[SteveMacD]

Originally Posted by David

But he wouldn't have bothered if the other members had still been on drugs & as screwed up as they were from the making of "Tango" to the release of the Fleetwood book in 1990.

For me, it's that he was even considering such a possibility was a major step forward. During the whole inauguration, he made it very clear that he had no intentions of ever working with Fleetwood Mac again, and he continued to trash the band in his shows. I saw him in July, 1993, and he said that his touring band was like a family, and that Fleetwood Mac was also like a family...a dysfunctional family. So something changed in his mind in less than two years to make him even consider getting back with the band.

Originally Posted by David

In fact, when Lindsey started recording with Mick again, which was probably prompted by nothing more than musical frustration over the recording he had done with his touring band (I don't know why he was unhappy with that situation -- these were obviously musicians he knew thoroughly in a musical sense & he obviously liked them in a musical sense, so why recording with them after touring would have been so unfulfilling is somewhat of a mystery).

It was the same frustration Lindsey had with what was happening with Fleetwood Mac. They were all part of this massive thing, and now they (Fleetwood Mac and Lindsey Buckingham) were downgraded to opening acts, package tours, or small clubs. He knew that if they were all together, big things would happen, and that nobody cared about the new versions of Fleetwood Mac or the members of his own touring band. Being able to imply that GOS was essentially a Fleetwood Mac album was going to sell his album.

Originally Posted by David

Maybe, but to say she "quit" is probably misleading in the sense that she was finished over the course of several years -- she knew it & Fleetwood Mac must have known it. Even recording for "Time" was probably just a "do it & call it final" sort of thing for Christine. She certainly had no intention of going back on the road at that point. She probably figured that recording some tracks & shipping them over -- or whatever she actually did -- wasn't that big a deal.

I think she told Mick point blank she was done. He then asked her if she would be offended if they got somebody to fill her shoes, and she said "you can't go on forever." So, I think there was a bit more going on than Christine gradually nudging out of Fleetwood Mac.

Originally Posted by David

The commercial failure of "Cradle" or "Street Angel" doesn't necessarily mean that those two wanted back in Fleetwood Mac at that point.

I didn't suggest that. I think that both initially had the idea of moving forward with what they were doing. I'll even go so far as to say that I don't think Stevie was a driving force for a reunion. Still, I think she she held out on her plans after a reunion became a possibility. She had quit smoking, gotten off the Klon, and lost a lot of weight. She was looking great, and sounding great. The last image many people had of Stevie was Clinton's inauguration, and she knew it. A Fleetwood Mac reunion would be great exposure to show the world that the Stevie they know and love is back.

Originally Posted by David

The only thing she did with Lindsey (& Mick) at this point was "Twisted," & after that she told the press that absolutely no plans had been made for doing anything else with those guys after that & she even seriously doubted anything else would occur

She was just towing the official company line. In fact, this was still in the days when I called managers. I called Stubner's office to ask if the rumors about Mick playing on "Twisted" were true. I was told "no, he's not going to play on a new Stevie/Lindsey duet." Furthermore, I was told that there were only rumors about a Mac reunion, and that those rumors had been floating around for fifteen years. So, even Mick's people were playing down a possible reunion, to the point where they were lying to fans.

Originally Posted by David

It was only at THAT point that Mick began telling the press (papers in Kentucky) that he hoped the fireflies would reunite for the 20th anniversary of "Rumours." I'm sure he pitched the idea to Lindsey, Stevie & the McVies at that point. Lindsey's response was to stay in L.A. working on his own album (he was expected at the Kentucky Derby gig), the McVies both left the Derby gala early, & Stevie continued full-steam on her plans for new studio album, TV specials & box set. That kinda tells you something about just who in the band wanted the reunion in 1996, although it's possible that the rest of the band was at least amenable to the idea -- even as early as late 1995.

I'd argue that if Lindsey had done the Derby, it would have killed any momentum for a reunion, and he knew it. "The Dance" wouldn't have been as big a deal if there had been that picture of the "Rumours" band playing a recent gig. Plus, I'd also argue that it was a pretty big deal just for Mick, Stevie, and the McVies to all be together again less than seven months after "Time" was released, and after all the negativity between Stevie and the band. Just as the writing was on the wall that the "Time" band was over, the writing was on the wall that the "Rumours" band was back.

Originally Posted by David

That's an interesting hypothesis, Steve, but we'll have to agree to disagree. I think Mick pushed the idea -- possibly for at least two years -- to everyone in the band, & Lindsey just figured he may as well do it as a sort of one-time thing (whether a single TV show or a short tour). I don't think Lindsey cared one way or the other whether Fleetwood Mac's then-current incarnation continued or not. And I doubt Stevie cared.

Yeah, we'll have to agree to disagree. I totally agree that Mick was pushing the idea, but I think Lindsey was the one who was throwing that bone to Mick. Let's put it this way, I think Lindsey was the brains behind the reunion, but Mick was the heart. As for Stevie and Lindsey not caring, I couldn't disagree more. I think that they view the legacy of Fleetwood Mac as their legacy, too. I think it hurt them to see Fleetwood Mac reach such a low point, and to have that associated with them in any way, shape, or form. Plus, the reactions I've read prior to the reunion that Stevie and Lindsey had to Mick's moving on without them were anything but positive.

Originally Posted by David

Again, an interesting idea that Lindsey was the guiding force of pressure behind the reunion, but I'm not sure it really fits. When Lindsey did "Twisted" with Stevie & Mick, according to Stevie he sure didn't lay any groundwork for future reunions. In fact, Stevie says he flew in & flew out, & she told interviewers months later that she didn't hear anything from him after that short two- or three-day session. Doesn't sound as if he was hankering for a fireflies reunion at that time.

I have two issues here. One, THAT he even did any work with Stevie in 1996, regardless of how minor, was really a major step towards a reunion. Two, he was still working on his own project with Mick, John, and Christine. And, didn't Stevie usually come into projects well towards the end, anyway? Don't get me wrong, while I think Lindsey was really the driving force behind the ultimate reunion, I think he was using a great deal of caution. It COULD be that he didn't want to get anyone's hopes up. After all, Stevie was trying to get her life back together at that time, and part of me thinks Lindsey didn't want to give her a major disappointment while she was in the process of recovering, as happened in 1987.

Originally Posted by David

I think it's more likely that Lindsey said to Mick, "If you're clean & sober, come play some drums for me."

I'm not going to discount Mick's sobriety as being a factor for Lindsey. However, Lindsey's position on playing with Fleetwood Mac again certainly changed. I don't think he would have even considered it two years earlier, regardless of Mick's (or anyone else's) condition. Once he saw Mick and the others cleaned up their acts, he knew that he could get them to disband the "Time" band to get the "Rumours" band back together.

Originally Posted by David

You do if you're getting tired of playing supper clubs like the Konocti Harbor Spa, where people gab with one another all through your show over their plates of roast beef & potatoes au gratin. I think Fleetwood Mac's lowly status during those two years HAD to have grated on Mick -- & possibly even some of the others in the band.

Possibly. But, Lindsey's status wasn't much higher, either, and that REALLY had to grate on him as well. Again, to not have even done a small tour, a la "Mirage" for "Time" is totally out of character for Mick and John. That's why I think there were other forces (read: Lindsey and Christine) that were trying to kill the whole "Time" project so that the "Rumours" band could get back together.

Originally Posted by David

Again, not so "magical" -- & certainly the vibe afterward wasn't one of "reunion is definitely on," at least according to Stevie.

Call me cynical, but I just don't buy that Mick, John, Christine, and Lindsey were all working together, but Mick was the only one who was thinking reunion.

Originally Posted by David

I think OOTC, SA & Time would have had to be GARGANTUAN successes in order for a fireflies reunion not to have been organized & carried out.

It's akin to asking a musician: "Would you rather have $5 million or $25 million?"

On the other hand, if Mick felt that he could make the "Time" band a full time band, like the band was from 1967 through 1980, while being moderately successful, and still make $5 million a year, he would actually be ahead right now with the "Time" band because there wouldn't be the five to seven year stretches between albums.