Alas, my fantasy is only that and we're left with what we've got: two outright clunkers.