Behind The Mask

[PenguinHead]

Christine: Behind The Mask
Stevie: Freedom
Billy: Hard Feelings
Rick & Stevie: Love is Dangerous
Rick & Billy: When The Sun Goes Down

A respectable, decent album overall; very listenable.

The only songs that made it into the live set were:
Save Me
Stand On The Rock
Love is Dangerous - dropped at some point in the tour
When The Sun Goes Down - great live song featuring Billy & Rick, but inexplicably dropped early on
In The Back of My Mind - good song, but horrible as a show opener

Curiously, not one new Stevie song in the set. Was this a silent protest of her not completely accepting the band without Lindsey? The thing I dislike the most about this era of the band is that this is when Stevie's solo songs (Stand Back and Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You) started creeping into the set lists, with Stand Back becoming a staple of Fleetwood Mac shows, despite it being a song in a style so unlike Fleetwood Mac. And, Stevie brought other elements of her solo career into the band - Sharon and Laurie, as well as a few of her band members. The brand that was Fleetwood Mac became more diluted.

[sjpdg]

Originally Posted by PenguinHead

Christine: Behind The Mask
Stevie: Freedom
Billy: Hard Feelings
Rick & Stevie: Love is Dangerous
Rick & Billy: When The Sun Goes Down

A respectable, decent album overall; very listenable.

The only songs that made it into the live set were:
Save Me
Stand On The Rock
Love is Dangerous - dropped at some point in the tour
When The Sun Goes Down - great live song featuring Billy & Rick, but inexplicably dropped early on
In The Back of My Mind - good song, but horrible as a show opener

Curiously, not one new Stevie song in the set. Was this a silent protest of her not completely accepting the band without Lindsey? The thing I dislike the most about this era of the band is that this is when Stevie's solo songs (Stand Back and Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You) started creeping into the set lists, with Stand Back becoming a staple of Fleetwood Mac shows, despite it being a song in a style so unlike Fleetwood Mac. And, Stevie brought other elements of her solo career into the band - Sharon and Laurie, as well as a few of her band members. The brand that was Fleetwood Mac became more diluted.

I totally loved In The Back Of My Mind as a show opener! It flowed virtually seamlessly into The Chain. It was awesome in concert, I just loved it. Why they didn't continue with some of those songs in the set as the tour went on, I can't say. Definitely a mistake from my point of view. The overall choice of what to release as singles and in what order probably needed to be better thought out in my opinion. They needed to lead off with "Save Me", then follow up with "Love Is Dangerous", then "Freedom", then "When It Comes To Love", or something like that. Would have given the public a taste of "the old" then "the new" and back and forth. Just my opinion, but they could have promoted this era of FM much better than they did. The live shows were fantastic.

[jay]

I love this album too, although after the mighty 'Tango in the night' I can see why it would be a let-down for some people. I don't get the hate for 'The second time' though, it sounds alright to me.

[Travisevian]

Originally Posted by jay

I don't get the hate for 'The second time' though, it sounds alright to me.

Neither do I. Many people seem to enjoy disliking Stevie's music from that time because Stevie seems to. If she'd never publicly spoken about being addicted to tranquilizers or how much she dislikes her songs from that time, would those people like those songs just as much as anything else she ever recorded?

[Neal]

Originally Posted by Travisevian

Neither do I. Many people seem to enjoy disliking Stevie's music from that time because Stevie seems to. If she'd never publicly spoken about being addicted to tranquilizers or how much she dislikes her songs from that time, would those people like those songs just as much as anything else she ever recorded?

I'm unashamed to admit that many of my favorite songs hail from The Klonopin Years, including her Behind The Mask contributions!

[wheart]

Originally Posted by Neal

I'm unashamed to admit that many of my favorite songs hail from The Klonopin Years, including her Behind The Mask contributions!

Good for you! I have mixed feelings about Stevie's BTM songs. Personally I happen to think The Second Time is beautiful but that's just me. And no, I"m not on crack! Freedom and Affairs of the Heart are fine songs but her near comatose vocals destroy both of these songs. Love is Dangerous just sucks on all levels.

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by Travisevian

Neither do I. Many people seem to enjoy disliking Stevie's music from that time because Stevie seems to. If she'd never publicly spoken about being addicted to tranquilizers or how much she dislikes her songs from that time, would those people like those songs just as much as anything else she ever recorded?

You have a point. I know people who won't even listen to SA because Stevie herself has knocked it so much. One person said to me, "I don't think Stevie would want me to hear it."

I agree with you that perceptions might be different if Stevie hadn't knocked it, causing a domino effect among her fans.

But there are no circumstances under which I would like Jane. I don't care if she'd made it during her happiest, hey day and was as proud of it as she is of the awful Cheaper Than Free. I'd still hate it.

Michele

[iamnotafraid]

Originally Posted by michelej1

But there are no circumstances under which I would like Jane. I don't care if she'd made it during her happiest, hey day and was as proud of it as she is of the awful Cheaper Than Free. I'd still hate it.

Michele

Michele, would you prefer her to have written about
Barry instead?

[Villavic]

Skies the limit
Affairs of the Heart
In The Back Of My Mind
Do You Know
Behind The Mask

Unfortunately the lineup changed considerably at Time, I missed Rick and Stevie. So this is the only post-Rumours lineup album I liked. I usually play it, never play Time

[Travisevian]

Originally Posted by Neal

I'm unashamed to admit that many of my favorite songs hail from The Klonopin Years, including her Behind The Mask contributions!

Neal, I'm very glad to know that and I feel the same way.

Originally Posted by michelej1

You have a point. I know people who won't even listen to SA because Stevie herself has knocked it so much.

That's a shame. I think Rose Garden is one of Stevie's best songs. Do they realize that she wrote that when she was only sixteen or seventeen?

Originally Posted by michelej1

One person said to me, "I don't think Stevie would want me to hear it."

There's something almost spiritual about such a remark. Well, I'm going to spin around the room to Blue Denim, think of laundromats while listening to Docklands, get chills from Unconditional Love and Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind, totally rock out to Listen To The Rain as if it were a serious heavy metal song, rhythmically tap my pocket full of change like a tambourine to Rose Garden and cry over the image of the forgotten chimpanzee in Jane. Stevie will just have to deal with it.

[MacShadowsBall]

Originally Posted by jay

I love this album too, although after the mighty 'Tango in the night' I can see why it would be a let-down for some people. I don't get the hate for 'The second time' though, it sounds alright to me.

True, Tango in the Night was a massive success. Not quite Rumours but more successful than Mirage and Tusk, in my opinion.

Behind the Mask lost one important aspect - Lindsey's producing abilities. Several of the songs could have been big hits had they been better produced without that muddy mixing along with random instrumentation all over the songs.

As far as "The Second Time" goes, the vocal is just horrible. Sorry.

[tabruns]

Originally Posted by Travisevian

Neither do I. Many people seem to enjoy disliking Stevie's music from that time because Stevie seems to. If she'd never publicly spoken about being addicted to tranquilizers or how much she dislikes her songs from that time, would those people like those songs just as much as anything else she ever recorded?

Eh, I don't know Travis. When I first heard Behind The Mask I thought overall it was a decent album and it didn't deserve the bad reviews it got. BUT, I thought from the very start that Stevie's songs were sub-par. I thought this from Tango In The Night onward (until The Dance). With the occasional exception, her songs just aren't at the same excellent level as they had been on Fleetwood Mac/Rumours/Tusk/Bella Donna/Mirage/Wild Heart/Rock A Little. As I've said at other times on here, they sound very "pedestrian" for a writer of Stevie's calibre.

To me there's just nothing special about "Affairs of the Heart" or "Love Is Dangerous" or "Freedom". "The Second Time" is just very basic. Of the batch the best one is probably "Freedom", and "Freedom" might have had a shot at being a hit had it been mixed differently with the twirling whistle sound during the verses coming up in the mix. That would have created something of a hook to hang on to. As it was, it was buried, with just a hint of it barely audible.

On the other hand, Christine, Billy and Rick did turn in some good strong songs. "Behind The Mask", "Do You Know", "When It Comes To Love", "Hard Feelings", "When The Sun Goes Down" and "In The Back Of My Mind" are all very good and fun to listen to. And one thing Behind The Mask has over Tango In The Night is that you can hear Stevie in the background on most of the songs on Mask.

[dreamer78]

Originally Posted by tabruns

Eh, I don't know Travis. When I first heard Behind The Mask I thought overall it was a decent album and it didn't deserve the bad reviews it got. BUT, I thought from the very start that Stevie's songs were sub-par. I thought this from Tango In The Night onward (until The Dance). With the occasional exception, her songs just aren't at the same excellent level as they had been on Fleetwood Mac/Rumours/Tusk/Bella Donna/Mirage/Wild Heart/Rock A Little. As I've said at other times on here, they sound very "pedestrian" for a writer of Stevie's calibre.

To me there's just nothing special about "Affairs of the Heart" or "Love Is Dangerous" or "Freedom". "The Second Time" is just very basic. Of the batch the best one is probably "Freedom", and "Freedom" might have had a shot at being a hit had it been mixed differently with the twirling whistle sound during the verses coming up in the mix. That would have created something of a hook to hang on to. As it was, it was buried, with just a hint of it barely audible.

On the other hand, Christine, Billy and Rick did turn in some good strong songs. "Behind The Mask", "Do You Know", "When It Comes To Love", "Hard Feelings", "When The Sun Goes Down" and "In The Back Of My Mind" are all very good and fun to listen to. And one thing Behind The Mask has over Tango In The Night is that you can hear Stevie in the background on most of the songs on Mask.

what do you mean the twirling whistle sound for freedom ?

[tabruns]

Originally Posted by dreamer78

what do you mean the twirling whistle sound for freedom ?

If you listen closely (probably need headphones) there's a twirling synthesizer sound during the verses of "Freedom". It basically goes something like "whoo-whoo-whoo-whoo!whoo!" over and over again. That's what I mean about being too buried in the mix....you haven't really heard it. I can hear it but its very faint. Had they mixed it farther up in the mix, I think it would have given "Freedom" a lot more of a hook and made it a better song.

This is similar to "That's Alright" on Mirage. Although "That's Alright" is a much better song, it also has a "too buried" sound in the mix: A woodblock.

On the other hand, the chimes sound or whatever that tinkling sound is during the chorus of "Thrown Down" is distracting and should have been removed completely. The hook of "Thrown Down" is the guitar part.

[PenguinHead]

Originally Posted by tabruns

Eh, I don't know Travis. When I first heard Behind The Mask I thought overall it was a decent album and it didn't deserve the bad reviews it got. BUT, I thought from the very start that Stevie's songs were sub-par. I thought this from Tango In The Night onward (until The Dance). With the occasional exception, her songs just aren't at the same excellent level as they had been on Fleetwood Mac/Rumours/Tusk/Bella Donna/Mirage/Wild Heart/Rock A Little. As I've said at other times on here, they sound very "pedestrian" for a writer of Stevie's calibre.

To me there's just nothing special about "Affairs of the Heart" or "Love Is Dangerous" or "Freedom". "The Second Time" is just very basic. Of the batch the best one is probably "Freedom", and "Freedom" might have had a shot at being a hit had it been mixed differently with the twirling whistle sound during the verses coming up in the mix. That would have created something of a hook to hang on to. As it was, it was buried, with just a hint of it barely audible.

On the other hand, Christine, Billy and Rick did turn in some good strong songs. "Behind The Mask", "Do You Know", "When It Comes To Love", "Hard Feelings", "When The Sun Goes Down" and "In The Back Of My Mind" are all very good and fun to listen to. And one thing Behind The Mask has over Tango In The Night is that you can hear Stevie in the background on most of the songs on Mask.

You took the words and thoughts out of my head. I think Stevie was a little shakey on this album because Lindsey was absent. She has credited him for making the best of her songs. Lindsey challenged and guided Stevie with her material. Without him in the band for the first time, she was creatively adrift.