Say You Will Christine McVie.....
 

I wish Lindsey would have allowed Chris to record with them on this album. I get that if there was a “hit single “ from one of her songs they couldn’t do it on tour....so what. This album would have been epic on so many levels. Having Christine’s harmony on the Buckingham/Nicks songs and having Lindsey do his magic on Christine’s ITM tracks.😎

I don't think ANYONE would disagree with you on this one. SYW would have been so much better with Christine. No brainer there. Although I am a selfish Christine fan and love In The Meantime so much that I would not want to change the destiny of that album.
I completely understand why Lindsey gave Christine a choice. You cant come and go from the band. You cant have one foot in and one foot out of the band. Being in the band requires touring so you must be there for that. Its completely realistic for a band to do. Otherwise the road act is not the real deal and missing parts.
How I wish FM held Stevie's feet to the fire like they did with Christine. The situation is in reverse. Stevie did not want to record with the band but wants to tour with the band.

Exactly the greatest Fleetwood Mac album that couldn’t be called a Fleetwood Mac album.😎 Buckingham/McVie.

i agree that she should have been on that album. and i know LB told her "you can't come and go" but do we know HE was the one who told her she cannot record with them or is that yet another speculation people are making up? isn't it majority rules with them?


frankly, i don't think she even wants to tour with FM. that's why she could pull an alleged ultimatum - because she wouldn't care either way.


:nod:

I agree, before she fired LB I am pretty certain she would have been more than happy to never tour with FM again, she's too wrapped up in her solo work these days and is far happier doing that.

The decision to not have Christine record on the album was as much Mick's and the rest of the band's as Lindsey's. When interviewed around the time of making the album, an interviewer asked what Christine's position was on any offers to still record with them. Mick said "no such offers have been made."

Christine was allowed to record on TIME (in fact begged to do) because Lindsey and Stevie were gone and Mick needed as much help as he could get. Christine could easily be firm about her terms regarding this. However, with the return of LB/SN on THE DANCE, and the ensuing SYW album, Fleetwood Mac could function as viable touring and studio entity without her. Stevie had said the main fear about Christine recording with them (and it was fear) was that one of her songs would become a radio hit that could not be supported by her absence on a tour. This seems plausible.

Would SYW have been better with Christine? No question, it would have been more classic FM. Imagine six songs from ITM alongside six from LB/SN respectively. But the sprawling, almost fractured nature of SYW is one of its assets in my book--one of the most meaty, substantial FM recordings ever. And Christine's ITM is-with the exception of OUT OF THE CRADLE--my favorite FM solo project to date.

Do I wish CM was on SYW? Yes. Am I happy with what we have? Yes.

I think a lot has been made of this. I think Christine casually offered to contribute as a gesture of friendship. I don’t think she really wanted back in the band and I don’t think there were long discussions within the band about her participation. Christine was clearly ready to be done even before The Dance.

Christine was signed on for that album before Bekka and Dave were in the band. Billy was still in at that point.

I'm not so sure that Christine was ambivalent about contributing songs to SYW--I saw an interview for In the Meantime where I thought she came across as somewhat sad that she had been prohibited from contributing, and after all she had contributed songs to EVERY FM album since forever.

I guess this is the highest of praises when you think about it.

Also I guess they were thinking about not just the on-stage part of the tour, but all the promotion that goes with it.

Exactly.
Ideally though, for me, we could have had about three albums from them in the 2000s, with the tracks from SYW and ITM spread across them. Instead we just have the one, lumpy bumper album.

The problem is that every time FM puts out an album it has to be a big song and dance with all the hypey promotion and long touring. If their releases could have been more low key maybe we would have got more albums, each with its own vibe and story.
No wonder Lindsey preferred that they make one double album a decade instead of two or three albums with 11 tracks.

From Mick's book it would seem Christine was keen to contribute to Say You Will. I think it would not have been impossible to persuade her to tour, but I don't think anyone wanted to have to persuade her. Much as she disparaged In the Meantime when she rejoined the band (only to quickly backpedal to avoid offending her nephew and producer), it is a fabulous album and it really shines for me as a jewel in the Fleetwood Mac/solo canon.
Undoubtedly Christine writing songs for Say You Will would have improved its calibre. But the result we got without her is my second favourite Fleetwood Mac album from the Rumours era.

I agree. The fact that she came out with an album of material one year after SYW shows that she had songs she wanted to record. She ended up going the solo route with her nephew because "He was the only one I knew" (she joked in that same interview) and because FM didn't welcome her to contribute to the album. I'm not saying they made the wrong choice re: the future of the band as a full recording/touring entity, but Mick's comments, alongside the timing of ITM (and the freaking title!) shows she had material (fragments and melodies) ready to work out with Lindsey, should she be welcomed back. When asked about SYW she gave it backhanded complement: "It sounds like Buckingham Nicks" as opposed to a FM record. I read between the lines.

What's so sad is that SYW is the band's last real studio effort (I don't count the EP). They turned into the very heritage act Lindsey was trying to avoid.

she would not have toured. She was gutting it through the Dance tour with her fear of flying as it was. She was sick of the road at that point. She had been for a while.

I think everyone was even afraid to ask Christine anything. They entire band begged her to extend the Dance tour and go to Europe but she did not budge. She got tired of people asking even told Mick to never ask her again. And he kept his word. The song Say You Will is all about pleading with Christine to agree to extend the Dance tour.
So its uncertain how much energy she really would have devoted to Say You Will. She would have had to travel to the USA, etc. Its wishful thinking.

So you don't consider BuckVie a FM album?

Because it's every BIT as much a FM album as SYW.

SYW was missing Christine.

BuckVie was missing Old Goat Breath.

WHAT'S the difference?????

At the time, there was some speculation (maybe wishful thinking) that the title 'In the Meantime' meant 'whilst waiting to rejoin Fleetwood Mac.' Now it is clear that that was, indeed, the meaning. I recall at the time Christine saying the title had a personal meaning that she wasn't going to reveal.

I wish the old Christine McVie website from that era was still extant. There were some good discussions on the message board on that site.

I do consider BuckVie the best MAC album since Mirage. But, you know, that pesky matter of not calling it Fleetwood Mac.

And as much as the record works VERY well as it is, I would have loved four more songs on it from Stevie--and the can opened on LB's five songs to include Christine's vocals as well.