[jwd]

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

That’s what she said. The others said they got John to vote with them to force Lindsey out.

Can anyone post a link to the video or article where this is stated? I'm really curious about this. I don't remember that.

It might mean she didn’t know ousting Lindsey was in the cards.

Or maybe she knew it was a possibility, but she didn't know it actually happened. Meaning she was part of the discussion, but didn't know the trigger had been pulled.

We’re all only fans, and none of us are qualified to answer that question. All I’m saying is that based on all that has been said up until now, it’s pretty clear that Christine was not part of the decision to oust Lindsey, and based on the tone of what she has said, she was not especially happy about it. But, Mick and John are her family, and she’ll always pick them over the others. That’s just a reality within Fleetwood Mac, especially at this stage.

A lot of speculation going on. No one knows exactly what went down. I'd say it's fair enough that Christine was one who didn't want to get rid of Lindsey. But I believe she concurred with the bands' decision to based on the touring conflict. We all know how eager she was, once she got back in FM to get on the road and tour. She was full tilt in the band touring, and recording. A shame that never happened with the Rumours 5. Thanks Stevie!

You got me. SYW, EP, and a couple of oldies tours are the shining pinnacle of the legacy of Fleetwood Mac.

The pinnacle(s) you're referring to will NEVER happen with FM again, no matter who is in the band. That's what discouraged Stevie so much from recording after SYW. She wanted a "Rumours" and a "Dreams". Lindsey was more about artistic expression and making a current statement from the band. It wasn't about sales or commercial success. You certainly can't fault him for Stevie not wanting to partake, and well, Christine was retired to the English countryside. GO LINDSEY! The band carried on and kept their name out there at least. SYW wasn't a bad record at all. And I'd dare say exposed some new fans to this animal known as FM. Let's not forget the documentary of the making of SYW and the Live in Boston concert DVD that were part of the whole ordeal. More good promotion for the band. Keeping the name out there. That's good for the legacy, no?

But, and this seems to be the point you’re missing, by saying “factions,” he implies that not everyone agreed with what happened. He’s implying that he doesn’t blame Christine with that statement.

He's probably referring, at least in part, to Christine. We don't know for sure what he meant when he said that. I do agree that she is probably the one that he has the least animosity towards since they seemed to be on the same page. That's why we got BuckVie.

Lindsey was lucky to have had the opportunity to join a well established band that had a solid record contract, was big enough to be getting played on the radio, was big enough to sell out places like the Fillmore, had been on national TV, was self-managed and free of external pressures, and was just under the radar enough where the label didn’t care what the band gave them. That what was left of that band was a rhythm section and a singer/songwriter used to being just a third should have been a dream come true. He basically had carte blanche within the confides of being in a band to do whatever he wanted. That’s a hell of an opportunity/outlet. The sad thing is that not only did he not appreciate it, he resented and felt held back by it.

And, what Fleetwood Mac brought to Buckingham Nicks was greater than the other way around. Christine’s songs sounded more refined with Stevie and Lindsey, which is expected, since they spent probably as much time recording that first album as they did all of the Bob Welch era albums combined, but the fundamentals of her songs weren’t that all that different. “Over My Head” could have just as easily been on HAHTF. “Rhiannon,” OTOH, went from sounding a typical bar band song with Buckingham Nicks to sounding like an epic rock masterpiece with Fleetwood Mac.

I've always felt, and most people do, that the sum of the Rumours 5 has always been greater than the parts. That's why a lot of us are so disappointed that they couldn't rise above this latest conflict and give us some new music and a proper tour. They did indeed lose their perspective.

If Lindsey had left after they decided to call the the album something other than Fleetwood and not fed us that “it just felt like a duet album” line of crap, I might be inclined to agree, but Lindsey is the one who said close your eyes, grab the money, and run. So, he’s not exactly pure in that regard, either.

Well if I was Lindsey I'd take the money too! But he was the one who wanted more for FM. Not just to be some touring cash cow operating machine. Is it his fault that Stevie didn't want to record new music with the band? Sometimes you have to be a little politically correct to try to preserve what you feel you have left in the band. Maybe hoping for different outcomes in the future?