Keep Me There (Super Deluxe Edition)
 

I didn't buy the Rumours 25th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition when it came out, so I'm behind the times, I suppose. But last week I did go on iTunes and download Christine's "Keep Me There" rough track with vocal and full backing band. Until then, I'd only heard "Butter Cookie" and the instrumental version of "Keep Me There," but not this one, which seems as complete to me as "Think About It"--a song that could have very well been carried to completion, had they committed to it.

"The Chain," as it is, is perhaps my favorite Mac tune, so I can't say I wish this version of "Keep Me There" was on the album. But I am floored at how good it is. Her "working" vocal here is as emotive and intelligent as a finished track, and I find myself really drawn to the song in this incarnation.

Any thoughts about this?

I love the vocal version of "Keep Me There." You can tell that Christine is still working everything out -- but it has so much going for it. This was definitely so much more than just a "throw-away" vocal from Chris. And I'm really surprised she never revisited these lyrical ideas.

In fact, wouldn't it be cool if Chris & Lindsey worked out a new song for the upcoming album, from the "Keep Me There" lyrics?


Baby, don't lock me up and throw away the key
Don't leave me in the dark -- I need you here with me
I need you here with me
I meed you here with me
Won't you keep me there?

Don't break this spell I'm in
I couldn't live without it
Don't _________________*
There's nothing I could do about it
There's nothing I could do
There's nothing I could do
Won't you keep me there?

Even if you're lying -- keep it going
Keep it going a little bit longer
You know, you know that I'm trying
Trying to be, oh, a little bit strong

Baby, don't lock me up and throw away the key
Don't leave me in the dark -- I need you here with me
Even though I'm wrong
Even though I'm wrong
Oh, won't you keep me there?

You know that you're lying -- but keep it going
Keep it going a little bit longer
You know, you know that I'm trying
Trying to be, oh, a little bit strong
You know, you know that you're lying
But it keep it going -- keep it going just a little longer


(* I can't make out what she says there... I think she just sort of mumbles something to the melody.)

This song had a lot of potential. I hear a faint shade of jazz in her approach to a somewhat dark song. I see this this more as a b-side than an album track.

Neil Godbout / Prince George Citizen January 12, 2015 07:38 AM - See more at:

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Today's song of the day is Keep Me There, a classic track from Fleetwood Mac's seminal album Rumours. What's that you say? There is no song on Rumours called Keep Me There!Sure there is, it's just not called Keep Me There any more, it's called The Chain.The evolution from Keep Me There to The Chain is described in Making Rumours, co-producer Ken Caillat's memoir of the drug-and-booze fuelled drama that led to the making of such beautiful music. Fortunately, Keep Me There can now also be heard, thanks to the release of deluxe (2 CD) and super-deluxe (4 CD) versions of Rumours, featuring demos, early takes and live versions of all of those well-known songs.The most fascinating of the song progressions was for The Chain. Christine McVie brought in a demo of Keep Me There to the Rumours sessions and the band loved it immediately, recording it over the next two weeks in the studio. They then didn't return to it for almost a year, working on all of those other classic songs - Don't Stop, Go Your Own Way, Dreams, You Make Loving Fun and Gold Dust Woman.Yet when it came time to finish the record, the bluesy Keep Me There didn't work with the other tracks anymore but the band still loved the song, especially the ending. So they took some Stevie Nicks lyrics, some Lindsey Buckingham chords, some drum licks from Mick Fleetwood and rewrote a whole new three-minute song, then attached it to the final minute of Keep Me There, starting with that iconic bass line from John McVie (DUM-dada-DUM-dada-dada-DUM-DUM) and the Buckingham guitar solo.For those fascinated with the creative process, particularly songwriting, check out Keep Me There, the classic Fleetwood Mac song you've never heard of but have heard so many times before. You can find it at www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OqZj5SND-0. - See more at: http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/o....nHNPRFhy.dpuf

Wow, I had no idea there was a released version of Keep Me There with a vocal! I guess that's what I get for flatly refusing to buy all these damned Rumours re-releases. :lol: I've gotta say I REALLY like this little song. It reminds me so much of her material from the Christine Perfect album, and her early Mac contributions. It's a shame they never found a home for this one- great tune!

It's a lost gem. I can't understand why they deemed it not good enough to complete for the album (though I appreciate the brilliance of The Chain). I wonder how she felt about Lindsey jettisoning her song.
It definitely has the jazzy tone of the Christine Perfect album.

The Chain is up there, one of the greatest songs ever recorded. the parts that were used are all nice songs or song parts on their own, but nowhere near the stratosphere level of the awesomeness that is The Chain. i'm guessing it was not any kind of dictatorial decision by Lindsey. this is Christine (not miss melodrama), she and LB usually seem to be on equal and complementary footing and great understanding how to move forward, musically.

Yes, fair enough. I was recalling Ken explaining on the Classic Albums: Rumours how Lindsey 'threw away the original song and added new words'.
I've just gone back and listened to what he said. In retrospect he was referring to throwing away the verses of Stevie's 'The Chain'. I suppose the Keep Me There words would have been long gone by then.

Agreed it does not match the level of the finished Chain. However, if they had a song up to the standard of Keep Me There I still cannot understand why they would deem it not worthy of persisting with and finishing (bearing in mind the finished product was unimaginable at that stage).

I think there is some confusion here.

The Chain and Keep Me There appear to be two very distinctly different songs (excluding the fan mash up someone made and posted online). It seems that Lindsey, in the process of feeling out, arranging and producing various songs, harvested some guitar riffs/musical segments from Christine's demo for use in another song---a typical method in the creative process. Most bands always work on more material than they need for an album, Some of the excess work evolves further than others and become b-sides, or now more currently, bonus/downloaded tracks. Others are just left unfinished or abandoned. Sometimes elements of those songs and treatments may be applied to future songs.

Fleetwood Mac doesn't seem to have vast amounts of extra material as some bands do. I like that we got the surprise of Keep You There so many years later. It doesn't sound like it was fully fleshed out, nor doesn't it share the style comparable to her other Rumours tracks. It feels like something you'd find on a Bob Welch era album, but it's barely recognizable as a precursor to The Chain. It's only relation is something akin to an organ transplant -- maybe a stem cell or kidney!

I don't think there's any confusion....
...but I may be wrong.

My take is...

Mick, John and Lindsey laid down an instrumental track (called Keep Me There?).
Christine had a song with a working title 'Butter Cookie' that was added to the music of Mick, John and Lindsey.
She fleshed out the lyrics and it became 'Keep Me There'.
Stevie wrote a song called 'The Chain'.
At some point Christine's Keep Me There was dropped and The Chain was added to the music instead.
Lindsey independently culled a lot of the original lyrics and wrote a new introductory verse (and more?).
Lindsey developed the guitar riff from Lola My Love.

Interesting you say 'Keep Me There' is like something you'd find on a Bob Welch-era album. For me the basic music track has a feel of The Purple Dancer (which I think technically pre-dates Bob Welch).

Is this chain of events roughly right or am I a mile off?

I believe the instrumental of Keep Me There was written by Christine..

Thanks. Oh yes, I've just seen that she's listed as the writer of the instrumental on the 2013 re-issue

Except the ending was kept in.

It was a lot harder to hear the "Chain" connection in the "Butter Cookie" they used in 2005 (the one that sounds like the Bob Welch era) than in this latter one from the most recent reissue. The chord progression of the chorus is right there in it, as is the whole coda.

And then there's the following, which is the "Chain" verses being worked out lyrically and musically. The chords and picking style of the final verses obviously came from Lindsey.

The Chain Writing 02

The Chain Writing 03

Given all the pieces we have from all three writers, I think it's safe to say that we have a very clear picture of how that song was concocted. It used to be a major mystery, but it is no longer.

Holy cow. Those are so fun to listen to. Love hearing all the little comments they make as part of the creative process. It sounds like they almost had a fun mexicana-vibe going at one point.

No confusion. The story of a The Chain's inception has been well-documented.

I must flatly disagree with you that this unfinished version of Keep Me There is "barely recognizable" as a precursor to The Chain. Much of the background music on the bridge and choruses is identical. The instrumentation for the verses was reworked, but even then the roots to the original are readily apparent.