Are you guys aware the 12 inch remix of Family Man was released long after LB had left FM for good? Stevie sang on the remix.

Very interesting article, thanks for sharing this. I also found it interesting that the articles points out Lindsey left the band after dates were secured and contracts signed for the tour... so many people on a different thread said that was not the case, it this article states very clearly that was the case. Like I said, very interesting.

It says the band signed on for the tour, but doesn't speak to whether Lindsey himself signed anything.

So is that riff at the beginning of (and throughout) "Seven Wonders" actually played on a stringed instrument, even though it sounds like it's from a synthesizer?

I don't hear her at all on Mystified. Some people say she isn't on Everywhere, despite what Mick says, but I believe she is, at least in the last line of the chorus.

Yes--she picked up her involvement later on, both in tour rehearsals and in new vocal arrangements for the Tango songs. Her live contribution to "Isn't It Midnight" is incredible and I wish it were on the record.

No, I think that's a synthesizer, possibly a DX7 (which Christine is shown playing in the Big Love video).

Here's a video of the DX7 factory patches. The band probably would have fed any of these through some additional editing tools (possibly even sampled them into the Fairlight or a Prophet).

You might hear some synthy sounds on Isn't It Midnight or You and I that are triggered by a guitar—for example, the twinkly riff in the upper register that permeates that latter track (I always thought it was too prominent in the final mix because it kind of makes your ears wince).

I didn't remember that, thanks, Viv. But it's my understanding that all the tracks you would hear on a remix like that were laid down on some reel somewhere during the album recording sessions. Can anyone confirm? When Jellybean Benitez or someone else comes along and creates a club or dance remix, he doesn't bring members of the band back in to record anything new. He gets hold of the masters and recombines them (at most, he adds a rhythm track to make it suitable for clubs). Stevie's vocals that we hear on a remix were more than likely recorded at Lindsey's helm, just not used by him for the album.

That would be true, I would think, for Stevie's dance and club remixes of Stand Back and Planets of the Universe and Long Way to Go. We hear her singing stuff that we don't hear on the album cuts. But those are parts she originally did sing—but the producer or engineer faded before she got there or took it out of the final mix.

Yep, that's the norm, though I've always wondered if Stevie was a special case in this situation, given her lack of involvement with Tango, and the band possibly wanting to beef up her perceived presence in the wake of Lindsey leaving.

I think there is a good chance she is deep in the mix. I hear her.......but I know how Lindsey plays with the vocals but I want to believe it is Stevie.

the music to that was written by Sandy Stewart, so it's even possible that they used some basic tracks from her playing the synthesizer as the building blocks for adding FM layers

Exactly. If Lindsey had signed a contract to tour, he would have been obligated to tour. Lindsey is smarter than that. The meeting at Christine's house was because Lindsey was getting cold feet in agreeing to tour in which in the end he rejected.
The big machine was busy planning a tour on the assumption a tour would happen. Lindsey was always coy on the idea (public interviews in May 1987 stated he was not sure there would be a tour). The band tried to persuade him and he almost agreed. Just because he spoke of some things he would want IF he toured, was no way an agreement to tour. No tour dates were ever announced. The band never did tour rehearsals with Lindsey either. The machine was just trying to get things in place in the assumption and speculation that Lindsey would eventually sign on the dotted line. The article is mostly correct but does not state Lindsey signed anything.
"Later in 1987, the band met up in anticipation of the promotional tour for Tango, for which they had already secured dates and signed contracts. At the meeting, Buckingham announced he was quitting the band."
That's not really correct. The statement fails to state the reason for the meeting i.e. finally getting Lindsey to agree and sign on the dotted line.

Note: It does not say Lindsey ever agreed to tour but anticipated it. Yes the big machine was working behind the scenes planning. That does not equate the band ever had an agreement for Lindsey to tour with them. In fact, he NEVER agreed to do so. Ne never changed his mind either. He only spoke hypothetically IF a tour happened things he may want. The contracts were probably for vendors, etc. The band definitely put the cart before the horse on this one. Christine mentioned that she knew Lindsey was leaving the band during the Tango sessions. They were just trying to persuade him to stay long enough to tour which ultimately failed. In Mick's book, he describes Stevie doing her best to convince Lindsey to tour stating how much fun they could have. If you are trying to convince someone to tour, its obvious they knew he never fully committed. If he had agreed and signed a contract, there would be no need to have a meeting to persuade you to tour.

^ ^ ^

So from the band's perspective, he reneged on an oral contract...?

Sounds familiar.

:p ;)

There's such a big difference between pre and post Betty Ford Stevie, if she laid new vocals for the remixes way after the fact I think we'd be able to pick it out right away.

It's well known that the tour had been booked and everyone else had signed off, but Lindsey hadn't yet. At the last minute he'd said he was going to do it, but then changed his mind.