I think the band knows what her position is and by keeping it undefined it adds to the FM soap opera.

They actually did....the target was early 2015? someone help me out here with the interview comments from LB and, I think, Mick as well. I think late 2014 was at least hinted at. I know at one point early 2015 was named as the target.

Then the target for finishing/releasing got pushed from late 2014 to the following year (2015), and finally to some vague, undefined time in the future. And now it's not really talked about at all.

It got pushed further and further out because of Stevie's refusal to commit. And I think after the last guilt-trip done via the media (ref. Mick's interview in, was it Playboy I believe?) she's not going to be influenced by those tactics again.

That's totally plausible as well. In fact, the optimist in me thinks this is the case but I think we're all just trying not to get our hopes up at the moment.

Fleetwood Mac is gearing up to record, release new album in 2015: "Fleetwood Mac’s “On With The Show” tour wraps up in mid July, but that doesn’t mean the band’s reunion train will stop rolling. Lindsey Buckingham says the group will resume work on a new album as soon as they come off the road. “Before we started rehearsing the show with Christine [McVie] … she came over and said, ‘Lindsey, I’ve got some rough ideas for new songs,’” Buckingham recently told talk show host Tavis Smiley. “She gave me a bunch of stuff to take home after we saw her in England when we played there. And I worked on it at home, took lots of liberties, came back. She loved it. We went in the studio for two months and came up with probably the best group of songs that were co-written that we’ve done in years. So we are going to continue working on a new album and [my] solo stuff will probably take a back seat for another year or so.” Buckingham added that a new Fleetwood Mac album “would be a beautiful way to kind of wrap up this last act.”"

http://tonereport.com/news/new-fleet...coming-in-2015

And at that point they weren't signed up for all the tour dates they have on schedule now. It could have been a lot shorter. If they were all on board to record an album, then they probably wouldn't have added new tour dates. The extended tour isn't keeping the album from happening. The extended tour is what they're doing because they can't do an album.

Of course, they can do one. Since they've made money off of the tour, why they don't pocket it and record an album without Stevie which won't make money but might fulfill them creatively, I will never know. And no it doesn't have to be their swan song. They can record without her now and record with her in 3 years, if she is willing. But the four of them just sit there.

Michele

All Mick has to do is have a contract drawn up and hand it to Stevie...Either you sign the contract agreeing to record with FM or "You are out of the band"
it's that simple...

It's not that simple. They are, after all, not just band mates, but friends for 40 years now who seem to get along fairly well at this point. That probably means something to them, especially Mick, and giving her an ultimatum would jeopardize that. They probably really want Stevie on the album and kicking her out would be compromising the whole point of making the album which is to make an album with the whole Rumours lineup rather than just putting out a new album regardless of who is on board. I'd love to hear an album even if Stevie is not on it, but it's definitely not simple.

But yet the "You're in or you're out" applies to others but not Stevie?

You know damn well he doesn't want to give up on the 5 of them at this moment. It took a miracle to make it happen in 2014.

It's not about Stevie vs. everyone else. It's about timing. This is 2015 and they're all in their late 60s or early 70s. It's not the same as it was in the past. I'm sure in the past the band was all that mattered and either be on board or get out. It's probably not the case anymore and the idea of getting an album with all 5 is probably a bigger deal now because of everyone's advanced age. I don't know if this is the case, but it seems plausible.

And, even with the variables within their control, Stevie might not be able to jump back and forth so easily this time. I think she overplayed her power within the band from 2009 until Christine's return. Now they could put out a band album without her.

For which she got paid handsomely.

Why do that when it's Fleetwood Mac?

That's a straw man. Stevie chooses to be a member of Fleetwood Mac. It's her job. Christine didn't want to be in Fleetwood Mac and she retired. She didn't drag the band through a will-she-or-won't-she. She told them what her plans were, and she stuck with it, at least until she read Ken's book. So, she came back. Which Stevie should be thrilled with, considering she offered Christine $5 million to come back.

What a bunch of crap. Fleetwood Mac is a band that has always had at least two lead vocalists. Doing an album without a second lead vocalist at that point would be a Lindsey Buckingham solo album. Lindsey ended up doing a solo album instead, and many of those songs would have been on a Fleetwood Mac album had Stevie not blown the band off.

I still don't get how you constantly underestimate the band. You basically said you couldn't possibly see how there would be any demand for another Fleetwood Mac tour so shortly after their 2013 tour because Christine wasn't the household name Stevie is, yet they're selling out arenas while being one of the highest priced concert tickets, much higher than the 2013 tour. Stevie is the household name, but she's not bigger than the band. They'll do about as well as a quartet as Stevie will as a solo artist. Neither will make a lot of money on any project. Very, very few artists are making a lot of money in music these days, especially older ones.

I never said that there wouldn't be a demand for the band because Christine wasn't the household name that Stevie was. I said that the tour would not be a successful one because I felt that they saturated the market -- not completely. I thought the 2013 tour was a short one and that they could come through and do a lot of smaller venues in 2014, but I didn't think they could sell out arenas again the way they are doing now. But thinking that had nothing to do with Stevie. It had to do with what happened during the second leg of the SYW tour, when no one wanted to see them again, having just seen them in 2003.

I never said Stevie was bigger than the band. In fact, just this week I posted that Stevie alone couldn't outsell FM without her. I think that's true of both tours and albums. FM can be as profitable as Stevie is solo. It just can't be as profitable without her as it can be with her. But even that is only true when it comes to touring. My belief is that albums don't sell any more these days anyway, so there's no reason that FM should think of sales at all when it comes to making this album.

I don't think any album they sell will make money, but that's not because Stevie won't be with them. I don't think the album will make money anyway. That's why they should stop holding out for Stevie on the album. They have nothing to lose with her gone. They won't sell more records with her than they will without her.

They also won't lose publicity because her opting out of this album will generate publicity of its own kind, really. So, they'll still get as much press as a foursome.

And if they feel they don't want to take their last recording bow without Stevie, it doesn't have to be their last bow. They can take their last bow 3 years from now and do an album without her today.

Michele

I agree that now is not the time to have that conversation, but only because they have commitments until July. You're right that it's not Stevie vs. everyone else. It's about Stevie choosing to be in the band or choosing not to be in the band. Maybe Stevie is weighing her options right now, but make no mistake the band is weighing their options, too.

All the more reason to have that conversation. There might not be another five years to wait around for Stevie.

Christine came out of retirement for a reason, and it wasn't to do another Greatest Hits tour. She specifically wanted to make music with Fleetwood Mac, and the very first thing she did when they agreed to let her back in the band was go into the studio to work with Lindsey, Mick, and John. Yes, the top priority is to get an album with all five, but again, there may not be five years to wait for Stevie.

It's about timing. And maybe Stevie should leave Fleetwood Mac. Her solo albums keep getting better and better. Fleetwood Mac is not going to sale many albums with or without her. Hardly anyone is these days. Plus, Stevie does not enjoy the process.

As much as I love Stevie, a FM reunion studio album will sell much more than anything she puts out solo. Even the 2003 FM album (SYW) without Christine sold more than her solo albums from 1994 (SA) going forward. With Christine on board this next album could be a monster.

They wouldn't have just seen them in 2013. They saw a very similar band, but not same one. It suggested that the crowds wouldn't be sophisticated enough to know the difference or care if Christine was in the band or if she wasn't. Clearly, that wasn't the case.

You also said that they could go back to being an opening act or play state fairs as part of a package tour without Stevie, because that's what happened in 1994-95 (when there were NO "Rumours" era vocalists touring with the band).

But, you didn't make that distinction when you said "record an album without Stevie which won't make money but might fulfill them creatively," which sounds like you're saying that an album without Stevie won't make money because she's not on it.

How in the hell can Lindsey or Christine tell Stevie you are either in or out? Please.... This isn't Project Runway.

Mick as co-owner of the band could say that.

Any album with Christine is going to be better. She and Lindsey have had amazing chemistry since they've met. I want to hear the growth of what they've talked about in the interviews, last year. I haven't seen Buck that happy about making music with FMac in a long time.

No, it doesn't sound like I'm saying that. That's how you're interpreting it, but you're doing so without foundation. I must have posted 100 posts since January 2014 about Stevie not being on the next FM album and I've never suggested the album would sell less because Stevie is not involved. I've always said the album is not going to sell anyway, so why do they care if Stevie is involved or not, if she doesn't want to be on it?

Michele

Well, stop substituting what I said with what you think I said suggested.

I don't know what the crowds are sophisticated enough to understand. I spent thousands going to London just to see Christine make a cameo with FM so clearly I think she makes a difference.

Did I think casual fans would pay $200 to see FM again in 2014 after they'd just seen them in 2013? No I didn't. That opinion had nothing to do with Christine or Stevie's popularity. The opinion was wrong, but you're suggesting I formed it for reasons that are far removed from what I actually think or feel.

Michele

Michele

You could hear it from the first note. It's shocking.

The first note in London? Or on this tour?

Well, in London when she started counting down her own song 1-2-1-2-3-4 that was chilling. Gooseflesh, as she would say.

Michele

Yes, on 9/25/13.... I was so excited for you.

Yeah Mick could say that but that wouldn't right. He is not a creative force in the band and probay just wants another money grabbing tour.

thanks BlueDenimLamp!!

The exact conversation (because I prefer that to media paraphrase, which is helpful but somewhat limited...) went like this:

I’d take Lindsey Buckingham in the big machine or the small machine. I think it works either way. Which leaves me to offer this as the last question. So since Fleetwood Mac’s on the big tour now - everybody knows that so get your tickets if you can get in; they’re out there now - Um, what happens after the big tour? You gonna go back to more solo stuff?

Uh, eventually. But, you know, one of the really exciting things that happened before we started rehearsing the show with Christine is she came over, because she said ‘Lindsey, I’ve got some rough ideas for new songs’, and we, she came over and we went in the studio - the two of us with John and Mick - and again, you ask ‘Well, is that still going to work?’ and that was my thought. Oh my god, you know, is this, am I still going to be able to do what I used to do for her or is what she’s going to bring me - She gave me a bunch of stuff to take home after we saw her in England when we played there, and I worked on it at home, took lots of liberties, came back, she loved it. We went in the studio for two months and came up with probably the best group of songs which were co-written that I think we’ve done in years, so we are going to continue working on a new album. And, uh, the solo stuff will probably take a backseat for another year or so.

You know what, nobody’s complaining about that.

No. Least of all me.

People would love to hear another Fleetwood Mac album.

Oh, I’m telling ya, beautiful way to kind of wrap up this last act, you know.

Well, I suspect, uh, when that happens, you and maybe somebody else will come back and see us.

I certainly hope so.

Exactly.These guys are masters at drama.It's been that way since the beginning and it has worked in their favor so far.So if it ain't broke,don't fix it.

I think their drama is genuine for the most part. You're insinuating that it was all manufactured. I don't believe that. They have or have had real tension and friction between them.

This massive world wide tour with Christine back in the band has put them back on radar. Negative expectations aside, though the album might not jump to the top, I think it will do respectively well. I believe they do care to keep the most successful line up of the band intact. This isn't just another album -- it's their last album. Even if Lindsey and Christine produce a great album, it will be known for all the wrong reasons without Stevie on it.

and this i believe may be a possible reason why they keep still giving Stevie a chance to come back into the fold.

but i also think they are considering other options if she doesn't, since they are not getting any younger, can't wait forever, and want to put out all that new music they produced in 2014.

I can see the interview now:

Stevie Nicks gets Fleetwood Mac album off the ground:
Rolling Stone 3/15/2016

I sat Christine, Lindsey, and Mick down (well because John walks away when I speak) and I explained to them in detail what I wanted to give to them. Because they are in my band and they are my first priority. Being in Fleetwood Mac is like being in the army. Well, if the army had private jets and private hotels with grand pianos and a trail of assistants following you around, and if there wasn't any bombs or guns or killing. Yes, just like the army.

And I told them they are my first love and I told them how they are my first love cuz you know they already know that. And I told Lindsey I joined this band and we dated for ya know like 5% of the time that we've known each other, so we have to get along. And we need to do this, because Lindsey and I are so special. This may be our final project in Fleetwood Mac so it has to be good. I told all of them that.

When I looked up, for some reason Christine was hanging by a rope from the ceiling, Lindsey had jammed two sharp objects into his ears, and Mick was laying on the floor next to an empty bottle of pills. So I grabbed my little assistants and we pranced into my army like hotel and I played Rhiannon again. Because you know, it's the only song I really know how to play.. hahahahahah...

I agree. I saw them in 2009 and was impressed by the muscularity of their sound, by the trio of bass-drums-guitar, but the elusive magic was not there. And Stevie seemed drained. Distant.

But in Pittsburgh, during the first few bars of The Chain, I already sensed a difference, a crackle. They were sparking off each other. The moment all three of the singers leaned into their mics, I got the old chills back. Christine's contributions are sooooooo important, but because she is subtle and restrained, most casual observers don't see them. Her higher harmonies on the song have always spoke of anguish. That anguish is an essential ingredient to the mix. Then, when the band tore into You Make Loving Fun, I was floored...

Several months later, in Buffalo, they played the same set, though this time, the magic was even stronger, more palpable. They were easy with one another and I sensed all of that old chemistry unearthed. Christine brought it back.

In truth, they all possess an ingredient of it. When one is absent, the result pales.

and don't think Stevie doesn't know this.

they're never going to come to a mutual understanding-- i.e., Stevie thinks she gave up solo opportunities over the years for the band; Lindsey surely has to feel he gave up solo possibilities for the band…. you get older you start to think about missed opportunities and dwindling time… Except Lindsey seems to have reconciled himself to the band trumping solo work and Stevie hasn't. I really think that whole thing of Lindsey saying "don't bother me for a couple of years" (or was it 3? maybe that's where Stevie got fixated on 3 years) while I do solo work has stuck in her head. It always seemed to me over the years that on various solo projects she had to cut them short to make some arbitrary timeline of the band's … for example, not being able to do a full tour for Bella Donna to get to the studio to work on Mirage, etc. While of course the band always felt like they were stuck waiting for her. There's never going to be any real meeting of the minds on this. Everything that's going on now is just a continuation of this same drama. Except Stevie is more willing in her later years to put her foot down and hold out for her solo time.

In many ways it seems to me like she wants to tie up loose (solo) ends and get out stuff she should have gotten out years ago more than doing new solo music but who knows. She really is better known from being in the band and I would love to see her just wrap up the band with this last album and then be free to spend the rest of her days doing only her own stuff. Does she not want to let go of the band and is dragging things out?? :laugh:

The Cleveland Review nailed it. The rest of the band was simply better, re-energized. Buck looked so happy!

This is so hilarious. And poor John. I've said that about him during the show, that Stevie is free to walk up and say anything she wants to him and he can't move. He's captive up there. It's like being a hostage in the army.

Michele

I don't have negative expectations about an album. I think an album will be an amazing thing for fans and for the bans. I think it will give them a creative burst. I don't think it will go platinum, but at this point I wish that record sales would not equate to positive and low sales would not equal negative in the band's mind or the fans. Enough of that. I'd rather hear the music than read the Billboard charts.

And this album does not have to be the last album if all 5 of them are not poised to participate in it. It can just be an ALBUM. They can gear up for the "last" album later, when the pieces, all the pieces, are in place. Making this the last album with laurels on it is to also create a planning inertia where nothing gets done, because you're trying to make what does get done so momentous.

Better to strip expectations away and just get an album out now and then build to the "last" album over the next 3 years.

Michele

As much as I was joking and thinking of the way she speaks, it's sadly not far off at times.

Well, it sounds like her, because you used language from her own interviews and just sprinkled a bit of reality into it.

Michele

Like you, I've read 1000's of interviews from the Macsters.

It took us 10 years to realize we were correct about Buck being mad that Christine left. As it came full circle, we now understood his frustration.

I never would have guessed that he and Stevie would not have more of a collaboration in Christine's absence. That one threw me.