If could go back...would you..?

[HomerMcvie]

Chili I agree. They are still promoting Rumours in a sense.

It really is kind of pathetic, no? And all of that staged romance makes me wanna PUKE. The "duking it out", followed by the romantic dance, literally makes me want to vomit! What idiot falls for this schtick(sp)?
No extra cheese, please.
There are SO many killer songs they could play, but won't:
Oh Well
Green Manalishi
DLMD Again
Hypnotized
WMYTYT One
And, more NEW stuff of SYW.
Keep milking this 30 year old romance. Shove it down our throats. Geezus....

[P90pup]

Originally Posted by chiliD

I agree with "P90pup"...

Had Peter stayed, Fleetwood Mac would be Zeppelin, Who, Pink Floyd type legendary.

It's my unpopular opinion that Rumours was the WORSE thing to happen to Fleetwood Mac. Look, 27 years later, they're STILL touring to promote it above even their latest material. A damned shame.

Thanks chilli, I was fortunate to be able to see the original line up, hence
my bias. Peter is still my favorite guitarist (Legendary Pete), yet Kiln House
is my fave FWM lp. I'm full of contradictions Danny's licks are just as prominent on Then Play On if not more so. Had they stayed together God
only knows (had they stayed straight, heathen and sober) what they
could have been. In Rumours defence...I had the BN album before
they joined the band, and I loved it! Rumours was the best Buckingham
Nicks album, with a great English rhythm section. Before and after Rumours,
(and after Pete, Jeremy and Danny), Christine had the best songs. The thing
about Rumours...in sales terms, everyone in China and India owns a copy!
That's the kind of figures we're talking about! I was in the business in those
day's and that sucker was LOADED (thank you Lou Reed) with hits! I think
Lindsay listened more to Danny's contributions and assimilated into MACdom
that way. Again, what a band.

[SteveMacD]

I think all the changes have been good. I just saw Clapton last night, and while he still kicks Lindsey's ass with guitar solos, Lindsey plays with considerably more energy and is much more fun to watch. Yeah, I think the whole Stevie-Lindsey-relationship/the-entire-band-is-healing thing is goofy, but they play much harder now than they did during their heyday.

And, to me, that's the whole point. One can only imagine how huge they would have been if Peter had stayed. Part of me would have loved seeing the band part ways with Jeremy, bring Christine in the band, and go on as Mick-John-Peter-Danny-Christine. On the other hand, I don't really think Mick and John were all that interesting prior to Bob Welch's involvement.

I think that Mick and John really took ownership of the group after Peter and Jeremy quit. That's when it became a real band. Durning Peter's time, even though Jeremy and Danny wrote material and were amazing, it was basically the Peter Green show (see 1971 "Greatest Hits" album). But when Bob came into the band, the writers seemed to be on par with one another, and Mick and John were much a much more solid rhythm section. By the time of Mystery To Me they were on their way to the Zep level. It was a matter of time.

Then add Stevie and Lindsey. To me, their arrival wasn't a radical change for Fleetwood Mac, it was more a reinforcement of what the band already was. Lindsey vocally sounded like a mix of Jeremy and Danny, without the accents, and as a lead guitarist was somewhere between Peter and Danny. One could easily hear Danny playing lead on Landslide or Peter playing lead on I'm So Afraid. Stevie had some of the same folky tendancies of Danny, with the mystical tendancies of Green and Welch (although her use of mystical lyrics was entirely different). Then the familiar elements (Mick and the McVies) were still there. And, I don't think it's a coincidence that both bands were named after principal members.

That John McVie's part on Smile At You is one of his best bass lines ever, that Mick Fleetwood is still playing as hard as he did 30 years ago, that Stevie Nicks has learned how to work within her vocal limitations and have it come off gracefully, and that Lindsey Buckingham is putting out even more energy than he did when they were the biggest band in the land says a lot. It could be like Clapton, where his best days are obviously behind him as a guitarist.

So, while each change has meant losing an important voice to the mix, I think the growth that has come from these changes in terms of psychology and talent have made the band all that much stronger.

[Villavic]

Originally Posted by chiliD

I agree with "P90pup"...

Had Peter stayed, Fleetwood Mac would be Zeppelin, Who, Pink Floyd type legendary.

It's my unpopular opinion that Rumours was the WORSE thing to happen to Fleetwood Mac. Look, 27 years later, they're STILL touring to promote it above even their latest material. A damned shame.

Well that really hurts, though I always knew chili opinion. But the worse? A shame? ouch, still hurts.

Ok, maybe Rumours wasn't the best lineup, but.. the worse thing??? And what is wrong with touring? If it's a shame then let's condemn Pink Floyd, the Stones, Jethro Tull, Alan Parsons, REM, etc..

Mick always said the band meaning is touring, not recording albums. MAybe not 100% sincere (yeah, he needs money) but I do love to see shows, if I'd live in the STates, I'd try to go to concerts as much as I can (as I do for local bands).