MOJO May 2019 - FM issue

[jbrownsjr]

I will say this : Lindsey did the same sentiment and lines when Christine left. He felt they were more open as a 4 piece. Best music they've ever done. Best they've ever gotten along. More masculine sound, burning bridges... etc blah blah blah blah blah

I just have a problem with the way they let him go, and the fact that they let $tevie control the band. She has enough control and they gave her more.

Farewell Mac...

[SteveMacD]

Originally Posted by David

If Stevie wants to keep Fleetwood Mac a strictly touring band, Chris may decide that she wants to write and record more songs, and Lindsey's her obvious option.

Or Neil Finn…

[David]

Originally Posted by bombaysaffires

wait, she thinks "what we have now is better than what we ever had before" ???

Maybe in terms of the absence of the insufferable and longstanding Buckingham–Nicks tension? Without the animosity between those two, the others probably feel more relaxed? Of course, along with that relaxed, sunny amicability, you get a sort of generic musical blandness. The band's emotionally sunniest times are also usually the most artistically boring. (Remember Behind the Mask? Remember the 1994 tour shows? Neither do I.)

If this configuration of easygoing, amiable personalities records an album, I have no doubt that it'll be dull: professional and glossy, musical ducks all in a row, but no stirring passions (like Rumours) and certainly no oddball visionary excitement that distorts the medium's accepted boundaries (like Tusk). Now, you could proffer the Buckingham McVie album as a safely, sanely bland album, but it contains any number of deliberate, compelling little deficiencies and quirks that will be totally absent from a new Fleetwood Mac album from this group.

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by David

Maybe in terms of the absence of the insufferable and longstanding Buckingham–Nicks tension? Without the animosity between those two, the others probably feel more relaxed? Of course, along with that relaxed, sunny amicability, you get a sort of generic musical blandness. The band's emotionally sunniest times are also usually the most artistically boring. (Remember Behind the Mask? Remember the 1994 tour shows? Neither do I.)

If this configuration of easygoing, amiable personalities records an album, I have no doubt that it'll be dull: professional and glossy, musical ducks all in a row, but no stirring passions (like Rumours) and certainly no oddball visionary excitement that distorts the medium's accepted boundaries (like Tusk). Now, you could proffer the Buckingham McVie album as a safely, sanely bland album, but it contains any number of deliberate, compelling little deficiencies and quirks that will be totally absent from a new Fleetwood Mac album from this group.

This is exactly how I feel. (no pun intended) The quirks, the underhanded shots at $tevie, and the duo feel of two very different writers. Also, the grand return of Christine and the blistering solo at the end of the album.

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

Or Neil Finn…

Or Mick Fleetwood, Rick Vito, and/or Todd Sharp.

[David]

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

Or Neil Finn…

Possibly. I don't have any compelling evidence that Christine and Neil have any especial musical fondness for each other that would lead to studio work together. The fact that they're both in the same band now, out on the road singing Mac classics every night and smiling at each other onstage, isn't in and of itself the evidence I'm talking about for some sort of sympatico musicality—the sort that Chris and Lindsey have from time to time (or that Chris would have with, say, Steve Winwood or Eric Clapton). Neither Christine nor Neil ever mentioned the other in the decades prior to the 2018–19 tour. Until I get a stronger sense of what Chris and Neil truly think of each other as songwriters or musicians—and whether they both think they have anything to say as a duo—I'll stick with Lindsey being her more obvious option for more recording—a Buckingham McVie second album.

[aleuzzi]

Originally Posted by michelej1

But then there are other people I have followed for years and they never even mentioned Fleetwood Mac before. Real estate agents, stylists, restaurant owners, broadcasters, models. All of the sudden they are rushing to see that show. My realtor posted a picture of the penguins in top hats back drop on her Instagram and I honestly didn't recognize it. It was so out of context for her. She said she gave her husband an "experience" gift for his birthday and took him to see FM. What? Dante's inferno would be more of an "experience" to me. But it's amazing to me that all of these people are rushing to the concert.

I am living for this post right now. Totally on point. Totally accurate. FM has become The Disney World-Times Square-like attraction of 2019. Total snores. But all these moneyed people are driving to the concerts in their amped up SUVs, wearing the LL Bean get ups and getting all weak in the knees hearing/seeing Landslide for the first time.

It's the ultimate corporate entertainment.

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by aleuzzi

I am living for this post right now. Totally on point. Totally accurate. FM has become The Disney World-Times Square-like attraction of 2019. Total snores. But all these moneyed people are driving to the concerts in their amped up SUVs, wearing the LL Bean get ups and getting all weak in the knees hearing/seeing Landslide for the first time.

It's the ultimate corporate entertainment.

The bright lights of the city, are starting to wear me down.

[Feather Blade]

Originally Posted by David

Perhaps the band wouldn't do the knocking, but Christine herself might. If Stevie wants to keep Fleetwood Mac a strictly touring band, Chris may decide that she wants to write and record more songs, and Lindsey's her obvious option.

Stevie: “What we do is go on the road, do a ton of shows and make lots of money. We have a lot of fun. Making a record isn’t all that much fun.”

Christine has always shared Lindsey's sentiment that studio work is more satisfying and enjoyable than live performance. A permanent state of touring might not be Christine's idea of fun.

Well, something HAS changed. In her mind, maybe making a record could be more fun now? (I think the next recording we see that she is involved with will be solo though rather than a FM record. Maybe if they all survive another three year break there could be something)

[button-lip]

Originally Posted by bombaysaffires

wait, she thinks "what we have now is better than what we ever had before" ???

in terms of.....WHAT, exactly? Can't be the music, because they're still playing the same old songs.

More fun??? What?

she could "see the problem" ? So why not say what it was? Stevie just didn't want to deal anymore?

And gee, I have no bones to pick with Lindsey, but it's great he's not here. Wonder how that makes him feel.

I really hope he's not reading all this crap. It's not good for him. They're basically explaining how they tolerated him for 43 years because he's a musical genius. So they put up with him because they needed him to make good music. Once they decided they didn't want to make new músic they got rid of him. They all sided with Stevie and fired the Grinch.

Harsh, but that's basically what they're saying. Nice people.

[button-lip]

Originally Posted by AliceLover

Ugh, I was just starting to get over this. Then the MOJO magazine makes me re-live this from the beginning.

Part of me just wants September to be here so this can all be OVER. If you've lived through the Mac cycle as long as me, you know that Stevie WILL take her Stevie time. This ugly part of FM just has to end. Stevie will go on to do awesome by herself and I pray that Lindsey gets well enough to sing/perform again.

This whole FM debacle is just a nightmare. We need everything to be over and fade away...or at least I do.

Except that Stevie could never be awesome again. Except for those who thing what she did is perfectly natural among people that work together (not friends, of course)

[button-lip]

Originally Posted by jeets2000

This is the line that is bugging me the most, too. It's kind of unforgivable. I understand promoting the band you're currently touring with and have been a part of for years, but in the context of this conversation about Lindsey, to say it's better than it's ever been with these other two and LB gone is an unnecessary slap in the face.

That's what I don't understand and I don't think any Stevie's fan/Lindsey's hater can explain. Why the need to bash Lindsey and his 43 years of hard work? Why keep on punching him when he's still on the floor?

[aleuzzi]

Originally Posted by jbrownsjr

The bright lights of the city, are starting to wear me down.

It's time to say goodnight...and finally turn out the lights....

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by button-lip

I really hope he's not reading all this crap. It's not good for him. They're basically explaining how they tolerated him for 43 years because he's a musical genius. So they put up with him because they needed him to make good music. Once they decided they didn't want to make new músic they got rid of him. They all sided with Stevie and fired the Grinch.

Harsh, but that's basically what they're saying. Nice people.

This is how I perceive it, too. Especially, what I have put in bold.

[bombaysaffires]

well, it will be interesting to see what the queen has to say at her hall of fame induction in about a week's time. she can thank jimmy for, in her own words, "handing me my solo career" but really, she should thank lindsey for handing her her career, period. even tom admitted that lindsey remains her best producer, and that there were many times tom was confronted with her droning demos and couldn't figure what the hell to do with them when lindsey then came and knew exactly what to do with them.

chris also has said that she wouldn't know what to do with stevie's songs and that when stevie tried to explain what she was trying to do with a song chris "had no idea" what stevie was saying, but that lindsey would just totally get it and be able to translate her non technical incoherence into something musicians could understand.

in many ways stevie, who likes to think she is her own magnificent creation, is really (in the studio at least) the creation of other, more talented people who take her raw scraps, shape them, and tell her what and how to sing. lindsey has said that really, based on the amount of work he did on so much of her material, that many of them should in fact be credited as co-writes. but her ego would never stand for that.

i think the RRHOF induction will just make her more insufferable. the fact that it's for her solo work (much of which is comprised -- certainly so for bella donna-- of songs she had in her collection since before FM, songs that LB worked on and created the basic format of how they should be recorded already.., like that's alright, sorcerer, candle bright, and on and on) will let her pretend she did it all herself or with jimmy. jimmy himself said when he started working with her she had no idea about anything because she let lindsey do everything (so she could dance around and have fun).