should stevie and f. mac retire?

[mike_nh]

I know this will be unpopular with the ''hardcore'' fans but
to be realistic stevie had a very good point in the documantary
by saying that they need to sell to people betwen the ages
of 10-27. and if you know anything about stevie you know that
it's all about the lyrics. thats why we listen..the music is great
but right now in theese times people won't get it. and stevie
is right. times have changed and so have the fans. Even if
they write the best songs of their lives no one will really
hear it because it's all about ''the look'' you got people like
britney,eminem,and all those others that are just out to make
a quick buck and get noticed for doing something shocking.
In my opinion the true artists of our generation like stevie,
fleetwood mac,bob seger,the eagles,ect really don't fit in
today's world of music. so instead of trying to compeate with
the ''artists'' of today they should take pride in what they have
done. stevie and fleetwooc mac don't need to compeate with
anyone. stevie is a legend and she left her mark as one of
the all time greats and no one will ever be able to take that away
from her. stevie and fleetwood mac have nothing left to prove
so thats why i think they should retire.
And as for stevie..she's got one hurdle left....see ya in 2006
when she gets inducted into the rock n roll hall of fame as a
solo artist.

[dissention]

Quite the opposite, actually.

They have nothing to prove so they should release music that isn't necessarily commercial. Like Lindsey's SYW material, for example. They should explore new musical avenues and try to develop some different stuff that interests them that they weren't able to do when they were so popular for fear of alienation.

[GardenStateGirlie]

Originally posted by dissention
Quite the opposite, actually.

They have nothing to prove so they should release music that isn't necessarily commercial. Like Lindsey's SYW material, for example. They should explore new musical avenues and try to develop some different stuff that interests them that they weren't able to do when they were so popular for fear of alienation.

Argreed. Their fanbase is well-established and they've managed to pick up a younger following due in part to the fact that many people of my generation grew up with Fleetwood Mac in their household or discovered them on their own as children. They're able to explore new musical avenues because as dissention said, they've already prooved themselves by being a band with staying power. If they can still get people to go and see them and if people are still buying their music, why can't they continue to make it and tour? The demand for them is still out there (they proved that in 97' with an amazing reunion tour and in the past year with the SYW tour which has done very well, btw). No, they don't have to retire. They just have to keep making the kind of music that they want to make I have no doubts that whatever they come up with next will be equally as good if not better than some of their classics

[Johnny Stew]

I think the 'Say You Will' recording process was all about seeing if they could work together again.

Yes, they could tour and get along... but could they actually go thru the process of recording an album, and promoting it, without ending up at each other's throats?
It's a different set of pressures and anxieties.

So my thought is that now that they've gotten past that hurdle, and they've proven to themselves they can still do it and get along (let's face it, none of the bickering was all that major), then the next time out, they should have an easier time and feel more confident.

I think the band is as aware as anyone, that they'll most likely never again sell 4 million copies of a new studio album, but that's no reason why they should break up, as long as they still feel that the chemistry is there, and as long as they still enjoy being in each other's company.
Because they're just as artistically viable, if not more so, than most of their "classic rock" peers.

[Lee]

I think as long as it's fun for them & they're healthy, they should keep on going, keep touring, recording, writing. We fans will always be there for them.

Lee

[diamondsnake]

No way. My only concern is that they might not want to make another album since SYW did not sell 1,000,000+. But hopefully they don't really care about that.

And since they were one of the biggest money making tours of 2003, obviously they have a fanbase to rival Britney and Christina's.

And, I do believe that they have a young fanbase. Maybe not a ton of teenagers, but at the show I went to, I saw a lot of 20-somethings. And I think this is largely because of The Dance. Without The Dance there would not be too many young fans today, like me. I am only 15 and I am a huge FM fan. Of course, a lot of people think this is weird. When I went to the FM show in Atlanta, everyone who we chatted with thought I was taging along with my Dad to the show, when it was really the other way around.

[EveryHour]

Originally posted by mike_nh
Even if
they write the best songs of their lives no one will really
hear it because it's all about ''the look'' you got people like
britney,eminem,and all those others that are just out to make
a quick buck and get noticed for doing something shocking.

FM should just keep doing what they're doing because the problem here is with the music industry and society....not them! Plus, not all newer artists are only about image, and there have always been artists that are (all the way back to the manufactured teen idol artists of the 50's). It's nothing new.

[CarneVaca]

It wouldn't bother me if Stevie retired...

[GardenStateGirlie]

Originally posted by CarneVaca
It wouldn't bother me if Stevie retired...

Hey! Watch it, mister! Be glad I like you

[Miranda]

They should do one album of all new material worked on in the studio together from start to finish. Has that happened since Rumours?

[DownOnRodeo]

I believe that the next album, if and when it eventuates, will make a big sizeable commercial imprint. As long as they don't let the momentum fall away too much. The last thing we need is another 'reunion album' - we want 'the next album' from Fleetwood Mac. (And the next, and the next. )

I think that SYW was a bit too irregular to be as big commercially as it could have been. Was it a one-off reunion album or a new release in the new lease on their career started with The Dance? Was it a 1990s Lindsey solo album or a sequel to TISL?

I think that the next studio release, if it eventuates, will (or at least should) be a much more uniform effort. I want the same sound in all the tracks. If that means re-recording Down On Rodeo, Hit n Run etc, then they should. If the band as a whole is going to have a bigger impact on the market, it needs to 'stand united', or fall divided, commercially (not that SYW 'fell' - but it didn't quite soar). That's what makes FM, Rumours, and TITN stand out, IMO - the instruments and vocals had a unique, homogenous sound. Mirage did too but as the band has admitted there wasn't as much good writing in its songs as on the other three big hits.

I'd like to imagine that the 'sound' of the next CD will be like 'Love Minus Zero' and 'NMB'. A whole album like that... ahhh.

[coldplay]

Originally posted by mike_nh

Even if they write the best songs of their lives no one will really hear it because it's all about ''the look'' you got people like
britney,eminem,and all those others that are just out to make
a quick buck and get noticed for doing something shocking.

Couple of things here.

First, we will hear it.

Second, there are plenty of successful acts targetting younger audiences that resist buying into the image deal. Which is not to say they don't have an image at all but paradoxically their image is 'less image'....less overt. Norah Jones and John Mayer are some examples of jeans and t-shirt styles.

Interestingly, Jones and Mayer are also good examples of younger acts that can play instruments and write their own songs.

Third, one way of reaching new audiences is through soundtracks. God forbid that FMac should end up on a Disney film but it certainly is a way of reaching new audiences that wouldn't otherwise buy a Mac album. I'm sure this is one of the reasons that Sting, Paul Simon, Annie Lennox etc do soundtrack work.


In my opinion the true artists of our generation like stevie,
fleetwood mac,bob seger,the eagles,ect really don't fit in
today's world of music.

They don't fit in. What does that mean exactly? I don't think there is any point trying to fit squares into circles. The music industry is complex and diverse. Yes, today's music is dominated by hiney shakin' babes but why can't veteran acts stand alongside those acts?

Stevie and fleetwood mac have nothing left to prove
so thats why i think they should retire.

Getting an artist to stop creating art is not an easy thing to do.

Same with sports - 47 yr old tennis champion Martina Navratilova is one of the most successful players in history. She has nothing to prove to anyone but the reason why she's playing (and winning Grand Slam titles) is because she loves the game.

Cheers
CP

[Janis_no1]

This will be a rather interesting list i assume..

My simple thoughts are:

RETIRE = NO

OUT OF TOUCH = NO

STILL ABLE TO WRITE THEIR OWN MATERIAL = YES!

DOWNONRODEO
I think that SYW was a bit too irregular to be as big commercially as it could have been. Was it a one-off reunion album or a new release in the new lease on their career started with The Dance? Was it a 1990s Lindsey solo album or a sequel to TISL?

I agree Joe (i hope i got it right this time.. ) though i never thought about it..

I believe that a scattered album creates scattered opinions. This album was not a joint collaboration, which was a shame, but to be honest my guess is that Stevie wont again hang out in the studio for the whole length of time it takes to write, rpoduce and record an album... Time will tell wont it, and whatever they may release in the future i know i and most likely all of you will still buy it.. but its whether it can catch more attention that will be the deciding factor as to whether their future is certain...

All i do know is that Lindsey certainly wants to keep going, we know Mick will be there, John just goes along with whatever and Stevie, well I dont think Stevie is even sure as to what she will feel in the future so therefore i shall have to make the decision for her and say YES! lol

[Johnny Stew]

Joe, I agree with everything you said... so, Amen, bro!

[DownOnRodeo]

Thanks JS and Jayne - I assumed I'd made another crackpot late-night ramble that no one could make any sense of but I guess I was wrong.