Who is the least talented singer/songwriter in Fleetwood Mac

[Jondalar]

Who is the least talented singer/songwriter in Fleetwood Mac?

[Dex]

In terms of singing? Lindsey.

In terms of songwriting? Stevie. Although I usually enjoy her work the most, she is clearly the most "limited" in terms of songwriting/composing abilities.

I went with Stevie, because I thought that was more what you were going for, Jondalar.

[nicole21290]

What's this I see? A thread which basically begs for one to be negative and dismissive about one of the three songwriters in FM? THANK GOD. I'd really been struggling to find a place for that amongst all the rampant enthusiasm, flattery, praise and happiness here lately...

E) They're all great

[MoonSister75]

Very much in agreement with the above post. Can I vote E) too? Otherwise I was going to sit this one out.

[secret love]

Who is the least talented singer/songwriter in Fleetwood Mac?

They are all great singer/songwriters. If I have to pick the one that I least like, it's hard to do...maybe Lindsey? I like him, but not as much as I like Stevie and Christine.

I tend to prefer female singers to male ones. Women can hit the higher notes more easily.

I think Christine is a better writer than Stevie. Christine's songs are the most catchy (to me) of the three writers. Christine's lyrics are always more accessible than Stevie's for me. I can relate better to lyrics about finding a new friend and forming a great bond with them (Christine's songs "Friend" and "You Are") than I can to Stevie Nick's lyrics about dreams, ghosts and witches lol ;)

Lindsey is the best instrumentalist and the best organiser - the one who makes sure everyone else gets their **** together. Stevie was the best singer - her voice has declined in quality since markedly since the early 1990s though. Christine is the best songwriter.

I hope that answers your question. I'm not going to say one of them is really, really bad and way worse than all the others, because all three artists are talented in their own way.

[shackin'up]

I went for Stevie. Although she captured some of the most brilliant pieces of work in FM's history, even rockhistory in general. But this is a question about talent and completeness. She needs others to completely write a song.
That's the reason I went for Stevie.

[nicole21290]

I went for Stevie. Although she captured some of the most brilliant pieces of work in FM's history, even rockhistory in general. But this is a question about talent and completeness. She needs others to completely write a song.
That's the reason I went for Stevie.

'Captured'? Not created?

Can I ask what exactly you mean by 'completely write a song'? Was The Chain not a 'complete' song in demo form? What about Gypsy? Sisters of the Moon? Sara? Planets of the Universe? Silver Springs? Rhiannon? Goodbye Baby? Because I would have thought that her many piano demos weren't exactly 'incomplete' songs, regardless of how rudimentary the playing, or the lack of proper studio production, or even a more structured arrangement such as Lindsey might give it.

They're still songs - with lyrics, melody, some structure. They're not a finished product such as we see on an album, and yes, she needs help with making them ready for that particular context, but they're 'completely written' (and I find them immensely satisfying much of the time), I would say. IMHO.

[On Ice]

I'll start by saying I love Stevie and have most of my life but I've come to see her as human and give credit where it's due: her absolutely brilliant work up to about the end of 1983 blows my mind to this day and so grateful that her once gorgeous voice was captured for all time. Her material from that period stands the test of time and will never grow old. So, despite all that I see Stevie for what she was/is and it really does cause me angst in saying Stevie is the least talented as 30 odd years ago she could do no wrong in my mind. Then came Rock a Little and a string of bad choices in her writing that to me harmed her career almost beyond repair, and the damage she did to her voice really changed her game. She has re-gained a lot of respect since the Dance era but that's largely based on past glory and I gotta say I cringe when she's referred to as a legend as this ignores at least 2 decades of sub-par and really inconsistent music. Had she continued in the vain of her brilliant work in the mid-seventies to early eighties, she would have industry recognition beyond her fan base that few could argue with but ignoring her lengthy dry period is just not realistic.

I find Christine McVie the most talented in terms of writing, although she has written some bland material, for the most part her career has maintained consistent quality since her early days, where she really shone as a musician.

Lindsey I think has aged better than either Christine or Stevie, his output has been spectacular since the Dance resurgence and he always has been a master arranger and producer. That said, I don't think he quite has Christine's talent for creating the song that "lasts". She clearly has put Fleetwood Mac on the map and surpassed both in terms of classic hits.

[shackin'up]

'Captured'? Not created?

Can I ask what exactly you mean by 'completely write a song'? Was The Chain not a 'complete' song in demo form? What about Gypsy? Sisters of the Moon? Sara? Planets of the Universe? Silver Springs? Rhiannon? Goodbye Baby? Because I would have thought that her many piano demos weren't exactly 'incomplete' songs, regardless of how rudimentary the playing, or the lack of proper studio production, or even a more structured arrangement such as Lindsey might give it.

They're still songs - with lyrics, melody, some structure. They're not a finished product such as we see on an album, and yes, she needs help with making them ready for that particular context, but they're 'completely written' (and I find them immensely satisfying much of the time), I would say. IMHO.

In never said she never wrote a song. She did. I totally agree with you. But she normally needs someone else to finish it and call it a worked out song. That says NOTHING about the core quality of a sketch on tape. I even like Lindsey's half finish products regularly better than the finished product. But this is a question about who is the most talented Singer/songwriter. Not the most talented idea-sketcher. But one can fight that. Ofcourse.

[jkmaletic]

What's this I see? A thread which basically begs for one to be negative and dismissive about one of the three songwriters in FM? THANK GOD. I'd really been struggling to find a place for that amongst all the rampant enthusiasm, flattery, praise and happiness here lately...

E) They're all great

Ditto. We have plenty of negativity on all the other threads.
Instigate much, Jondalar?

Give me a break.

[chriskisn]

Did you forget Mick Fleetwood? He has done vocals on two songs, plus songwriting credits on a couple of others. I'd suggest he's been an abject failure as a singer/songwriter :laugh:

[On Ice]

Did you forget Mick Fleetwood? He has done vocals on two songs, plus songwriting credits on a couple of others. I'd suggest he's been an abject failure as a singer/songwriter

Good point

[nicole21290]

In never said she never wrote a song. She did. I totally agree with you. But she normally needs someone else to finish it and call it a worked out song. That says NOTHING about the core quality of a sketch on tape. I even like Lindsey's half finish products regularly better than the finished product. But this is a question about who is the most talented Singer/songwriter. Not the most talented idea-sketcher. But one can fight that. Ofcourse.

Ah, okay. I got some other kind of vibe from the idea of her not being able to 'completely write a song' without help. So you would consider none of those piano demos (or something like Landslide) a 'worked out song'? I guess I'm quibbling, really. I just think it's a little dismissive to act like it's less of a song because it hasn't been all produced and arranged to within an inch of its life. Would you really call the demo of The Chain an 'idea' as opposed to a 'song'?

I mean, I agree that Lindsey is more objectively talented in terms of the overall package than Stevie. The issue is that songwriting isn't just the end product - it's lyrics, melody, structure, all sorts of things. And they're all probably stronger in different areas. Most of the time here it's going to come down to either:
1) Who is stronger in the most areas? (and how do we measure stronger, anyway? personal preference? commercial success?)
2) What area do we value the most? (and even then, people have subjective opinions on who is best within those areas)
3) our definition of singer/songwriter

The problem that I have with this whole thing is that asking for the 'least' talented is just asking for trouble. At this stage, threads asking for 'positive' comments (let's say, who is the MOST talented?) already devolve pretty quickly into negativity. It's the nature of the beast (I've been through the same thing for years in debates about Lennon vs McCartney) - we compare and contrast, and usually in doing so put down one artist in order to inflate the other. Not always, of course, but it's not uncommon either.

[secondhandchain]

This thread should be deleted.

[David]

Fleetwood Mac is usually great at amplifying all the songwriters' strengths and making their weaknesses less important to the vibe the music is giving out. In the context of the classic Fleetwood Mac music, the songwriters all feel, to me, like better writers than they are. I don't know what to attribute that feeling to, but maybe it's the revolving variety of having three songwriters in one band. (The older versions of Fleetwood Mac have that magic, too.)

It has also helped considerably to have such intelligent and creative track production in the band. The singers were recorded superbly well and given excellent backdrops at the "right" levels. That made them all sound like great pop singers.

[sorcerer999]

They are all very talented in their own ways.

I find this poll, absurd. Come on, now!

[Jondalar]

Did you forget Mick Fleetwood? He has done vocals on two songs, plus songwriting credits on a couple of others. I'd suggest he's been an abject failure as a singer/songwriter :laugh:

Give me a break.

[lovethemac1]

In my eternal optimism, I thought this was voting for the singer I liked the most. Now that I see it was for the least talented singer/song writer, I would like to remove my vote.

[Dex]

I appreciate that negativity isn't everyone's cup of tea, but coming into a thread and posting about how stupid/awful the thread is doesn't exactly seem like a great, non-hypocritical way to express that. It's not like this thread is being particularly tricky/shady in any way. It's doing exactly what it says on the label. And it's very easy to not open it or participate in it.

Personally I enjoy a little negativity amidst my fanwankery. Keeps me sharp. ;) And I'm willing to bet I'm not alone. There's a place for threads like this here, too.

[vivfox]

This thread should be deleted.

ROTFL :laugh::laugh::xoxo:

[Jondalar]

In my eternal optimism, I thought this was voting for the singer I liked the most. Now that I see it was for the least talented singer/song writer, I would like to remove my vote.

Right............

[Autumn Ocean]

Christine. She's basically rewritten the same song her entire career, a greeting card set to a doorbell chime. She might be the most consistent but she's also the most risk averse.

[teedeerocks]

I appreciate that negativity isn't everyone's cup of tea, but coming into a thread and posting about how stupid/awful the thread is doesn't exactly seem like a great, non-hypocritical way to express that. It's not like this thread is being particularly tricky/shady in any way. It's doing exactly what it says on the label. And it's very easy to not open it or participate in it.

Personally I enjoy a little negativity amidst my fanwankery. Keeps me sharp. ;) And I'm willing to bet I'm not alone. There's a place for threads like this here, too.

You hit the nail on the head.If you don't like what's on TV you have two options-turn it off or change the channel! It's a free country(board)...

[teedeerocks]

I have adored Stevie for many,many years as an artist although some of my posts may seem contrary to that.As a person,I don't think that she and I would be particularly good friends-some of her quotes really irk me.And I guess my least favorite one just depends on my mood.If I'm in the mood for a mystical,gotta "read between the lines"type of song,Bucky and Chris pale.If I'm in a "chill out" mood,Bucky and Stevie pale.And if I'm in the mood for something that is musically creative,Stevie and Chris pale.They're all unique based on my many moods!:shrug:

[teedeerocks]

I have adored Stevie for many,many years as an artist although some of my posts may seem contrary to that.As a person,I don't think that she and I would be particularly good friends-some of her quotes really irk me.And I guess my least favorite one just depends on my mood.If I'm in the mood for a mystical,gotta "read between the lines"type of song,Bucky and Chris pale.If I'm in a "chill out" mood,Bucky and Stevie pale.And if I'm in the mood for something that is musically creative,Stevie and Chris pale.They're all unique based on my many moods!:shrug:

Mystical,"read between the lines"type of song-referring to Stevie's older music.Alot of that mysticism could have been drug related however...

[aleuzzi]

I'm not sure what the point of this. I'm not voting.

[michelej1]

I don't vote in most polls anyway. I don't see the point of them.

But I like it if they provoke interesting discussion.

Michele

[mitzo]

I think all of them are limited in their songwriting talents. But with good production and vocal teamwork their compositions shine really brightly. Their solo careers are full of weak stuff IMO. Lindsey produces himself brilliantly but his songs and vocals suck. Christine alone sounds like, as noted above, a greeting card set to a door chime. And Stevie can write a song and moan or bellow it out, but her solo career is blighted massively by garbage production which destroys the necessary atmosphere, and a self-destructive inclination to be a "rocker". This latter dates back to Tom Petty days, when she started to show a nasty predeliction for simply delivering monotone songs in a hoarse holler against a wall of grating tinny guitar noise.

[Jondalar]

When I started this poll I forgot to give the option that they are all great.

That being said I'm just going to say that Lindsey is a complete singer/songwriter. He doesn't need help painting his pictures. Plus, he delivers quality time in and time out. He has actually improved.
Christine is by far the best singer. There was a time in the late 70s when I think Stevie was better, but too much coke and cigarettes took their toll. Christine is probably the most consistent, however, many of her 80s songs were cowritten and much of her last album was. However, so was Stevie's. Stevie is the most experimental and appreciate that she has put out lots of product, but I do believe that she is only as good as the people she works with. She became a lazy songwriter and vocalist, but there is no one like her. Her last album was well written.
Singer/Songwriters should learn to play an instrument. The tambourine doesn't cut it. I voted for Stevie.

[annabellee]

Is the purpose of this thread to bully?:(

[nicole21290]

Singer/Songwriters should learn to play an instrument. The tambourine doesn't cut it. I voted for Stevie.

Why?

"Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and perform their own musical material including lyrics and melodies."

Does the guitar and piano not cut it? Or do you have to have a certain level of skill before someone gets a pass mark on their ability to play and it's counted? She can write, compose and perform her material - see her demos. No, they're not as 'complete' as when someone like Lindsey has worked on them. No, they're not as complex when she's the one playing a demo. No, they'll never have a number of unexpected chord changes. But they're songs. And she's written them. And often she's written the music too, even at a fundamental, more basic level.

[elle]

Fleetwood Mac is usually great at amplifying all the songwriters' strengths and making their weaknesses less important to the vibe the music is giving out. In the context of the classic Fleetwood Mac music, the songwriters all feel, to me, like better writers than they are. I don't know what to attribute that feeling to, but maybe it's the revolving variety of having three songwriters in one band. (The older versions of Fleetwood Mac have that magic, too.)

It has also helped considerably to have such intelligent and creative track production in the band. The singers were recorded superbly well and given excellent backdrops at the "right" levels. That made them all sound like great pop singers.
beautifully said. :thumbsup:

I appreciate that negativity isn't everyone's cup of tea, but coming into a thread and posting about how stupid/awful the thread is doesn't exactly seem like a great, non-hypocritical way to express that. It's not like this thread is being particularly tricky/shady in any way. It's doing exactly what it says on the label. And it's very easy to not open it or participate in it.

Personally I enjoy a little negativity amidst my fanwankery. Keeps me sharp. ;) And I'm willing to bet I'm not alone. There's a place for threads like this here, too.
exactly to all of it. going into threads you know you won't like before opening them and then telling everybody how much you don't like them seems like a waste of bandwidth.

and completely agree re sharpening your arguing skills. and possibly coming out with something you didn't think of or knew at the start. :nod:

But I like it if they provoke interesting discussion.
yes. and i can bet right now what the results of this poll will be.

so i think i'll go from a positive side - question is a combination of singer/songwriter talent so that's different than just great singer or just great songwriter. but i still have to dissect a bit.

talent as a singer:
i think Christine is a great and talented singer, with very interesting, warm, and low for a woman, voice. quality of her voice comes through clearly throughout her career.
i think Stevie has the most interesting singing voice although she never had much range, but i was amazed to hear her singing "Ring Around Your Neck" as well as "It's So Easy" - both songs showed how great and talented singer she really is.
i think Lindsey used to have a range (remember Fritz guys saying how he'd have to sing many songs that were really for a girl singer because Stevie just didn't have needed range), but i hated his young singing voice. however, as he ages, his later songs (especially solo) fit his deeper voice really well, as well as some of the reworkings of his older songs. on ISA or BL for example, he sounds pretty great, plus his voice and instrument together can do some pretty unique stuff.
so as a singer the most talent (if judged by interesting singing voice) would go to either Stevie or Christine.

talent as a songwriter:
Lindsey describes himself as a stylist. his lyrics can be amazing, or they can be kinda trashy. they can be literal and gibberish but still ingenious (bam bam bam?), or they can be really poetic and profound. age appropriate if you will, especially on his later solo work. his musical talent? the guy is obviously born with loads of it and then some - for writing melodies, hooks, interesting within-song changing chord progressions, arranging, playing instruments... he has a huge spectrum, from pop to experimental to just pure typical LB, he thinks in music and melodies, apparently, and when asked he always says that he almost always comes up with the music first, then lyrics.
i don't know Christine's output nearly as well as Lindsey's, but the woman can write and arrange a song, and create unbelievable hooks. her songs may be in many cases a bit poppy for my taste but i can definitely appreciate how much talent for songwriting she has. i like what she said recently, how staying away from songwriting and performing after a while just felt wrong - like she's wasting this huge gift she was given. it did not sound pretentious at all the way she said it, just a fact.
i appreciate that Stevie's lyrics touch many people and made better many of the lives of people here. that's definitely a talent, even if she's not Bob Dylan (a horrible singer!). someone in this thread was arguing about the completeness of the songs she writes - yes, her version of the chain was a complete song, very different from one-of-a-kind sum-of-the-parts FM version. with a few exceptions, somewhere starting with Sara, bulk of her melodies became reciting lyrics to some music in a sing-songy way, as someone characterized it recently. after hearing her singing some of the covers, i have to say that it's too bad that songs she wrote over the years didn't really allow her to realize her full potential as a singer.
so pure musical talent would have to go to either Lindsey or Christine.

now, talent as a singer/songwriter is a combination, something that may not necessarily be a sum of the two parts.

[Jondalar]

beautifully said. :thumbsup:


exactly to all of it. going into threads you know you won't like before opening them and then telling everybody how much you don't like them seems like a waste of bandwidth.

and completely agree re sharpening your arguing skills. and possibly coming out with something you didn't think of or knew at the start. :nod:


yes. and i can bet right now what the results of this poll will be.

so i think i'll go from a positive side - question is a combination of singer/songwriter talent so that's different than just great singer or just great songwriter. but i still have to dissect a bit.

talent as a singer:
i think Christine is a great and talented singer, with very interesting, warm, and low for a woman, voice. quality of her voice comes through clearly throughout her career.
i think Stevie has the most interesting singing voice although she never had much range, but i was amazed to hear her singing "Ring Around Your Neck" as well as "It's So Easy" - both songs showed how great and talented singer she really is.
i think Lindsey used to have a range (remember Fritz guys saying how he'd have to sing many songs that were really for a girl singer because Stevie just didn't have needed range), but i hated his young singing voice. however, as he ages, his later songs (especially solo) fit his deeper voice really well, as well as some of the reworkings of his older songs. on ISA or BL for example, he sounds pretty great, plus his voice and instrument together can do some pretty unique stuff.
so as a singer the most talent (if judged by interesting singing voice) would go to either Stevie or Christine.

talent as a songwriter:
Lindsey describes himself as a stylist. his lyrics can be amazing, or they can be kinda trashy. they can be literal and gibberish but still ingenious (bam bam bam?), or they can be really poetic and profound. age appropriate if you will, especially on his later solo work. his musical talent? the guy is obviously born with loads of it and then some - for writing melodies, hooks, interesting within-song changing chord progressions, arranging, playing instruments... he has a huge spectrum, from pop to experimental to just pure typical LB, he thinks in music and melodies, apparently, and when asked he always says that he almost always comes up with the music first, then lyrics.
i don't know Christine's output nearly as well as Lindsey's, but the woman can write and arrange a song, and create unbelievable hooks. her songs may be in many cases a bit poppy for my taste but i can definitely appreciate how much talent for songwriting she has. i like what she said recently, how staying away from songwriting and performing after a while just felt wrong - like she's wasting this huge gift she was given. it did not sound pretentious at all the way she said it, just a fact.
i appreciate that Stevie's lyrics touch many people and made better many of the lives of people here. that's definitely a talent, even if she's not Bob Dylan (a horrible singer!). someone in this thread was arguing about the completeness of the songs she writes - yes, her version of the chain was a complete song, very different from one-of-a-kind sum-of-the-parts FM version. with a few exceptions, somewhere starting with Sara, bulk of her melodies became reciting lyrics to some music in a sing-songy way, as someone characterized it recently. after hearing her singing some of the covers, i have to say that it's too bad that songs she wrote over the years didn't really allow her to realize her full potential as a singer.
so pure musical talent would have to go to either Lindsey or Christine.

now, talent as a singer/songwriter is a combination, something that may not necessarily be a sum of the two parts.

Great post. Thanks.

[nicole21290]

Great post. Thanks.

Yeah, was very enjoyable to read, Elle. I certainly don't agree with it all but it was refreshing to read more thought out opinions on all three and in different aspects of their work. And I do think approaching it from the 'positive' angle is more beneficial, to be honest. There's nothing wrong with criticism and saying who you think is the 'least' talented but it's nice to have that tempered with WHY you think the others ARE 'more' talented. I'm not fond of the 'least'/'most'/'best'/'worst' listing at the best of times, but I do very much enjoy the 'why' of it and the reasoning given. THAT is instructional and interesting to me.

[chriskisn]

Did you forget Mick Fleetwood? He has done vocals on two songs, plus songwriting credits on a couple of others. I'd suggest he's been an abject failure as a singer/songwriter :laugh:

Give me a break.

Have you listened to Lizard People or These Strange Times recently? :shrug:

:laugh:

[HelloMonster]

They all suck! I hate them all! :lol:

[secret love]

Have you listened to Lizard People or These Strange Times recently? :shrug:

:laugh:

Lizard People is the weirdest song I have ever heard. These Strange Times was...strange!!:p

Mick doesn't sing either, he just talks in a monotone on those songs. He should stick to what he does best and play those drums.

[secret love]

Christine. She's basically rewritten the same song her entire career, a greeting card set to a doorbell chime. She might be the most consistent but she's also the most risk averse.

Lol!!! :laugh:

[MoonSister75]

Ok I'm trying to be more open-minded about this thread. :angel: But every time I read the question "who is the least talented?" I just get stuck. I honestly believe all 3 of these people are extremely talented singer/songwriters. I still can't vote.

[Dex]

Why?

"Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and perform their own musical material including lyrics and melodies."

Does the guitar and piano not cut it? Or do you have to have a certain level of skill before someone gets a pass mark on their ability to play and it's counted? She can write, compose and perform her material - see her demos. No, they're not as 'complete' as when someone like Lindsey has worked on them. No, they're not as complex when she's the one playing a demo. No, they'll never have a number of unexpected chord changes. But they're songs. And she's written them. And often she's written the music too, even at a fundamental, more basic level.

It's very difficult to really define and measure "talent", which is one of the reasons I find this thread somewhat exciting/interesting. If we're just speaking purely in amounts of talent, I mean... let's face it, being a guitar prodigy requires more talent than banging a tambourine and having rudimentary piano skills with the white keys. It just does. If you disagree, ok, but in answer to the OPs question I think its fair to say that the tambourine player of a band is probably less musically talented than the lead guitarist.

But it's as elle says. A very abstract concept that isn't necessarily going to equate to a sum of measurable parts.

If you wanted to argue that composing haunting/compelling melodies with comparatively little musical knowledge was indicative of talent in another form, I think you'd be making a great case for Stevie there.

[shackin'up]

Mick doesn't sing either, he just talks in a monotone on those songs.

Well, you wouldn't say that to Lou Reed! It's the poet that I am!!!

[RockawayBlind]

Is the purpose of this thread to bully?:(

Seriously? You diminish the seriousness of the term by applying it to a poll that merely asks you for your opinion.

Why do so many people choose to participate in a discussion they say they have no interest in participating only to put down the very idea of participating? It seems like such a waste of energy based on an almost pathological insistence on being outraged over something you don't like.

Why does everything have to be positive? Is this the product of the "everybody is a winner" culture? A ribbon for participating, even if you come in last?

You can't win if everybody is a winner.

[RockawayBlind]

Now, to the point of the thread: I wouldn't say any of them is more talented than the other. We all know their strengths and weaknesses. Christine ultimately may be a better musician than Lindsey, but he is a mad genius on many levels. Stevie may have had the most appealing voice early on and wrote some great lyrics, but Lindsey has matched -- even surpassed -- her lyric-writing prowess. And Christine wrote some bland, easy-rhyming types of songs but she is still a terrific singer who wrote some of the most catchy material the band has released.

[Dex]

Personally, I'm flattered by the implication that I'd ever be in a position to "bully" any of the members of FM.

[MikeVielhaber]

Now, to the point of the thread: I wouldn't say any of them is more talented than the other. We all know their strengths and weaknesses. Christine ultimately may be a better musician than Lindsey, but he is a mad genius on many levels. Stevie may have had the most appealing voice early on and wrote some great lyrics, but Lindsey has matched -- even surpassed -- her lyric-writing prowess. And Christine wrote some bland, easy-rhyming types of songs but she is still a terrific singer who wrote some of the most catchy material the band has released.

They may complement each other within the band, but I don't think that means they are equally as talented. Stevie couldn't go and make a solo album just by herself. She needs help to do that. Lindsey's pretty much already done that. There's not a whole lot Stevie can do that others can't do except sound like Stevie Nicks and perform like Stevie Nicks on stage. But the others sound and perform uniquely like themselves too so that basically cancels out. Her talents are unique and irreplaceable...but that goes into importance of said talent and not how much of it there is....if we're trying to quantify talent level I would place Stevie at the bottom.

[Macfanforever]

--------------------------Freaking NOBODY--------------------

OH Man.

They are all talented.We have to take it for granted they are still able to perform at their age.God bless them and we can still see them tour year after year.And big freaking deal if they sing the same old tunes over a zillion times.Just dont go if you dont want to hear the same old music over again.

Look at poor Linda Ronstadt and Glen Campbell to name a couple of great artists that come to mind now that no longer can perform because of their health issues.Its so sad.


Everybody has a right for their opinion .I agree At this point I dont have a big shovel and time to weed through the BS in this thread because it just so bad to see FM fans trashing its members for their talents.

And I say and others say I'm a negative person on this forum.

[MoonSister75]

^^^ Great post. I was just thinking about Lindsey performing at the Grammys and Stevie performing at the RRHOF induction, and how brilliant both performances were. Ok I know they weren't demonstrating their song writing skills, but it did demonstrate how wonderfully talented they are . It just doesn't seem right to label one of them as "the least talented"

[RockawayBlind]

They may complement each other within the band, but I don't think that means they are equally as talented.

That is true, yes.

[GypsySorcerer]

They're all flawed in their own way, but I don't think any one of the three is "less talented" than the other.

Christine is the most consistent, and over the years, written some really lovely songs. I can see how some people don't connect emotionally to her songs as much. As a vocalist, she's wonderful. What a warm, soothing voice.

Lindsey has been the most interesting to me by far for several years. Lyrically, he's grown leaps and bounds. I've loved his most recent 3 solo albums. His voice has suffered some, but he's still able to use it effectively.

In my opinion, Stevie was the best writer from 75-79. (If I'm being generous, I'll lump Bella Donna in there too.) But she's not been as good since. "Gypsy" was her last truly great FM song, and her solo albums are a mixed bag. She'll have flashes of brilliance coupled with psychobabble drivel. Of course she's lost most of her range, but vocally, she's still very interesting.

[lovethemac1]

Right............

I didn't say I don't like the thread. I just read it wrong, so my vote would be inaccurate. I automatically assumed it was who was the best song writer, my bad for not taking the time to read properly.

[teedeerocks]

I may be alone on this but I truly believe that once a vocal coach comes into the picture everything changes.I understand that they help the performer to preserve their voices,but no good deed goes unpunished and the singer's voice is no longer their own.That is,the uniqueness is gone and everyone starts to sound the same.That's one thing I always loved about her voice-she could sing half a sentence or even backup and I immediately knew it was her.Not so accurate anymore.

[Villavic]

Who is the least talented singer/songwriter in Fleetwood Mac?

You mean.. today?
I didn't vote cause I can't answer exactly without mentioning a year.

I think the 3 of them are great, very well talented.
But Stevie was not in her best during Tango. And I felt the same about Christine during Mirage. I didn't like her 1984 solo álbum, but I really enjoyed ITM.

Both Stevie & Lindsey are not that great as they were in the 70s, IMHO. Let's see if Christine gave us nice surprises this year, in terms of new songs.

So talent has been changing along the time.

[welcomechris]

No Offence... But I Think This Was A Really Stupid Question. Nobody In Fleetwood Mac Was/Is Untalented. They Are All Just As Good. Why The Heck Did 6 People Say They All Suck? Why Are They Here!?

[Dex]

The thread question is simply a mischievous and provocative re-framing of an ongoing discussion in this forum about the talent of the band members. People really need to relax. If you can talk about who is the "most talented" member of FM, which people often do on this forum, then it stands to reason you can talk about the inverse. If you do think they're all equally talented, ok, that can be said without all the reactionary outrage added in. Nobody is mud-slinging. Everything's fine. Stevie, Lindsey and Chris are all fine.


Like, seriously, they have mansions. Fine.

[welcomechris]

They All Suck is a horrible thing to say

It should have been worded "Who Is Your Favorite Singer Songwriter In Fleetwood Mac"

[Dex]

You mean.. today?
I didn't vote cause I can't answer exactly without mentioning a year.

I think the 3 of them are great, very well talented.
But Stevie was not in her best during Tango. And I felt the same about Christine during Mirage. I didn't like her 1984 solo álbum, but I really enjoyed ITM.

Both Stevie & Lindsey are not that great as they were in the 70s, IMHO. Let's see if Christine gave us nice surprises this year, in terms of new songs.

So talent has been changing along the time.

Good points all. I've been so excited about the group dynamic Chris's presence will give the band that I've kinda forgotten that I personally haven't been very excited by much of her songwriting for a long while (I don't dislike ITM but certainly never feel compelled to listen to it). I hope this forthcoming album isn't Mirage 2.0. Although I suppose I wouldn't balk at that either.

It'll be interesting to see what each member brings to the table this time around. Although it seems as though Chris is doing a lot of co-writing with Lindsey, and I do seem to always like how those turn out.

[Dex]

They All Suck is a horrible thing to say

It should have been worded "Who Is Your Favorite Singer Songwriter In Fleetwood Mac"

That thread has existed so many times, here. That's why I find this one much more interesting, at least potentially.

[HelloMonster]

No Offence... But I Think This Was A Really Stupid Question. Nobody In Fleetwood Mac Was/Is Untalented. They Are All Just As Good. Why The Heck Did 6 People Say They All Suck? Why Are They Here!?

Well, I voted "they all suck" only because that was an actual option, and it made me laugh. People here do like other members of the band, the three in question weren't the only ones ever in Fleetwood Mac.

[Jondalar]

They All Suck is a horrible thing to say

It should have been worded "Who Is Your Favorite Singer Songwriter In Fleetwood Mac"

Some of the people voting are just voting for their least favorite, not least talented.

[MikeVielhaber]

They All Suck is a horrible thing to say

It should have been worded "Who Is Your Favorite Singer Songwriter In Fleetwood Mac"

Wording it like that changes the question entirely and also makes it less interesting.

[michelej1]

Some of the people voting are just voting for their least favorite, not least talented.

That's true. But to some people their least favorite is automatically the least talented, objective attributes aside.

Michele