Stevie never joined Fleetwood Mac

[Villavic]

Let's imagine Mick asked Lindsey to join Fleetwood Mac and he said YES! without mentioning Stevie as a "package deal"

- It would be more difficult for them to be in the radios and be popular like they actually were. As I read (I was too young) Rhiannon was the biggest hit and it's the song that made the people ask "Fleetwood Mac with hits?", but Say You Love Me would have helped them to be "in the map" anyway.

- Rumours would have been a great success, but not the phenomenom it actually turned to be. They didn't get a N.1 song in the charts (and would never have one). Lindsey and Christine work closer in several more songs (like in World Turning and Don't Stop).

- Meanwhile, the band helped Lindsey's girlfriend, Stevie Nicks, to take off her solo career, and she became a 70s diva with Landslide, Rhiannon, Dreams, etc.. This accelerates the inevitable break between S&L.

- Tusk could have been a double album anyway, buy more likely it was a one disc album.

- Mirage got almost the same success as the real one.

- As Tango, maybe with more Lindsey songs.

What else do you think?

[FierySequences]

I'm all for "what ifs" however I think that The Mac would have been just fine w/o SN. I don't like to think about it.

No, they wouldn't have had a #1 single and some of the other albums may have suffered (just a tad bit) but I still think they would have been ok. LB and CM had great chemistry together...and I think you are right, they would have collaborated more together.

The only thing missing would have been the 3 part harmony Mac is famous for. And of course, Dreams and the astounding BC and Gypsy. I really don't think Nicks would have made it big on her own later....she would have joined someone like Petty as a backup/harmony singer and then released Stand Back and Gypsy as solo projects.

Glad it worked out the way it did

[WildHearted]

Originally Posted by FierySequences

I'm all for "what ifs" however I think that The Mac would have been just fine w/o SN. I don't like to think about it.

No, they wouldn't have had a #1 single and some of the other albums may have suffered (just a tad bit) but I still think they would have been ok. LB and CM had great chemistry together...and I think you are right, they would have collaborated more together.

The only thing missing would have been the 3 part harmony Mac is famous for. And of course, Dreams and the astounding BC and Gypsy. I really don't think Nicks would have made it big on her own later....she would have joined someone like Petty as a backup/harmony singer and then released Stand Back and Gypsy as solo projects.

Glad it worked out the way it did

But even aside from the harmonies, I mean, if Lindsey had ditched Stevie from the get-go, would we have had GYOW? NGBA? Big Love? Any of his Tusk songs?

Perhaps Lindsey would have never even felt the need to start doing solo albums....

I must say I find this all a very big stretch of the imagination not because I think idea of Lindsey leaving Stevie behind to be astounding, but because I find the idea of Lindsey wanting to join FM without Stevie's push very hard to believe.

[michelej1]

I think the attention Stevie generated for her live performances (i.e. Rhiannon) really fueled a lot of ticket sales.

I think the Mac would have been successful without her, but I don't think they would have been one of the hottest groups of the seventies and eighties. They would have had some hits like the Doobie Brothers, but would not have become iconic.

Michele

[TerraRhiannon]

Exactly what Michele said.. oh, and Tango in the Night would have been way better

[MikeInNV]

Originally Posted by michelej1

I think the attention Stevie generated for her live performances (i.e. Rhiannon) really fueled a lot of ticket sales.

I think the Mac would have been successful without her, but I don't think they would have been one of the hottest groups of the seventies and eighties. They would have had some hits like the Doobie Brothers, but would not have become iconic.

Michele

Nailed it.

[vivfox]

FM release the White Album, music made by white people. Over My Head and Say You Love Me are huge hits for Christine and Monday Morning and Blue Letter are big hits for Lindsey. Then they release Warm Ways and the world is astounded at their brilliance and they win their first Grammy. Chris and Lindsey have an affair.

Chris and John break up during the recording of Rumours. Chris writes YMLF about her affair with Lindsey and he writes Go Your Own Way about his ex Stevie. Both songs become huge hits. Their follow up singles become huge hits and then they win a Grammy.

Their founding father Mick Fleetwood suddenly decides he doesn't like being a drummer and threatens to break up the band if they won't let him be the bass player. John McVie says, "well fick you then" and suddenly quits. Fleetwood Mac no longer exists.

[johnnystorms]

i'm amused by this thread... being Team Stevie, all i can say is, there are LOTS of good songwriters, LOTS of great guitar players. FEW true stars.. Stevie is a STAR! they needed that! they needed the chemistry.. without Stevie... still paying Warners' light bill.

[elle]

Originally Posted by FierySequences

I'm all for "what ifs" however I think that The Mac would have been just fine w/o SN. I don't like to think about it.

No, they wouldn't have had a #1 single and some of the other albums may have suffered (just a tad bit) but I still think they would have been ok. LB and CM had great chemistry together...and I think you are right, they would have collaborated more together.

The only thing missing would have been the 3 part harmony Mac is famous for. And of course, Dreams and the astounding BC and Gypsy. I really don't think Nicks would have made it big on her own later....she would have joined someone like Petty as a backup/harmony singer and then released Stand Back and Gypsy as solo projects.

Glad it worked out the way it did

Originally Posted by vivfox

FM release the White Album, music made by white people. Over My Head and Say You Love Me are huge hits for Christine and Monday Morning and Blue Letter are big hits for Lindsey. Then they release Warm Ways and the world is astounded at their brilliance and they win their first Grammy. Chris and Lindsey have an affair.

Chris and John break up during the recording of Rumours. Chris writes YMLF about her affair with Lindsey and he writes Go Your Own Way about his ex Stevie. Both songs become huge hits. Their follow up singles become huge hits and then they win a Grammy.

Their founding father Mick Fleetwood suddenly decides he doesn't like being a drummer and threatens to break up the band if they won't let him be the bass player. John McVie says, "well fick you then" and suddenly quits. Fleetwood Mac no longer exists.

lmao. love all the different scenarios you all came up with, especially the ones mentioning the so often overlooked Christine-Lindsey chemistry.

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by johnnystorms

LOTS of great guitar players.

Good thing he's not just a guitar player. Michele

[MacShadowsBall]

We all know that Mick, John, and Christine were just looking for guitar player who could sing and write songs to replace Bob Welch. Let's say that Mick asks Lindsey and he says yes. Stevie decides she doesn't want to join. They remain a romantic couple.

Rewind back to the Welch/Christine albums, all those albums were dominated by Bob Welch, with Christine just having like 4 songs while Welch had around 7-8 songs.

Now comes the time to record the next album with Mick, John, Christine, Lindsey. Christine provides her 4 songs - SYLM, OMH, WW, SD and collaborates with Lindsey on WT. Lindsey does MM, ISA, and BL. Three slots remain open. Based on Christine's passed output, I doubt she would have contributed more songs, so Lindsey would have filled in the other three songs. He would perhaps use his songs/demos he had been working for the sequel to BN album, or collab w/Christine on another song.

SYLM and OMH would still be released as successful singles. A Lindsey song would have released as a third single, perhaps MM. The album still would have done better than Heroes, and other Welch era albums.

In concert Lindsey would probably be seen as the frontman of the group. The setlist would probably be similiar to what we actually had, minus Rhiannon/Landslide.

After that who knows!

[Stormwind]

Well probably firstly albums like "Rumours" would have never been made. Generally I think that the band, would have less power in vocals, and because of this Lindsey would have concentrated less on "Beach Boys alike vocals" sound in some of the songs.
Without Stevie the band would have lost a great part of its ethereal image (that was exactly her) and maybe a bit of originality (Lyrics and themes by Stevie are original and poetic) .
Musically the sound would have been less West-Coast, more influences from the Blues origins of the band.

[cantgoback]

Think of it this way: All of Lindsey's songs from Rumours and songs from afterwords were all about Stevie, Go Your Own Way probably wouldn't have been a hit cause it most likely would have never existed and same for Never Going Back Again and Second Hand News so think of it that way. Imagine Lindsey having songs on Rumours about his nice relationship with his Hollywood Girlfriend.

[Villavic]

Originally Posted by cantgoback

Think of it this way: All of Lindsey's songs from Rumours and songs from afterwords were all about Stevie, Go Your Own Way probably wouldn't have been a hit cause it most likely would have never existed and same for Never Going Back Again and Second Hand News so think of it that way. Imagine Lindsey having songs on Rumours about his nice relationship with his Hollywood Girlfriend.

Never Going Back Again is not about Stevie.

[WildHearted]

Originally Posted by Villavic

Never Going Back Again is not about Stevie.

I think it is, indirectly. The "she" isn't Stevie. It's the new girl he started dating. But he place he's never going back to is Stevie (or at least, the unhappiness he felt due to her).

That's how I've always interpreted it, anyway.