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Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie – Getting ‘On With the Show’
June 27, 2017
Rumours (if you’ll excuse the pun) had been circulating since perhaps 2013 that a new Fleetwood Mac album might be on the way at some time or another. The band had been in the studio recording material, and did in fact release a digital EP featuring four new songs, including the brilliantly uplifting ‘Sad Angel’. Then, out of the blue, Christine McVie rejoined the band in 2014 and the most recognised of the Mac line-ups toured together for the first time since the late 1990s later that year.
Singer Stevie Nicks, however, was reluctant to contribute to the album and decided to focus on her solo work. With Lindsey and Christine continuing to bounce song ideas off one another, the project evolved into a collaboration album between the two of them featuring contributions from Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, so what we have ultimately wound up with here is a Fleetwood Mac album which features all members of the band except Stevie. And you know what? Without wishing to belittle what Stevie brings to the band, they have come up something that is as good as any Fleetwood Mac record.
The eponymous album features ten tracks in all, five of which were written by Lindsey, two by Christine and the remaining three are co-writes. The album was produced by Lindsey, along with veteran producers Mitchell Froom and Mark Needham. Those familiar with Lindsey’s solo work will be aware that it tends to be a little more on the experimental side than what he brings to the band – the fact that his solo career operates much more ‘under the radar’, compared to the massive exposure Fleetwood Mac attracts, allows him the creative space to make music that is more left-field and closer to the kind of music that he naturally gravitates to. However, that experimentation has been paired back somewhat here, and other than on two or three of the songs, even Lindsey’s guitar playing has taken more of a back seat than usual in favour of focusing more on the collaboration and the arrangements as a whole.
The album opens with ‘Sleeping Around the Corner’, an extremely catchy tune driven along by a big synth bass line which was originally intended for Lindsey’s 2011 solo album Seeds We Sow. This gives way to the first of the co-writes, the playful ‘Feel About You’, followed by the instantly memorable lead single ‘In My World’, another of Lindsey’s songs. The highlights continue with ‘Red Sun’, another co-write which once again provides an unforgettable chorus hook. The next track, ‘Love is Here to Stay’, is beautifully layered with acoustic guitars and vocal harmonies. A simple but extremely effective electric guitar hook from Lindsey drives the insanely catchy ‘Too Far Gone’. Christine’s ‘Game of Pretend’ is one of the more touching songs on the record, with its chorus once again layered with wonderful vocal harmonies. Lindsey’s ‘On With the Show’, which gave its name to the Mac’s 2014/15 world tour, and Christine’s ‘Carnival Begin’ are tributes to being associated with a band that has such a rich history behind it, with the latter closing the album strongly with a big guitar solo from Lindsey. There are no throwaway tracks on this album.
One thing you’ll notice about all of these songs is that the lead vocal is sung exclusively either by Lindsey or Christine. There are no ‘duets’ as such, and yet the collaborative feel is still very clear. Their distinctiveness as writers and performers combines beautifully, as if the thirty years since 1987’s Tango in the Night had never passed. The legendary duo of Mick Fleetwood and John McVie on drums and bass gives many of the songs a decidedly Fleetwood Mac-esque sound which only adds to it.
This really is a superb album. When you listen to it, and certainly when you see the 15-minute EPK posted on their official YouTube account, the chemistry between these two legendary artists is plain to see. Their partnership is as strong as ever. While there is now very little prospect of a future Fleetwood Mac album, it is wonderful to see that Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie still have plenty of creative juice left in the tank, and after next year’s Fleetwood Mac tour, it will be fascinating to hear what they might come out with next.