"Honey Hi" & "Never Forget" - Perfect Harmonies

Andy Man · #1 04-01-2015, 09:43 PM

Was re-listening to Tusk tonight after a long time of not doing so. I was struck by the last minute of "Honey Hi" and the final minute of "Never Forget." I honestly think that the vocal harmonies in these songs could be the best harmonies ever done by the band. I think out of all the songwriters, Christine was able to write melodies that best provided the vocalists to harmonize in a way that only the three of them could. These two tracks, on top of being two of the Macs most underrated songs, are among the best examples of why these three singers made Fleetwood Mac as distinctive as they were/are.

secondhandchain · #2 04-01-2015, 11:17 PM

I love, love the harmonies on Honey Hi. Another song (not on Tusk) where the harmonies are perfect are on Mystified. Sublime.

shackin'up · #3 04-02-2015, 06:06 AM

Although I think Honey Hi is the weakest composition on Tusk, those harmonies are exquisite, and make up for the lack of originality in the songstructure. Never Forget is one of my faves, I still think it's the best choice as the closer of the best album ever. Especially thanks to those lush and perfect harmonies.

Macfan4life · #4 04-02-2015, 06:51 AM

Honey Hi fits on Tusk perfectly. On a shorter album maybe it would seem out of place. But Tusk is full of such mixed types of songs it creates a certain theme or mood for the entire album.
I can never get enough of Christine finding a million ways to say I love you. Honey Hi is just one of them

FuzzyPlum · #5 04-02-2015, 06:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy Man

Was re-listening to Tusk tonight after a long time of not doing so. I was struck by the last minute of "Honey Hi" and the final minute of "Never Forget." I honestly think that the vocal harmonies in these songs could be the best harmonies ever done by the band. I think out of all the songwriters, Christine was able to write melodies that best provided the vocalists to harmonize in a way that only the three of them could. These two tracks, on top of being two of the Macs most underrated songs, are among the best examples of why these three singers made Fleetwood Mac as distinctive as they were/are.

Quote:

Originally Posted by secondhandchain

I love, love the harmonies on Honey Hi. Another song (not on Tusk) where the harmonies are perfect are on Mystified. Sublime.

Here, here! Couldn't agree more.

wheart · #6 04-02-2015, 08:01 AM

Honey Hi is sweet perfection!!!! Pardon the pun.

Seriously, it's a gorgeous piece of work and I never get tired of listening to it! I wonder if they could pull it off today on stage, stripped down like they did SYLM on The Dance tour.

Andy Man · #7 04-02-2015, 08:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wheart

Honey Hi is sweet perfection!!!! Pardon the pun.

Seriously, it's a gorgeous piece of work and I never get tired of listening to it! I wonder if they could pull it off today on stage, stripped down like they did SYLM on The Dance tour.

I've often thought the same thing. "Honey Hi" would be perfect in the acoustic session...one can dream...

Glad to see the response for these two songs. I often think that Christine's material gets clouded over by the songs of Buckingham/Nicks on Tusk. Granted, it is Stevie's best work with the Mac (I would argue her five best songs, maybe in her entire catalogue) and Lindsey's material is...well...what makes Tusk the album that it is. But Christine's songs are such beautiful compositions to listen to. In fact, I think there are times on the record when her music reminds us that this is actually a Fleetwood Mac album rather than a LB solo outing.

"Never Forget" is a perfect way to end the record...would be awesome if this ever closed a show!

aleuzzi · #8 04-02-2015, 01:12 PM

The harmonies and vocal round on Honey Hi are high points for sure--but I could also listen to that electric piano, acoustic guitar, and hand drum for hours. The groove is so satisfying!

Never Forget also sounds great, but--and I'm probably in a minority here--it's one of the songs on Tusk that would have benefit from different production. The brighter, warmer sounds Ken Caillat once said were noticeably absent on Tusk (Lindsey commanded they turn the dials on the controls the opposite way) is in evidence here. Imagine Never Forget with the kind of production from Rumours--or even The White Album. It could have been a big hit. Big.

I love it as it is, but there is a strange sense of the remote, cold studio vibe (a lot of reverb on Chris's songs on Tusk) which creates an odd effect--at once genius and off putting. I don't get this sense from Honey Hi--which benefits perfectly from all the productions touches.

I'm rambling. Love both songs. Side four is my favorite side.

**jbrownsjr** · #9 04-02-2015, 01:50 PM

C'mon Tony don't you be cold, just remember that McVie is gold

... The stars must be my friends, to shine for me...

FuzzyPlum · #10 04-02-2015, 02:53 PM

Never paid that much attention before- it's quite subtle but Lindsey is going berserk with his guitar on Never Forget- some really quite random riffing. Funny how you miss these little things.

dontlookdown · #11 04-02-2015, 03:17 PM

Totally agree.
Honey Hi is definitely one of the many reasons why this album was their creative peak.
Never Forget didn't leave much of an impression on me when Tusk came out, but now it's one of my favorites - and for the reasons you pointed out.

Jondalar · #12 04-02-2015, 04:11 PM

Brown Eyes and Honey Hi are two of my favorites from that album.

Dreamz19 · #13 04-02-2015, 07:18 PM

I never hear much talk about these songs, but they are partly why I fell in love with Tusk the minute I heard it. Some say Tusk was Christine's weakest body of work on an album, but I thought it was among her strongest. I loved her Tusk songs.

UndoingTheLaces · #14 04-02-2015, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy Man

I've often thought the same thing. "Honey Hi" would be perfect in the acoustic session...one can dream...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLi_99BKOc4

#15 04-02-2015, 10:05 PM

I have personally listened to Honey Hi over and over and over, especially the ending part with the call/answer back and forth refrain. It's infectious. Those harmonies might very well be the sweetest-sounding thing they've done. And that's what they did best.

I have been known to spend a good several minutes rewinding to a certain section or the whole song (from other music as well) just absorbing the greatness and the orgasm to my ears!