Lindsey Buckingham Talks Fleetwood Mac Tour, New EP - Rolling Stone

[MikeVielhaber]

Originally Posted by WildHearted

John Mayer covered it? When? I know he covered Dreams as part of a mash-up with one of his songs, but I've never heard him play NGBA. Cool.

A google search turned up nothing so it can't have been very popular.

[bethelblues]

Originally Posted by Christopher

Plus Lindsey's songs which also get notable airplay still:
"Never Going Back Again"
"Monday Morning"
"Second Hand News"

Do these songs get notable airplay?? On Classic Rock stations? I'm hesitant to call Monday Morning a hit, or a 'perceived hit.'

Originally Posted by michelej1

The thing is, you don't have to try to recreate her vocals on YMLF. Just cover the song and interpret it your way and you still have the really nice guitar in it, which would be Lindsey's original contribution. I think they could make that work better than SYLM, if they'd wanted.

I hear you! I'd like them to give such a treatment to Little Lies.

Originally Posted by Christopher

Christine did not have album cuts that became legendary, popular or heavily played as these 3 Stevie & 3 Lindsey album tracks. So essentially imo Stevie is tied with Christine for having as many popular or "hit" songs.

This. Well-said. And to be frank, because Stevie created a stage persona and was more visible than Christine and Lindsey, her songs have become the most iconic of all the band's work. As I said in an earlier post, I think Rhiannon is one of the Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac's most important songs. Stevie gave the group instant rock cred, first seen through that song, not Christine who gave the band's it's pop sound and not Lindsey who still remains criminally underrated as a rock guitarist.

Originally Posted by MikeVielhaber

Stevie has talent in songwriting, but she also does not play an instrument beyond a very basic level. She needs help in bringing her songs to fruition. She even brought in a song written by an outside writer when it came time for Tango. Why do that for such a supremely talented songwriter who is better than the other songwriters in the band? In fact, I skip her own songs on Tango because they just aren't good, and even her Mirage don't do anything for me, "Gypsy" aside. I love her songs on the first three albums though.

Not being a virtuoso musician in my eyes does not take away from Stevie's songwriting ability. Without her songs, the band would probably not have seen the same success. And it took a while for the band to realize that and for Stevie to have more power within the group. Had Silver Springs been written later on, it would have never been cut from the album. They needed an iconic frontwoman. I see your point on Tango in the Night, but the only writer who really brought their A game for that album was Christine. And as much as I enjoy her output and musicianship, most of those Tango songs haven't been played since 1990. In my opinion, Stevie has written the group's most iconic songs, those most unique and singular of Fleetwood Mac's output. That doesn't mean, however, that they are necessarily my favorite Fleetwood Mac songs...but it does make sense with the recent Rolling Stone poll how Stevie's songs dominated.

[WildHearted]

Originally Posted by bethelblues

Do these songs get notable airplay?? On Classic Rock stations? I'm hesitant to call Monday Morning a hit, or a 'perceived hit.'

I've never heard NGBA, but I hear Monday Morning and SHN pretty frequently. And my mother knows all the words from hearing them on the radio in her youth yet she couldn't tell you one thing about Fleetwood Mac, so..

[elle]

Originally Posted by bethelblues

because Stevie created a stage persona and was more visible than Christine and Lindsey, her songs have become the most iconic of all the band's work. As I said in an earlier post, I think Rhiannon is one of the Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac's most important songs. Stevie gave the group instant rock cred, first seen through that song, not Christine who gave the band's it's pop sound and not Lindsey who still remains criminally underrated as a rock guitarist.

see i think now you are getting somewhere - stage persona! Mick was talking recently (last week) about what different members bring to the group, and what he said about SN was something like what you said above - she's got this stage persona, something that draws people in.

i agree with you that Rhiannon live was what slowly made the BN version of FM huge, and that they may have never been that huge without that song or SN as a front person. maybe not necessarily as a consequence of her songwriting, or her songs giving them some kind of rock cred... possibly more of her stage effect at the time - this gorgeous little super hot woman with extremely sexy voice screaming on the top of her lungs while behaving completely possessed (Villavic can probably add a quote from Mick's book, he said something like that in there too).

most of Stevie's music seems to fit more in adult contemporary than rock category (but i don't know much about her solo career so i might be wrong), with a few notable exceptions (such as GDW!). it would be pretty hard to argue that Dreams, for example, is really a rock song. so again, not sure about "rock cred". actually, was BN FM ever considered a rock band? i've seen them being referred to as "soft rock" in recent articles. Lindsey said once how they were always considered more soft / pop until people would see them live and realize how different, rocking, and heavier they are live than judging from their albums and radio hits.

[aleuzzi]

Originally Posted by michelej1

It's not less accurate. Lindsey didn't say she never had any hits or that she only had one. And I don't think it's really justifying the existence of the foursome (or in Christine's case the sextet that remained). I think that they care/cared that the other is gone and have some unresolved feelings.

Michele

He said she had "some" hits, which is an understatement, a downplaying of her contribution.

And I do think he is, in some sense, justifying the viability of the new band by downplaying that contribution.

I also think, however, he'd be thrilled if she came back to work with them again.

[Kubrick2788]

There are moments of rock and roll in her solo catalogue, but for the most part I think she fits very well into that AC category. She pulls both off rather well. I guess that's the appeal.

[bethelblues]

Originally Posted by elle

see i think now you are getting somewhere - stage persona! Mick was talking recently (last week) about what different members bring to the group, and what he said about SN was something like what you said above - she's got this stage persona, something that draws people in.

i agree with you that Rhiannon live was what slowly made the BN version of FM huge, and that they may have never been that huge without that song or SN as a front person. maybe not necessarily as a consequence of her songwriting, or her songs giving them some kind of rock cred... possibly more of her stage effect at the time - this gorgeous little super hot woman with extremely sexy voice screaming on the top of her lungs while behaving completely possessed (Villavic can probably add a quote from Mick's book, he said something like that in there too).

most of Stevie's music seems to fit more in adult contemporary than rock category (but i don't know much about her solo career so i might be wrong), with a few notable exceptions (such as GDW!). it would be pretty hard to argue that Dreams, for example, is really a rock song. so again, not sure about "rock cred". actually, was BN FM ever considered a rock band? i've seen them being referred to as "soft rock" in recent articles. Lindsey said once how they were always considered more soft / pop until people would see them live and realize how different, rocking, and heavier they are live than judging from their albums and radio hits.

And it's because of that stage persona you've expanded on from what I said that Stevie can never be the one to quit the band. It could be Lindsey, though he was instrumental behind the scenes; it could be Christine, though she defined their pop sound; but had it been Stevie, I think that's what the band feared when she told them she was considering a solo career.

You have an interesting point with your question: "was BN FM ever considered a rock band?" I was speaking merely that Rhiannon gave this incarnation of the band a rock sound and viability. Interesting you mention Dreams. The live version that has evolved over the years definitely has more of a rock edge, a driving drum beat that is more present in concerts than the 1977 studio recording (The Dance version of Dreams as a good example).

I think your point actually forms the core of the conversation of where Fleetwood Mac falls among the greatest bands, as rock groups tend to be heavily favored. Some people hear Fleetwood Mac as primarily pop, since Rumours' huge success was seen as popular music. Perhaps Rolling Stone Magazine falls into this category (they only recently added Lindsey to their top 100 guitarists of all time, at number 100). I have relatives who don't care for Fleetwood Mac for these reasons; they didn't have the edge of the Stones or the influence of the Beatles. The funny thing is I often prefer Fleetwood Mac's live versions of many of their songs to their studio work, which is why I tend to consider them a rock band. Also, when thinking about where Fleetwood Mac should be placed, how many bands at their level have one lead female singer let alone two? The songs that feature all three of their voices, such as Dreams and Little Lies, are two of my favorites, as that unique sound stands alone.

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by aleuzzi

He said she had "some" hits, which is an understatement, a downplaying of her contribution.

But you said it was less accurate than what Christine said about him, which is that he only had 2 hits. I don't think it was less accurate than her statement. I didn't say whether or not he was downplaying her contributions. I've discussed that in the past.

I don't think he is justifying why the four of them are still touring, since I don't think anyone in the press or the fans have even wondered why they still were. It's not like people asking why the Rolling Stones would still be touring if Mick Jagger were not there. So, I disagree.

What I think he is doing is making it sound like he doesn't miss her presence as much as I believe he does -- at least I believe he missed it badly in 2003-2004. By now, he may be used to her not being there. But I agree he'd be happy if she'd returned and he said as much. He said he'd be very pleased, but surprised.

Michele

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by elle

most of Stevie's music seems to fit more in adult contemporary than rock category

But even if she doesn't have many, I think Rhiannon was one of her rock songs, especially back in the old days when it had not only John's very prominent base, but some smoking guitar as well.

Michele

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by bethelblues

You have an interesting point with your question: "was BN FM ever considered a rock band?"

Sometimes I think that Waddy rocks it harder than FM does and that starts to trouble me a little. Rhiannon and SOTM should be rock songs, just like ISA is.

Michele

[MikeVielhaber]

Originally Posted by michelej1

Sometimes I think that Waddy rocks it harder than FM does and that starts to trouble me a little. Rhiannon and SOTM should be rock songs, just like ISA is.

Michele

I don't even understand why they've arranged SOTM the way they have on this tour. It could still be a real rocker like it used to be even with Stevie being conservative with her performance. Why isn't Lindsey tearing it up on this one? There's no reason he can't.

[WildHearted]

Originally Posted by MikeVielhaber

I don't even understand why they've arranged SOTM the way they have on this tour. It could still be a real rocker like it used to be even with Stevie being conservative with her performance. Why isn't Lindsey tearing it up on this one? There's no reason he can't.

The main thing that I think is weird about SOTM is the abrupt ending. She does get pretty into it on the "so we make our choices" and it really builds up.. and then all of a sudden it's over. It builds up and then just cuts off.