Christine & Bekka
 

There's a picture on the new FM website that looks to be a rehearsal with Bekka in shorts and Christine at the piano. I've never seen this before. Maybe it's always been floating around though . . . Michele

How cool! I never saw that! It's Bekka! And Dave Mason there too! Why would they be rehearsing for a tour when Chris had no intention of being part of the tour? It sure doesn't look like a shot done just for album art.

I think it's about time for Steve MacDougall to tell us what he REALLY knows about the feud between Chris & Dave, & to what extent that did -- or did not -- prevent those two from working together.

Steve??? we're waiting... :wavey:

From what I know, the "feud" was actually between Dave and Steve Winwood....something going back to their Traffic days (and still alive today, from what I understand!).
Chris has always adored Steve, and so she took his side.....she was adament that she DID NOT want Dave in the band, but I guess he was was kind of down on his luck at the time and living in Mick's guest house....and just kind of weaseled (for lack of a better word!) his way into the band.
That's why he's not on any of Christine's songs on TIME.....she wouldn't record with him (she used an outside guitarist, as well recording her other parts on her own, which were latter mixed in).
I'm VERY surprised to see a shot of these two on the same stage.....Chris HAD stopped/cut back on the drinking by this time, right?!?!? (I would have thought that's the only way she would have gotten on stage with Dave....if she was totally looped! Then again, that when that poison tongue could have come out!!!

Wow! I've never seen that picture before. It looks like it was taken at the same time as that picture with Chris & Bekka goofing around with beards. The background is the same in both pictures. It looks strange seeing Chris & Dave Mason together.;)

Thanks for posting, Michele.

Oh yes, you're right. They're wearing the same clothes. And the beard picture is on www.fleetwoodmac.com too.

Michele

It would have been nice/interesting to hear Christine and Bekka's voices together. It's a shame that it didn't come to fruition on Time.

Matt

I can confirm the Winwood Mason tiff.... even in 2004 they traded jabs on each other's websights.... Mason wanted to play guitar on the RRHOF Traffic tunes...

I think you can on I Do, Nothing Without You, I Got It In For You, and Talkin' To My Heart.

As for the Dave/Christine tiff, I had a few sources, and Steve Winwood was never mentioned. I don't remember one guy's name, but he said a lot of it had to do with the fact Dave still enjoyed the nose candy, which given the issues she had seen over the years with friends/bandmates, had to seem distasteful to Chris. This guy also told me that Mick and Dave spent most of promotional budget on getting the guitars/drums to sound right. I can't verify any of it, but it sounds about right.

But, ulitmately, my biggest source for the tiff was told to me by another guy who had the courage to tell me that Dave was a real asshole. This guy also told me that he was somewhat miffed at how Mick promised a new Fleetwood Mac, yet it played all of the old stuff (sounds familiar).

I can believe the last point. Dave openly admits to having been called an asshole, and even to being an asshole at times. Steve Winwood isn't the only person who has had issues with Dave over the years. Clapton's had issues. Most of the Dave Mason Band from the '70s have had issues (specifically Rick Jaeger). There is a pattern. I also heard it from a few fans from back in the days when I ran that website, and the cocaine issue was mentioned more than once. OTOH, Billy Burnette told me (on a Q&A) that he enjoyed working with Dave. So who knows?

I've said it before (in more humerous ways), but I think the issue between Christine and Dave is solely between those two. Think of it a different way: Mick liked Dave Mason. Christine actually lived with Mick, worked extensively with Mick, and went through hell and back with Mick. Who's opinion do you think she would have respected more? Mick Fleetwood's or Steve Winwood's? I think Christine is more than capable of deciding these things for herself. I could see Dave and Christine not getting along.

Unhappy to be playing with Dave or not, Christine looks great in this pic!

You will notice that Christine and Dave are at opposite ends of the room, showing the extent of their mutual affection (lol).

At least this photo proves that this unit DID play together as a band, at least for the record. I've sometimes wondered if Christine literally "mailed in" her parts. Good to see that that wasn't the case.

The question is WHY? What are they doing in this picture? Did Christine initially intend to tour in '94?

If someone says the group is practicing for studio work, I reply that they didn't start studio work until much, much later -- after an extensive tour.

LET'S GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS! :] ;)

Is it just me or do Christine's 'legs' look like someone else's? As if her top half (with the keyboards) were photoshopped in...Look again!

They're probably just rehearsing the material that would eventually be recorded; aka "pre-production". (working on arrangements, etc)

As far as Chris' legs...the shot has a slight "fish eye" lens distortion to it, which is most likely what is causing that effect. Plus, it would look weird if you assumed Chris was SEATED, but, in fact, she is standing.

Yes, I thought her legs looked funny too, but I felt that part of her body must be blocked by the keyboards. Because her top is black and the keyboard base is black, it's a little hard to tell.

Still, it looks like her legs are pointed in one direction and her body in the other. Her legs are a little more turned to the right than her torso.

Michele

To be fair, Dave was standing where the Mac guitarists typically stand.

They were recording in 1994, too. In fact, Soccer Rocks The Globe, which featured Blow By Blow, was released on May 17, 1994.

If you think the "forward" leg is her right leg, then yeah, I can see how you'd think that, but the "forward" leg is her LEFT leg...so that puts her legs & torso in the same direction.

And, if she's putting her weight on her right leg while manipulating the keyboard foot pedal with her left foot, then the body DOES kind of twist ever so slightly to the right.

The album was released less than a month after the tour ended, so they obviously were working on the album on breaks in the tour schedule. And, it would be monumental for them to record the entire album, re-design the packaging, get the distribution, etc, etc, etc...after the tour ended. Especially, since the album WITHOUT Christine was ready for release almost a year before the album was finally released in the form we know it.

Where did you get that? Source? EVERYTHING I've seen, heard, read, all states that Christine was a part of the project, even if reluctantly, from the gitgo, and that Billy re-joined the band later. There's NEVER to my knowledge been anything to suggest otherwise.

That's impressive. I looked at the tour dates for this tour- and the schedule was much more insane than the current tour. There for the first two months, they were literally almost playing EVERY night!!!!

that's hilarious... never knew that...

To me it looks like Christine's leaning back a little in the picture, which is why her legs look a little "forward."

I assume the group is together recording a song for the album, or practicing a song in preparation of recording.

From the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Fort Worth), July 4, 1994

Sounds like Christine was a part of the band, and there's even photographic proof that she was with them at that point.

Nope. Fleetwood Mac had an album titled Another Link In The Chain set to go with Billy, Dave & Bekka, sans Christine that was submitted to WB for a Christmas '94 release. WB rejected the album under some stipulation contractually that Christine HAD to be involved. Source? October 1994 show, T-shirts with album cover art and release date. The WB rejection part I have read & committed to memory...don't remember exact source, but it WAS a trade publication.

I know this has been discussed b4 but what is the track list for "Another Link In The Chain" ... and are there boots of the unreleased tracks available?

That much I knew. I remember in an article or one of the AOL or Prodigy live chats that the album was retitled because they thought there would be some confusion with the box set.


Yeah, I have both of those shirts. I never took Christine's name not being on the shirt as anything more than she wasn't touring. (Why would her name be on a concert t-shirt if she wasn't actually playing the concerts?)

Of course, there was this little exchange on a Q&A beween Billy and an amazingly handsome guy:

So, given just what we've read from the 7/4 article, from the Q&A, and those pics of the pre-tour group, does it sound as if Christine wasn't involved with the project at that time? For that matter, does it not sound as if Billy's involvement with the project came afterwards? Think about it. If they had an album in the can for a Christmas release, it would have had to be finished by at least July. Christine was still listed as a member of Fleetwood Mac in July, at least by the band (and I'd think they'd know best).

I'd have to see it. I know what you mean, though. I have a hard time believing that the article that stated it was rejected because of Christine not being on it as being true, though, as many, many people have screwed Christine's post-Mask tour involvement up REALLY badly. Look at how many people just on this board have dismissed Time altogether because Stevie, Lindsey, and Christine are not on it, when we know that's not entirely true.

How about a lot of people don't like it because it isn't to their taste? Where is this memo that says that just because you like certain albums from the band you have to like everything they ever recorded? I'm fed up with this attitude that just because people don't appreciate that album their taste in music is somehow limited. I listen to a lot of music, even your beloved Guided By Voices believe it or not, but just because I like Mystery To Me or, god forbid, Rumours, doesn't mean I'm going to find anything that appeals to me in Time. Given the amount of different and varied songwriters that have been in the band over the years it's pretty extreme to expect people to like them all just because they share the same bass player and drummer. If someone only likes the band for Christine or Stevie (and what is so wrong about that?) I see no reason why they should like Dave Mason or whoever.

You miss the point. It's not about people not liking the songs on Time, it's about people completely dismissing this album as being a true Fleetwood Mac album just because Stevie and Lindsey weren't on it.

Matt

That's a strawman. My comments have NOTHING to do with opinions of that album. What I'm saying is that some people dismiss it as not being Fleetwood Mac simply because Christine, Lindsey, and Stevie are not on it, when in fact, Christine has five songs on the album, and technically (and to a MUCH lesser extent), Lindsey sings in the chorus of one of Bekka's songs. Some people have been shocked to learn that Christine was still in the band for that album.

Close. Again, there have been people on here who didn't even look at the album because they thought it didn't have any of the Rumours-era vocalists on it.

But if you only liked Stevie Nicks why would you look at it? I wouldn't berate a Peter Green fan for not being interested in picking up Rumours (and believe me I've met plenty who feel that way).

I really love the education Steve and Chili have given in this era....

I think this album does have a much better sound than BTM...

Many Christine fans love Nights in Estoril and deem it one of her best. I myself love Hollywood.

I was looking for some more Another Link in the Chain information since yesterday. But this is all I could see on the internet.

http://www.drummerszone.com/bands/ba...c&bioLimit=all

In 1994, Fleetwood Mac recorded an album tentatively titled "Another Link In The Chain".Mick had assembled an entirely new lineup consisting of him and John McVie, Christine McVie, "Tango" vet Billy Burnette, "Zoo" vocalist Bekka Bramlett, and ex-Traffic guitarist Dave Mason. While waiting for their album to be released, Fleetwood Mac embarked on a World Tour, opening for Crosby, Stills and Nash. They also toured in 1995 on an entirely different bill with Orleans as the opening act , Pat Benatar, co-headlining with 70's power ballad pioneers REO Speedwagon.

In October 1995, almost an entire year after the album was initially recorded -- and after the tour had already ended -- , Warner Brothers finally released the Mac's new album, which was now called "Time". The album sold poorly and the tour didn't fare much better. After all, it's hard to sell tickets for a tour when you're given no album to promote, have no support from your label, and have an essentially brand new lineup of a legendary band to push. Bandmember frustration ensued and yet another incarnation of Fleetwood Mac would enter the annals of Mac recording history.

Again, straw man. I said "Look at how many people just on this board have dismissed Time altogether because Stevie, Lindsey, and Christine are not on it, when we know that's not entirely true." It should be painfully clear that what I was saying is that we know that there was at least ONE vocalist from the Rumours band on Time, and that THAT FACT has gotten screwed up over the years. I even went on to clarify it to say "people on here who didn't even look at the album because they thought it didn't have any of the Rumours-era vocalists on it."

Nowhere did I berate anybody in this thread for their OPINIONS of Time, nor did I berate anybody for not buying the album because Stevie Nicks was not on it. We all have our own individual tastes in music.

What I AM saying is that, through the years, people have posted that they never bought Time because they thought the only people from the Rumours-era that were on the thing were just Mick and John, and were surprised to learn that Christine McVie was also on the record and had a significant number of songs. I also remember a few of these folks buying the album after learning this.

I understand that people want to have something that is familiar. They didn't think that there would be anything familiar with Time, and then learned that there was something in fact familiar with Time.

Richard Dashut gets Fleetwood Mac!

I remember being startled to find out Time existed, probably almost two years after it's release, so I can believe there was no label promotion of it, it just silently started turning up in some overstock catalogs and lists. I like early Dave Mason a lot and am sorry to read about him being abrasive or whatnot, I will still try to enjoy the music. It sounds like he and Mick should've done some kind of project on their own without Christine or the Mac title to it, that may even have been more commercial like those Plant/Page releases that did quite well without a Led Zeppelin name.

I can't remember how I spotted it. I guess I saw it in the Fleetwood Mac bin at the record store in 1995. There was no mention of an album at the band's concert in 1994 I attended, & I wasn't really a keen fan scoping out the magazines & newspapers at that point anyway. My senses had been dulled by the poor performances on the tail end of the 1990 tour, the 1991 solo tour, & even the 1993 TV appearance. It wasn't until I went to the Arco Arena show on the STREET ANGEL tour that I felt rejuvenated enough to seek out other fans again to see what they were up to. Mick also did some interesting things around that time, like drum for the Big Town Playboys, a jump-jazz outfit from Britain. They even appeared with Mick on the Tonight Show.

I've never seen anyone more unconnected to & uninterested in what was happening onstage -- not even Stevie on the 1990 tour -- than Dave Mason in the gigs he did with Fleetwood Mac that I caught in '94 & '95. When the band would launch itself into a Mac classic, like "The Chain" or "Go Your Own Way," the look of disgusted boredom on Mason's face was palpable. He was a total turnoff. Billy Burnette & Bekka Bramlett were game, & tried their best to reinject energy, but the whole effect on me was of seeing an FM cover band in which certain members were only waiting for the check from the house.

I didn't see the 'Time' tour, but I did see Dave Mason in concert once. It was in the late '70s and he was on a double bill with Bob Welch. My purpose in going to the concert was to see Bob, who was the opener but played a full set and was excellent (and sharply dressed!). He was promoting 'French Kiss' as a I recall. I particularly remember his version of "Bermuda Triangle" in that concert. It's the only time I've seen Bob perform.

I did stay for the Dave Mason set and I remember thinking he was okay but nothing much compared to Bob.

So ironically I wound up seeing a past and future Fleetwood Mac member on the same night.

Yay, I like that pic! Anyways, I posted the audio from Another Link in the Chain a little while ago, so here are some .mp3 files:

http://ledge.fleetwoodmac.net/showth...ght=link+chain

I believe there is a DVD too...?

I saw one Time show and one Shake The Cage show. I've seen at least one (and usually many more) of ever other FM, Stevie and Lindsey show, but I did not see one of Christine's. That was a horrendous call on my part. That same year, I saw the Jacksons' Victory tour 11 times. That is something I would definitely do differently. I was in Michigan and Christine didn't come there. But she did come to Chicago and if I had it to do over again, I'd go see her there.

It's not that I didn't thorougly love Christine and completely support the album and call into radio stations to request Got A Hold On Me, because I did. Oh, well.

I got the Time album when it was released, but I also remember ordering a second one from one of those clubs. You know, like Columbia House record club? You send a penny and you get 12 cds and then you have to buy more over the next year? Well, I remember doing that and one of my selections was Time.

Michele