Behind The Mask--Any good?

[EricBliss12345]

I was reading that dudes entire FM discography review page and he seemed like a serious stickler for quality, like myself. :D

He would totally slate many of what I consider the best Mac songs I've heard yet (Storms boring? Christine fluffy? Well OK...:laugh: ) yet I did agree on most of what he did like.

He had mostly good things to say about this Buckingham-less album, much better things than the highly-rated (around here at least) Tango In The Night album. I must say that I think that Paper Doll is a great song and Love Shines isn't too bad either (which I THINK is from the same album). In The Back Of My Mind....the intro sounds cool except for that stupid darth vader voice, which usually makes me skip it.

I haven't heard the rest of the album though and was wondering what the rest of you thought of it and if it was worth investigating or if I should pick up some of the Welch-era stuff I don't have like Heroes Are Hard To Find and Penguin or something like Kiln House first. Thanks!

[joe]

Personally, i think you should get some and/or actually all of the Bob Welch era stuff. I rarely listen to Behind the Mask. I bought it when it came out and i went to the concerts and all but i find the Welch era a more interesting "link in the chain" if you will.

I actually loved "In the Back of My Mind". I also loved "Behind the Mask" and "The Second Time". "Save Me" was pretty good too. I think another one was "Hard Feelings" that i uses to listen to too...Oh wait, then there was "Love is Dangerous" also.

Anyway, I think the Welch era stuff seems to fit better in with FM's roots....I also think this era saw some of Christine's best material.

So, that's my opinion!

:thumbsup:

[EricBliss12345]

OK then Heroes is definately my next purchase! I'll save this one for like, dead last. ;)

Come a Little Bit CLoser is such an awesome song that the rest of it HAS to be good. :D

[dissention]

Behind the Mask is alright, nothing special. I don't listen to any of the Billy Burnette/Rick Vito songs because...well, they stink. "When the Sun Goes Down" is particularly awful.

The songs I like on it are:

Love Is Dangerous (some cheesy lyrics but it's one of the few good rockers)

Behind the Mask (Christine's title cut, the lyrics actually sound like Stevie wrote them; a KILLER song!)

In the Back of My Mind (freaky at first, but actually pretty good)

Affairs of the Heart (pretty good, poppy song; again, cheesy lyrics)

The Second Time (AWFUL music, but good lyrics)

The rest I could do without!

[CarneVaca]

Behind the Mask is better than Time, but not much. I don't even have the CD, though I still think I have the tape somewhere and I don't ever intend to replace it. Fleetwood Mac without Lindsey doesn't interest me, though I like the Peter Green era and Mystery to Me.

After Tango, which was musically interesting despite some lack of inspiration on the part of some members, listening to Behind the Mask was like having rice cakes for dessert after eating a three-course meal with lobster and filet mignon.

[DownOnRodeo]

When you look behind the mask there's not very much there...

Make me a mask any day ;)

[SmthngOfADreamr]

Behind the Mask is OK, but like Carne said, without Lindsey it's as if a large portion of FM's creative force is just missing. You can hear it in the music. There's just a big void. And it's about 500 times larger than the void left by Christine on SYW. That being said, I do like a few of the songs, like Sky's the Limit, Affairs of the Heart, and Love is Dangerous. Some of the Lyrics (especially on Affairs of the Heart) are very contrived and can make me whince though, but they're still 'fun' songs. If your into FM it's worth a listen though.

[macfan 57]

I think Heroes is almost as good as Bare Trees. "Come A Little Bit Closer" is my favorite song on the album. But, "Prove Your Love" & the title track are almost as good. And, Bob's songs are also very good, although not quite as good as his songs on Mystery To Me.

I think Behind The Mask is a good album, although not quite as good as Tango & Mirage. but in my opinion better than Say You Will. I really didn't miss Lindsey on BTM. I think Christine & Billy make up for it. My favorites songs are "When The Sun Goes Down" & "Behind The Mask." I also like "Do You Know", "When It Comes To Love" & "Save Me". Unfortunately, Stevie's songs are terrible. Still, BTM is worthwhile, just for Chris & Billy alone.

[strandinthewind]

Originally posted by CarneVaca
After Tango, which was musically interesting despite some lack of inspiration on the part of some members . . . .

Why Carne I never knew you could be so political!!!!!!!!!!!
__________________________________________________
Also, as has been discussed before on this board, many people think the outtakes from BTM are far superior to what went on the record. I seriously do know understand what could have happened. Having said that, the record, which I like, is probably the weakest of the quasi-five era.

Again, one of my favorite quotes by a critic was something like "too bad the record has less art than the picture on the cover" :laugh:

[Sorcerer386]

Originally posted by EricBliss12345
I must say that I think that Paper Doll is a great song and Love Shines isn't too bad either (which I THINK is from the same album). In The Back Of My Mind....the intro sounds cool except for that stupid darth vader voice, which usually makes me skip it.

Behind the Mask, to me, just has way too many different styles happening on it. LB, SN, and CM had a sort of complementary thing happening, but on BTM Stevie kind of steers toward a Christine pop sound while Billy and Rick just have these writing styles that don't complement SN and CM (or each other). The songs I DO like from it are Skies the Limit, Love Is Dangerous, In the Back of My Mind (after that AWFULLY long intro which would have been cool if it didn't last for minutes), Do You Know, Save Me, Affairs of the Heart, and Freedom.

The reason why I quote you is because I'm wondering if you think Paper Doll and Love Shines are on Behind the Mask. If you do, they are not. These songs were new for The Chain Box Set. I thought you should know so that you don't buy the album based on these songs and then wonder where the hell they are. But, if you DID know this, then disregard it. :wavey:

[Janet]

I think on BTM half the songs are really good and half are poor.

Id get it just for FREEDOM, the best song on the album. In the Back Of Your Mind is really interesting too.

But get it! :)

[CarneVaca]

Originally posted by strandinthewind
Why Carne I never knew you could be so political!!!!!!!!!!!


Well, I did that for good reason. If I dissed Stevie's contributions to Tango yet again, fairness would dictate that I point out Christine actually has the catchiest tracks on this album and Lindsey's lyrics are not quite up to par on some tracks. However, the production is top notch and some of the guitar parts are positively brilliant.

And I would have to disagree strongly that Behind the Mask is better than SYW. Behind the Mask is not fit to lick SYW's boots, in my humblest of opinions.

[louielouie2000]

Behind the Mask to me is just plain blah. There's nothing exceptionally horrible about it, but there's also nothing exceptionally great about it either... if you know what I mean. It's got some great songs on it, such as Save Me, Behind The Mask, and Freedom... but the rest of the album is just plain forgettable :( .

I'm not sure what pre Rumours albums you have, so I'll just list off in order what my fav's are.

1) Mystery to Me. This is pop perfection... every track is worth it's weight in gold! :nod:

2) Heroes Are Hard To Find. This is a really cool album. It's very ethereal, and well crafted. :thumbsup:

3) Bare Trees. This album has a fun vibe to it. If you like Cream, you'll love this album. :cool:

4) Penguin. This is the Behind the Mask of Pre-Rumours Mac. It's got some terrific tunes... Remember Me, Dissatisfied, Did You Ever Love Me, and Caught In the Rain. But the rest of the album is forgettable... or really really aweful, as in the case of Roadrunner, and Derelict :eek: . :laugh:

[dougb]

I second carneveca

[darklinensuit]

Originally posted by Janet

Id get it just for FREEDOM, the best song on the album. In the Back Of Your Mind is really interesting too.

But get it! :)

Freedom's my favorite as well.

As I've posted before, Affairs is possibly my least favorite Stevie song. It seems that most people here prefer it to WTTRS on Tango, but I much prefer the latter, vocals included.

Love is Dangerous IMO is not awful, but is not a great Stevie track. The melody is okay, as are the lyrics, but neither goes very far towards originality or meaningfulness. This is the kind of song that, like Love's a Hard Game to Play a year later, thrilled several critics for what they called a new direction in Stevie's sound towards a more hard-hitting rock. Simple, mainstream, with a very non-Lindsey sounding guitar sound. Further, the harmonies don't do much for me. And I cringe at the "needing of" line.

When The Sun Goes Down has a fresh sound - less processed in the harmonies than what's in the background in Love is Dangerous, Affairs of the Heart, or Behind the Mask. I thought In the Back of My Mind went from being a pale imitation of Lindsey weirdness in the beginning to being a completely bland pop song by the middle. But when it opened the concert and the large masks went up I got goosebumps, and then once again when the spotlight hit Chris at her solo. So now I don't hate the song as much. Stand on the Rock has the same uninspired sound as Time's Blow by Blow, though I do like Rick on other songs (such as I Loved Another Woman) in concert.

I like the song BTM, but not Do You Know, which is plodding. I seem to be the only Ledgie who likes When it Comes to Love, which has pleasant harmonies. Chris's voice is as great as ever.

Skies the Limit and Save Me are some of the worst singles the band ever released. Of the two I prefer the latter, but I think they forebode the weaker Chris music that came out later on Time. Everybody talks about how much Lindsey's production does for Stevie's music, but these two songs show that he did much for Chris's, as well.

The Second Time is too much voice for the accompaniment. It would be great with the Goodbye Baby vocal.

BTM has better songs than Time and has less of a gloss than Tango. It's worth owning, but there are other albums I'd buy first.

- Jake

[EricBliss12345]

Originally posted by louielouie2000
Behind the Mask to me is just plain blah. There's nothing exceptionally horrible about it, but there's also nothing exceptionally great about it either... if you know what I mean. It's got some great songs on it, such as Save Me, Behind The Mask, and Freedom... but the rest of the album is just plain forgettable :( .

I'm not sure what pre Rumours albums you have, so I'll just list off in order what my fav's are.

1) Mystery to Me. This is pop perfection... every track is worth it's weight in gold! :nod:

2) Heroes Are Hard To Find. This is a really cool album. It's very ethereal, and well crafted. :thumbsup:

3) Bare Trees. This album has a fun vibe to it. If you like Cream, you'll love this album. :cool:

4) Penguin. This is the Behind the Mask of Pre-Rumours Mac. It's got some terrific tunes... Remember Me, Dissatisfied, Did You Ever Love Me, and Caught In the Rain. But the rest of the album is forgettable... or really really aweful, as in the case of Roadrunner, and Derelict :eek: . :laugh:

I think Mystery To Me is my favorite out of all of them, every song on it is a winner except the Yardbirds song. Believe Me, Hypnotised, Emerald Eyes, and The City whip your horse's ass. Wasn't Hypnotised the For Your Love B-side? What a crock of ****! I also really like Bare Trees and the tunes from The Chain that were on Heroes and Penguin (which were what? 2 and 1 respectively? No love for that era of the band obviously!) You forgot to mention Future Games, which has some great tunes and in my opinion, Chris's best, Morning Rain.

Thanks Sorcerer386 for tipping off that those songs I mentioned weren't on the album. :( It's my dad's Chain boxset I have, and every booklet that was in the jewel cases are missing so I really dont know what's on what. And that picture booklet is no help whatsoever. LOL:mad:

Then what album was Paper Doll on or was that specifically for the boxset? I love that song! :)

[SmthngOfADreamr]

Originally posted by EricBliss12345

Then what album was Paper Doll on or was that specifically for the boxset? I love that song! :)

It and Love Shines were both new tracks for the boxed set. There were a few more too but I can't think off hand what they are. I think Paper Doll is a lot of fun, and Love Shines is among Christine's best IMO.

[macfan 57]

Originally posted by SmthngOfADreamr
It and Love Shines were both new tracks for the boxed set. There were a few more too but I can't think off hand what they are. I think Paper Doll is a lot of fun, and Love Shines is among Christine's best IMO.

The 4 new songs on the Chain box set are "Love Shines" & "Heart Of Stone" from Christine plus "Paper Doll" & "Make Me A Mask". Lindsey's song, "Make Me A Mask" was an outtake from "Out Of The Cradle". I think both of Christine's songs are terrific and other 2 are good songs, also.

[Smokin Joe]

The only reason I bought the cd of BTM is so that my collection is all there. It really isn't FM as I know and expect to hear. Even the early FM is a ton better, especialy the PG era. Out of all 24 albums, this ranks at the bottom. The only thing I aplaud BTM for is it kept FM alive to sing another day.

[Nicks Fan]

Am I the only one who thinks this album is GOOD. I admit without Lindsey it lacks the energy of previous albums, bu the majority of the album is good. My favourite track is Skies The Limit. I also like Save Me, Love is Dangerous, Affairs of The Heart, Behind The Mask, The Second Time and Freedom. In The Back of My Mindis ok but it goes on too long. I say it's better then Time by a long shot.

[The Tower]

"Paper Doll" just plain sucks....

However...

I really like Behind the Mask. "Freedom", "Skies the Limit", "In the Back of My Mind", and, particularly, "The Second Time" (I still to this day don't understand why FM/Stevie fans don't like this song) are pretty good.

Let's face it.... "Stand on the Rock" and "When the Sun Goes Down" are really, really bad.....

I really like this album. I think it's HIGHLY underrated.... It's certainly better than Tango in the Night, which is pretty stanky....

[CarneVaca]

Is it just me or is the riff to Love Is Dangerous suspiciously similar to that of Johnny Stew?

[chiliD]

Is BTM any good?


Is it a Fleetwood Mac album? YES

therefore: IT'S GOOD....end of story.

[Cristian]

I think that Lindsey's departure sort of made the band realize that they had no one but themselves to help them make music. Therefore you kind of feel lots of cohesive elements in the album, even though it's a 4 songwriter/singers act now. But the fact that you can hear a great mix of Rick Vito's intense bluesy rock with Stevie Nicks's intriguing lyrics in "Love Is Dangerous"; or Billy Burnette and Christine McVie joining efforts in the very poppy tune "Do You Know" really shows that collaboration feeling. I feel that this album has great guitar playing, good arrangements and somehow one feels that the band was much more into it than they were in Tango In The Night, which to me still sounds like a Lindsey solo project, with help from Christine.

Therefore, I'm in the minority and I prefer Behind The Mask over Tango In The Night for that reason. Not really a song that I would skip. Billy does a nice songwriting effort in "In The Back Of My Mind" and "Hard Feelings" (both have a couple of excellent lines), and duets with Christine once again in the weaker "When It Comes To Love". Rick writes a good song although he wasn't called in to be a songwriter... but who would reject that rocking oddity called "Stand On The Rock" (he wrote another tune called, I think, "Got No Home" which is on the BTM Rehearsals bootleg, and it's even better!). Chris shines with her obligations - the pop hits: "Skies The Limit", "Save Me"; and that other song that doesn't seem like a song that she would write, the title track. I love all of them. And Stevie also writes the much maligned "Freedom", which I think it's a great, rocky tune; "Affairs Of The Heart", and the nice "The Second Time" ballad, closer of the album, again co-written with Vito.

Lots of continuity, passion and I really would have liked this lineup to go on a little longer. But it was not meant to be I guess.


Song of the moment - Wish You Were Here

[WednesdaysChild]

I agree. I really liked how Billy and Christine paired up and how Stevie and Rick did as well. It's like each guy's voice went superbly with each lady's voice. I think there was a lot more cohesiveness than in Tango. Everyone sang back up on everyone else's songs on BTM and it sounded like they were having fun. I love the harmonies, too. It's the little things like "In the Back of My Mind" where Stevie sings the backing lines like "you can't forget her..." and then the bridge where Chris sings "I remember your eyes burning bright..." Things like that make the record great in my eyes. Did I just say record, LOL? I'm 23! I mean CD! I think the co-writing made it even more special.

[PenguinHead]

Originally posted by louielouie2000
Behind the Mask to me is just plain blah. There's nothing exceptionally horrible about it, but there's also nothing exceptionally great about it either.

Penguin is the Behind the Mask of Pre-Rumours Mac.

I couldn't agree more about your assessment of Behind The Mask. And the Penguin statement is great! It's so dead-on accurate. You'd have to an obsessive fan of all-eras Fleetwood Mac to understand just exactly what that means! I am! I get it. Cool.

[chiliD]

Originally posted by SmthngOfADreamr
It and Love Shines were both new tracks for the boxed set. There were a few more too but I can't think off hand what they are. I think Paper Doll is a lot of fun, and Love Shines is among Christine's best IMO.


"Paper Doll" was originally recorded to be Stevie's new song on the 1988 Greatest Hits album, they chose to use "No Questions Asked" instead.

Originally posted by Cristian
...(he wrote another tune called, I think, "Got No Home" which is on the BTM Rehearsals bootleg, and it's even better...

Yep, "Got No Home" AND "Intuition" were outtakes of BTM...BOTH are MUCH better (and had more "hit potential") than ANYTHING that was released.

He re-recorded "Intuition" for his first solo album King Of Hearts and Stevie sang backgrounds. The Fleetwood Mac version had great harmonies by Christine & Billy.

[Johnny Stew]

I might as well chime in, though I don't really have anything all that insightful to add.

I love 'Behind The Mask,' and when it was first released, I was thrilled that it was a lot more rock-oriented than 'Tango.'

Granted, the production does lack a little bit of the "sparkle" of the Buckingham & Dashut (& Caillat) produced albums, but it's not a bad album by any stretch of the imagination... it's much more "earthy" and "roots-oriented" (one of Vito's favorite phrases while he was in the band) than FM's music had been for a very long time.

I think the biggest detraction for people, is that it lacked the Buckingham/McVie/Nicks 1-2-3 punch that so many people expect from Fleetwood Mac.
Even 'Say You Will' has been criticized for lacking that particular dynamic.

At any rate, it's a great album, with some real gems... "Freedom," "Save Me," "In The Back Of My Mind," "Love Is Dangerous," and the title track, in particular.

[darklinensuit]

Originally posted by Johnny Stew
I might as well chime in, though I don't really have anything all that insightful to add.

I love 'Behind The Mask,' and when it was first released, I was thrilled that it was a lot more rock-oriented than 'Tango.'

I remember a radio interview Stevie did for TOSOTM. A guy called in and said that he noticed that her solo songs rock more than the Mac ones. Stevie responded something like "I think you're going to find that this new Fleetwood Mac album rocks a whole lot more." Upon hearing BTM months later, I felt that Freedom was the only one to deliver on this promise, though I suppose Love is Dangerous comes close.

- Jake

[Sorcerer386]

Originally posted by Cristian
Rick writes a good song although he wasn't called in to be a songwriter... but who would reject that rocking oddity called "Stand On The Rock"

I would. :laugh: Sorry, I had to say it. I am not a fan of Rick at all personally. I don't want to get flamed so I won't get into exactly what I don't like about him, but I will say that Stand on the Rock is not a very good song, imo.

I just think 4 songwriters is one too many. I also think there's too many voices on a lot of the songs, making it sound muddled. Most notable two are Skies the Limit toward the end with voices coming out of every corner, and Affairs of the Heart during the chorus. The "Ah but it's better not to lose" line should have been yanked. The first time I heard it I thought, DUH! Of course it's better not to lose. :laugh: But, I have come to like at least a majority of the album, so I have to give it its due.

[Hawkeye]

Behind the Mask is not fit to lick SYW's boots, in my humblest of opinions. .

. That is quite possibly the BEST quote I've ever heard. I couldn't have said that better myself. That is so true.