Farmer's Daughter
 

Listening to the version of "Farmer's Daughter" on the TUSK reissue, it seems to me the version on the Live album could just be this same recording, remixed and with more vocal overdubs. The sleeve claims it was recorded at a soundcheck but the TUSK recording makes me doubt that. And are Christine and Stevie really on this song or is Lindsey just doing his varispeed tricks? (The TUSK version sounds like it is all Lindsey)

I was thinking the same thing, it sounds exactly the same to me. But I hear Christine and Stevie pretty clearly. I don't know where it was recorded but I believe at the end of the FM Live album version you can hear some applause. Or am I thinking Fireflies?

Well, I wondered if Christine and Stevie are overdubbed onto Lindsey's original recording.

La Nicks' harmony on that and the live version is amongst her best ever IMO. I really like that song.

:nod: I totally agree....the harmonies are gorgeous. I wish they had done more songs in that vein, where the 3 part is going on throughout the entire song.

And I definitely hear Stevie and Christine on it. I don't think Lindsey was doing any studio tricks, but that's just me.

Yeah - the applause are there. Sounds like it was recorded during a rehearsal or something.

I've always loved this song - and I hear Stevie very clearly on it (Chris, too, I guess, but my ear is more attuned to Stevie). I'd love to see them bring this out live again...

Nothing compares to Live '80. They tried it on The Dance tour, but it just wasn't the same. For me, it's all about Stevie's airy voice that she had back in the day. It makes the song. :)

I liked it on the Dance tour. It was a different way to end the show. The classic three part harmony of McVie, Buckingham & Nicks made the song, in my opinion.

this has been a favorite song for years, i was so surprised to see it come out on the dance and i definitely agree that it was a great way to end a show, with everyone performing, not just chris on Songbird. coming out on the Tusk RI was like a little gift. it goes on every mixed disc i make for my friends, they always ask about the harmonies ;)

It was cringeworthy on The Dance tour. Their voices matured to the point where it was incredibly strenuous for them to even try harmonizing on that song. It was fun to hear, but in regards to harmonies, it was barfugly.

I think that it's reactions like this that make them so wary of bringing out unexpected songs on tour more often.

It's common knowledge that their voices were in better shape in the late 70's than in the late 90's. Even though we know a lesser-played song may not sound as pristine in concert nowadays as it did when they messed around with it and put it on a "live" album twenty years ago, we still enjoy hearing it because it's a break from the Dreams, Rhiannons, and--lest we forget--the drum solos.

It should also be considered that, if they had never played Dreams live until 1997, we would probably think that the harmonies were "cringeworthy" as well. But because it's been drilled into our heads at every concert since 1977, we're used to it. More elusive gems, such as "Farmer's Daughter," don't have the advantage of being ridiculously overplayed, so it's more jarring when we hear it every 20 years instead of every 2.

We are all entitled to our opinion, but I for one am more willing to forgive them a little in the harmony department because I don't want a setlist of all the songs they're comfortable with (read: the same songs we've been hearing every concert for a quarter century). :wavey:

I think you guys are too picky. They sounded fine doing this song in '97!

I think the one on the "Tusk" reissue sounds about the same as the one on "FM Live." So something is fishy.

Bear in mind that there were two or three more people singing on The Dance version. It's pretty simple to pull of 3 part harmony with 5 people..

i agree! the harmonies are amazing. i wish they would have done more songs like that...

Farmers..
 

I loved this on the Dance tour. To me, it was just different from 1980 but not in a bad way necessarily. It does seem difficult to please alot of fans, when they do the same crap over and over, fans complain. When they try something new, it is not as good as it was twenty years ago. (with the exception of BC) The three part harmony in FD was the perfect way to end a Fleetwood mac concert.
When Smile At You came out on SYW..no one really liked it because we were all used to the Angry version...but is that really fair? They are different and to me, I actually see them almost like two completely different songs. I like what Lindsey did but I know alot of people do not. I wonder though if we did not have demos of SAY..would we have liked it when it came out?