Quote:
Originally Posted by Chrislit18
I think that the break between Mirage and Tango is ultimately what KILLED the Rumours Mac, and how Stevie wasnt present for most of Tangos recording. But I kindof blame Lindsey for that as he wanted to 'go his own way' 
If they would have put out an album in 84-85, they maybe would have kept it together a bit longer. You never know though. |
What killed the band (regardless of incarnation) is that after the "Tusk" tour, the band became a secondary priority for all involved. It went from being a band to being a collection of solo artists who used to be in a band together. Stevie shined on "Mirage," but at that moment in her career, she couldn't afford to have anything but her best material released, regardless if it was solo or with Fleetwood Mac. But Lindsey and Christine were holding their choice material for their solo albums.
"Tango" was just the opposite. Lindsey knew he wanted out of Fleetwood Mac, and wasn't about to put anything out that would get in the way of getting a solo contract. He NEEDED to be seen as a pop genius. Christine realized the solo thing really wasn't her cup of tea, and used Fleetwood Mac as her muse. But Stevie was in pretty bad shape on that one.
Then Lindsey quits. I'm not saying Billy and Rick were bad. I'm saying their sets were usually about 23 songs long. They could EASILY skipped an opening act and added seven more songs, filled mostly with songs from Billy's solo career, as well as a couple of songs by Rick ("Surrender To Me" which he wrote for McGuinn-Clark-Hillman, would have been a great song live.) Show the world that these new guys are not just hired hands, but are actually worthy of being in the band. There is no excuse for "It Ain't Over" (a Billy/Christine duet from his "Try Me" album) not being in the set.
The "Greatest Hits" album was another nail in the coffin. After a compilation like that is released, people usually stop paying attention. Especially with bands who hash out the same songs tour after tour. Also, the lack of any Billy/Rick songs kill the album. There was a curiosity factor that the band did not bank on.
The "Tango" concert video and Stevie's "Red Rocks" video killed it. Now the public image of Stevie was a (to be blunt, which people really are in thought, but rarely are when speaking) fat woman with big hair who lost most of her voice. And, "The Other Side..." did not help that.
"Behind The Mask" didn't help. It sounds like crap and they left off the best material. How Stevie could actually write a blues song and leave it off an album with Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Christine McVie, and Rick Vito is utterly amazing in its depth of stupidity. Instead, Fleetwood Mac releases a bland/safe album.
Then the girls stop touring. Then Rick quits. Then Stevie quits. They put out a half-assed box set for their 25th anniversary (though, I love Christine's new songs). More solo albums, band basically over.
But then Billy Clinton of Arkansas makes "Don't Stop" his theme song, and suddenly there's interest in Fleetwood Mac again. So the band gets together, puts Mary Travers in chiffon, and sings a weak version of "Don't Stop" on national television. But hey, people are talking about Fleetwood Mac again.
Exit Billy. With just Mick, John, and Chris, the band needed to get some new folks. Add Bekka Bramlett, who is younger than the band itself (Bonnie Bramlett would have been more appropriate), and add Dave Mason, a decent, though uninspiring, heavily burned out guitarist who Chris hates, but who worked with Bekka's folks. Re-add Billy, who idolizes the Bramlett clan. Okay, it could have still been somewhat interesting here, but Christine was still off the road, and not only did they do all of the Fleetwood Mac songs that have been done too many times, but they added Dave Mason songs that have been done too many times. They do a lot of touring prior to the album. Meanwhile, Lindsey has taken to using psychobabble in his concerts, and Stevie is releasing greatest hits packages with songs by Jon Bon Jovi and that asshole from Poison.
Mick gets with Lindsey, realizes he'd make more money with Lindsey than with this band, which was losing Christine, and probably Bekka and Billy, and pulls the plug on the group a little early. They get John. Then Christine. Then Stevie mysteriously decides to work with Lindsey and Mick, her sworn enemies, who apparently scared her to the point of crapping her dress.
Instead of doing it Fleetwood Mac style, they openly follow the Eagles format. Oh, it's a hit. Like it wasn't gonna be. What's worse is that Lindsey now has EVERYBODY using psychobabble. They're even using it in reference to Peter Green! They get inducted, well, they only HALF get inducted (but that's another thread), and their guitar legend takes to playing with another band! Though, in the interest of fairness, Fleetwood Mac wasn't even the biggest freak show there. The Mamas & The Papas showed the world what REAL drama looks like...Screw those Anglo-Californian pussies...We STILL hate each other!
So, your band just had a #1 album that went platinum, a Grammy nomination, and were inducted into the Hall of Fame. So what's the most obvious thing to do? SOLO ALBUMS!!!
When they eventually get around to making the band a priority again (read: solo albums bomb, record company doesn't want to release any new solo albums, career heading towards the crapper again) they realize they could do an album...Sure, the songwriter that had the lion's share of the band's hits quit...Didn't stop them on "Kiln House" now, did it?!? In fact, they even rented a house to record the album (subliminal, eh). They tour for a year and a half, do the exact same show at least 172 times, and wonder why their fans are pissed. How to correct that? RELEASE A DVD OF THAT SET, and include a CD that has most of the same songs as the last live thing that was released a few years back!!! That'll win 'em over. Give them the same bull**** that we've been feeding them for (then) nearly 25 years!!! And for ****s and giggles, let's release a DVD of the making of the album. We'll make it look like The Real World...People aren't tired of the
REAL wOrLD yet, are they? It'll make us look hip. It worked for Wilco. Oh, and we have to do a song about 9/11. Sure, it was two years ago, and people have started rebuilding/moving on with their lives. But Stevie was there, man. Well, at least in NYC. Okay, so she was a few miles away and slept through the whole thing, but SHE WAS THERE, man!
These days, they don't even pretend like they're interested. Mick and Rick are hanging out in Hawaii, getting blitzed on Mick's wine and playing blues and songs from "Rumours" with some of the locals, and sometimes get visits from ex-Maccers and associates. Stevie is mourning the loss of Christine, nearly a decade after the fact. Lindsey is doing a lot of touring. He has his percussionist and keyboardist mimic Mick's "World Turning" thing...Isn't it odd people groan about Billy singing GYOW, and groan about Mick's drum vest, but give Lindsey a pass on blatantly using something uniquely Mick's...Double standard, or irony mocking SteveMacD yet again? Oh, and Lindsey is going to be singing with a winner of American Idol in a few days. John was recently voted the Realtor Association's Man of the Year. Christine was seen at a grocery store in England rolling her eyes at her ex-bandmates. Peter Green...Whereabouts unknown, but we suspect it's in Switzerland. Bob Brunning still hasn't fixed his fact-checker, will likely write yet another book with a lot of misinformation. Dave Walker...Who effing cares? Bob Weston...Whereabouts unknown, but not with Layla's sister. Bob Welch is trying to find yet another way to rerecord "Sentimental Lady" and has taken to playing like Eddie Van Halen (could be worse guitarists to play like) and uses a vocoder and drum machine/loops. Danny Kirwan is still crazy. Billy's touring with Fogerty (cool gig), Bekka is touring with either Billy Joel or Faith Hill (not nearly as cool, though more profitable). Dave Mason is still singing the entire "Alone Together" album and "We Just Disagree" and rambles about how he's played with Steve Winwood and Jimi Hendrix. Richard Dashut and Ken Caillat have been known to do bong hits in L.A. while playing Atari 2600 (yes, the woody), talking about the good-old-days of watching those sad freaks. John Courage has become an evil scientist. Jeremy Spencer released a blues/protest/religious album, doing music he likes and saying something he feels needs to be said, even though it might not necessarily be a popular point of view, which makes the guy the most relevant of the lot (and, I have to admit, I did NOT see that one coming).
Fleetwood Mac jumped the shark sometime in 1981. The fact that the main ink they get involves rehashing the whole "Rumours" thing, and they apparently have stopped doing anything unless they'll get the ink, should really tell you all you need to know.
Fleetwood Mac sucks when they play it safe. Fleetwood Mac is brilliant when they have a vision, take risks, and/or are brutally honest about something going on in their lives at that particular moment in time (as opposed to 30 years later). My top four are "Mystery To Me," "Then Play On," "Tusk," and "Future Games." As for number five, it really doesn't matter.