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  #1  
Old 08-08-2003, 07:54 AM
EricBliss12345 EricBliss12345 is offline
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Default Behind The Mask--Any good?

I was reading that dudes entire FM discography review page and he seemed like a serious stickler for quality, like myself.

He would totally slate many of what I consider the best Mac songs I've heard yet (Storms boring? Christine fluffy? Well OK... ) yet I did agree on most of what he did like.

He had mostly good things to say about this Buckingham-less album, much better things than the highly-rated (around here at least) Tango In The Night album. I must say that I think that Paper Doll is a great song and Love Shines isn't too bad either (which I THINK is from the same album). In The Back Of My Mind....the intro sounds cool except for that stupid darth vader voice, which usually makes me skip it.

I haven't heard the rest of the album though and was wondering what the rest of you thought of it and if it was worth investigating or if I should pick up some of the Welch-era stuff I don't have like Heroes Are Hard To Find and Penguin or something like Kiln House first. Thanks!
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  #2  
Old 08-08-2003, 08:02 AM
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Personally, i think you should get some and/or actually all of the Bob Welch era stuff. I rarely listen to Behind the Mask. I bought it when it came out and i went to the concerts and all but i find the Welch era a more interesting "link in the chain" if you will.

I actually loved "In the Back of My Mind". I also loved "Behind the Mask" and "The Second Time". "Save Me" was pretty good too. I think another one was "Hard Feelings" that i uses to listen to too...Oh wait, then there was "Love is Dangerous" also.

Anyway, I think the Welch era stuff seems to fit better in with FM's roots....I also think this era saw some of Christine's best material.

So, that's my opinion!

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  #3  
Old 08-08-2003, 08:14 AM
EricBliss12345 EricBliss12345 is offline
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OK then Heroes is definately my next purchase! I'll save this one for like, dead last.

Come a Little Bit CLoser is such an awesome song that the rest of it HAS to be good.
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  #4  
Old 08-08-2003, 08:24 AM
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Behind the Mask is alright, nothing special. I don't listen to any of the Billy Burnette/Rick Vito songs because...well, they stink. "When the Sun Goes Down" is particularly awful.

The songs I like on it are:

Love Is Dangerous (some cheesy lyrics but it's one of the few good rockers)

Behind the Mask (Christine's title cut, the lyrics actually sound like Stevie wrote them; a KILLER song!)

In the Back of My Mind (freaky at first, but actually pretty good)

Affairs of the Heart (pretty good, poppy song; again, cheesy lyrics)

The Second Time (AWFUL music, but good lyrics)

The rest I could do without!
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Old 08-08-2003, 08:39 AM
CarneVaca CarneVaca is offline
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Behind the Mask is better than Time, but not much. I don't even have the CD, though I still think I have the tape somewhere and I don't ever intend to replace it. Fleetwood Mac without Lindsey doesn't interest me, though I like the Peter Green era and Mystery to Me.

After Tango, which was musically interesting despite some lack of inspiration on the part of some members, listening to Behind the Mask was like having rice cakes for dessert after eating a three-course meal with lobster and filet mignon.
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  #6  
Old 08-08-2003, 09:05 AM
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When you look behind the mask there's not very much there...

Make me a mask any day
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Old 08-08-2003, 09:51 AM
SmthngOfADreamr SmthngOfADreamr is offline
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Behind the Mask is OK, but like Carne said, without Lindsey it's as if a large portion of FM's creative force is just missing. You can hear it in the music. There's just a big void. And it's about 500 times larger than the void left by Christine on SYW. That being said, I do like a few of the songs, like Sky's the Limit, Affairs of the Heart, and Love is Dangerous. Some of the Lyrics (especially on Affairs of the Heart) are very contrived and can make me whince though, but they're still 'fun' songs. If your into FM it's worth a listen though.
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Old 08-08-2003, 10:56 AM
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I think Heroes is almost as good as Bare Trees. "Come A Little Bit Closer" is my favorite song on the album. But, "Prove Your Love" & the title track are almost as good. And, Bob's songs are also very good, although not quite as good as his songs on Mystery To Me.

I think Behind The Mask is a good album, although not quite as good as Tango & Mirage. but in my opinion better than Say You Will. I really didn't miss Lindsey on BTM. I think Christine & Billy make up for it. My favorites songs are "When The Sun Goes Down" & "Behind The Mask." I also like "Do You Know", "When It Comes To Love" & "Save Me". Unfortunately, Stevie's songs are terrible. Still, BTM is worthwhile, just for Chris & Billy alone.

Last edited by macfan 57; 08-09-2003 at 06:15 AM..
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Old 08-08-2003, 11:09 AM
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Quote:
Originally posted by CarneVaca
After Tango, which was musically interesting despite some lack of inspiration on the part of some members . . . .
Why Carne I never knew you could be so political!!!!!!!!!!!
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Also, as has been discussed before on this board, many people think the outtakes from BTM are far superior to what went on the record. I seriously do know understand what could have happened. Having said that, the record, which I like, is probably the weakest of the quasi-five era.

Again, one of my favorite quotes by a critic was something like "too bad the record has less art than the picture on the cover"
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  #10  
Old 08-08-2003, 12:27 PM
Sorcerer386 Sorcerer386 is offline
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Default Re: Behind The Mask--Any good?

Quote:
Originally posted by EricBliss12345
I must say that I think that Paper Doll is a great song and Love Shines isn't too bad either (which I THINK is from the same album). In The Back Of My Mind....the intro sounds cool except for that stupid darth vader voice, which usually makes me skip it.
Behind the Mask, to me, just has way too many different styles happening on it. LB, SN, and CM had a sort of complementary thing happening, but on BTM Stevie kind of steers toward a Christine pop sound while Billy and Rick just have these writing styles that don't complement SN and CM (or each other). The songs I DO like from it are Skies the Limit, Love Is Dangerous, In the Back of My Mind (after that AWFULLY long intro which would have been cool if it didn't last for minutes), Do You Know, Save Me, Affairs of the Heart, and Freedom.

The reason why I quote you is because I'm wondering if you think Paper Doll and Love Shines are on Behind the Mask. If you do, they are not. These songs were new for The Chain Box Set. I thought you should know so that you don't buy the album based on these songs and then wonder where the hell they are. But, if you DID know this, then disregard it.
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  #11  
Old 08-08-2003, 12:33 PM
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I think on BTM half the songs are really good and half are poor.

Id get it just for FREEDOM, the best song on the album. In the Back Of Your Mind is really interesting too.

But get it!
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Old 08-08-2003, 01:56 PM
CarneVaca CarneVaca is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by strandinthewind
Why Carne I never knew you could be so political!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, I did that for good reason. If I dissed Stevie's contributions to Tango yet again, fairness would dictate that I point out Christine actually has the catchiest tracks on this album and Lindsey's lyrics are not quite up to par on some tracks. However, the production is top notch and some of the guitar parts are positively brilliant.

And I would have to disagree strongly that Behind the Mask is better than SYW. Behind the Mask is not fit to lick SYW's boots, in my humblest of opinions.
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Old 08-08-2003, 03:09 PM
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Behind the Mask to me is just plain blah. There's nothing exceptionally horrible about it, but there's also nothing exceptionally great about it either... if you know what I mean. It's got some great songs on it, such as Save Me, Behind The Mask, and Freedom... but the rest of the album is just plain forgettable .

I'm not sure what pre Rumours albums you have, so I'll just list off in order what my fav's are.

1) Mystery to Me. This is pop perfection... every track is worth it's weight in gold!

2) Heroes Are Hard To Find. This is a really cool album. It's very ethereal, and well crafted.

3) Bare Trees. This album has a fun vibe to it. If you like Cream, you'll love this album.

4) Penguin. This is the Behind the Mask of Pre-Rumours Mac. It's got some terrific tunes... Remember Me, Dissatisfied, Did You Ever Love Me, and Caught In the Rain. But the rest of the album is forgettable... or really really aweful, as in the case of Roadrunner, and Derelict .
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  #14  
Old 08-08-2003, 09:59 PM
dougb dougb is offline
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I second carneveca
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Old 08-09-2003, 12:25 AM
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Quote:
Originally posted by Janet

Id get it just for FREEDOM, the best song on the album. In the Back Of Your Mind is really interesting too.

But get it!
Freedom's my favorite as well.

As I've posted before, Affairs is possibly my least favorite Stevie song. It seems that most people here prefer it to WTTRS on Tango, but I much prefer the latter, vocals included.

Love is Dangerous IMO is not awful, but is not a great Stevie track. The melody is okay, as are the lyrics, but neither goes very far towards originality or meaningfulness. This is the kind of song that, like Love's a Hard Game to Play a year later, thrilled several critics for what they called a new direction in Stevie's sound towards a more hard-hitting rock. Simple, mainstream, with a very non-Lindsey sounding guitar sound. Further, the harmonies don't do much for me. And I cringe at the "needing of" line.

When The Sun Goes Down has a fresh sound - less processed in the harmonies than what's in the background in Love is Dangerous, Affairs of the Heart, or Behind the Mask. I thought In the Back of My Mind went from being a pale imitation of Lindsey weirdness in the beginning to being a completely bland pop song by the middle. But when it opened the concert and the large masks went up I got goosebumps, and then once again when the spotlight hit Chris at her solo. So now I don't hate the song as much. Stand on the Rock has the same uninspired sound as Time's Blow by Blow, though I do like Rick on other songs (such as I Loved Another Woman) in concert.

I like the song BTM, but not Do You Know, which is plodding. I seem to be the only Ledgie who likes When it Comes to Love, which has pleasant harmonies. Chris's voice is as great as ever.

Skies the Limit and Save Me are some of the worst singles the band ever released. Of the two I prefer the latter, but I think they forebode the weaker Chris music that came out later on Time. Everybody talks about how much Lindsey's production does for Stevie's music, but these two songs show that he did much for Chris's, as well.

The Second Time is too much voice for the accompaniment. It would be great with the Goodbye Baby vocal.

BTM has better songs than Time and has less of a gloss than Tango. It's worth owning, but there are other albums I'd buy first.

- Jake
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