Fleetwood Mac Albums, Ranked Worst To Best

[aleuzzi]

If I were to rank the album's based on my feelings about their effectiveness' I'd order it this way:

1. Rumours (though I prefer Fleetwood Mac instead).
2. Fleetwood Mac White Album
3. Kiln House
4. Tusk
5. Then Play On
6. Bare Trees (Kirwan's stuff is incredible here)
7. Future Games (Welch's stuff is incredible here--and the overall sound of the recording is pleasing...)
8. Mirage
9. Mystery to Me (would be higher on the list but the recording sound is too homespun and awkward).
10. Tango
11. Say You Will
12. Penguin
12.5. Fleetwood Mac in Chicago
13. Mr. Wonderful
14. Fleetwood Mac (1968)
15. Heroes (would be much higher if the songs sounded as good as they do on the FM soundboards...)
15.5. Live (1980)
16. Time
17. Behind the Mask

[Macfan4life]

This is an impossible task. I commend those who have tried to accomplish this task.
The hard part for me is that some of my all time favorite Mac songs are on the albums I don't like. For example, Nights In Estoril is one of my all time favorite Christine Mac songs. But its on an album that I don't care for. I would probably put Mystery to Me pretty high because of Why, Just Crazy Love, and Hypnotized. Heroes are Hard To Find would also be pretty high. Chris is just ready to explode with her hits and she writes some amazing stuff like Come A Little Bit Closer, Bad Loser, and Prove your Love. Bare Trees is a great album too.
I am biased because while I like the early Mac stuff, I just think Christine added so much to the band.
Rumours of course is amazing and probably on everyone's top list but it would battle Tusk IMHO for the top notch. I also LOVE Mirage. Yes its safe and more pop rock but its so classic Fleetwood Mac that I love it. The Fleetwood Mac album is also amazing . Tango sold extremely well and had lots of hits but other than the hits and Isn't It Midnight, the album is too 80's synth for me. Thank goodness they did a Live album to capture the magic during their peak. So that album has a special place too. Say You Will is a very solid effort and is a great album. If Chris was on that album it would be near the top.
Sorry I chickened out on this assignment but its impossible for me. Some of my favorite tracks are on albums I am not crazy about. And some of the better albums don't have my all time favorite songs. Hope that makes sense

[SisterNightroad]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

This is an impossible task. I commend those who have tried to accomplish this task.

I understand perfectly and I agree, there's a big distinction between favourite albums and favourite song, but a list like this goes beyond the concept of "where your favourite song is".
As my professor said during my psychology favourite lesson, "the whole is more than the sum of its parts" and some of the albums that I love wouldn't be the same without any of their songs, even the worst one. One of the things that I love about this band is that their albums tell a story; they think the album is a form of art.

[Richard B]

Originally Posted by aleuzzi

If I were to rank the album's based on my feelings about their effectiveness' I'd order it this way:

1. Rumours (though I prefer Fleetwood Mac instead).
2. Fleetwood Mac White Album
3. Kiln House
4. Tusk
5. Then Play On
6. Bare Trees (Kirwan's stuff is incredible here)
7. Future Games (Welch's stuff is incredible here--and the overall sound of the recording is pleasing...)
8. Mirage
9. Mystery to Me (would be higher on the list but the recording sound is too homespun and awkward).
10. Tango
11. Say You Will
12. Penguin
12.5. Fleetwood Mac in Chicago
13. Mr. Wonderful
14. Fleetwood Mac (1968)
15. Heroes (would be much higher if the songs sounded as good as they do on the FM soundboards...)
15.5. Live (1980)
16. Time
17. Behind the Mask

I love how high up you put Kiln House. I absolutely love that album.

[aleuzzi]

Originally Posted by Richard B

I love how high up you put Kiln House. I absolutely love that album.

Thank you for saying this. I think it's a masterpiece without trying to be anything other than a bunch of good, unpretentious songs. It's the Mac's Exile on Main St. without the Stones' self-conscious return to roots. It just is. I love every song.

[twinmatrix]

1. Say You Will
2. Rumours
3. Tusk
4. the other albums including Stevie
5. the rest

my order

[ViscountViktor]

Mystery to Me in top 5 for me.