I doubt the casual fans are going to buy a new FM album anyway. They'll just pick up The Greatest Hits.

Anyway, the argument is not whether people WANT Stevie on the album or not. Everyone would be glad to have her, but if she doesn't want to record, then I don't want them to wait any longer for her to maybe change her mind.

As for touring, there'd be no point in touring without her. They couldn't do it successfully. That's why it's good that they are raking up the money now and next year. I wish securing those proceeds would embolden the four of them to proceed knowing their financial security is not at stake, without Stevie.

As for publicity, just telling the whole story of why she hasn't recorded with them will get them interviews and newspaper articles. The media outlets can do a new spin on the bickering band that way.

Will WB want them without Stevie, probably not, but they could benefit from parting from WB anyway. It's more interested in their back catalog than the aging rockers today.

Michele

It WILL happen. It's just a matter of time & logistics.

There's really no reason why we need only have ONE more album anyway. They can do one now and one in a couple of years. If Stevie doesn't want to record right now, I'm sure she'll come around in 2-3 years and that album can be the last hurrah. This one can be the penultimate. Michele

Mick has a Mojo interview coming. I would love it if we could learn more about FM's future then, but he may just concentrate on his book.

Michele

I learned SOMETHING in the four years I've worked in the industry.

Yeah they can wait 3 years...voice deepens.:nod:

1. Stevie Nicks is still probably the biggest star of Fleetwood Mac. Could the band do it without her? Yeah, probably. The days of the hits are over (more a statement about the industry than the band), so it doesn’t really matter. Don’t think that they don’t all realize that at this point. But, I also think that they need to do at least one, probably two, more albums with that lineup. THAT’S Fleetwood Mac to most people, and to themselves. To NOT have another album with those five when they’re all active in the industry would be absurd. NONE of them want to be the hold-out, including Stevie.

2. I think Stevie WILL to do another Fleetwood Mac album, but she can’t exactly say that when she’s promoting her latest solo album (an album of demos most fans already had that was recorded in a couple of weeks) while also being on tour with Fleetwood Mac (i.e. NOT promoting the album as a solo artist). Management wants to please labels who invest in artists, even in today’s limited music buying market.

3. Mick couldn’t even shut up about Christine coming back. Not that he needed to. We all figured out it was actually going to happen by that point. But, you know they wanted to make the announcement on the Today show, not at a Mick Fleetwood Island Blues Band or whatever show in Hawaii, a couple of months before the official announcement.

4. Given THIS, of course Stevie’s not going to formally, or informally, commit to a Fleetwood Mac record while still promoting a solo album. How effing stupid would that be? Every word she speaks to the press right now has to come back somehow on her album THAT’S ACTUALLY out. That’s a simple management move that is completely understandable.

5. Am I the only one studying the chemistry between them? Stevie is CLEARLY happy being with those people. She probably agreed to do a solo album very early in last year’s tour, not expecting Christine would actually rejoin the band.

6. I’m not the biggest Stevie fan in the world (I wanted a Christine-Billy ONLY album, to be honest, because their voices sound amazing together), but I refuse to see drama where I seriously doubt it exists. Stevie’s being more than a team player in my eyes. Most in her position would at least make the band do a few songs from the new album that’s actually out right now. She hasn’t done that. She’s being a team player. She could have easily prevented this tour from happening, but didn’t, precisely because she wants this, a full “classic” Fleetwood Mac reunion, to happen as much as the rest of us.

Good point on Mick! They knew pretty early on. He had an entire tour booked. Couldn't spoil that with: "But Christine will be on the next one in a year's time!"

I'm not getting why making a commitment to do a FM album has anything to do with her solo album. Her solo album is already done and out. You seem to emphasize this conflict and I just don't see it. Making such a commitment to the band doesn't interfere with her promotional efforts for the solo album in any way (which are minimal anyway) as any recording sessions and especially album release are a long long way off.

Also, Stevie made it clear that she decided to do a solo album when she realized she had a few months off earlier this year before tour rehearsals.

And just because she's gung ho for the tour doesn't mean she's game for doing an album. There hasn't been any indication that that's something she really wants to do. Touring and recording are completely different things.

It doesn't sound like something a team player would do when the other 4 people want an album and are already well underway on one and, whether she wants to or not, the band feels they still need to convince her to do it. Leaving them hanging like that is not team player behavior.

Saying she plans to do an FM album in the next year or two would have no bearing on 24 Karat Gold sales or promotion. First of all, the FM tour is helping her 24K publicity, so she's already talking about FM when she promotes her solo album anyway. It's not like a movie actor who is trying to promote a small indie film, but people keep asking him about the next blockbusters Avengers film he'll be in. Saying yes she plans on doing an FM album in the future, but hasn't recorded any tracks yet will in no way detract from 24K publicity.

And it's not like any fans are going to say, "What? She has an FM album coming out in 2016? Well, then I won't buy this solo album, today. I'll just wait for the FM album."

Michele

Because of where the focus needs to be right now. One doesn't talk about an album that might get made, or even HAS been made but not released, while promoting an album that's actually out. That's not fair to the label that has actually invested in the album that is actually out right now.

I read that as after John got a cancer diagnosis. I think she expected John to get better and that they'd make up canceled dates, and that she had some time to do a solo album. I think Christine rejoining expedited her solo project (and probably the band's return).

The minute she agrees to do a Fleetwood Mac album, every interview will be about that. Right now, at least she can talk about Christine being back and about her solo album that's actually out now (as opposed to an album that might possibly come out in the next few years).

She owes her label some type of exclusive promotion for that album. She's already not touring the record. Any talk about her album won't happen if she even hints at being ready to be completely on board for a new Fleetwood Mac album. Questions in interviews will immediately go to "So, how's new Fleetwood Mac album going" instead of focusing on her new album.

Fans are a strawman. Fans will be there for whatever. They're trying to sell the album to anybody that will buy it. Fans either already have it or are planning on getting it. It's the super casual, not-even-a-Fleetwood-Mac-fan they're marketing to.

It won't be about that when she hasn't worked on the album yet. There's nothing she can tell them about it, because it doesn't exist and won't exist for at least a year. So, it won't dominate the promotion at all. Frankly, the talk about Christine's return is of more interest to the media than a new FM album and so she does answer Christine questions when talking about 24k, but neither Christine or the FM tour discussion eclipses her efforts to promote 24K.

When she was doing the TISL promotion, the FM album was more concrete. She even SAID that she'd given Lindsey all of those demos to work on. No interviewers asked her, "What type of songs did you give him? Fast or slow? When will the album be finished? Did you give him demos from songs that fans may know already?"

I know what kind of conflict you're describing. It's like Robert Downey Jr. trying to promote The Judge, but having the press just keep asking him about Iron Man and Avengers II, so that no one pays attention to The Judge at all. That's the kind of conflict you're saying exists with Stevie and an FM album, but it really doesn't.

Michele

Christine brings up the fact that they've worked on stuff already and NO ONE CARES. She seems to bring it up in every interview (unsolicited) with nary a follow up question. That's regarding stuff that's already happened that she could easily talk about. Stevie saying she'll be part of an album at some later date that everyone else already has committed to is a non-issue as far as the media is concerned.

That's just not going to happen.

The problem with Lindsey and Stevie is that neither one of them wants to put their pride aside and admit how much the other one has played a role in their early success. Lindsey is a tortured genius who resents that it took an airy fairy spinning spoiled valley girl to make him a rock and roll superstar. Stevie is a great "Rough Draft" songwriter whose early compositions NEEDED Lindsey's arrangements to take them from "rough" to GREAT. Neither one would have become a rock superstar without the other! AND, it drives them nuts!

All the more reason to NOT agree (yet) to a Fleetwood Mac album. It's hasn't gone there yet, no need to go there now. Talk about the new album that's out and about the tour that's currently going on. Don't muddy either up. Period.

She actively toured to support TISL. It was easy to talk about a future Fleetwood Mac project, even in its abstract state, because she was ACTIVELY PROMOTING HER ALBUM BY DOING A PROMOTIONAL TOUR. That’s NOT the case with 24KG. There's a balancing act where Stevie has to be enthusiastic about the album and her photo exhibit, but also about Christine's return. There's not much time or ink space to talk much about anything else at this point.

To us, yes. To the label, not so much, and Stevie owes the label something. Stevie owes the people who are working her album. Management and labels, tour or no tour, have to work albums, and it's always easier for them if the big project people are clamoring for is put on the back-burner until an album's cycle is complete. I know this from personal experience of having worked in the industry. If that means making Mick sweat bullets for a few months, so be it.

Do you honestly believe that there's a remote chance Stevie Nicks won't be on the next Fleetwood Mac album? Do you honestly believe that she did an album of previously leaked demos (most of which she found on YouTube) in less than a month (fastest album she's ever done) for any other reason than she wanted to fulfill a contract so that she could spend the foreseeable future with Fleetwood Mac?

Thank you for being the voice of reason. Fleetwood Mac will NEVER record an album without Stevie. It's simply outside of the realm of possibility. I would like to read the transcript or hear a recording of Mick saying she's "not on board". I suspect this was taken out of context. Mick is probably pissed off the she's releasing a solo record at all, right now. He resented "In Your Dreams" and actually stated in the media that she could be making more money with Fleetwood Mac. Mick is all about the cash grab.

Moreover, it would be SO EASY to get a new 12 track Fleetwood Mac album out. The Chris/Lindsey tracks are practically done. Hell, Stevie could phone in her songs at this point (think "Mirage" or "Tango"). If she wants Dave to produce them, just have him come into the studio for about 3 weeks to record 3 Stevie Nicks songs, and you're done. Have Stevie spend another 2 weeks laying down raspy background vocals on Chris and Lindsey's song, shake a tambourine on selected tracks, and PRESTO: YOU HAVE AN ALBUM. This is not rocket science and we're not curing cancer here. This band is FULL OF DRAMA QUEENS !!!!!!

Sounds to me like she wanted to do something solo following last year's FM tour, but then the Christine thing happened and her time was significantly cut short. So she called up Dave and asked how she could make a quick album. If this was a contractual obligation we'd have heard about it. Like when Weird Al put out his latest album and they mentioned in all the articles and interviews that it completed his recording contract. We've heard no such thing from anybody that suggests she was forced to do this and that she did it for any other reason other than she wanted to do it. Considering she went a whole ten years without making an album on the same contract I doubt her record label is all that demanding on the timing of her releases. And I seriously doubt her record label would be force her to release an album knowing she couldn't promote it. She's still under contract and she's still going to make albums in the future. This was her decision.

Again, she doesn't have to make a huge announcement. It would probably just come out at a meet and greet with Mick and quickly pass until the time comes that they're actually working on the album. You're making up issues that don't exist.

Going by what she said at the time, she felt that Fleetwood Mac needed to tour, and then take three years off. I think this album came about when she thought Fleetwood Mac was going to take three years off.

Yep. We're on the same page thus far....

Like when Lindsey said that reason Stevie wasn't in the studio with the others is because she had other commitments?

Because Weird Al is part of something bigger than himself, like Stevie is with Fleetwood Mac?

Sure. She totally wanted to do an album of songs that had previously been leaked in demo form on YouTube, THAT SHE FOUND ON YOUTUBE, do it faster than ANY album she's ever done in her 41 year recording career, all while the woman she offered $5 million to rejoin Fleetwood Mac to actually rejoined Fleetwood Mac. I guess you're right. Even by Fleetwood Mac's standards more ridiculous things have happened.

Maybe she did it so that she didn't have to worry about the contract at all? You know, so she could focus the next however many years focusing on Fleetwood Mac and having that behind her.

Maybe, but right now, she has an album she's promoting while also promoting the return of Christine McVie. I commend her for that juggling act, but she still at least owes the label the chance to have this album be her sole focus in terms of immediate releases. Muddying things up with potential future releases right now makes no sense. We might want it, but it makes no sense right now.

From experience of seeing things like this first hand, even something as innocuous as a roadie mentioning an album can quickly blow up on the internet. I know from having spent the last four years in the business, up close and about as personal as it gets.

Would WB prefer her to be touring with FM and generating increased sales for the FM catalog or touring for a new Stevie album? Either way she's promoting something for WB.

From a brand new interview with Lindsey, which can be found at http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2014/...w-album-plans/

"We never envisioned finishing the album in the short term," [Buckingham] said. "We set it aside. Stevie will come in and participate. I have material I had been working on. There’s no danger that it will slip between the tracks. It’s too profound to."

Looks like this LB interview NIXES all the Mick MeetnGreet Rumours...and on another note...Stevie got her TOP TEN debut @#7 of 24 K Gold according to Billboard with sales of 33K... :]

Maybe Stevie is hurt they didn't wait for her. Chris comes back and now Lindsey and Chris are the best of friends. We all know the "Musical Love" of Stevie's life is Lindsey. This may have very well struck a nerve. I think the three songwriters are so confident in their work, they know each are despensable. Ego's are a fragile part of them so it seems.

This very well could be calming all the PR a album without Stevie would get... She still may NOT be on board.

Indeed.

Seems a bit like PR to me as well as it does fly in the face of earlier comments about them getting the album out early 2015. (When I typed that I mistakenly typed 2105--- how ironic!)

He's walking it back. He may be just parsing his words… maybe they didn't 'expect' it to be out sooner, but they sure as hell 'hoped' it would be, given their earlier comments.

YMMV

Lindsey isn't one to pull punches (note his little aside that Stevie being "otherwise engaged" has been a "running commentary these days.").

If Stevie still weren't on board for the album, he would most definitely have said so.

They haven't mentioned "early 2015" for months now, and instead began saying that they hoped to have it out "sometime after this tour."

I think the minute they (and their managers) saw that this tour was selling out, they began to discuss adding dates in early 2015. Shifting their time-table for the album, of course.

At the meet and greet in Boston, Mick said that there had "never been any doubt" that they would go to Europe on this tour.

Plus, I couldn't imagine them getting Christine back and then not going to Europe. So, I don't think the early 2015 date holds... or ever really did when they set out to tour.

It makes the most financial sense for them, (and for the album). To tour the crap out of "Chris is Back", then release and album and tour on it's back. The whole process would likely take 2-3 years. With the group....possibly riding off into the sunset at that point.

You don't think this is his way of strong arming Stevie into recording? It seems he has wanted a new Mac album with all of his being for several years now, and that sentiment has only exponentially magnified since Christine's return. I completely agree that Lindsey firmly steps around making proclamations until they're tested & ready to go- but this could just be his desperation talking this time. For what it's worth, I think you're right- Lindsey doesn't mince words when it comes to these sorts of announcements. Whereas if it had been Mick, we could not take this at face value.

No, I don't think so. Like I mentioned earlier, Lindsey said months ago that Stevie had "assured them" she'd be ready and available to record after the tour. To me, Lindsey's newest statement just seems like further confirmation of that.

I take his comments as meaning he expects Stevie to participate, not that she's committed to doing so yet. They're not unlike his comments about a BN album. It will happen ... some day.

Christine, in the past, has also said that Stevie would put in her parts on the album eventually. Stevie hasn't said that yet.

I eventually thought Stevie would get on board as well myself, just as I thought she would certainly tour when Mick gave that Playboy interview. He knew she was going to do it all along, but was pressing for a commitment. That's what I thought this whole album thing was like. I feel differently now about her being on the album, because the new tour dates have been released. Once this tour ends, I don't see Stevie participating in an album after the tour.

The best bet for her participation would have been between two segments of a tour. Now, when this tour ends in 2015, I don't see them getting her in the studio for another 2 years. Saying they might do an album in 2017 is as good as saying there are no album plans at all, really. So, if they think they will be doing an album in 2015, I wish they would say so. If it's 2016, say that. If there are actually concrete plans out there, I wish they'd say so. They need a deadline and if Stevie isn't willing to commit by that deadline, I hope they are willing to go forward, anyway.

Michele

Yes I honestly believe she had other reasons for doing the album. I think she wanted it out in time for the FM tour. And I think the "foreseeable future" she plans on spending with FM ends when the tour ends. Unless she can be coerced into doing an album -- which hasn't happened yet.


The conflict between the promotion of FM and the promotion of a Stevie solo album really has never existed. If there was ever a tension between what WB wanted Stevie to promote, it might have been back when Bella Donna debuted, but it really has never existed since then. Stevie has always talked about FM projects at the same time she has promoted her solo stuff.


Michele

True. Indeed, the fact that she hasn't said she'll be part of an album that everyone else in the band is talking about is what would be the only issue for the media, if they picked up on the omission. That is when they would ask follow up questions about the not-to-be album. Stevie saying, "Yes, when this tour is over, FM is going to release an album," would not even create a blip in any 24K interviews.

Michele

No offense meant to anyone, but I think folks are reading way too much into things. Twice now, Lindsey has said that Stevie will be participating/has assured the band of such -- and we're still debating whether or not she's really given a commitment, only because she hasn't confirmed it to the press.

I firmly believe that if Stevie had not given some form of concrete commitment to the band, in regards to this album, Lindsey would be saying, "We still don't know if Stevie's going to participate, but we're not going to allow this music to fall through the cracks."

If Fleetwood Mac is certain she's going to participate, there's really no reason for us to believe otherwise. Whether she's bothered to say as much in her interviews, or not.

I'd be reassured if Lindsey did say that. If it comes out either way, that's great news to my ears.

Lindsey kept saying that the EP songs (and the other recorded ones) would come out in one form or another, because that's what he wanted to happen. But Stevie never concurred and her silence ended up being prophetic then. So, I think it means something now.

But I don't really care if she's in or she's out. I just want there to be an album, even if she's out.

Michele

PLUS.. it is not above LB's capabilities to make a Robo-Stevie out of his own voice and stick her in the background vocals regardless. See Big Love, She Smiled Sweetly, Peacemaker...

As we all know, circumstances changed -- and, in a relatively short amount of time after 'EP' was released, Christine began making overtures about rejoining the band. I'm sure the second her comeback seemed like a very real possibility, the idea of releasing more of the Mitchell Froom tracks, beyond those on 'EP,' got put on the back-burner.

That's not entirely true -- Stevie mentioned in some of the TV interviews prior to the start of the 2013 tour, that she was open to recording and releasing a couple songs here and there, but was still unsure about recording a full album.

Either way, I still don't believe her hesitance then is indicative of her feelings now. Whether she's bothered to publicly state that or not.

Things that are true in any given moment with this band, aren't necessarily true in the next. Twice now, we've been told by one member or another, that this particular line-up was "never getting back together" -- and then it happened. There was a long period of time when Stevie doubted she'd ever record another solo album -- and then she did, twice. A few years ago, Mick didn't believe Fleetwood Mac would ever tour again -- and they've had two massive tours since.

Things change.

Without a confirmation from Stevie or even any of the band members saying they have confirmation from Stevie, comments like Lindsey's could just be like many on this board who assume Stevie will take part because why wouldn't she? Lindsey's comment could be interpreted that way while Mick's, which are contradictory to Lindsey's, can really only mean that they don't yet have an agreement in place. Only they know the truth of it at this point.

Again, no desire to wade into speculation, but just one more fact to throw out there: earlier this year Dave Stewart pretty clearly and unequivocally stated that Stevie was committed to FM, and "will" record with the band once the tour is over. He posted this on Facebook in response to an obnoxious comment about Stevie's noncommittal attitude.