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Old 08-01-2017, 09:46 AM
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TheWildHeart67 TheWildHeart67 is offline
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Default Lindsey Buckingham/Christine McVie” is a distraction Fleetwood Mac cannot afford

Lindsey Buckingham/Christine McVie” is a distraction Fleetwood Mac cannot afford

[Passsionate about something musical that you want to get off your chest? Got a great story to share? Fantastic! Guest posts are welcome at AJoMT. Submit away and we might find space for you. Today’s post comes from hardcore Fleetmac Mac, John Duffy. He has a real problem with Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie peeling away from the Mac to do their own thing, even if it’s temporary.- AC]

If a band can make it to their fifth decade, they have beaten the longest of odds. August 13 will mark the 50th anniversary of Fleetwood Mac’s its debut at the National Jazz and Blues Festival in Windsor, England. Back at the beginning, they were a loud, brash, ballsy British blues quartet, led by a messianic guitarist named Peter Green who sang songs about the indifference of God and the evils of money.

And in the long history of the band—seventeen studio albums, twenty Billboard Top 40 hits, 100 million records sold, addiction, madness, love, betrayal, breakups, religious cults, and numerous stylistic changes—there have certainly been stranger things than this year’s “Lindsey Buckingham/Christine McVie” side project.

But if anything, this episode is another example of just how fragile the band’s political chemistry has always been.

Just two days before the 50th anniversary of the Windsor debut (neither of them was in Fleetwood Mac at that time) the two finish up a tour in support of what by all measures should have been a new Fleetwood Mac album. Many have asked, “Why wasn’t it?”

As the story goes Christine and Lindsey went into the studio to woodshed a backlog of songs back in 2015. Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, the engine room of the band since the beginning, were there too. But they were stuck when Stevie Nicks made it clear that her solo career—these days splitting dates with the Pretenders—was more important.

Instead of proceeding as the “Mac,” or waiting for her contributions to be added later (a la “Tango in the Night”), someone thought it best to release the ten songs that had been worked up thus far as a full album.

Several songs, while well-crafted, are of the quality that wouldn’t have made the cut were there another world-class singer and writer present (one of the secrets to so many hits in their bag). More than one tune is embarrassingly trite.

And while it’s been billed as a duets album, there are almost none of the characteristic harmonies on Buckingham/McVie we have come to expect as a given on Mac songs over the last forty years.

So why isn’t this a Fleetwood Mac album? Are we to believe that minus Stevie Nicks it just doesn’t count? It clearly would’ve been a better album with her presence, but it’s been the rhythm section of the band that has been its core from day one, if not its sexy and sultry face.

But more unsettling than that question is the fact that Fleetwood Mac is running out of chances to make a final definitive musical statement. Since “reforming” in 1997—that’s twenty years, kids—the group has managed to put out one album of new material. One.

“Say You Will” (2003) was better than even the band’s most ardent champions had hoped. It had singable pop songs form Nicks, Lindsey’s deep and brooding studio explorations, and even without Christine, it was a hit. A successful tour followed, then a few others, at least one of them attempted to make the lack of new material to promote seem a virtue (they did pretty much the same set from the last tour anyway).

Then, in 2014, Christine was back, and what did we get? Extended Play, four undercooked songs. It sounded exactly like what it was, the beginnings of a new album that ran out of gas. Oh well, at least there was something to tour behind now.

The longer great bands last, the more difficult it becomes to make music that doesn’t suffer by comparison to their classic work. U2, Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, Eagles, Prince, Pearl Jam, even Canada’s Blue Rodeo and Tragically Hip have all in a sense reached this point.

This means that the nearer an act comes to their final bow, the more difficult it is to sound like something other than a well-paid cover band of yourself.

And Fleetwood Mac is quite frankly running on borrowed time. Christine turns 73 this year. John, a lifelong smoker and one-time heavy boozer, had a serious cancer scare a few years ago. And there are only a limited number of times the band can lower the octave so Nicks can land the notes on “Rhiannon” or “Seven Wonders.”

A great band this far in gets increasingly fewer chances to prove its continued validity other than as a jukebox. “Say You Will” made a giant step toward late-career relevancy for Fleetwood Mac. I suppose we should be grateful for “Extended Play” and “Lindsay Buckingham/Christine McVie,” but given the quality we’ve come to expect, they fall well short.

At this rate, does the band have another half decade to burn before they can get their act together once more?http://http://ajournalofmusicalthings.com
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  #2  
Old 08-01-2017, 10:08 AM
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HomerMcvie HomerMcvie is offline
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I think it's clear that the writer prefers Stevie.


And I don't believe the key for Rhiannon has ever been lowered(has it?). Only the way in which she bleats it.
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Old 08-01-2017, 10:15 AM
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elle elle is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HomerMcvie View Post
I think it's clear that the writer prefers Stevie.


And I don't believe the key for Rhiannon has ever been lowered(has it?). Only the way in which she bleats it.
i'm not so sure. the title is click-baity, but then article is actually complaining about FM not recording any new music together and wondering why was BuckVie not released as Fleetwood Mac. so the logical conclusion of the article that also talks about FM changing members is that the member who is not interested in band's new music should be booted for FM to be able to continue as a band instead of as a nostalgia act.
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Old 08-01-2017, 10:19 AM
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TheWildHeart67 TheWildHeart67 is offline
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Red face

I think the article is rather rude and unprofessional
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Old 08-01-2017, 10:23 AM
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aleuzzi aleuzzi is offline
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It's a troll disguised as a bad journalist.

Given Stevie's refusal to work on a new Mac record, distractions and side projects are the heart of new music. And what a record! LB/CM is a great record.
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Old 08-01-2017, 10:41 AM
guillamene guillamene is offline
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Excellent article which I find hard to disagree with. And from seeing the clips of the recent Classic West and East shows, it saddens me to say that maybe this great band should have called it a day after the OWTS tour: after all, this was a REAL reunion with the return of Christine and what could a 2018/2019 tour give us that OWTS didn't? Age, health, voice issues as well as another long tour become more relevant as each year passes.
Incidentally , I was struck recently while listening to some Mirage and 1997 shows how the playing and performance was so much stronger because these were short tours.
Buckingham McVie, while good, is not a duets album, much less a FMac album and I wholeheartedly agree with the positive comments on Say You Will: 14 years later, I love this album as much as ever.
Await with interest what others think about this thread.
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Old 08-01-2017, 10:47 AM
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HomerMcvie HomerMcvie is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by guillamene View Post
Buckingham McVie, while good, is not a duets album, much less a FMac album and I wholeheartedly agree with the positive comments on Say You Will: 14 years later, I love this album as much as ever.
*BUZZER*

While it's not a duets album(they were just trying to delicately tell us that Stevie wasn't on it, IMO), it's EVERY BIT as much a FM album as SYW.

BM is a FUN album. SYW was depressing AF. I've not listened to it for probably 5 years now, because it blows.
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Old 08-01-2017, 11:03 AM
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TheWildHeart67 TheWildHeart67 is offline
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[QUOTEBUZZER*

While it's not a duets album(they were just trying to delicately tell us that Stevie wasn't on it, IMO), it's EVERY BIT as much a FM album as SYW.

BM is a FUN album. SYW was depressing AF. I've not listened to it for probably 5 years now, because it blows. QUOTE]

I love "Say you will" except for "come." I never get tired if listening to it.
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Old 08-01-2017, 11:11 AM
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I love "Say you will" except for "come." I never get tired if listening to it.
My cousin's roommate bought the deluxe SYW, and when she got to Come, she HATED it, and gave it to me.

She said, "this album doesn't sound like FM".

She was right. I know what was missing. Don't you?
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Old 08-01-2017, 11:13 AM
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I think it's a pretty good and accurate article..
The one thing I really agree with is the fact that....Buckingham, Mcvie is an average set of songs.
A couple the songs are pretty rubbish, especially the lyrics.
A couple of the songs are pretty good.

It's an okay LP, nothing more.
Would it have been better if ......no I'm not gonna go there.
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Old 08-01-2017, 12:13 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sue View Post
I think it's a pretty good and accurate article..
The one thing I really agree with is the fact that....Buckingham, Mcvie is an average set of songs.
A couple the songs are pretty rubbish, especially the lyrics.
A couple of the songs are pretty good.

It's an okay LP, nothing more.
Would it have been better if ......no I'm not gonna go there.
You already went there by dismissing as "average" the fine NEW work of the remaining four.

I still can't get over all the Stevie fans who resent LB/CM going ahead with a project that has been nothing but positive for them and towards the band.No trash talk. No dismissals of others. Just great new music. They even surrendered the band name to let this happen.
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Old 08-01-2017, 12:47 PM
jbrownsjr jbrownsjr is offline
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I love this album so much!! The 2 shows that I have attened were fantastic.

The Denver show was a lot better than Vegas. I was blown away in Denver.

Creating is what artists should do. This project has done very well for Christine and Lindsey and they should be proud of it.
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Old 08-01-2017, 01:26 PM
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Originally Posted by aleuzzi View Post
You already went there by dismissing as "average" the fine NEW work of the remaining four.

I still can't get over all the Stevie fans who resent LB/CM going ahead with a project that has been nothing but positive for them and towards the band.No trash talk. No dismissals of others. Just great new music. They even surrendered the band name to let this happen.
I am not dismissing this new work, I am just saying that for me it's not great.
And I am not a Stevie fan particularly, I am a Fleetwood Mac fan.
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Old 08-01-2017, 05:05 PM
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They will never record a new album. Next year will be the farewell tour; Lindsey will continue his solo efforts (and who knows - there's perhaps a small chance of more BuckVie); Stevie will tour until she's in a wheelchair; Mick will try to think of new ways to make a buck; and John will retire. The end.
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Old 08-01-2017, 05:14 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GypsySorcerer View Post
They will never record a new album. Next year will be the farewell tour; Lindsey will continue his solo efforts (and who knows - there's perhaps a small chance of more BuckVie); Stevie will tour until she's in a wheelchair; Mick will try to think of new ways to make a buck; and John will retire. The end.
🤧🤧🤧 boohooo, sniff, sniff.
But I know what you say is correct.
That's exactly how it will happen.
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