A New Sound For Fleetwood Mac

[dontlookdown]

After looking back at all the great albums from '04 I started thinking what a new Fleetwood Mac studio album could sound like.

I'm curious to hear what people think about the idea of FM using a really innovative producer to make an album that's a complete departure.

I feel like we've heard Lindsey's production in all the ways it can be.
It might be interesting to hear what Nigel Godrich could do or even better yet, what Jim O'Rourke could do with the bands songs. After hearing what he did for Wilco, I'd be really excited to hear a whole new Fleetwood Mac sound.

Any ideas?

[estranged4life]

After looking back at all the great albums from '04 I started thinking what a new Fleetwood Mac studio album could sound like.

I'm curious to hear what people think about the idea of FM using a really innovative producer to make an album that's a complete departure.

I feel like we've heard Lindsey's production in all the ways it can be.
It might be interesting to hear what Nigel Godrich could do or even better yet, what Jim O'Rourke could do with the bands songs. After hearing what he did for Wilco, I'd be really excited to hear a whole new Fleetwood Mac sound.

Any ideas?

as long as they dont use Bob Rock, Who has totally destroyed Metallica's sound (I will give Bob credit though, The first Blue Murder release still holds up with the 'Mother-of-all-guitar-tones' production to my ears) :lol:

Honestly, I really dont like ANY of the 'modern' producers, The sound to me is to 'blah' and buries the instruments over effects/vocal editing which irritates the **** outta me...But with home PC based music systems/programs anyone nowadays thinks they can be a producer.

Personally, Just for the sake of having to new a few producers I would say Rick Rubin as a producer, Would make for an interesting sound...More raw! Or use Michael Wagener who is one of my favorite producers since he always got great guitar/vocals on all of his recordings.

[dissention]

They could always use Tony Visconti. :angel:

Or team up with Brian Eno...

[estranged4life]

They could always use Tony Visconti. :angel:

Or team up with Brian Eno...

isnt bad but I dont care for much for Eno (Excluding U2's "Joshua Tree" which he co-produced with Daniel Lanois)

[Nixxxed]

What about the idea of just an *executive* producer to oversee things? Maybe someone to reel in the band members' individual (and group) eccentricities, act as a mediator/arbitrator, and provide an outside ear?

Obviously, I wouldn't want this to be an industry type, who's just going for what's commercial. Just someone to say, "Lindsey, you've been working on that 4-bar guitar lick for a week now, time to move on." Or, "Stevie, is there another word besides 'dreams' that we could use here?" ;) :laugh:

I nominate John. :blob1: It's high time that he has more of a say in the Mac albums. If he's not willing, I'll happily sign up!

[DownOnRodeo]

What about the idea of just an *executive* producer to oversee things? Maybe someone to reel in the band members' individual (and group) eccentricities, act as a mediator/arbitrator, and provide an outside ear?


:eek: Lindsey would rather eat dirt! :shrug:
Interesting idea though.

[pwyll]

Lindsey is fine for Fleetwood Mac....But STEVIE!!!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE USE DON WAS FOR YOUR NEXT CD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thats all.

Bob

[EnchantedSLN]

I don't know about Fleetwood Mac-wise, but I'd rather not see Stevie work with John Shanks again. I loved TISL when it first came out, but it hasn't held up as well as I'd hoped. Although I do love what he did for the title track. I also don't think she should use Sheryl on her next album -- her recent material has gotten really slick too.

Jack White, maybe? He did some cool stuff for Loretta Lynn. There's always the fan dream that she will team up with Jimmy Iovine again. But I'm not sure if that would be good or bad at this point.

[Serrart]

Lindsey is fine for Fleetwood Mac....But STEVIE!!!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE USE DON WAS FOR YOUR NEXT CD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thats all.

Bob

For Stevie, I'd vote as absolute first choice for Jack White, then Jon Brion or Rollo Armstrong. :nod:

Romy

[ontheEdgeof17]

Richard Dashut and Ken Caillat


.....just a thought.....

[dissention]

isnt bad but I dont care for much for Eno (Excluding U2's "Joshua Tree" which he co-produced with Daniel Lanois)

I'd love to see the Mac go balls to the wall and release something in the vein of Bowie's Berlin trilogy. Could you just imagine?

[estranged4life]

I'd love to see the Mac go balls to the wall and release something in the vein of Bowie's Berlin trilogy. Could you just imagine?

me to produce her next studio album, Which would be musically heavier (Not metal to scare the diehard fans off) than TISL was.

I don't know, but for some reason TISL came off as TOO A.C. for me (Still like the album though...).

Stevie or the Mac trying a trilogy? Hahahaha...Cant see it man, Just cant imagine that happenin'.

[dissention]

me to produce her next studio album, Which would be musically heavier (Not metal to scare the diehard fans off) than TISL was.

I don't know, but for some reason TISL came off as TOO A.C. for me (Still like the album though...).

Stevie trying a trilogy? Hahahaha...Cant see it man, Just cant imagine that happenin'.

It screamed of AC (Love Changes?). But it still had some killer tracks. :nod:

The chances of the Mac doing a trilogy of weird albums are as great as them doing a concept. Never gonna happen. :laugh:

[Hawkeye]

Lindsey is fine for Fleetwood Mac....But STEVIE!!!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE USE DON WAS FOR YOUR NEXT CD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thats all.

Bob

You Don't mean Don Henley do you. I personally wish Jimmy Iovine would come back to produce her.

[tynan88]

I think it would be interesting to see what would happen if they brought in Ken and Richard, I think it could work out really really well, bringing in some of the old time feeling creative juices, perhaps an older, more tried approach could provide a fresher, newer style, because they might be more comfortable trying to stuff in that creative environment.

Tynan

[gldstwmn]

Any ideas?

John Shanks. :nod:

[gldstwmn]

Personally, Just for the sake of having to new a few producers I would say Rick Rubin as a producer, Would make for an interesting sound...

Oooh. Good choice. Look at what he did with Johnny Cash.

[gldstwmn]

. There's always the fan dream that she will team up with Jimmy Iovine again. But I'm not sure if that would be good or bad at this point.

Isn't he too far up the corporate ladder though? I mean, what was the last record he produced? Forgive me if it's recent, I just don't know.

[gldstwmn]

Richard Dashut and Ken Caillat


.....just a thought.....

A good one at that. :nod:

[gldstwmn]

You Don't mean Don Henley do you. I personally wish Jimmy Iovine would come back to produce her.

No, Don Was. Google him. :)

[catinthedark]

Richard Dashut and Ken Caillat


.....just a thought.....

How brilliant would that be?? And can you imagine the marketability? 'From the producers who gave the world Rumours... "

[Jyqm]

Oooh. Good choice. Look at what he did with Johnny Cash.

You mean nothing?

The American albums are great because Rubin stripped down the production to virtually nothing most of the time and just let Johnny's voice carry the songs. Neither Stevie nor Lindsey is Johnny Cash in the vocal department. I don't think stripping away all the production like that would be a terribly good approach for a Fleetwood Mac record. Even if Lindsey does have a tendency towards over-producing these days.

Maybe an approach closer to "99 Problems"...

[DownOnRodeo]

How brilliant would that be?? And can you imagine the marketability? 'From the producers who gave the world Rumours... "

Well I can imagine the reviews at least: "'From the producers who gave the world Mirage... this is one to avoid."

:lol:

[gldstwmn]

You mean nothing?



Yes, that is exactly what I mean. :rolleyes:
Another seven post wonder coming out of nowhere to bag on the imperfections of Fleetwood Mac. I'm starting to see a trend. What are your other six posts?

[David]

No, Don Was. Google him. :)Remember that little story Stevie told about meeting Don Was on the airplane? He gave her a little pep talk.

[gldstwmn]

Remember that little story Stevie told about meeting Don Was on the airplane? He gave her a little pep talk.

Yes. That was when she still flew commercial. :lol: She said they were sitting together in first class and that she was basically ready to hang it up and he talked her out of it.
It was after that he produced Somebody Stand By Me, which gets bagged on here a lot but if you notice, Stevie sings the hell out of it. At certain points, her vocal is so loud it almost sounds like it is going to distort.
Was has produced a huge list of people, The Rolling Stones and Bonnie Raitt coming to mind off the top of my head.

[strandinthewind]

I think whoever they get, they need to challenge Steive vocally and STOP that mechanical production of her voice. I thought she sounded so good in those sniglets we heard from the fan club prior to the release of the record - but her voice on the record did not sound like that on somne songs. It was as if she ran it through pro toos like 100 times AND that gimmicky thing onb Illume and EFO :eek: I am not ragging of La Nicks, I just think that she needs to be challenged to use the higher range of her voice - that is all.

Also, I think Cash's producer would be great!!!!!!!

[Lindsey Jr.]

A guitar-driven, rocking, yet folky record. If Christine returns 4 songs (by SN LB & CM) each, with one full band written song.

;)

[Jyqm]

Yes, that is exactly what I mean. :rolleyes:
Another seven post wonder coming out of nowhere to bag on the imperfections of Fleetwood Mac. I'm starting to see a trend. What are your other six posts?

Sorry, was I supposed to introduce myself or host a coming-out party? My name is Jim, I used to post (way way back in the day) on the AOL Fleetwood Mac board, then on AMFM until it inexplicably died. I used to manage a portion of the album reviews for Marty a few years ago. Um... I like pizza and good beer. My other five whopping posts here are on the pre-Rumours board, if you would like to check them out. There's one about "Why" being my favorite Mac song, one about Elvis Costello occasionally covering "Love That Burns" on his current tour (which I'm very excited about seeing)...

I'm 22, my first real exposure to Fleetwood Mac was seeing the "Silver Springs" video on MTV, summer 1997. Is this enough of an introduction?

I'm a huge Fleetwood Mac fan, I own over 50 Mac/solo albums not including a smattering of bootlegs, but sorry, I don't worship them or think they're perfect, and I don't think Stevie and Lindsey quite have the vocal or lyrical chops to pull of an American-style non-production. Though admittedly, that's a very high bar to reach.

As far as constructive suggestions for this thread, I still hold out hope that Lindsey can continue growing as a producer/arranger. But he could probably use a good foil in the studio with him to spark his creativity. I think it was David a few years ago (when the GOS songs first leaked out) who said that Lindsey seemed to be stuck in a mini-rut where all his songs fell into one of three sonic categories (Bleed To Love Her/Steal Your Heart Away, Come/Murrow, Red Rover/Say Goodbye). And as much as I love all of those songs, it's kind of true. Almost like clockwork. I think he just needs someone to push him in the right direction (or any direction). And since I don't think Mick, John or Stevie likely provide much of a springboard for Mr. Buckingham, they should probably bring in some fresh blood. I'm not sure who, though. I think most of my favorite recent albums have been self-produced by the bands releasing them.

So maybe Lindsey just needs to get out of own head for a while and, instead of incessantly working on solo projects, do some collaborative work with other artists who might inspire him to try some new things. Then he can come back to the Mac with some fresh ideas. Suggestions on that end: I think Lindsey could have a lot of fun with a band like the Shins (on the Brian Wilson-adoring end of the spectrum) or with a guitarist/songwriter like Ted Leo (on the leaning-toward-punk end of the sprectrum; "Hearts Of Oak" is the best song Lindsey never wrote). And I think he has everything to learn from Tom Waits.

Somebody else mentioned Jim O'Rourke and Wilco, but I don't think that's really the best direction for Fleetwood Mac, though the more I think about it, the less I dislike the idea.

Imagining Stevie singing "Hummingbird,"
Jyqm (the q is silent)

[SaraRhiannon]

Sorry, was I supposed to introduce myself or host a coming-out party? My name is Jim, I used to post (way way back in the day) on the AOL Fleetwood Mac board, then on AMFM until it inexplicably died. I used to manage a portion of the album reviews for Marty a few years ago. Um... I like pizza and good beer. My other five whopping posts here are on the pre-Rumours board, if you would like to check them out. There's one about "Why" being my favorite Mac song, one about Elvis Costello occasionally covering "Love That Burns" on his current tour (which I'm very excited about seeing)...

I'm 22, my first real exposure to Fleetwood Mac was seeing the "Silver Springs" video on MTV, summer 1997. Is this enough of an introduction?

I'm a huge Fleetwood Mac fan, I own over 50 Mac/solo albums not including a smattering of bootlegs, but sorry, I don't worship them or think they're perfect, and I don't think Stevie and Lindsey quite have the vocal or lyrical chops to pull of an American-style non-production. Though admittedly, that's a very high bar to reach.

As far as constructive suggestions for this thread, I still hold out hope that Lindsey can continue growing as a producer/arranger. But he could probably use a good foil in the studio with him to spark his creativity. I think it was David a few years ago (when the GOS songs first leaked out) who said that Lindsey seemed to be stuck in a mini-rut where all his songs fell into one of three sonic categories (Bleed To Love Her/Steal Your Heart Away, Come/Murrow, Red Rover/Say Goodbye). And as much as I love all of those songs, it's kind of true. Almost like clockwork. I think he just needs someone to push him in the right direction (or any direction). And since I don't think Mick, John or Stevie likely provide much of a springboard for Mr. Buckingham, they should probably bring in some fresh blood. I'm not sure who, though. I think most of my favorite recent albums have been self-produced by the bands releasing them.

So maybe Lindsey just needs to get out of own head for a while and, instead of incessantly working on solo projects, do some collaborative work with other artists who might inspire him to try some new things. Then he can come back to the Mac with some fresh ideas. Suggestions on that end: I think Lindsey could have a lot of fun with a band like the Shins (on the Brian Wilson-adoring end of the spectrum) or with a guitarist/songwriter like Ted Leo (on the leaning-toward-punk end of the sprectrum; "Hearts Of Oak" is the best song Lindsey never wrote). And I think he has everything to learn from Tom Waits.

Somebody else mentioned Jim O'Rourke and Wilco, but I don't think that's really the best direction for Fleetwood Mac, though the more I think about it, the less I dislike the idea.

Imagining Stevie singing "Hummingbird,"
Jyqm (the q is silent)


Jyqm, I remember you from AMFM! Good to see you're still around! :wavey:

[shackin'up]

Chris Goss.

[gldstwmn]

I don't worship them or think they're perfect, and I don't think Stevie and Lindsey quite have the vocal or lyrical chops to pull of an American-style non-production. Though admittedly, that's a very high bar to reach.


Well silent q, I don't worship them either. They are human. I am, however, confused now as to whether you think the production on the American recordings sucked or not. :confused:
Rubin took Cash right out of the box with those recordings and since Fleetwood, whether conciously or subconciously has now IMO fallen into a pattern of praying to the commerical gods (the exact opposite of what they tried to do on Tusk) I thought he might be a good fit for them.
Forgive me for doubting your street cred.

[Jyqm]

Well silent q, I don't worship them either. They are human. I am, however, confused now as to whether you think the production on the American recordings sucked or not. :confused:
Rubin took Cash right out of the box with those recordings and since Fleetwood, whether conciously or subconciously has now IMO fallen into a pattern of praying to the commerical gods (the exact opposite of what they tried to do on Tusk) I thought he might be a good fit for them.
Forgive me for doubting your street cred.

No! I absolutely love the American albums (and the Unearthed box, disc 3 of which is just as good as any of the actual albums). I just don't think that kind of approach would work well with Fleetwood Mac.

Rubin's approach to producing Cash's albums was, in large part, not to produce them at all. I mean, the first album is nothing more than Johnny and his acoustic guitar. The approach worked brilliantly for Cash simply because he's such a commanding presence, both vocally and mythically. Rubin let Cash's voice carry all of those without much overt production getting in the way or diverting your attention.

But I don't think either Stevie or Lindsey has the voice to make that kind of stripped-down approach really work. So if we're going to bring in Rick Rubin, I think I'd be far more entertained by an approach more along the lines of "99 Problems" than "Unchained."

[ryan8472]

If they teamed up with Brian Eno, I bet they'd come up with something along the lines of Tusk again. :nod:

[amber]

If they teamed up with Brian Eno, I bet they'd come up with something along the lines of Tusk again. :nod:
That would be great, no?

[ryan8472]

That would be great, no?
Well I certainly would enjoy it, yes! :nod:

[buckmacnicks]

Interesting topic this. I can´t imagine for Lindsey not producing the next Fleetwood Mac album (if there ever will be one), but for argument´s sake, I think an excellent choice as a producer for them and for Stevie´s next solo album would definitely be Daniel Lanois.

I absolutely love what he and his musical partner Malcolm Burn have done for Emmylou Harris since 1995. Her albums Wrecking Ball, Red Dirt Girl and the somewhat lesser Stumble Into Grace all carry that stamp of his with brooding rhythms, deep and dark textures and haunting melodies. Plus he achieved for her to sing differently, making her voice a sensuous and sometimes lamenting instrument in itself, deep, dark and mysterious. I really love those albums and in a way it would make a for a more than welcome return to the sound structures found on the landmark Tusk album! I would love to hear him work on Stevie´s voice in that manner, challenging her to explore places she has never been before!! :nod:

[dissention]

If they teamed up with Brian Eno, I bet they'd come up with something along the lines of Tusk again. :nod:

Only a tad weirder, hopefully. ;) :wavey:

[BombaySapphire3]

Remember the band had brought in an outside producer for TITN and it didn't work out .So I think the idea for any outside producer with Lindsey in the band will not fly.buckmacnick's idea of having Daniel Lanios and Malcolm Burn produce Stevie solo is great though.EmmyLou and Stevie had alot in common vocally about 30 years ago ,both of them being instinctive harmony singers, but Stevie has lost so much of her upper range they would definately have to come up with some different ideas of how to frame her,but the results could be great depending on the material she shows up with of course. She'd also have to get past the commerce over art thing and not go with a poppy producer of the moment.No matter that top 40 radio is not going to play her no matter whom she enlists.

[ryan8472]

I always thought that Lindsey produced Tango with Richard Dashut. :shrug:

[BombaySapphire3]

Richard Dashut helped on production on all the Fleetwood Mac lps from Rumours through Tango .On Tango Lindsey was not going to produce at all and the band had brought in an outside producer.I think it was maybe Nile Rodgers? This did not work out and Lindsey/Richard Dashut took over.

[David]

Richard Dashut helped on production on all the Fleetwood Mac lps from Rumours through Tango .On Tango Lindsey was not going to produce at all and the band had brought in an outside producer.I think it was maybe Nile Rodgers? This did not work out and Lindsey/Richard Dashut took over.Yes, an interesting time. Lindsey initially opted not to produce "Tango," & the idea of bringing in Nile was tossed around. Somebody named Jason Casaro was brought in for a brief period, but according to Lindsey, the poor kid was in over his head.

[shackin'up]

I repeat Chris Goss. I want a friggin' Fleetwood Mac Rock-abum. And lindsey ROCKS live. But in the studio a lot of his guitar antics don't sound like guitar.

[Nixxxed]

At the very least, it looks like Lindsey will have to come up with a new *way* of recording, even if he ends up producing the new album. Or, until new manufacturers start up, we'll just have to wait. But we're used to that, I guess...

-------------------------

WSJ.com - Tale of the Tape: Audiophiles Bemoan The End of the Reel

(WSJ.com is subscriber-only. I lifted the article from:
http://www.b12partners.net/mt/archives/2005/01/tale_of_the_tap.html )

Jeff Tweedy, leader of the rock group Wilco, prefers to record music on reel-to-reel tape rather than on the digital equipment that has overtaken the music industry. Purists like him think it confers a warmth and richness to recordings that a computer cannot.

But last Friday, Mr. Tweedy hit a snag as he prepared for a session in Wilco's Chicago studio space: Nobody could find any of the professional-grade audio tape the band is accustomed to using. "I was under the impression that there was a shortage of tape in Chicago," Mr. Tweedy says.

What he didn't yet realize was that the shortage is global. Quantegy Inc., which may be the last company in the world still manufacturing the high-quality tape, abruptly shut down its Opelika, Ala., plant on Dec. 31, leaving audiophiles in the lurch.

Quantegy filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Monday and hopes a restructuring will eventually revive its operations. But its future is uncertain, inasmuch as demand also is dwindling for its videotape.

The news has set off a frantic scramble in the music industry as producers and studios seek to secure as much Quantegy tape as possible. By the middle of last week, most suppliers around the country had sold out their entire stocks of reel-to-reel audio tape.

The supply that remained came at prices rapidly escalating above the usual $140-per-reel wholesale price of Quantegy 2-inch tape. Walter Sear, a prominent New York studio owner, quickly snapped up 60 or 70 reels, some at prices that had ballooned by as much as 40%. "We'll have to change our approach to life without tape," Mr. Sear says.

The crunch reaches far beyond the recording industry. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration uses Quantegy tape on its space shuttles to record information ranging from pressure to temperature. This week NASA has been trying to buy 20 reels from Quantegy.

Even Hollywood is affected. Some die-hard moviemakers believe voices sound better recorded on analog tape. In making "Spider-Man 2" and the Harry Potter movies, digital recording technology has taken the front seat, but backups of dialogue were recorded on reels of Quantegy tape.

When Wilco's Mr. Tweedy found himself in a bind, he telephoned Steve Albini, a Chicago producer and studio owner who is known for his work with Nirvana and the Pixies. Mr. Albini's Electrical Audio Recording is one of the last major studios in the country to rely exclusively on audiotape.

Mr. Albini had been stockpiling tape for more than a year, worried that the end of manufacturing was near. But when Quantegy closed its doors, he redoubled his efforts to secure as much as possible. Working through normal sources, he tracked down around 65 reels, enough to make about 10 albums.

He also began "looking in the weeds," as he puts it. He tracked down contacts who buy odd lots of electronic equipment on the salvage market. Through one, Mr. Albini hit the mother lode: nearly 2,000 reels of 2-inch magnetic tape, enough to fill a small warehouse. Mr. Albini bought 100 reels and is trying to keep the supplier's name and whereabouts to himself. He says he doesn't want to see a better-funded competitor move in on the remaining stock.

Mr. Albini estimates he now has a year's worth of tape, or about 500 reels, on hand. So when Mr. Tweedy called last Friday, Mr. Albini volunteered two reels of tape -- as "a professional courtesy." But, he says, "I don't want to go into business supplying tape to people."

Looking ahead to a tape-starved future, Mr. Tweedy has a fallback: The band has an archive of around 100 reels of tape it has used in recording its various albums. By splicing out and saving the final version of each song, he figures they can maintain the archive and also generate a supply of tapes that can be recycled for future recording sessions.

Still, Mr. Tweedy jokes, if the tape scarcity continues, even some of the archived recordings might become expendable. "I'm just fearful that all the master tapes at the loft would be worth more if they were blank," he says.

[chiliD]

Well, too bad he's passed away (a couple of years ago), but I would've suggested Tom Dowd.

He's produced/engineered most of the legends. Thelonious Monk, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, Bobby Darin, Cher, Booker T & MG's, Otis Redding, Cream, Allman Bros Band, Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, Derek & The Dominoes, Rod Stewart, Dusty Springfield, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Coasters, Lavern Baker, Herbie Mann, Bee Gees, Jackie DeShannon, The Drifters...well, look at the list yourself:

Tom Dowd Discography (http://www.thelanguageofmusic.com/discography.htm)

[dontlookdown]

uh...yeah.


I was thinking of a producer who could shed some new light on the band, not someone mainstream/tired,etc.

Ethan Johns and Rick Rubin are about as mainstream as i would go.
John Shanks and the rest of the above suggestions....snooze.

[dontlookdown]

and one more thing....

I think Daniel Lanois would be fantastic. He would make a gorgeous Stevie Nicks album and would be great for a whole band album as well.

Think what Wrecking Ball did for Emmylou.

[Serrart]

I think it would be great if Lindsey accepted to produce the new FM album with someone like Brian Eno, but only of he was completely comfortable with idea, otherwise I'll stick to Mr. Buckingham.
About Stevie I still say Jack White (Van Lear Rose has been simply amazing), Jon Brion (great musician and producer for Fiona Apple, Brad Mehldau, Aimee Mann, Rufus Wainwright, and the soundtracks of Paul Thomas Anderson movies, among others) and Rollo Armstrong (Dido ad Faithless). If not them, John Shanks :)

Romy

[dontlookdown]

the idea of Jon Brion working w/ Lindsey is amazing.

For those of you who aren't familiar w/ Jon, check out Rufus Wainwright's first (self-titled album). Aimee Mann's "I'm With Stupid" and Fiona Apple's "When The Pawn" are other great examples.

His producing is really beautiful - very rich layered sounds that would be pretty spectacular on a Fleetwood Mac record...

[David]

I think John Shanks is a boring suggestion too.I think so, too, Sharon.
They need someone a little different, to inspire creativity, not the same old sound rehashed.With John Shanks at the helm again, I can virtually predict, down to the last measure, just what her next solo album would sound like.

'Tain't my idea of a good time . . . .

[cliffdweller]

what Jim O'Rourke could do with the bands songs. After hearing what he did for Wilco, I'd be really excited to hear a whole new Fleetwood Mac sound.

Any ideas?

I've said this before, I think it was a while back on the Lindsey forum. A Buckingham/O'Rourke collaboration would be amazing. I think Jim O'Rourke is a damn genius. And those two with their similarities in production and musicianship...I drool over the thought of such an album.

[billwebster]

I have to agree that Richard Dashut has always done good things to those FM albums he was on, so he would be a good choice. Rob Cavallo, who appears on Say You Will should be a good choice too. Let me pick a producer out of a hat who has not yet been mentioned in this thread: Greg Penny, who worked with K.D. Lang, Paul Young and Elton John amongst others before. He's always putting the artist's tone first on his productions.
I agree that John Shanks wouldn't be a good choice, because he tends to overpolish things with ProTools. Just listen to the Joe Cocker album he produced to hear what I mean.
And I also agree that Don Was would be a great producer for Stevie, as he has been previously, on that duet with Ringo Starr on the Harry Nilsson tribute album from the mid-90s.
I must say I cannot imagine Stevie's voice harmonizing so well with Daniel Lanois' textures as Emmylou's did. Pidgeonholing a producer for one great thing he did can lead to so-so results: an example that springs to my mind is Charlie Sexton, first on Lucinda Williams' Essence and then a few years later on the equally slow-tempoed Volcano by Edie Brickell.
After all, maybe David Kahne can help FM, too?