Fleetwood Changing Diapers, Still Rocking at 55....

Johnny Stew · #1 06-25-2002, 12:38 AM

(thanks to Joe (jwd) for bringing this to my attention)
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Fleetwood Changing Diapers, Still Rocking at 55
June 24, 2002 07:42 PM ET

By Sue Zeidler
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Drummer Mick Fleetwood, who turned 55 on Monday, finds himself in the odd position of changing diapers at middle age even as he toils in the studio with members of the veteran rock band he co-founded in the late 1960s.

The tall, lanky, British-born musician divides his time these days between working on a new Fleetwood Mac album, dabbling in various entrepreneurial activities and raising twin baby girls with his wife of about 10 years, Lynn.

During a telephone interview, Fleetwood told Reuters that both his creative and parenting skills had improved with age.

He also said he and his fellow bandmates are more at peace with themselves and each other, in stark contrast to the old days when Fleetwood Mac endured bitter internal rivalries and turmoil as the group churned out hit after hit.

"Our last outing was better than ever," he said, referring to Fleetwood Mac's 1997 reunion album, "The Dance," which sold more than 4 million copies in the United States and paved the way for a successful U.S. tour.

"It has to be happy. We don't want to go back into the dark ages of Fleetwood Mac, when it was way too crazy, not all that happy. We're so much over that. We came out on the other side, survivors and incredibly intact, and it's very conducive to the creative process," he said.

The new album reunites Fleetwood with three members of the band's most popular incarnation -- bass player and British co-founder John McVie, along with American songwriters and former lovers Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. Sitting this one out is McVie's ex-wife, singer-keyboardist Christine McVie, who has retired and is living in England.

DON'T STOP

The band, which shot to fame in the 1970s at the peak of its progression from British blues combo to California rock institution, has already produced enough material in the past 18 months to fill a double CD, Fleetwood said. The material was recorded in a Los Angeles house leased by the band.

Fleetwood expects the band to have the album out by early next year and to follow up with a tour in April 2003. The band also is releasing a greatest hits package around Christmas 2002, he said.

Fleetwood said there are "mumblings" from time to time of contributions by Christine McVie, but that the remaining four members have been moving ahead at full steam. In some ways, he said, the Buckingham/Nicks creative connection has been rekindled in the absence of Christine McVie.

"It's a major thing for Stevie and Lindsey. They came in as a couple, and in a strange way it's come full circle. Now that Christine is not in the mix, the Buckingham/Nicks chemistry is back, and they're having the chance to live out some of the things and energies that couldn't exist in the past 27 years," he said.

The band has changed its lineup many times through the years, with the best-known formula occurring in 1975 when Buckingham and Nicks joined Fleetwood and the McVies. They powered the band to mega-success with the 1977 album "Rumours," which sold more than 25 million copies worldwide.

"Rumours" chronicled the band's dramas at the time, with both the McVies and Buckingham and Nicks splitting up.

Fleetwood's own wife at the time was sleeping with his best friend, and the whole band struggled with drug and alcohol abuse problems.

Fleetwood, who has two grown daughters as well as a grandson, is now back to putting diapers on his 4-month-old twins, Tessa and Ruby.

He said that being an older dad has definite advantages.

"It's way more interesting the second time around and when you're older. You're more focused," he said. "I was on the road when the others were younger. I am from memory a lot more hands on than I was. And it's a great benefit that I'm not on the road."

Of course, next year could be different when he plans to take the band back on the road, with the families in tow.

"With all the children, it will be like a band of gypsies," he said, joking that he expected everyone will want the babies and nannies "way in the back of the plane."

DownOnRodeo · #2 06-25-2002, 05:51 AM

Thanks JohnnyStew and jwd. I don't know why I went to Pip's thread first but i did!

bjk3047 · #3 06-25-2002, 10:41 AM

Greatest Hits package??

The Chain Box Set.....Greatest Hits.....what's left??
-Brian

BLY · #4 06-25-2002, 11:09 AM

I would like to see a retrospective 35 years Cd 1967-2002 Remastered with a couple NEW tunes

Janet · #5 06-25-2002, 11:29 AM

Fleetwood Mac's greatest hits album of 1988 is still a huge hit...and the Dance is like a greatest hits album as well.

BUT since the Chain is not around...it would be nice to have something else...for the two albums I mentioned aren't very complete.

I want the FM fire to ignite and thats what a album will do...so early 2003 they will do mega sales and the concert will be a hit.

Anything from FM is fine with me! maybe this greatest hits will come with a video?!?!?!?!

CarneVaca · #6 06-25-2002, 01:28 PM

BOYCOTT!!!

Don't go out and buy this greatest hits nonsense. Just a money-grubbing scheme.

Give us new music instead!

Sorcerer386 · #7 06-25-2002, 04:08 PM

Umm...I really don't agree with the money making scheme thing. First of all, any greatest hits thing has a few new songs, which hopefully at least one will spin off into a great single and hit. Also, I think it's a precursor to the new album to kind of get people back into the Fleetwood Mac groove. They've been away for five years almost, and while TISL was considered a "hit," still not too many people know about it. I think MAYBE the only reason why TISL was considered a hit was because it greatly surpassed expectations. If it were expected to hit the top ten, then I don't know how much praise it would have gotten, but it wasn't expected to do any better than Street Angel in it's first week (27000 its first week). Hits seem to be based more on expectations these days rather than number of units sold. SO, I think that this greatest hits package is just to get their name out there again before the new album. If all they wanted were money, they would just tour and not even release an album. Classic rock bands these days make much more money touring -- again going back to TISL, the tour made a lot of money for Stevie. Elton John's new album didn't do exceptionally well, yet his tour was huge. If they wanted money, they'd just tour. Then again, it could just be a money making scheme for the record company, but I don't care about them. I'm out to support Fleetwood Mac and will buy anything they want to release right now. I just want something new.

Gypsy-Rhiannon · #8 06-25-2002, 05:36 PM

Quote:

BOYCOTT!!!

Don't go out and buy this greatest hits nonsense. Just a money-grubbing scheme.

Give us new music instead!

Um....WTF???!!! I for one will go out and buy a greatest hits album. I Love Fleetwood Mac (especially Stevie and Lindsey) !!! I would buy them singing nursery rhymes if they released a kids cd!

I'm happy to have some new news. Chill folks

Pip

jwd · #9 06-25-2002, 05:46 PM

Thanks for the acknowledgement Brian.

In my opinion it doesn't really bother me that they are releasing a greates hits package later this year. I guess I'm just questioning as to what's going to be on it?! They really haven't had a "great" hit since the last greatest hits package was released. Maybe they'll include songs from the whole Mac catalogue....back to the Peter Green era.....which would be cool. I think alternate and/or live versions of hits would be a good idea too. Another possibility would be to call it a best of package and include songs that became popular but weren't really "hits"...... "Gold Dust Woman, "The Chain", "Landslide", and "World Turning". I think they could do it right.

I haven't felt the same about Fleetwood Mac since the late 80s. They really haven't been a working band for a long time and they treat their "band" careers as hobbies, not as a true desire or burning flame.

It doesn't surprise me or disappoint me that I have to wait until 2003 to hear the NEW record....I'm used to waiting by now.

Joe

chiliD · #10 06-25-2002, 05:47 PM

Here's how I see it.

This Greatest Hits package will fulfill their contract with Warner/Reprise. They'll be able to shop their new album to the highest bidder. OR, they owe Reprise two albums and these two will fulfill their contract in one fell swoop.

The Greatest Hits package will be a rehash of the hits we've bought over & over again, BUT, will have two NEW (read: previously unreleased) Christine McVie tunes (since she's retired), as a "farewell"...and maybe one or two of the "GoS" tunes that the whole band played on ("Steal Your Heart Away"??? "Twist of Fate"??? or ???) as the obligatory "new material" to force the Fleetwood Mac "completists" (like me, and almost everyone else here) into buying the set against our better judgement.

(Thank GOD for the invention of the CD burner...we can burn all the "bonus" tunes onto a disc and trade in to a used CD store the original GH disc....unless the booklet is worth anything.)

I still don't see Reprise EVER releasing "Gift of Screws" as a unit. And, ESPECIALLY not coinciding with the new Fleetwood Mac album. BUT, if this new Fleetwood Mac album is a two-disc set, the possibility of disc 1 being the new Mac album with disc 2 being a completed "Gift Of Screws". (sort of how they, back in 1970, were going to originally release "Then Play On"...with the band album disc 1 and Jeremy Spencer's solo album as disc 2...of course, back then, "disc" meaning "LP")

It just pisses me off that this band is "feast or famine"...they either inundate us with product all at once, or leave us high & dry for decades at a time. I'm mad as hell and not going to take it anymore!! (but, I'll be in line at some record store or purchasing on-line any product that comes out from them, and that in itself just pisses me off even more!)

estranged4life · #11 06-25-2002, 06:46 PM

I don't care much for the "Greatest Hits" idea, I will buy it when it is released...Wonder if they may throw in some unreleased "Rumours" & "Tusk" era "Live" tracks? That would be a cool idea instead of just a straight ahead "Greatest Hits" package...Brian

PS-Some new tracks wouldnt hurt though, As a "Teaser" for the new album...lol...

Cristian · #12 06-25-2002, 09:43 PM

I agree... what more could you add to that Green album? Tracks from "Behind The Mask" maybe (?) Not "Time", since it didn't sell at all, being a good record IMHO... Maybe "Silver Springs" or "Landslide" from The Dance? I don't know... Hard work for a really not needed project, which in any way I will be buying when it's out in the stores...

Song of the moment - Rock A Little (Go Ahead Lily)

Cristian · #13 06-25-2002, 09:48 PM

...a compilation "Greatest Video Hits" and maybe some unreleased tracks (one or two at least) would be a perfect excuse...

Song of the moment - Rock A Little (Go Ahead Lily)

David · #14 06-25-2002, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Cristian
I agree... what more could you add to that Green album?

Oh my gosh are you kidding?

I can think of a million things to make another greatest hits package a worthwhile project. How about a free installation disk for the latest version of AOL? Stock in Enron at a discount? A George Foreman indoor grill?

The more I think about the idea for the new greatest hits package, the better I like it. Now if the band is *really* smart, they'll release a followup greatest hits album to the greatest hits album planned for Christmas. The followup itself would need a followup so that they could include all the tunes that have only appeared three or four times on other Fleetwood albums. And if they really want to rake in the profits & the critical kudos, they'll follow that up with a final followup in order to focus on Minor Hits From The Vito Years.

The sky's the limit.

Cristian · #15 06-25-2002, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by David

Oh my gosh are you kidding?

Musically speaking, of course not.

Song of the moment - Rock A Little (Go Ahead Lily)