What if.. Stevie had left the band instead of Christine?

Villavic · #1 11-03-2009, 09:34 PM

I don't know if this has been mentioned before. Imagine it was Stevie who had left the band after The Dance and the Reunion tour. How would Say You Will have sound? Probably a mix of the known SYW with the best of In the Meantime. And how would the tours have been? Obviously always finishing with Songbird. I think they would be as succesful as the actual last tours. Christine is great.

cristochango · #2 11-03-2009, 09:40 PM

I don't think it would've gone over so well, Stevie's the face of Fleetwood Mac now, at least to people that aren't hardcore fans like us.

**jbrownsjr** · #3 11-03-2009, 09:43 PM

I think it would have been amazing... McVie Buckingham collaborations are some of the best tunes Mac has to offer...

I think attendance would be down quite a bit, but a niche following would support smaller venues. Album sales would be low of course as well. Stevie does sell for them, due to the fact she has her own following.

Musically I think it would be very very interesting.

aleuzzi · #4 11-03-2009, 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbrownsjr

I think it would have been amazing... McVie Buckingham collaborations are some of the best tunes Mac has to offer...

I think attendance would be down quite a bit, but a niche following would support smaller venues. Album sales would be low of course as well. Stevie does sell for them, due to the fact she has her own following.

Musically I think it would be very very interesting.

Agreed. It would have been pretty rewarding, musically, and this lineup would have probably gotten rave reviews. But the "tour" as it were would be pretty sad: I don't think they'd do more than a dozen or so of medium-venue shows.

Villavic · #5 11-05-2009, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbrownsjr

I think it would have been amazing... McVie Buckingham collaborations are some of the best tunes Mac has to offer...

I think attendance would be down quite a bit, but a niche following would support smaller venues. Album sales would be low of course as well. Stevie does sell for them, due to the fact she has her own following.

Musically I think it would be very very interesting.

I agree 100%. Very well explained. I also agree with Regina that Lindsey would have not collaborated with Fleetwood Mac if Stevie were not part of it. But my point was just an assumption. It's interesting to imagine what if...

**jbrownsjr** · #6 11-05-2009, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Villavic

I agree 100%. Very well explained. I also agree with Regina that Lindsey would have not collaborated with Fleetwood Mac if Stevie were not part of it. But my point was just an assumption. It's interesting to imagine what if...

I think he would collaborate with FM w/o Stevie... He did for "A Fine Mess" and also before the Dance... LB loves to be in the studio w/ Mick/John and Christine...

What do you all think...?

GypsyBlueEyes · #7 11-05-2009, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbrownsjr

I think he would collaborate with FM w/o Stevie... He did for "A Fine Mess" and also before the Dance... LB loves to be in the studio w/ Mick/John and Christine...

What do you all think...?

I see what you're saying but A Fine Mess was not a Fleetwood Mac project so its not really the same thing. As far as being in the studio with John, Mick, and Christine, I'm sure he does enjoy it but if he wants to put together a project that's going to make any money, he won't do it without Stevie. All in all, he may collaborate with members of Fleetwood Mac sans Stevie, but not on anything that will have the Fleetwood Mac name on it.

Villavic · #8 11-05-2009, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbrownsjr

I think he would collaborate with FM w/o Stevie... He did for "A Fine Mess" and also before the Dance... LB loves to be in the studio w/ Mick/John and Christine...

What do you all think...?

And he also collaborated with the "Behind the Mask" song, even though he was recently left the band, I mean some wounds may still were open, but he was there. Yes he may enjoyed to be in the studio

michelej1 · #9 11-06-2009, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbrownsjr

I think he would collaborate with FM w/o Stevie... He did for "A Fine Mess" and also before the Dance... LB loves to be in the studio w/ Mick/John and Christine...

What do you all think...?

I agree. And Lindsey and Christine were on each other's earlier solo albums. I think he loves to be in the studio with Mick and Christine. I don't know about John, although I realize that John was there for the GOS stuff.

Michele

addiejean · #10 11-03-2009, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cristochango

I don't think it would've gone over so well, Stevie's the face of Fleetwood Mac now, at least to people that aren't hardcore fans like us.

I agree... Say what you want about Stevie, girlfriend comes with quite the fanbase and always draws a crowd...

louielouie2000 · #11 11-03-2009, 10:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cristochango

I don't think it would've gone over so well, Stevie's the face of Fleetwood Mac now, at least to people that aren't hardcore fans like us.

It definitely didn't work well last time around with the whole Time era. I think Christine's absence from the Time tour (which happened before the album was released) had a large part to do with the failure. Not only were Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks absent, but Christine was as well. Those are your 3 most notable people from the Rumours crew, because they were the singer/songwriters. My point being, I don't know if that's comparable to just Stevie being out of the picture. I won't argue with you that Stevie is without a doubt the face of Fleetwood Mac. She's the one that gets the butts in the seats of concerts for sure. Fleetwood Mac with Stevie would probably sell only half the concert tickets, maybe less.

I do however think the idea of Stevie being gone and Christine still being in the band is very provocative. Chris and Lindsey have such a musical bond, and they really work well together. Christine's voice seems to just improve with age, whereas Stevie's continues to decline. Just Lindsey and Chris as songwriters would make an incredibly tight, well crafted record, I can tell you that. But without Stevie as a foil, would it be dry, and lacking character and soul?

I must admit, with all this negative yammering from Stevie lately, I do wish she'd retire, and Christine step back up to the plate. There's no sense of Stevie being in the band if she's not happy personally or musically. Add to the fact that Christine's and Lindsey's latest solo albums from this decade are the best of their respective careers, and it does make for a good argument for Christine to step into Stevie's shoes. However, that will never happen... and it's unfortunate.

Regina · #12 11-03-2009, 10:16 PM

I sincerely think Lindsey would have not collaborated with Fleetwood Mac if Stevie were not part of it. I think he genuinely (at the time SYW was in the working/beginning stages) was happy about making music with FM again. And (again, this is my opinion) I think he views Fleetwood Mac as something he does WITH Stevie. I think he would have been just as willing (at that point in time) to go out and do BuckinghamNicksII. For all the blood, sweat and tears (oops, wrong group!) they make fantastic music together. Yes, Lindsey and Chris have done a couple of interesting things together but...it's not the same dynamic. Not the same chemistry and not the same passion and fire. And the audience, for the most part, wants that. I don't think they give a tinker's damn over an interesting musical collaboration. They want Chemistry with a capital C.

So...I don't think it would have happened. If it had, I think it would have bombed.

daniellaaarisen · #13 11-03-2009, 10:54 PM

Without Christine, you lose the one who kinda pulls all the loose strings back in again. She musically complimented Lindsey specifically, but just in general, I see her as the balancing force.

Without Stevie, you lose the emotional pull that brings people to love Fleetwood Mac to the level that we do, I think. I think she brings something so personal to the band that people can't really shake it off... she gives Fleetwood Mac a specific punch that Christine and Lindsey just don't.

They were a perfect union of three-- a trinity-- for a reason. Each of the three songwriters compliments the other two in an irreplacable way. Without Stevie, I'm sure the popularity of the band would dramatically fall... and its not like Christine and Lindsey could go redefine Fleetwood Mac and draw a new pool of fans in because a) they are over 60 years old in a young market and b) I'm not so sure the spark is there without Stevie.

**jbrownsjr** · #14 11-03-2009, 11:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daniellaaarisen

Without Christine, you lose the one who kinda pulls all the loose strings back in again. She musically complimented Lindsey specifically, but just in general, I see her as the balancing force.

Without Stevie, you lose the emotional pull that brings people to love Fleetwood Mac to the level that we do, I think. I think she brings something so personal to the band that people can't really shake it off... she gives Fleetwood Mac a specific punch that Christine and Lindsey just don't.

They were a perfect union of three-- a trinity-- for a reason. Each of the three songwriters compliments the other two in an irreplacable way. Without Stevie, I'm sure the popularity of the band would dramatically fall... and its not like Christine and Lindsey could go redefine Fleetwood Mac and draw a new pool of fans in because a) they are over 60 years old in a young market and b) I'm not so sure the spark is there without Stevie.

Great post...

michelej1 · #15 11-03-2009, 11:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by louielouie2000

I must admit, with all this negative yammering from Stevie lately, I do wish she'd retire, and Christine step back up to the plate. There's no sense of Stevie being in the band if she's not happy personally or musically. Add to the fact that Christine's and Lindsey's latest solo albums from this decade are the best of their respective careers, and it does make for a good argument for Christine to step into Stevie's shoes. However, that will never happen... and it's unfortunate.

I'd be extremely excited about a Christine/Lindsey album. Unfortunately, I don't think it would work in concert. I mean, it would work for me, fine. But Fleetwood Mac would leave with empty pockets and bruised egos. So, no tour, but Christine and Lindsey on an album? Bring it on.

I disagree about ITMT being Christine's best solo work though. I found most of the album pleasant, but the 2 songs that gripped me weren't written by her. So, maybe Dan could work with them, he could be like Eddie was on Tango.

I like Christine's second solo outing the best. But I agree that her voice has improved with age as have her interpretative skills. You take Lindsey on Bel Air Rain and Christine on Calumny and put that kind of emotion, reflection and wisdom of experience together on new songs -- it would be mindbending.

Michele