I find it hard to compare early Mac with new Mac. Each are different and wonderful. Its just apples and oranges to compare Say You Will with Mystery To me or Heroes are hard to find or Behind the Mask. Some of these albums have so many different musicians so its hard comparing them. As I said in an earlier post, this is really an impossible task. Each album has something magical about it. Its just some albums have more magic than others. I become a huge fan when Christine joins. She adds so much to the band and love how her songs grow with every album.

As a fan of FM from the 1975 White Album to now, I can't rate or rank any other FM albums but the ones from that era.

8) Time- the only FM album I gave away. Just didn't sound like FM to me.

7) Say You Will- as someone else said so well, this album is like a conversation that goes on too long.

6) Mirage- Stevie shines, Christine treads water, and Lindsey takes 2 steps back.

5) Tango in the Night- Christine shines, Lindsey treads water, and Stevie takes 2 steps back.

4) Behind the Mask- maybe because it's the 'underdog' or black sheep of the FM catalog, but I absolutely love this album!

3) FM- only complaint is it's too short!

2) Tusk- I've come to like this more than Rumours now, but I really hate some of Lindsey's songs on this.

1) Rumours- unfortunately, I'm sick of some of these songs, but that's my fault and this album deserves to be #1.

Ranked Best To Worst...
 

Fleetwood Mac *
Rumours *
Tusk *

Plus honorable mention to
Fleetwood Mac Live
Then Play On

These are all head and shoulders
above the rest. And they are the
albums that lay waiting on me when
I became a fan of Stevie in 1983.
An exciting time I must say.

* (albums weren't listed according to their rank)
____________________________________________

Houston, we have a problem...

Mirage
Tango In The Night

While still somewhat enjoyable. These
two albums are nowhere near the quality
of the albums that came before them.

I don't know whether to blame the group or
the record company for breaking Lindsey's
spirit (maybe both). But somethings definitely
wrong.
______________________________________

Trash Bin...

Save for just a few songs, these albums should
have been thrown in the garbage.

Behind The Mask
Time
Say You Will

I do believe Say You Will could have been
a good solo album for Lindsey sans the blonde.
My skin crawls just writing out the titles of these
albums.

1. Mystery To Me
2. Rumours
3. Fleetwood Mac
4. Heroes Are Hard To Find
5. Tusk
6. Bare Trees
7. Tango
8. Mirage
9. Future Games
10. Penguin

There's my top 10 at the moment.

** No lives or solos taken into account.

Hmmmmmm
Something like this...

1) Rumours
2) Tusk
3) Tango In The Night
4) Mystery to Me
5) Bare Trees
6) Fleetwood Mac
7) Heroes Are Hard to Find
8) Mirage
9) Then Play On
10) Future Games

11) Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac
12) Say You Will
13) Penguin
14) Time
15) Behind The Mask
16) Kiln House
17) Mr Wonderful

I can live with the list, too.

This is a fun thread and its really hard. Its safe to say most albums have something for everyone. I like the early stuff but I fall in love when Christine joins. She is the special sauce in the Mac for sure. I agree with Mick that Bob Welch joining the band was just as profound as Stevie and Lindsey. Chris and Bob writing and harmonizing together and the band gets mystical. This was a pre-tense and laid the groundwork for Lindsey and Stevie. Chris really explodes with writing great songs. Stevie and Lindsey were magical components and the band started to embrace more mainstream pop/rock.
Can you imagine if the White Album or Rumours was the double album instead of Tusk? In any event for half a decade the band was on a seriously creative roll. I deeply respect and love Behind the Mask. Half the songs are excellent IMHO and the other half not so great. I don't care for Time but ironically contains one of my favorite Mac tunes "Nights in Estoril". (Go figure). It just proves there is a diamond rough just about everywhere. After Tusk there was just too much pressure on the band commercially. Mirage was a jerk reaction to Tusk and Tango was pressure to be successful after 5 years and Mick's bankruptcy. I think that is why I enjoy Behind the Mask and Say You Will. They are creative without the pressure to be a commercial success. Completely not pop driven and I love that. Its sad we never got one last effort from these 5. But we need to be thankful they are still touring and making new music in other ways.

Mine is much different... I know my ranking is unlike any other. This just happens to be how I like 'em at the moment!

01. Bare Trees
02. Behind The Mask
03. Fleetwood Mac (1975)
04. Kiln House
05. Mirage
06. Mystery To Me
07. Tango In The Night
08. Heroes Are Hard To Find
09. Penguin
10. Rumours
11. Time
12. Then Play On
13. Future Games
14. Tusk
15. Fleetwood Mac (1968)
16. Say You Will
17. Mr. Wonderful

1) Rumours
2) Tango In The Night
3) Behind The Mask
4) Mirage
5) Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac
6) Fleetwood Mac
7) Heroes Are Hard to Find
8) Mystery to Me
9) Then Play On
10) Future Games
11) Mr wonderful
12) Bare Trees
13) Penguin
14) Say You Will
15) Kiln House
16) Time
17) Tusk

I don't think i have listened to Tusk in years- IMHO its overrated tosh
Time i listen to, but it could have been so much better
BTM, good record, should have been much better

But i will admit i am one of these FM fans that believe FM is not about just LB.

Jools and McLamb, glad to see I'm not the only one that loved Behind the Mask :woohoo:

I liked Behind the Mask because it was full of a mix of great and listenable tunes. All the four songwriters did good work. I did not miss Lindsey for a moment.

I agree, mitzo! I thought the album was much more guitar driven and a little less polished and poppy, a change I enjoyed. I found Stevie's songs adequate, but Christine, man, she was on fire with her songs, including As Long As You Follow, Love Shines, and Heart of Stone, which were recorded right before and after BTM.

Can't believe they ranked my favorite FM album, Time, last! :mad:





Actually, it's about the only ranking they got right.

Yes, the big difference I saw compared to previous Lindsey-driven albums was that they seemed to be working TOGETHER. Massive vocal and instrumental harmonies, co-written songs, lots of hook-filled tunes. Makes me really look forward to the new iteration of the band to see how they pool their talents!

I agree with you. Its impossible to pick a favorite but if I could go back in time to when the Brady Bunch was on TV and MTM just came out and could get tickets to one of the Mac's concerts. I would probably live my life as a groupie, following them from town to town :eek: