Worst FM album?

KenB · #1 06-29-2013, 09:23 AM

Has anyone ever done a poll here on FM's worst album? I'd start one, but I'd like it to include all eras of FM rather than just the BN era, and I don't know if there's a way to have a thread that crosses forums. My least favorite is "Future Games" (and I generally love the Bob Welch era). Second least would be "Time."

dontlookdown · #2 06-29-2013, 10:01 AM

Love Future Games.

Would probably have to go with Time.
It's the only FM album I couldn't listen to all the way from start to finish,
the only FM album I didn't want to play again after it ended,
and the only FM album I never bought.

Although I couldn't get enough of it when it was released,
Tango In The Night might be my least favorite from the BN era.
It still has its moments, but it just didn't hold up after all these years.
Probably due to the incredibly weak songs/vocals from Stevie Nicks.

shackin'up · #3 06-29-2013, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dontlookdown

Love Future Games.

Would probably have to go with Time.
It's the only FM album I couldn't listen to all the way from start to finish,
the only FM album I didn't want to play again after it ended,
and the only FM album I never bought.

Although I couldn't get enough of it when it was released,
Tango In The Night might be my least favorite from the BN era.
It still has its moments, but it just didn't hold up after all these years.
Probably due to the incredibly weak songs/vocals from Stevie Nicks.

These are my picks too, for exactly the same reasons, dontlookdown! And I LOVE future games.

secret love · #4 06-29-2013, 10:18 AM

I can't stand Rumours. It's just awful. Most jarring, dissonant music I've ever listened to.

Of the Rumours/Post-Rumours era which I'm most familiar with:
Behind the Mask did not do much for me. I liked Skies the Limit (and tolerated the titular error) and Freedom.

Mirage suffered from trying to be a second Rumours. Stevie's songs were all great, I liked Chris' Hold Me and Love in Store, Lindsey's Book of Love is sweet and Oh Diane was enjoyable if only for it being Lindsey's Elvis moment and a strangely catchy song. So there is a fair bit on that album that worked for me but there is a handful of songs on it which just don't grab me. It bugs me that Stevie was only ever allowed three songs per album as part of the Rumours line-up. The angry studio version of Smile at You should have made the cut and it should have also been peformed and recorded live.

I can't really choose a pre-BN album that I don't like because I haven't listened to all of those albums. I like what I've heard of Christine's songs on Mystery to Me (Believe Me, & Why), Albatross is another favourite. I have the Black Magic Woman compilation double CD and there isn't a song I've listened to on it that I don't like. Have not listened to much of Time though what I have listened to I enjoyed. Love Bekka's voice...wish she would do a new solo record.

sleepless child · #5 06-29-2013, 10:27 AM

Worst Fleetwood Mac record? Time. Just can't even get thru it. What a mess. I think it came out in 1993?

bluefox4000 · #6 06-29-2013, 10:27 AM

Lowest on my list are Mirage, Time......And All Peter Green era stuff

Mick

redbird · #7 06-29-2013, 10:55 AM

Time, by far.

Of the B&N-including albums Tango is my least favorite. I like all the Welch-era albums. Mr. Wonderful sounds a little samey-samey to me but I don't dislike it exactly.

rhiannondontgo · #8 06-29-2013, 01:46 PM

Can't comment on the pre-BN stuff because I don't listen to very much of it. But I do love Peter Green.
I honestly think the post-BN albums got steadily worse after Tusk. From a BN fan's perspective, there's this awesome story almost, that goes on with the first 3. The White Album has this thing going on where they're like "we're all romantically involved with one another and we're getting fed up". You can hear that in Monday Morning, Landslide, etc. Then Rumours is like "ok now we're all broken up and we're kind of bitter and there's lots of drama" and you've got the Dreams, NGBA, Silver Springs, GYOW, SHN thing. Then Tusk, which is artistically gorgeous, is like "now that we're all broken up, we've all banged other members of the band and roadies and rockstars and there's still a lot of drama" and all the songs are like the stories of the later relationships. Lindsey's songs seem to mostly be about what's happened after the break-up. WMYTYTO, That's Enough For Me, NTF, IKINW, etc. And Stevie's are all about her relationships after the fact. Storms is her affair with Mick, Beautiful Child is the affair with Derek Taylor, Sara is the Mick/Sara/Stevie situation with Don Henley and JD Souther and the other members of FM all mixed in.
And I think that magic voyeur-ism aspect to the band stops with Tusk. I never feel that way about Mirage or Tango (which I kind of think both albums are over produced and too pop-music-y

). And especially BTM and Time. I can't stand either of those albums, with the only exceptions being Freedom and The Second Time. and they still aren't my favorites.
I do really like SYW for the most part though. And I love Lindsey's 3 songs from the EP.

MacShadowsBall · #9 06-29-2013, 03:06 PM

Interesting as I've been thinking about what new contest to do. Least Favorite Mac album would that be a good one to do?

sjpdg · #10 07-07-2013, 01:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluefox4000

Lowest on my list are Mirage, Time......And All Peter Green era stuff

Mick

So, basically, everything that started the band, you don't like?! That's bizarre. Had it not been for Peter, there would be no Fleetwood Mac, and Stevie and Lindsey would likely have squandered in obscurity. Lindsey would likely have made it with another band, but not likely that whomever that band was would have taken the "package" deal that Lindsey offered Mick that brought Stevie on board.

becca · #11 07-07-2013, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sjpdg

So, basically, everything that started the band, you don't like?! That's bizarre. Had it not been for Peter, there would be no Fleetwood Mac, and Stevie and Lindsey would likely have squandered in obscurity. Lindsey would likely have made it with another band, but not likely that whomever that band was would have taken the "package" deal that Lindsey offered Mick that brought Stevie on board.

To each their own; some people like unprocessed guitar that B.B.King recognized as the highest quality and some like super-glossy drum machine music enhanced with fifty vocal overdubs and hand clapping effects.

The thing that gets me with things like Tusk, Mirage and Tango is that Buckingham is an excellent guitarist who I enjoy a lot, it's just as a producer he drives me up the wall! I don't get that wall of sound Pet Sounds worship thing either so many have. To me it so often buries what I'm into with pointless icing layered on. I love Wish You Were Here on Mirage, maybe because it has the least processing?

I'll still take the 'worst' Mac album over the best by many others!

sjpdg · #12 07-11-2013, 03:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by becca

To each their own; some people like unprocessed guitar that B.B.King recognized as the highest quality and some like super-glossy drum machine music enhanced with fifty vocal overdubs and hand clapping effects.

The thing that gets me with things like Tusk, Mirage and Tango is that Buckingham is an excellent guitarist who I enjoy a lot, it's just as a producer he drives me up the wall! I don't get that wall of sound Pet Sounds worship thing either so many have. To me it so often buries what I'm into with pointless icing layered on. I love Wish You Were Here on Mirage, maybe because it has the least processing?

I'll still take the 'worst' Mac album over the best by many others!

Agreed!! "Wish You Were Here" is one of my favourite Mac songs.

Dreamz19 · #13 07-08-2013, 05:05 PM

Penguin, Mirage and Behind the Mask.

sjpdg · #14 07-04-2013, 03:10 AM

Penguin. {Hands down, no questions asked (pun intended as that is my least favourite single of the Vito/Burnette era and least favourite Stevie song EVER!!).}

While "Behind The Mask" might have some elements of "over production", it's still better than "Penguin" by thousands of miles in my opinion. "Time" is by no means anywhere near the best of FM's work, it's not as bad as a lot of people make it out to be. Can anyone really say that "The Derelict" and "Roadrunner" are better than "Save Me" or "Winds Of Change"? I'd rather listen to cats in heat than "The Derelict" or "Roadrunner".

bluefox4000 · #15 07-04-2013, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sjpdg

Penguin. {Hands down, no questions asked (pun intended as that is my least favourite single of the Vito/Burnette era and least favourite Stevie song EVER!!).}

While "Behind The Mask" might have some elements of "over production", it's still better than "Penguin" by thousands of miles in my opinion. "Time" is by no means anywhere near the best of FM's work, it's not as bad as a lot of people make it out to be. Can anyone really say that "The Derelict" and "Roadrunner" are better than "Save Me" or "Winds Of Change"? I'd rather listen to cats in heat than "The Derelict" or "Roadrunner".

I'll say it....I LOVE the Derelict. So Poo on you

Mick