Why in 1975?

[ontheEdgeof17]

Originally Posted by dudden22

I think the only way Say You Will would have sold more is if Christine was on it. I do not think a shorter album would have made much of a difference in sales unless she was on it.

She didn't help out BTM and Time.


...but I see where you are going with it. The five together is better PR than just 4....

[chiliD]

Good point, but I think the reviews of SYW would've been better had it been shorter...most reviews I read really slammed its length as being a big negative thing.

[Gailh]

Originally Posted by dudden22

I think the only way Say You Will would have sold more is if Christine was on it. I do not think a shorter album would have made much of a difference in sales unless she was on it.

Yes. It needed the Queen of Hits to contribute!

Gail

[lagringader&r]

Originally Posted by David

As usual, I don't know what everybody's talking about. Record sales? Aesthetic cohesion?

NOTHING would have made SYW sell more. It wouldn't have mattered if it had been a five-album package, a two-album package, a single-album package, or a collection of brass coasters. To hear Fleetwood Mac argue over one disc vs. two was pretty wild & pretty amusing.

The kids who DIDN'T buy SYW refrained from doing so NOT because it was too long or too short or too this or too that: they refrained from doing so because THEY DON'T GIVE A **** ABOUT A GEEZER ROCK BAND that means NOTHING to them or their friends. Get real, folks. It wouldn't have sold 3 million if it had been a "manageable" 12 tracks -- that would have had no effect on its sales at all. The people who bought SYW didn't tell their friends, "Oh, don't buy it because it's too unwieldy, too much music, too variable, too much for a pleasurable listening experience yabba-dabba-doo." And their friends didn't say, "Oh, well thanks for the advice." Their friends, if they said anything at all, probably said, "I wasn't gonna buy that **** anyway. Why are you telling me this? I'm buying System of a Down & maybe the Ying Yang Twins."

I agree with this 150%. My aunt, who is 52, turned me on to Stevie Nicks, but purely by accident. I'm 27 and the only reason I got into FM/Stevie was because it had some personal meaning for me. I was really f"*ked up at the time and something about Storms grabbed me. Then, the entire Tusk album. My aunt doesn't have a huge collection, so I went out and bought everything I could get my hands on and then ordered some on the net. But my friends all said "why are you listening to that sh*t?" We were all into metal or punk and I still am, but I listen to FM or Stevie more than anyone else. I am the exception. There's no way in hell I'm ever going to turn my friends on to them or her. To everyone else, other than FM diehard fans, they're a washed up, 70s band trying to capitalize on their *once* success and set up their retirement funds. If I told my friends, "oh, but it's cohesive" or "they kept it down to 12 songs" they would look at me like I was insane. I wish that more people could get out of them what I have but the truth is, FM's big ship has sailed and the ones who care now and go to concerts are either the ones like me who they've touched with their music or the ones like my aunt who grew up with it and want to hear their old favorites. The Dance helped them to an extent, but they're still considered *has-beens* by most people.

I love SYW because I'll take any new material however I can get it and in whatever form it's packaged, but I'm a big fan. To the *outside* listener, it was a mess and definitely not cohesive. Come would be laughable I think to someone other than a big fan. So would a lot of the others. They could have cleaned SYW up more and changed the running order or nixed some songs to make it flow better, but it wouldn't have made a damn bit of difference in sales if you're not already into FM.

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by Gailh

Yes. It needed the Queen of Hits to contribute!

Gail

I do not think so because In the Meantime did not sell well at all I mean I love CM, but I think there was no saving SYW even if she had been on it. I think, save for some fluke, FM's days of selling millions of records is over. Plus, SYHA had CM on it and it was a hat tip to the days when FM sold millions of records. Yet, even it could not save SYW. Also, Temp. One was not a hit off of The Dance and CM had had no hits of any significance since 1987, though As Long as You Follow, Save Me, and Skies the Limit did chart (I think). So, I think loyal Mac fans bought the record and the same or maybe a little more would have if CM had been there.

Note - I mean no slam on CM - I am just calling it as I see it.

On edit - the five together though would have made a better record - they always do when it is the five.

[HomerMcvie]

Originally Posted by dudden22

I think the only way Say You Will would have sold more is if Christine was on it. I do not think a shorter album would have made much of a difference in sales unless she was on it.

Amen brother!!! Preach the gospel!!!!

[Gailh]

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

I do not think so because In the Meantime did not sell well at all I mean I love CM, but I think there was no saving SYW even if she had been on it. I think, save for some fluke, FM's days of selling millions of records is over. Plus, SYHA had CM on it and it was a hat tip to the days when FM sold millions of records. Yet, even it could not save SYW. Also, Temp. One was not a hit off of The Dance and CM had had no hits of any significance since 1987, though As Long as You Follow, Save Me, and Skies the Limit did chart (I think). So, I think loyal Mac fans bought the record and the same or maybe a little more would have if CM had been there.

Note - I mean no slam on CM - I am just calling it as I see it.

On edit - the five together though would have made a better record - they always do when it is the five.

I think SYW was too long given the fact that there were only two songwriters. With Christine on board they could have kept the same number of songs but there would have been the balance that (IMO) was missing from SYW.

what a pity they sacked her!

Gail

[dudden22]

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

On edit - the five together though would have made a better record - they always do when it is the five.

That is all I meant, their albums have never done as well without all five. It is just not the same.

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by Gailh

. . .

what a pity they sacked her!

Gail

Yep - like Donald Trump - LB screamed in his singing voice (which are one in the same) YOU'RE FIRED while La Nicks hit her on the head repeatedly with her tambourine saying "you are no longer an emerald sister of Rhiannon," Mick asked what day it was with white powder on his lip, and John said FINALLY and GOOD RIDDENCE

[chiliD]

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

I do not think so because In the Meantime did not sell well at all I mean I love CM, but I think there was no saving SYW even if she had been on it. I think, save for some fluke, FM's days of selling millions of records is over. Plus, SYHA had CM on it and it was a hat tip to the days when FM sold millions of records. Yet, even it could not save SYW. Also, Temp. One was not a hit off of The Dance and CM had had no hits of any significance since 1987, though As Long as You Follow, Save Me, and Skies the Limit did chart (I think). So, I think loyal Mac fans bought the record and the same or maybe a little more would have if CM had been there.

Note - I mean no slam on CM - I am just calling it as I see it.

On edit - the five together though would have made a better record - they always do when it is the five.

Disagree. In The Meantime was released on a relatively small label, with only minimal promotion. Had the album been released on WB (like her 1984 album), there would've been a lot more promotion.

Plus, with "the five" doing a whole album of new material, it would've been more of "an event" with all five of the Rumours crew been on board. More attention to both album & tour. More airplay of the new material, etc.

Airplay = sales.

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by chiliD

Disagree. In The Meantime was released on a relatively small label, with only minimal promotion. Had the album been released on WB (like her 1984 album), there would've been a lot more promotion.

Plus, with "the five" doing a whole album of new material, it would've been more of "an event" with all five of the Rumours crew been on board. More attention to both album & tour. More airplay of the new material, etc.

Airplay = sales.

I agree, but I was just noting that no one, save us loons, was chomping at the bit to get new material from her and it was advertised here a little. I fully agree that if SYW had had the five on it, it would have had a better, though still slim, chance of being a mega hit - though this is all speculation.

[chiliD]

It'll be interesting to see how the upcoming new Eagles album of all new material fares. I'm anticipating a big let down.

[dissention]

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

I agree, but I was just noting that no one, save us loons, was chomping at the bit to get new material from her and it was advertised here a little. I fully agree that if SYW had had the five on it, it would have had a better, though still slim, chance of being a mega hit - though this is all speculation.

No one was exactly chomping at the bit for the Buckingham Nicks, pseudo-Fleetwood Mac album that came out two years ago, either. No one but us fans really chomp at anything released by any of them.

[dissention]

Originally Posted by chiliD

It'll be interesting to see how the upcoming new Eagles album of all new material fares. I'm anticipating a big let down.

Materialwise or saleswise? If it's anything like Hole In the World, expect both.

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by dissention

No one was exactly chomping at the bit for the Buckingham Nicks, pseudo-Fleetwood Mac album that came out two years ago, either. No one but us fans really chomp at anything released by any of them.

Well, it still sold like 800,000 or so copies and THAT was after two disasterous live performances on national t.v.