Side 1 or Side 2? Rumours

[elle]

Originally Posted by seekerj

If Dreams is boring, then what is Songbird? A sleeping pill?

Songbird is very pretty, to me.

i can't listen to Dreams, sorry.

[Artemis]

Side One has Dreams and Go Your Own Way... but then it has the maahoosively obnoxious song that is Don't Stop.

While every song on Side 2 is a killer, even Oh Daddy has this haunting quality that flows oh-so-nicely into Gold Dust Woman.

[bluefox4000]

Side 1 wins it for me. Side 2 has The Chain and Gold Dust Woman. But YMLF and IDWTK Weigh it down a lot. I'm on and off with Oh Daddy.

I only skip Don't Stop on side 1.

Mick

[Dex]

Originally Posted by seekerj

If Dreams is boring, then what is Songbird? A sleeping pill?

How do those two songs fit together in an equation like this? They're completely different. It's like saying "if Dreams is boring, then what is Rabbit Heart by Florence and the Machine?". I can't make sense of the logic.

[aleuzzi]

Originally Posted by elle

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i'm not sure that i understand the "side 1 was commercial, and side 2 was artistic" argument. is IDWTK or Oh Daddy really more artistic than GYOW or SHN?

I see what you mean. But the songs are less dissonant, less exploratory on the whole than the ones one side 2. IDWK is an exception--a great pop tune in the manner of SHN and NGBA. But Oh Daddy, GDW, The Chain, heck, even YMLF, seem edgier in terms of tone and color than the hits on side one.

The harmonies, the chords, the solos, and the layering of instruments on side two, at least to my ears anyway, show the band stretching out a little farther than they did before.

[Macfanforever]

Forget voting.I play the whole darn album.

Dreams and Gold Dust brought me to the album .The other tunes follow.

[jkmaletic]

Side 2 for me.
I never get sick of The Chain and GDW.
You Make Loving Fun is my favorite Christine song ever.

Jamie

[Lindsfan]

As hard as it is to vote against The Chain and YMLF, I just don't care for IDWTK, and Oh Daddy doesn't do much for me either. I do like GDW a lot, too, but that's still only three great songs on side two, as opposed to side one, which has 6 excellent songs. I wouldn't dream of skipping any of them. Side one is the easy choice for me.

[McTrouble]

Side One - Lindsey - Nuff said

[vivfox]

I always skip Songbird. Never cared for the song.Oh Daddy is another one I can live without but won't always skip and I've never understood why none of Lindsey's songs were placed on side 2.

[aleuzzi]

Originally Posted by vivfox

I always skip Songbird. Never cared for the song.Oh Daddy is another one I can live without but won't always skip and I've never understood why none of Lindsey's songs were placed on side 2.

I know, but the entire album is so carefully sequenced! At least there's balance, insofar as he sings on two of the songs on side 2. The weirder omission is Christine from side 2 of Tusk. After "Think About Me" she doesn't return as a lead until 10 songs later.

[TrueFaith77]

1 word: GYOW

Originally Posted by aleuzzi

I know, but the entire album is so carefully sequenced! At least there's balance, insofar as he sings on two of the songs on side 2. The weirder omission is Christine from side 2 of Tusk. After "Think About Me" she doesn't return as a lead until 10 songs later.

I agree. It's so strange. It's almost like there's a BN album sitting in the middle of Tusk

[MikeVielhaber]

Originally Posted by aleuzzi

I know, but the entire album is so carefully sequenced! At least there's balance, insofar as he sings on two of the songs on side 2. The weirder omission is Christine from side 2 of Tusk. After "Think About Me" she doesn't return as a lead until 10 songs later.

You know, I didn't notice this until about a week ago when I was listening to Tusk. I just thought....it's been a while since a Christine song.

[bethelblues]

Originally Posted by elle

Songbird is very pretty, to me.

i can't listen to Dreams, sorry.

Are you a little bitter that Stevie was the one to get the number-one hit?? LOL I wonder if there are any stories of Lindsey being pissed off about that; we all know there are always stories. It is a bit surprising that of the band's catalogue of great songs, there wasn't at least one more chart topper.

It's funny, I find Dreams to be one of the most sonically interesting and deceptively simple Fleetwood Mac songs. The studio recording features a perfect marrying of vocals and guitar work that isn't as pop or ephemeral as the Tango songs or even Gypsy, and the stellar chorus really showcases the vocal blending and tone of the three lead singers. I almost always skip Don't Stop (it's like Landslide for me, an iconic song but I just can't listen to it), and I really have to be in the right mood for Go Your Own Way. But Dreams is probably the one song on side one I never pass over. It never feels corny or overplayed, and I always seem to really connect to it. Maybe it's the quality of longing in Stevie's voice?

But when considering both sides, I have to go with Side 2. It's interesting that when the poll was first made, side one had nearly 100% of the votes. The Chain is a fantastic opener and stands for me as one of the greatest songs of the Rumours era. It's amazing that all five members are credited to the song, and I wish they had produced a few more total efforts. You Make Loving Fun might be my favorite Christine song. When it begins, that groove, gah...I love it! I heard it on the radio when I was driving and I love when a great song catches you by surprise. I Don't Want to Know is not one of my favorites, but Oh Daddy has been a song that has definitely grown on me over time. I didn't appreciate it at first, but it came on once and got me off guard, which made me really pay attention to its simple structure paired with its intricate instrumentation and guitar. And what can I say about Gold Dust Woman, besides it being one of Stevie's greatest contributions to Fleetwood Mac, a rock classic and distinctly autobiographical song. Its production was incredible, and the eclectic sounds and psychedelic flavor give the album an eerie yet appropriate ending that doesn't quite end but keeps going on, like the relationships of the band members.

[elle]

Originally Posted by bethelblues

Are you a little bitter that Stevie was the one to get the number-one hit?? LOL

what a weird train of thoughts?

i just don't like the song, it's just not the kind of music i like. that's all.

i understand you must really really like it, since you seem to be really adamant about going through different threads and defending this song everywhere someone says they don't like it. just let it go, we all have very different tastes in music on these boards - that's what you get with FM and all these different songwriters who were a part of the band throughout decades of its existence.