The Dance 13 years ago this week

[skuncles]

So it was 13 years ago this week that The Dance premiered on MTV and the album was released. I remember watching the premiere of the show and was blown away at finally hearing "Silver Springs" live. The song had long been a favorite of mine and to finally hear being sung again was awesome. Also seeing Stevie looking so great (the last I saw her was for her promotion of "Street Angel" and she wasn't looking too good). But she looked awesome at the show and the band sounded incredible. I couldn't wait to go see them the following month.

From the back of the promo CD:

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of Fleetwood Mac's landmark Rumours album, the classic Fleetwood Mac line-up, Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, John McVie and Stevie Nicks, have reunited for an MTV special, a national tour and a new album.

The home video, DVD and laser disc versions of The Dance were compiled from a series of three performances. These evening performances on a Warner Bros. Studios soundstage in Burbank provide an intimate visual counterpoint to the album. All of these releases will contain songs that were unable to make the single CD due to time restrictions.

STREET DATES:
Album CD: August 19
Home Video (VHS): August 26
DVD & Laser Disc: September 23

MTV AIR DATES:
Silver Springs and Tusk music clips begin airing July 28
A 90 minute version of The Dance premieres at 10pm (EST) August 12

Subsequent airings: <note, "subsequent is spelled "subsquent" on the disc>
August 16 at 1pm, 7pm and 9pm (Eastern/Pacific)
August 17 11am and 3:30pm (Eastern/Pacific)

[ButterCookie]

I was almost 4 :lol: Wow that's depressing.

[AncientQueen]

Later that year, Alex send me a copy on tape, I put in into my car-cassette-player (sounds like iceage nowadays) and was totally underwhelmed. Well, I liked "Big Love" much better than the original, but then, I'e always disliked TITN for overall sound and production, so that was not a suprise.

Over the next weeks, The Dance would be my companion on my way and back from work and it totally grew on me. When I finally saw the concert, they had me. Seing Lindsey playing Big love made a whole lot of a difference.

I've always felt that The Dance is my reward for sticking to the band and especially Stevie for so long, they fully delivered, I deserved it.

[bluefox4000]

The Dance hooked me on the Mac. I was 12 at the time. Saw on vh-1 or MTV. One of those. Funny thing is I really didin't get hooked until they started I'm So Afraid. When Lindsey launched into that ending solo......It was a done deal for me. As time went on I grew to love everybody....But Lindsey hooked my 12 year old self:thumbsup: Not to mention he was hot:lol:

Mick

[holidayroad]

I definitely remember The Dance on MTV! I was almost 23. I actually saw the 'video' for 'Silver Springs' before I saw The Dance. I was SO shocked to see that Lindsey was back with Fleetwood Mac!!!!!!!! I was overjoyed!:woohoo::woohoo:
I also remember the first time I tried to record The Dance from MTV. A thunderstorm came up right in the middle and my satellite dish lost its signal!

[Sahara]

It must have been a very exciting time to be a Fleetwood Mac fan!

[aleuzzi]

It must have been a very exciting time to be a Fleetwood Mac fan!

Honestly, I was nervous as hell for the band. I didn't know, for example, if Christine's and Stevie's vocals would shine, and I was worried Stevie might be too self-conscious about her appearance. Remember, back in the late nineties, we FM fans didn't have much to go on: the last we'd heard of Christine, she'd "hung up her touring boots," and Stevie refused to go on stage because of her weight. I was, however, confident that Lindsey would rock the house, and was excited at least to see the old five back together again. Needless to say, as I watched the initial VH1 airing I was stunned at how good they were! I heard Christine belt the verses to "Temporary One" and was thrilled to hear her voice in fine form. I remember watching "Silver Springs" (the opening bars led me to think the band were performing "Wish You Were Here") and laughing out loud at how f---ng intense it was! When Stevie turned to Lindsey and started ripping him a new hole, I was floored! The old magic was there. I stood up when she finished and yelled, as if I were in the audience. My roommate thought I was a freak.

[chiliD]

It must have been a very exciting time to be a Fleetwood Mac fan!

Not so much. The reuniting of the Rumours 5 was a giant leap backwards into "retro-oldies" land, instead of moving forward as a viable creative entity.

And, really, what did The Dance accomplish besides the "oddity" spectacle of these five getting back together? Lindsey was working on a solo album...did he capitalize on the industry "buzz" and release it on the heels of the end of the subsequent tour? No, his album got shelved and it took Fleetwood Mac FIVE YEARS to follow-up The Dance (with Lindsey's long delayed solo album making up half the album), once again a lost opportunity.

The only UP side was that Stevie released a multi-disc solo compilation and a successful solo tour with a year of The Dance, so she got 100% of the carryover from The Dance "buzz".

[AncientQueen]

Not so much. The reuniting of the Rumours 5 was a giant leap backwards into "retro-oldies" land, instead of moving forward as a viable creative entity.

And, really, what did The Dance accomplish besides the "oddity" spectacle of these five getting back together? Lindsey was working on a solo album...did he capitalize on the industry "buzz" and release it on the heels of the end of the subsequent tour? No, his album got shelved and it took Fleetwood Mac FIVE YEARS to follow-up The Dance (with Lindsey's long delayed solo album making up half the album), once again a lost opportunity.
I have to agree on that and I remember, how much that angered me, Lindsey just couldn't bring himself to finish his freakin' album and wasted his opportunity to shine as a solo artist. And when SYW came out, I was all "WTF? That is what comes out after 5 years of guitar playing and studio meddling?" Of course it was an overproduced mess - when you produce something for more than 5 years it cannot be pure and simple.

What The Dance did for me was a reassuring that my band could still play and that Stevie was recovering from the terrible 15 years before.

Musically, I appreciate Lindseys craftmanship on guitar, but he, old egomaniac he is, put his playing far in front of the mix that you cannot get to hear Christine's playing and that bugs me to no end, especially at "Don't stop" where she usually played a pretty mean piano, it was her song and he hijacked it. So I would have loved to have a more laid back version, with Lindsey cooling it and leaving some room to play for everyone...

(In the ideal world, he would have left the stage for 10 minutes and Bob Welch would have played "Hypnotized" or "Bermuda Triangle" with the gals.

Sigh.)

[vivfox]

Not so much. The reuniting of the Rumours 5 was a giant leap backwards into "retro-oldies" land, instead of moving forward as a viable creative entity.


I agree with this statement. When I found out that they'd be re-doing Silver Springs I was a bit worried it might not be good.I came to this conclusion based on the fact that many of Stevie's original demos were brilliant and then massacred on albums. I was actually suprised at how good SS came out. I was not thrilled with the new songs by Chris or Lindsey & Sweet Girl took a long time for me to like.

The concert ended up being the same 'ole same 'ole that we usually get from them. To this day I did not buy The Dance, nor would I ever desire to own it. I'm glad this album gathered in new fans though, because you have made this site more enjoyable with your enthusiasim. But it was the Fleetwood Mac from 1975-1987 that meant the most to me. The only live recordings I am interested in hearing are the White Album, Rumours, Tusk and Bella Donna Tours. Some of the Mirage live songs were good too. The Dance was for me, a major yawn.:sorry:

[skuncles]

What I liked about The Dance was seeing that Stevie had pulled it all together and was back in charge of herself again. After "Street Angel" I thought for sure she was done. "Silver Springs" was incredible (still prefer the original recording, but was glad to see it get revived). I also learned to love Lindsey's "I'm So Afraid" which I had up til then never liked.
What I didn't like about it (and still don't) is the overall sound, I don't like the dampened sound of the drums. I also didn't like that once you saw the full video you saw the tour. I was the opening night of the tour in Hartford and even though they threw in three additional songs to what was performed on the album, I knew the set list and the between song banter. It bugged me that they didn't waver much from the album. The people standing next to me kept asking me how I knew what they were doing next. I just smiled.
The thing about The Dance that always amazed me was that even though Stevie had sung "Dreams" thousands of times, she flubbed the song at the recording in May. I also liked how when she sang "Landslide" she did this kind of look during the "I'm getting older too..." line, the show was recorded on May 22, 23 or 24th somewhere around there so it was almost her birthday.

[Villavic]

Not so much. The reuniting of the Rumours 5 was a giant leap backwards into "retro-oldies" land, instead of moving forward as a viable creative entity.

You were so lucky to see them during their best times, so no surprise in 1997 The Dance was for you much ado about nothing.

But for me, who never had the opportunity to see them live, me who lives in a country where no rock star included in their tours (70s and 80s were dark years for Peru, completetly different from today),, The Dance album and the Reunion tour were like dreams came true. I had the opportunity to see them at NYC, on Thanksgiving day 1997. (I was student and too young in 1982 to go to the States for the Mirage tour) and it was great. I saw them again in 2009 and I enjoyed it, but I missed Christine.

1997 was a great and also controversial year for me. Silver Springs was so meaningful to me. Why? Just read the lyrics and say no more.

Villavic

[Villavic]

. I was actually suprised at how good SS came out. I was not thrilled with the new songs by Chris or Lindsey & Sweet Girl took a long time for me to like.

.... The Dance was for me, a major yawn.:sorry:

Never liked Temporary One, neither Little Demon.
I liked Bleed and Sweet Girl, but the strongness of the album was the oldies, and just to see them again together. It was a usual reunion, The 90s were full of reunions, but I enjoyed this.

[HejiraNYC]

Not so much. The reuniting of the Rumours 5 was a giant leap backwards into "retro-oldies" land, instead of moving forward as a viable creative entity.



Although I agree that a new studio album would have been ideal, in hindsight I think they made the right decision to come back with a live album of oldies. As Lindsey had stated during the press junket, this was a way to re-introduce the band to the world after the "Fleetwood Mac" brand name had been almost irreparably sullied by the preceding decade. The world at large needed to know that The Five were back and back in a big way. It wasn't Fleetwood Mac comprised of a bunch of B-list replacements. It wasn't Fleetwood Mac with one of its cornerstones missing. It was the real deal and it seems that an all-new album would not have necessarily garnered that kind of attention in terms of the MTV tie-in, PBS television broadcasts, DVD sales, etc. And it's one thing to hear them and another thing to see them. The chemistry was back and the drama (which propelled Rumours) was evidently still intact as well. You can't honestly and sincerely say that they would have garnered so many new fans if they had just recorded a new studio album; look at all of the Dance-era converts on this thread alone!

[GypsySorcerer]

I was thrilled about The Dance. I became a fan in the late 80s, and after the Clinton inauguration, I feared the Rumours line-up would never reunite. So I was absolutely ecstatic when the concert aired on MTV.

I was relieved and thrilled that Stevie was "back." I just remember hearing the opening bars of "The Chain" and seeing Stevie standing with her back turned to the audience, shaking her tambourine. I thought, "Whew! She's got it again." And I wasn't disappointed. "Gold Dust Woman" and "Silver Springs" remain among my favorite Stevie performances. I practically became unglued during "Silver Springs." I seriously thought her head was going to pop off. Although it later became canned, I loved the "Landslide" interaction with Lindsey. Even "Rhiannon" was a slow simmer that I have learned to appreciate.

I liked all the new songs. In particular, I was impressed with "Bleed to Love Her." I enjoy that version infinitely more than the one that was on SYW.

Plus, it was the last project involving Christine, so that just adds to the appeal for me.

[Erin]

I know I've said this before (and told this story before), but I wouldn't be a fan without the Dance. I only knew them as the "barn people." My hazy recollection of the Little Lies video from when I was a kid. I mentioned this to my dad while he was watching their Behind the Music. He didn't understand what I meant since he never got past Rumours. Anyway, I also walked in on the part where Mick was stating "how he was sweating like Nixon" re his cocaine addiction, and I thought why the hell is my dad watching this crap? I left for the evening, and came home fairly late. I turned on the TV because I couldn't sleep and The Dance was on. A pretty, slow tempo song was playing and I thought it would help me sleep. Then it picked up tempo and I began to notice the death stare the blond woman was giving the guitar player. I was intrigued! Next came more songs, and I had this moment where it hit me that I knew just about all of the songs. How did I not know this was all the same band? Isn't that weird? ;)

[michelej1]

I remember watching the Dance DVD two times one morning and saying, "Well, that's was nice, but that's enough of that." Then I went shopping and I was standing in a store line at about 9 p.m. and I remember the urge creeping upon me again and telling myself that if I got home soon enough I could watch the DVD one more time that night. So, on at least one occasion, I watched that thing 3 times in one day.

Michele

[Musicman408]

I can only imagine how freaking exciting this would be, to have this lineup like that getting back together after so many years..... could NOT even imagine!

[vivfox]

I'd like to add that the real dissapointment for me was having the songs performed in the same order as past song sets. In the same way many of us call Stevie's current tours "tired."The Dance's set list was too tired for me to enjoy.

[AncientQueen]

I saw them two times in a row in 2003 and I found it totally creepy that they played the exact same set, comments, banter, poses twice. Last year, I made sure that I only saw them once, so I have at least the illusion that they bothered to say or do something unique for the people who payed to see them live as in alive.

[tilthefirefades]

The Dance is also to blame for my fandom :thumbsup: I still, after almost a decade watch the exact same dvd copy at least once a week. I first discovered it in a used cd bin at a video game store :laugh: Soon after bought the dvd. And it all went down hill after that. The only thing I could stare at was Christine. I had never heard something as wonderful as Everywhere. Then, Say You Will turned me into a Nicks fan. Still, The Dance and Everywhere are the reason I love this damn near perfect band.

[skuncles]

I saw them two times in a row in 2003 and I found it totally creepy that they played the exact same set, comments, banter, poses twice. Last year, I made sure that I only saw them once, so I have at least the illusion that they bothered to say or do something unique for the people who payed to see them live as in alive.

That's the biggest thing that bothers me. I don't know why their shows are carbon copies night after night but they are. Billy Joel has said that he prepares about four set lists for each tour, the sets are basically the same but with like five different songs swapped out or the order somewhat tweaked. He said he does this because otherwise the tour becomes so boring for him. He went on to say that he knows there are people who come out to see several shows, so this way they get to see something different.
I really think the reason for Fleetwood Mac being so rigid is because of Lindsey being a perfectionist. It won't allow him to loosen up.

[vivfox]

I really think the reason for Fleetwood Mac being so rigid is because of Lindsey being a perfectionist. It won't allow him to loosen up.


I think the problem is Stevie, not Lindsey. Look at the setlist for his solo shows. They change AND he's not afraid to perform new music. Hers stay the same.

[Sahara]

I'd heard plenty of SYW and fell in love with the band through that, but The Dance DVD was the first time I saw them perform together. The emotion that seemed to be flying around the stage was intriguing, and Silver Springs in particular was so dramatic. But it was seeing who Stevie really was for the first time that absolutely bewitched me, for want of a better phrase! She was like nothing I had ever, ever seen before, in her voice, movement and appearance. OOAK :) Later on I came to fully appreciate Lindsey and Christine too, but Stevie was the hook for me.

[louielouie2000]

Although I agree that a new studio album would have been ideal, in hindsight I think they made the right decision to come back with a live album of oldies. As Lindsey had stated during the press junket, this was a way to re-introduce the band to the world after the "Fleetwood Mac" brand name had been almost irreparably sullied by the preceding decade. The world at large needed to know that The Five were back and back in a big way. It wasn't Fleetwood Mac comprised of a bunch of B-list replacements. It wasn't Fleetwood Mac with one of its cornerstones missing. It was the real deal and it seems that an all-new album would not have necessarily garnered that kind of attention in terms of the MTV tie-in, PBS television broadcasts, DVD sales, etc.

I definitely agree with all of that. I became a fan in '93, saw the Time tour in '94, and it seemed to me like the Rumours 5 would never, ever regroup. When they did, it was as if a true modern day miracle had happened. I remember waiting for the album to drop, and getting posters from my local music store. For me, it was the most exciting time to be a Fleetwood Mac fan... nothing has come close since.

I did have a few critiques about the Dance, though. My biggest one was the "big band" sound: it was just too damned polished, too many musicians... there were so many backup singers it sounded like a damned choir! Fleetwood Mac's signature magic harmonies were lost amidst all the noise. That was the biggest disappointment to me about the Dance. I wanted to hear Fleetwood Mac... not Fleetwood Mac and 4,732 helpers!

And I definitely agree with what others have said about following up the Dance. They totally bumbled that one. They should have had an album out by 2000 to capitalize on their renewed respect and fame in the industry. It seemed like an eternity when Say You Will finally came out in '03... and then, it wasn't the statement they needed to make, either. To me, the album just reeked of battling egos: two different artists, no common thread; too many songs... seemed to be overcompensating for lack of solid material; insanely overproduced sound was pure narcissism: all that "noise" was trying to cover up their inadequacies.

[Sahara]

And I definitely agree with what others have said about following up the Dance. They totally bumbled that one. They should have had an album out by 2000 to capitalize on their renewed respect and fame in the industry. It seemed like an eternity when Say You Will finally came out in '03... and then, it wasn't the statement they needed to make, either. To me, the album just reeked of battling egos: two different artists, no common thread; too many songs... seemed to be overcompensating for lack of solid material; insanely overproduced sound was pure narcissism: all that "noise" was trying to cover up their inadequacies.

Yikes :shocked:

[mylittledemon]

I definitely agree with all of that. I became a fan in '93, saw the Time tour in '94, and it seemed to me like the Rumours 5 would never, ever regroup. When they did, it was as if a true modern day miracle had happened. I remember waiting for the album to drop, and getting posters from my local music store. For me, it was the most exciting time to be a Fleetwood Mac fan... nothing has come close since.

I did have a few critiques about the Dance, though. My biggest one was the "big band" sound: it was just too damned polished, too many musicians... there were so many backup singers it sounded like a damned choir! Fleetwood Mac's signature magic harmonies were lost amidst all the noise. That was the biggest disappointment to me about the Dance. I wanted to hear Fleetwood Mac... not Fleetwood Mac and 4,732 helpers!

And I definitely agree with what others have said about following up the Dance. They totally bumbled that one. They should have had an album out by 2000 to capitalize on their renewed respect and fame in the industry. It seemed like an eternity when Say You Will finally came out in '03... and then, it wasn't the statement they needed to make, either. To me, the album just reeked of battling egos: two different artists, no common thread; too many songs... seemed to be overcompensating for lack of solid material; insanely overproduced sound was pure narcissism: all that "noise" was trying to cover up their inadequacies.


I will agree somewhat with the last paragraph. They should've immediately released another record by 2000-2001 and showed everyone that the Mac was actually back. And as much as I like some of the material on SYW, Louie was kinda spot on about it. That album didn't make a statement, and I'm afraid it'll become one of their "lost" records.

I will say I love the sound of The Dance. I love everything about it. ;)

[louielouie2000]

Yikes :shocked:

I know I can be a bit scathing in my critiques sometimes. It's not that I don't think there was some solid material on Say You Will, I just feel the gems get lost amidst the detritus. The album should have been whittled down to a more manageable size, where there was a common theme, a common sound. Lindsey shouldn't have brought finished tracks to the table to splice in next to Stevie's songs, either. To me, Say You Will represents mayhem and wobbling... the Fleetwood Mac table had lost one of it's legs (Christine), and was left structurally unsound.

[chiliD]

SYW to me sounded like two solo albums melded together with the same musicians playing on both.

[AncientQueen]

SYW to me sounded like two solo albums melded together with the same musicians playing on both.

I hate that my english is so lousy, but I'll try anyway.

Total agreement with chiliD! And I would go further, the two solo artists don't even like each other, and transport that throughout the album, Stevie through her songs and Lindsey through the production of her songs. SYW is pissing contest and catfight, but not a group effort.

I've always loved the music of Christine, but after listening to SYW I felt that she never got enough credit for her work in the studio. That was criminally underappreciated.

Somehow she kept the egos in check and heavily influenced the sound towards a simplicity that SYW completely lacks.

Stevie sounds good when she is backed up but not when she is rushed by the music. Someone needs to keep the music laid back to give her space and time and to tell her to get a grip on the lyrics and song structures.

Lindsey appearantly needs to get grounded on a daily basis to keep him from ruining music by burying it under tons of effects. He sees himself as a production wizzard, when most of the time he is a hyperactive Rumpelstilzchen behind a mixing pult - with the results we hear.

And who else but Christine, weaponed with experience, ability, craftmanship, success and the cutting british humour I'm sure everyone desperately tried to avoid being target for could make the kids behave?

I've never missed her as much as when I listened to SYW and tried to like it. Hard work.

[PenguinHead]

I hate that my english is so lousy, but I'll try anyway.

Total agreement with chiliD! And I would go further, the two solo artists don't even like each other, and transport that throughout the album, Stevie through her songs and Lindsey through the production of her songs. SYW is pissing contest and catfight, but not a group effort.

I've always loved the music of Christine, but after listening to SYW I felt that she never got enough credit for her work in the studio. That was criminally underappreciated.

Somehow she kept the egos in check and heavily influenced the sound towards a simplicity that SYW completely lacks.

Stevie sounds good when she is backed up but not when she is rushed by the music. Someone needs to keep the music laid back to give her space and time and to tell her to get a grip on the lyrics and song structures.

Lindsey appearantly needs to get grounded on a daily basis to keep him from ruining music by burying it under tons of effects. He sees himself as a production wizzard, when most of the time he is a hyperactive Rumpelstilzchen behind a mixing pult - with the results we hear.

And who else but Christine, weaponed with experience, ability, craftmanship, success and the cutting british humour I'm sure everyone desperately tried to avoid being target for could make the kids behave?

I've never missed her as much as when I listened to SYW and tried to like it. Hard work.

Your english and writing is infinately better than most who speak it as a first language!

[chiliD]

Your english and writing is infinately better than most who speak it as a first language!

And, to PROVE that point...it's "infinitely" :shrug: :D

[AncientQueen]

Thank you! It took me an hour to form words into sentences that make sense. My vocabulary is not so bad, but syntax and grammar is difficult for me. And I'm pretty sure that when I reread, I'll find a ton of bugs. :)

[Villavic]

We are fans. We are more exigent, we deserve the best songs and not the usual oldies.

But.. They play for general people, who expect the usual hits. And also, they play for money. They look for sold out shows. They look for N.1 albums..
Or not? Well, see the THE DANCE sales and compare it to SYW sales... The numbers are obvious and Fleetwood Mac knows that.

Do you think, for example, that today, a tour based on full Tusk songs would be finnancially succesful? I really doubt it. Tusk album was not Dark side of the Moon. Waters or Gilmour could tour with just DSOTM songs. I think Fleetwood Mac can't.

Besides Stevie did changed a bit, include Beautiful Child in the SYW tour, Storms in the Unleashed, etc..

by the way, I don't write a perfect english either, if you see mistakes in my post, las disculpas del caso...

[chiliD]

Thank you! It took me an hour to form words into sentences that make sense. My vocabulary is not so bad, but syntax and grammar is difficult for me. And I'm pretty sure that when I reread, I'll find a ton of bugs. :)

Pretty much the same thing with me and German. I USED to speak fluently, but haven't had the opportunity to use it for so long, ich vergasse veile! :thumbsup:

[AncientQueen]

But.. They play for general people, who expect the usual hits. And also, they play for money. They look for sold out shows. They look for N.1 albums..
Or not? Well, see the THE DANCE sales and compare it to SYW sales... The numbers are obvious and Fleetwood Mac knows that.

I would rather see the reasoning in their ebbing songwriting abilities. They lost quite some creativity, were less willing to give away their inner feelings in their songs and were probably pretty tired of the life style (the good news - no drugs :)). So they made a choice to play it save. If the need to publish new material and the self confidence in that material would have been there, noone could have kept them from releasing new music. Especially Lindsey, who bragged on and on about his solo album in the making.

What they did was testing the waters with their three new songs. Judging from that material, only Christine was still able to write a hook.

[louielouie2000]

I hate that my english is so lousy, but I'll try anyway.

Total agreement with chiliD! And I would go further, the two solo artists don't even like each other, and transport that throughout the album, Stevie through her songs and Lindsey through the production of her songs. SYW is pissing contest and catfight, but not a group effort.

I've always loved the music of Christine, but after listening to SYW I felt that she never got enough credit for her work in the studio. That was criminally underappreciated.

Somehow she kept the egos in check and heavily influenced the sound towards a simplicity that SYW completely lacks.

Stevie sounds good when she is backed up but not when she is rushed by the music. Someone needs to keep the music laid back to give her space and time and to tell her to get a grip on the lyrics and song structures.

Lindsey appearantly needs to get grounded on a daily basis to keep him from ruining music by burying it under tons of effects. He sees himself as a production wizzard, when most of the time he is a hyperactive Rumpelstilzchen behind a mixing pult - with the results we hear.

And who else but Christine, weaponed with experience, ability, craftmanship, success and the cutting british humour I'm sure everyone desperately tried to avoid being target for could make the kids behave?

I've never missed her as much as when I listened to SYW and tried to like it. Hard work.

I could not have said it better myself. Thank you for taking the time to write all your feelings out! :wavey:

It was the same story for me, too. It actually took Christine's absence to make me realize how she truly was the magic fairy dust of Fleetwood Mac. She is the piece that made all the other ones fit together. Fleetwood Mac has always been known for love and war... but with her gone, there is just a whole lot of war, and not much love.

[vivfox]

It actually took Christine's absence to make me realize how she truly was the magic fairy dust of Fleetwood Mac. She is the piece that made all the other ones fit together.


I first noticed when I saw the SYW live show.The sound was missing something and I realized it was lacking Christine.

[jbrownsjr]

I think the problem is Stevie, not Lindsey. Look at the setlist for his solo shows. They change AND he's not afraid to perform new music. Hers stay the same.

I'd have to agree with this.. back in the day when I saw her solo tours.. she'd always do dreams then outside the rain.. she was comfortable with patterns..

[Regina]

Back to the Dance...
I can't believe 13 years have passed. I didn't watch it when it was originally released. My recollections of Fleetwood Mac up until that point were pretty much all Stevie-centered. I remembered hearing Dreams during the summer when I was a teen. Constantly. On AM radio, yet. I thought it was "creepy." And I remembered seeing Stevie a year or two before the Dance and thinking that she didn't look that great and wondered (vaguely) what happened.

I came upon the Dance during Thanksgiving time during VH1's endless reruns. Came in on the exact same moment (during Silver Springs) each time I was channel surfing (Never get away, never get away...) One day, I stopped surfing. And that was that for me.

That discovery happened during a difficult time in my life. A time post-a great deal of loss. And FM (and the Dance, in particular) did sell me on the idea of new beginnings and life and its (you guessed it) Endless Cycles going round and round (and round and round some more). I affectionately make fun of some of it but, no matter what, the Mac will always be hugely responsible for a HUGE change in my attitude and my life (and, in a circuitous way, my current career).

And I'm very grateful for all of that.

Now, lets all hold hands and sing Kumbaya.

[David]

Musically, I appreciate Lindseys craftmanship on guitar, but he, old egomaniac he is, put his playing far in front of the mix that you cannot get to hear Christine's playing and that bugs me to no end, especially at "Don't stop" where she usually played a pretty mean piano, it was her song and he hijacked it. So I would have loved to have a more laid back version, with Lindsey cooling it and leaving some room to play for everyone.It was a shame not to hear the "Don't Stop" of the early 1980s once again in 1997, with its muscular & propulsive groove. But I don't necessarily blame "The Dance" for that, & I don't blame Lindsey, either. I think the whole band had transformed into a different band years before "The Dance." When you listen to "Don't Stop" from the 1987 or 1990 world tours, you hear the same stodgy, sludgy arrangement; if anything, "The Dance" was a slight improvement by speeding the tempo just a smidge. Bummer that it was the totally wrong song to put the marching band on.

But Christine's impulse to put her sexy blues solo on it had died with the 1982 tour.

[vivfox]

I'd have to agree with this.. back in the day when I saw her solo tours.. she'd always do dreams then outside the rain.. she was comfortable with patterns..


Actually is was Outside The Rain and then Dreams, not the other way around.

[TrueFaith77]

Yikes :shocked:

I agree with you. I feel that the myth of two solo albums smooshed together was just lazy music criticism that caught on. I think it's the most cohesive Mac album since Tusk--and also the best.

[jbrownsjr]

Actually is was Outside The Rain and then Dreams, not the other way around.

you know viv.. i couldn't for the life of me remember... and i was bettin i had it backwards... :mad:

[Madelow]

Hello Skuncles & all: Boy, that's hard to believe. It feels like yesterday. Glad for the new fans it brought, and the revival of "Silver Springs". Makes me feel old, though. Best regards, Madelow.

[Villavic]

I came upon the Dance during Thanksgiving time during VH1's endless reruns. Came in on the exact same moment (during Silver Springs) .

I was in the States that weekend, actually I saw them at NYC (MSG) on thanksgiving day, my first mac concert.. and I do remember VH1 showed the Behind the Music, with backstage scenes of the Dance special.


That discovery happened during a difficult time in my life. A time post-a great deal of loss. And FM (and the Dance, in particular) did sell me on the idea of new beginnings and life and its (you guessed it) Endless Cycles going round and round (and round and round some more). I affectionately make fun of some of it but, no matter what, the Mac will always be hugely responsible for a HUGE change in my attitude and my life

I feel the same, 1997 was a weird, bittersweet year.
See chili.. The Dance was worth it after all... ;)

[aleuzzi]

I agree with you. I feel that the myth of two solo albums smooshed together was just lazy music criticism that caught on. I think it's the most cohesive Mac album since Tusk--and also the best.

Say You Will gets a bad rap, and that's not really fair. I agree with you that it's the band's strongest, most adventurous and rigorous studio album since Tusk (though perhaps for me not as enjoyable as Mirage--depends on the day).

I was initially pissed because Christine wasn't there. But when I let that go, since I had no choice and was forced to accept the music on its own terms, I was really pleased with the record. About five or six of the songs are indulgent crap, but the remaining 12 are great. I see Stevie in particular growing in ways I hadn't seen before this. And the instrumental trio was as tight as ever.

Of course in a perfect world, those six lousy songs could have been replaced by six amazing Christine songs and then you'd have, well, magic...

As far as The Dance goes, I was just happy to see them playing together again. But once the initial thrill wore off (it took about three or four months) I realized we were left with an album that didn't really amount to much. We'd heard so many of those songs before that it was hard not to see the project as nostalgia. There were the four new songs (should have been at least 8), Silver Springs, a killer rendition of Gold Dust Woman (why wasn't this used instead of Dreams?), a brilliant reinvention of Big Love, and smoking delivery of You Make Loving Fun. Everything else was merely pleasant...

[BigAl84]

I was in the States that weekend, actually I saw them at NYC (MSG) on thanksgiving day, my first mac concert.. and I do remember VH1 showed the Behind the Music, with backstage scenes of the Dance special.




I feel the same, 1997 was a weird, bittersweet year.
See chili.. The Dance was worth it after all... ;)


I remember thanksgiving of that year too. Saw them in Buffalo on 11/23/97. Went with my parents...I was all of 14 at the time. I remember the two ladies sitting next to us saw Stevie at the old aud on the Wild Heart tour. They mentioned being up in the infamously steep nosebleeds.

[jbrownsjr]

Say You Will gets a bad rap, and that's not really fair. I agree with you that it's the band's strongest, most adventurous and rigorous studio album since Tusk (though perhaps for me not as enjoyable as Mirage--depends on the day).

I was initially pissed because Christine wasn't there. But when I let that go, since I had no choice and was forced to accept the music on its own terms, I was really pleased with the record. About five or six of the songs are indulgent crap, but the remaining 12 are great. I see Stevie in particular growing in ways I hadn't seen before this. And the instrumental trio was as tight as ever.

Of course in a perfect world, those six lousy songs could have been replaced by six amazing Christine songs and then you'd have, well, magic...

As far as The Dance goes, I was just happy to see them playing together again. But once the initial thrill wore off (it took about three or four months) I realized we were left with an album that didn't really amount to much. We'd heard so many of those songs before that it was hard not to see the project as nostalgia. There were the four new songs (should have been at least 8), Silver Springs, a killer rendition of Gold Dust Woman (why wasn't this used instead of Dreams?), a brilliant reinvention of Big Love, and smoking delivery of You Make Loving Fun. Everything else was merely pleasant...

I really love the version of Songbird from the DVD.. also Go Insane is remarkable... The piano intro w/ Christine accompanying Stevie is also superb..

[michelej1]

From David Bowling's series of FM album reviews, for Blogcritics.org. December 1, 2010:

http://blogcritics.org/music/article/music-review-fleetwood-mac-the-dance/


My wife actually listens to The Dance on a regular basis, which is the highest accolade an album can receive, at least in my universe.

Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham returned to Fleetwood Mac after a several year absence, reuniting in 1997 with Christine McVie, John McVie, and Mick Fleetwood to make the group’s famous pop lineup intact once again.

The Dance was a live album released August 19, 1997, and it reached the number one position on the American album charts, selling in excess of five million copies. It ranks as one of the best-selling live albums of all time in America.

Getting a live album just right is sometimes a difficult task but Fleetwood Mac came through with flying colors. They issued a polished and sophisticated piece of work that brought new life to their material.

Buckingham and Nicks may have lost a little off of their high vocal range, but they more than get by. Christine McVie’s vocals, on the other hand, remain as they were a quarter of a century ago.

A five-minute version of “The Chain” gets the album off to a thunderous start and quickly proves there is life in the old group yet.

They are loyal to the style and original recordings of many of their hits. “Dreams,” “Rhiannon,” “Say You Love Me,” “You Make Loving Fun,” and “Go Your Own Way” are all instantly recognizable and well performed. Stevie Nicks' lost classic, “Silver Springs,” is one of the album's better tracks as she presents it with a haunting beauty.

The band created four new songs for the album. Lindsey Buckingham’s “Bleed To Love Her” is a well constructed love song that is mostly acoustic, while “My Little Demon” demonstrates just how good a guitarist he had become. If you want to hear his guitar playing at its best, just check out “I’m So Afraid.”

Stevie Nicks' contribution, “Sweet Girl,” contains the kind of personal lyrics she had been so successful at creating in the past. “Temporary One” by Christine McVie is her signature type of bouncy pop.

The album ends with “Tusk” and “Don’t Stop,” which include The USC Marching Band. They combine to be a pair of the best closers in live album history.

The Dance was the last hurrah for Christine McVie, as she would leave the group after its release. It is a fitting memorial for the classic Fleetwood Mac pop configuration. It remains one of their essential releases.



Read more: http://blogcritics.org/music/article/music-review-fleetwood-mac-the-dance/#ixzz16vvMqw49