FLeetwood Mac without Stevie

[Chrislit18]

So, anyways, I was thinking this weekend, as per usual, and was wondering
'What would have been the outcome of Fleetwood Mac without Stevie?'
What I mean by that is, so say she did come in as she did with Lindsey in 1975, and she quit or something when her solo carrer took off...or even did'nt do the Dance...lets use the Dance.

I mean we've had Fleetwood Mac without Lindsey-TITN tour-the dance
Without Christine-Say You Will Tour

but never without Stevie..


so basically what I am saying is...if the lineup of Fleetwood Mac was:
Mick
John
Chris
and Lindsey

a)would you buy the record
b)would you go to the tour


any thoughts??

[Gailh]

By my reckonning we've had an FM album with Christine and Stevie but no Lindsey. We've had an FM album with Stevie and Lindsey but no Christine but we haven't had an FM with Christine and Lindsey but no Stevie.

It might be interesting.

Yes I'd buy the album and I'd go and see the tour. It would be quite nice to be transported to a parallel universe where Christine kept on touring.

Gail

[louielouie2000]

In my opinion Fleetwood Mac would have kept trucking on with modest success without the advent of Stevie Nicks. They probably could have kept on through the 70s, and possibly well into the 80s, likely making minor or even major personnel changes along the way. The thing is, Stevie is the only member of the band that I can point to who really sticks out as having STAR POWER. That doesn't demean or belittle the accomplishments or talent of any member of the band past or present. However I believe, and always will, that Stevie Nicks really is what makes Fleetwood Mac what it is. She has an unforgettable voice, stage presence, style, and persona. She captured peoples hearts and imagination. She was extraordinarily beautiful, and she wrote about beautiful things. People just fall in love with everything she is. Without Stevie you'd have a fraction of the drama that led to Rumours, and the band's image of this crazy rock band. You wouldn't have the stories of Stevie's excesses in the 70s and 80s. Stevie on stage and off seems to be a fairly dramatic person... I'm sure she was a big part of the fuel of all the crazy things that the band did to itself in it's wilder years, all of which is why FM got such attention, and fame. I mean, you see what happened with Time, and the Time tour... the only venture the past 30 years that didn't include Stevie in some form or fashion. It completely tanked! As one writer wrote... "who gives a Tusk about Fleetwood Mac without Stevie Nicks?" While I adore every single member of the Rumours 5, and love Bob Welch and many others... when I go see a Mac show I go to see Stevie first and foremost. So does most of the audience... they STILL dress like her, sing along during her songs, she still gets the biggest cheers even if she's just walking onstage.

Just think about it this way... how would Fleetwood Mac have faired in the early years of MTV without Stevie? That completely turned rock music on it's head. You had to have someone who jumped out of the TV during your video to get any play. None of the other members of the band really stuck out like Stevie did. You could argue Stevie was the best and worst thing to ever happen to this band. She brought them huge success, notoriety, fame, etc... but with all of that comes a backlash as well. Some critics didn't take FM seriously because of her. No doubt Stevie also was a big part of Fleetwood Mac becoming more of a pop band than a blues-rock band too. I think Fleetwood Mac is STILL struggling to forge their identity as a rock band because of the inclusion of Stevie. You've gotta remember too that even during the mid 70s it was kind of taboo almost to have a rock band that expected to be taken seriously if you had multiple women in it. It's my opinion, and always will be tho... that Stevie Nicks is the best, biggest thing to ever happen to this band.

[Gailh]

There's no doubt that the introduction of Stevie and Lindsey propelled FM from being a moderately successful band into a Super Group.

It also didn't do any harm that Stevie was drop dead gorgeous.

I think it was the chemistry of the 5 of them together.

Buckingham Nicks were going nowhere and FM were stuck on a set number of sales per album. So it was a marriage made in heaven.

Stevie was not and is not the be all and end all of FM. Without the others input, especially Lindsey's production, her songs wouldn't have had the same impact. She needed them as much as they needed her.

Gail

[TheWILDheart]

Stevie was the one with the stand out personality. She was new and fresh at the time and was something different. Everyone else was sort of bland in comparison to her so she was a breath of fresh air. She was also one of the first women to really rock out rather than sing about how her man treats her bad but she loves him anyway. Stevie was the one to turn around and say "ya kno what, If my man treats me bad, f*ck him!" She was doing things HER way and that was...and still is...the coolest thing EVA! Plus...she had the looks, the voice, the songs, the style...everything. STEVIE IS THE ROCK QUEEN!

[JazmenFlowers]

a) no
b) no

[Chrislit18]

you see, im not saying that she was never a part of the group
im just saying 'what if she wasnt included in the dance tour'
[i mean, who originally brought her back for it...cause it started as lindsey doing his solo album 'gift of screws', and then he had mick come in for drumming..and yada yada...]

i know that she is probably one of the main reasons fleetwood mac had so much success, thier only number 1 hit on the top songs chart was hers. and your right, it didnt hurt that she was [and still is] insanely pretty.

to answer my own question, i would go see fm without stevie, and i would buy a record if there was one without her [oh, if you own tango, you basically do, cause she was only there for her 3 songs plus backing vocal for little lies].

It doesnt seem like to me that she is absolutely neccaserry to the fundamentals of the group now though. she has the attraction power, but overall, what she does for most of the shows is play her tambourine-because she doenst play an instrument...i wish theyd have her do something more productive myself, like if chris didnt come back if they toured again, have her play the keys...

she had the attraction factor which brought people to the group
and she has diehard fans...but does that really mean that her songs are better than chirs' and lindseys? [i personally like chris' songs the best...]

[justcrazylove]

stevie nicks biggest downfall are her FANS!!!:

and yes i would go see them without stevie and buy there record because i love the band

FLEETWOOD MAC, not STEVIE NICKS, featuring fleetwood mac!!

and all you nutcase chiffon heads lose site of that...

stop being so narrow minded and enjoy the band for all it is not one person;.

[foxyluva]

Originally Posted by TheWILDheart

Stevie was the one with the stand out personality. She was new and fresh at the time and was something different. Everyone else was sort of bland in comparison to her so she was a breath of fresh air. She was also one of the first women to really rock out rather than sing about how her man treats her bad but she loves him anyway. Stevie was the one to turn around and say "ya kno what, If my man treats me bad, f*ck him!" She was doing things HER way and that was...and still is...the coolest thing EVA! Plus...she had the looks, the voice, the songs, the style...everything. STEVIE IS THE ROCK QUEEN!

I will say it again, because somebody took it upon themselves to delete my original post:

You sir, are an idiot.

[shackin'up]

Originally Posted by TheWILDheart

Stevie was the one with the stand out personality. She was new and fresh at the time and was something different. Everyone else was sort of bland in comparison to her so she was a breath of fresh air. She was also one of the first women to really rock out rather than sing about how her man treats her bad but she loves him anyway. Stevie was the one to turn around and say "ya kno what, If my man treats me bad, f*ck him!" She was doing things HER way and that was...and still is...the coolest thing EVA! Plus...she had the looks, the voice, the songs, the style...everything. STEVIE IS THE ROCK QUEEN!

HAHAHAHAHA

You are sooooooo funny.

I love it when people joke by exaggeration to the extreme. You are my humourGOD from now on.

Man, I almost p*ssed my pants here. What a great joke!

Thanks!

[danax6]

Originally Posted by TheWILDheart

She was also one of the first women to really rock out rather than sing about how her man treats her bad but she loves him anyway. Stevie was the one to turn around and say "ya kno what, If my man treats me bad, f*ck him!"

Please tell me you are kidding. Please.

Originally Posted by justcrazylove

stop being so narrow minded and enjoy the band for all it is not one person;.

Thank you, I'll keep that under advisement.

As for the original question: yes, I would definitely buy the album and I would probably go see them. I love Lindsey and you know, I really like Christine also.

ETA: Now that I am a bit more awake, I shall eloborate on my initial answer. Let's focus on when Stevie's solo career took off up until The Dance. I'd say that her solo career was doing much more for her than being in Fleetwood Mac. Heck, Fleetwood Mac brought out 4 albums in between Bella Donna and The Dance, none of them with any noteworthy Stevie tracks on it, aside from Gypsy in 1982. (I'm looking at this from a commercial stand point, not a personal one.) Mirage was more of a Lindsey solo effort with a very strong Christine effort thrown into it, and Stevie was almost added as an afterthought. It remains one of my least favorite Fleetwood Mac albums, though I can really appreciate some of the songs when listened to them seperately, not as a part of the whole. Tango in the Night was again a Lindsey effort, but it were Christine's songs that became the biggest hits. Stevie's songs were mostly overlooked. Yet this album is one of my favorites (shut up, Gerald), despite Stevie's weaker tracks (which I personally don't think are that weak). The standout track to me is the title track. Though Stevie was a part of Behind the Mask, I've never even bothered with it, aside from Stevie's songs, mostly because of the lack of Lindsey's presence. I've tried to listen to it a few times, but it just doesn't do anything for me, a certain chemistry is missing. The same goes for Time.

So, in short, I think that even though Stevie was present on all of the albums in the 80s, her material was not really what stood out. I for one think that Christine and Lindsey are very compatible music wise, and I would really enjoy an album where they were the two prominent musicians/writers/producers/whatevers. It'd be interesting to see what they could come up with together, seeing I really like their joint efforts (World Turning, Hold Me, etc.) Though, by her own admission, drugs were a huge factor in why she didn't have any more solo albums, Fleetwood Mac was too. And seeing her solo efforts were much more memorable than her FM efforts in the 80s, I think she might have been better off focusing on that more. I still think that The Dance reunion was effin' great though, and everything that came after it also, including Trouble in Shangri-La and Say You Will. Lindsey and Stevie without Christine works, but I really think that Lindsey and Christine without Stevie would work also. Maybe not commercially, but definitely artistically.

[Kelly]

Originally Posted by TheWILDheart

Stevie was the one with the stand out personality. She was new and fresh at the time and was something different. Everyone else was sort of bland in comparison to her so she was a breath of fresh air. She was also one of the first women to really rock out rather than sing about how her man treats her bad but she loves him anyway. Stevie was the one to turn around and say "ya kno what, If my man treats me bad, f*ck him!" She was doing things HER way and that was...and still is...the coolest thing EVA! Plus...she had the looks, the voice, the songs, the style...everything. STEVIE IS THE ROCK QUEEN!

Everyone else was bland in comparison??
It was Lindsey's guitar playing that interested Mick, not Stevie's "fresh, new personality". They are all better with each other and none of them are as good alone. Not even the Goddess, Stevie. How many times has she said she prefers to be a part of the band, Fleetwood Mac, than do her solo thing??

[catinthedark]

Originally Posted by foxyluva

I will say it again, because somebody took it upon themselves to delete my original post:
You sir, are an idiot.

yeah. i noticed that. same thing happened to me and a few others the other day in another thread. is this a new thing? or am i just now part of a new club i never knew existed? i know what posts were deleted from the thread i was in. i know that we were not name-calling. simply raising issues. again. i assume it's because someone ran to the moderators and tattled on us. but it actually surprised me that the posts just disappeared, with no explanations.

[Rickypt]

Originally Posted by Chrislit18

so basically what I am saying is...if the lineup of Fleetwood Mac was:
Mick
John
Chris
and Lindsey

a)would you buy the record
b)would you go to the tour

Yes, I would. I prefer Stevie solo and I think a Lindsey/Christine matchup would work better than SYW. Since Mirage, I have found Stevie's FM work to sound like solo songs anyway (with possible exception of Gypsy). Stevie will always be my favorite, but I could see getting into a FM with band members listed above.

[DavidMn]

Yes I would go. I have never felt that Stevie is the only thing that makes Fletwood Mac exist. I think it would be very interesting to see Fleetwood Mac without her, although at the same time, I'd rather have ner in the group no doubt. It's all about the collective whole of Fleetwood Mac for me I guess.