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Originally Posted by elle
see i think now you are getting somewhere - stage persona! Mick was talking recently (last week) about what different members bring to the group, and what he said about SN was something like what you said above - she's got this stage persona, something that draws people in.
i agree with you that Rhiannon live was what slowly made the BN version of FM huge, and that they may have never been that huge without that song or SN as a front person. maybe not necessarily as a consequence of her songwriting, or her songs giving them some kind of rock cred... possibly more of her stage effect at the time - this gorgeous little super hot woman with extremely sexy voice screaming on the top of her lungs while behaving completely possessed (Villavic can probably add a quote from Mick's book, he said something like that in there too).
most of Stevie's music seems to fit more in adult contemporary than rock category (but i don't know much about her solo career so i might be wrong), with a few notable exceptions (such as GDW!). it would be pretty hard to argue that Dreams, for example, is really a rock song. so again, not sure about "rock cred". actually, was BN FM ever considered a rock band? i've seen them being referred to as "soft rock" in recent articles. Lindsey said once how they were always considered more soft / pop until people would see them live and realize how different, rocking, and heavier they are live than judging from their albums and radio hits.
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And it's because of that stage persona you've expanded on from what I said that Stevie can never be the one to quit the band. It could be Lindsey, though he was instrumental behind the scenes; it could be Christine, though she defined their pop sound; but had it been Stevie, I think that's what the band feared when she told them she was considering a solo career.
You have an interesting point with your question: "was BN FM ever considered a rock band?" I was speaking merely that Rhiannon gave this incarnation of the band a rock sound and viability. Interesting you mention Dreams. The live version that has evolved over the years definitely has more of a rock edge, a driving drum beat that is more present in concerts than the 1977 studio recording (The Dance version of Dreams as a good example).
I think your point actually forms the core of the conversation of where Fleetwood Mac falls among the greatest bands, as rock groups tend to be heavily favored. Some people hear Fleetwood Mac as primarily pop, since Rumours' huge success was seen as popular music. Perhaps Rolling Stone Magazine falls into this category (they only recently added Lindsey to their top 100 guitarists of all time, at number 100). I have relatives who don't care for Fleetwood Mac for these reasons; they didn't have the edge of the Stones or the influence of the Beatles. The funny thing is I often prefer Fleetwood Mac's live versions of many of their songs to their studio work, which is why I tend to consider them a rock band. Also, when thinking about where Fleetwood Mac should be placed, how many bands at their level have one lead female singer let alone two? The songs that feature all three of their voices, such as Dreams and Little Lies, are two of my favorites, as that unique sound stands alone.