"Time" Appreciation Thread

[David]

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

As for the "Time" tours/oldies thing, I guess I'd have more of an issue with it if it weren't for the simple fact that they weren't touring in support of an album.

That's often commented on (generally by you or Chili), & while it's true to the letter, it isn't necessarily true to the spirit. Part of the band's reason for touring to introduce new members in 1994 & 1995 was to stir audience interest in a studio album at some point -- & that point wasn't more than a few months after the tour. What month was "Time" released? The 1995 tour ran at least through October, when I saw them the 2nd time around. Certainly by that time, the album was at the mixing or mastering stage.

Even as far back on the first tour swing-through as July 1994, Mick was telling the newspapers that the band was preparing a new album. He told the Times of Northwest Indiana, right before a Fleetwood Mac show at the Star Plaza Theatre, that the band was "nurturing the creative process for a new album." He added that the tour was "partly the test of the chemistry of songs off a new album" that the reporter mentioned was as yet unnamed & that would appear the following spring.

So although strictly speaking, Fleetwood Mac wasn't supporting a new album on tour -- they really were.

To that end, they should have put the new songs front & center in the set. At both Northern CA shows I saw, the new material was not emphasized -- much of it, in fact, wasn't even played at all. But boy did we get the white album & Rumours! Say You Love Me & Go Your Own Way & Don't Stop & World Turning & Gold Dust Woman & The Chain & Blue Letter & You Make Loving Fun ... it was just ridiculous.

In May & June of 1975, Fleetwood Mac also toured before a new album was out, but at that point, according to people who saw them in Texas that month (& who posted about it to amfm), the band played most of the white album & really roared & put a lot of passion & commitment into driving the new material so that audiences would come to live it. That's a far cry from what I saw Dave Mason do with the band in 1994 & 1995: essentially just snooze through the set. Obviously, the circumstances were different in terms of respective ages & careers (they were kids in 1975 & wanted to build careers, whereas Dave was no kid in 1994 & already had a career). But that's really what makes Mick's choice of adding Dave so inane. He should have hired Dave Grohl!

I wish I could remember whether anyone onstage mentioned that some of the songs they did -- like "Blow by Blow" -- were going to be on a new album. But, alas, I can't. The prime rib was pretty good that night, however!