Thoughts on the Fleetwood Mac Live reissue
 

I’ve been waiting to read what folks think of it. I’ve only listened to the new cd once and I have to say I wasn’t real impressed. The worst versions of Second Hand News, The Chain, and Think About Me I’ve ever heard, unfortunately. I suppose they’ll grow on me. Brown Eyes is fantastic. Admittedly, there are few live versions to compare it to, but Christine’s vocals are incredible here.

I haven’t had a chance to listen to the remastered version of the original CDs but I’m sure the sound will be much better. I’m not going to complain about the price because there’s no point and besides, I didn’t have to buy it. It was my decision to do so. I just can’t help but be disappointed the Tusk documentary wasn’t included as well. I mean, is the studio holding out for a dvd/blu ray package at some point, are the copyrights in some sort of legal limbo, or what? I’d say they’re being lazy but clearly a lot of thought and effort went into these rereleases, so I wish they would say why the Tusk documentary and Mirage concerts weren’t also released on dvd/blu ray as well.

Anyway, what do other folks think of this reissue?

Just curious: When you say those are the worst versions you’ve ever heard, how many versions have you heard? Have you heard Second Hand News and The Chain live from 1982? Think About Me live from 1980? Do these particular nights stand out as bad to you? Or do you just not like the way the band did these songs on these tours?

I’ll go out on a not-very-long limb here and say that there really isn’t much difference in performance in those songs from their respective tours. The Chain, for example, sounds nearly identical to the commercially released performance on the video and later on the Mirage deluxe set. They were recorded on successive nights in LA, after all. Second Hand News Los Angeles sounds like Oakland, which sounds like Memphis, which sounds like Detroit, which sounds like Minneapolis, which sounds like Austin, and on and on. There is no great variety in the performance quality of most songs on the short 1982 tour. We’ve heard most of them on audience and soundboard tapes, after all.

Think About Me was played live only for about a month in 1980. Have you heard other performances of it from that time (Hollywood Bowl, Mobile, Wichita, Atlanta), or is this the first time you’ve heard the song done live from that year?

*blank stare at the stairs*

I still find it peculiar that they went for the $100 deluxe edition for a flop album. There is no other way to describe it when every other album whether studio , live or compilation from the Rumours five at least went multi- platinum .Some of the albums from the so called 'wilderness years' have handily outsold this one.

I know, I am glad they did though. The Live album is one of my all time favorites. When I upgraded my albums and tapes to CDs in the early 90s, this was one of the first replacements.....even before Rumours and Tusk. I don't even have the Dance on CD. Its just so sterile for me. I bought the tape because I wanted to listen to it in my car and my car did not have a CD player LOL

Could you imagine if you could go back in time and tell Mick and Warner brothers on a gloomy sales day in 1980, "Dont worry, in 40 years the reissue will be selling for $100 per copy" :eek:

All good points. The only live versions of Think About Me I’d heard before were from the last FM tour with Lindsey, and I thought it was really well done. This version, perhaps I had higher hopes because it was from 1980 and I thought it would sound better. It’s not very tight and I’m disappointed in the ending- I love the harmonies and back up “ooh ooh ooh ooh” vocals, and this live version doesn’t have much of that. Second Hand News I’ve heard live many times, and this version is loud, more of a rock song, and I don’t know how to explain it, except to say it’s less catchy. The Chain, again I’m very disappointed in the ending. I’m sure the more I listen to it, the more I’ll come to accept the differences for positives, but my initial listen was disappointing. Really loved What Makes You Think You’re the One!

This was the first time I’ve heard Hold Me from 1982, and it was really well done! I thought it would a messy song to perform live, but they were pretty tight. I’m looking forward to listening to the other CD today.

Everything was a different sound back in the day. I call it arena rock. You cant even compare The Chain 1980 or 1982 to The Dance The Chain 1997. Its apples and watermelons. Of course Think About Me in 2014 is going to sound different than 1980. Technology changed and the Mac wants to sound like the studio in live shows these days.
Many of us (including me) much prefer this raw, unpolished, and arena rock sound. Your description of Second Hand News makes me want to hear the song and probably like it more with what you call it "Loud and a rock song" That sounds so good to me.

I see what you’re saying and you’re probably right. But listening to Think About Me again, my disappointment isn’t that it doesn’t sound polished, it’s that they changed the ending. There is no “ooh ooh ooh” section at the end, which was my favorite part of the song, and technology aside back in 1980, they could have kept that section but chose not to. Maybe it wouldn’t have sounded as polished, though. It’s kind of like if they performed Big Love and then ended the song before all the grunts lol. The live versions of Landslide, Go Your Own Way, and Sara are my favorite, and they’re very faithful but still have enough differences from the recorded versions to sound unique, especially Landslide.

Have you bought or heard the record and if so, what are your thoughts? I’m really excited to hear what others think.

My box set arrives today and I can’t wait to play it all. These box sets are the best treasures for a fan since the 70’s. It’s worth every penny IMO. These live tracks showcase Fleetwood Mac in their prime.

I was a big fan of Live when it came out in 1980 and had high expectations for it, along the lines of the Eagles live but unfortunately I think Tusk's initial cold reaction dampened enthusiasm and sales. The only quip I had was the version of Don't Stop, like why not an actual concert? As for the new set, so much to like. I love Stevie's growl on Angel and Sisters of the Moon, she had perfected it during the Tusk tour. I could listen to her sing like that for days. Sisters of the Moon is awesome and I really love the Cecelia lyrics at the end, her voice is among the best live voice I've ever heard from her. A big surprise is What Makes You Think You're the One- translates amazing to the stage- so surprised it never made single status and Lindsey's shining moment on this reissue. The keyboard driven Think About Me is also a great listen, to this day I'm shocked this song was not a monster hit, it's truly outstanding and as good or better than You Make Loving Fun. Brown Eyes and Hold Me showcase just how much Christine's voice was improving live, not that she was ever bad, but it was so much stronger. I'm going to enjoy this reissue for years to come, reminds me of why I was such a committed fan for so long and great memories from my teen years. Love it. :]

I really love the new stuff!! Especially the start of the bonus album. It does feel like a nice show if you close your eyes and forget about which versions you know, etc.

Second Hand News A (Wow what an energy charge!)

The Chain A- (Cleveland sounds like Los Angeles!)

Think About Me A (This is fantastic! Great "performance")

What Makes You Think You’re The One A (Cleanest version I've heard)

Gold Dust Woman A- (Wonderful arrangement, embarrassed to say, I didn't catch the lyric mishap)

Brown Eyes A (This is so good. Very clean and wonderful)

The Green Manalishi A (Great energy)

Angel B (I've heard better versions, something off about this one)

Hold Me B+ (Still not as good as her solo tour)
{Should have been on the HBO special}

Tusk A- (Don't care for this live, but it's the best I've heard to date. The accordion is great in this, along with the extension of the song)

You Make Loving Fun B (Ho hum, Not their best. The Tusk Live Deluxe is better by far. )

Sisters Of The Moon B- (Very vanilla version, vocals eeek)

Songbird B- (This is the Songbird they choose? Again, the Tusk Wembley version is so much better. )

Blue Letter B+ (I really adore the HBO version)

Fireflies – B- (Ok, what's different?)

I love that it's tagged "Long Version" but it's actually quite a bit shorter than the original

Mine is due to be delivered tomorrow. I thought a reissue of a live album was pretty strange, but I sprang for the Rhino release with all the goodies. I too love that raw sound. You didn't know what you might hear. Today, every concert is pretty much the same.

I love the added stuff, it really fills in some obvious gaps in the original Live album. It's not all perfect, but it's a perfect time capsule of Fleetwood Mac in their 1977-82 prime. Some of my favorites...

Second Hand News - I love this as an opener, it's rocking, quick, and full of energy. To my ears, an improvement over using Say You Love Me.

The Chain - The '82 Chain disguising itself as an '80. It is pretty much note for note (99%) as the version from the next night. I thought they nailed it on this tour. The version on the Tusk Deluxe is pretty amazing as well, until I heard that, the Mirage Tour Video was always my favorite version. This one is great. Christine's organ, all of their vocals, Lindsey's guitar...spot on!

Gold Dust Woman - I love this version, the intro really sets the mood. I'll still say she really got this one right on The Dance, but I think this is a great addition.

Brown Eyes - love, love, love this. Why they played it again in 1987-88 but never since is beyond me.

Hold Me - This was the one I waited for. A cleaned up non bootleg version of Hold Me. Count me in as someone who loves the 'yeahhhhs' they did in 1982. This really sounds good!

There isn't really a bad song added, some of them are just same old things I've heard before so nothing overly interesting.

Yeah, I agree with you. Live was always one of my favorites and I was starting to think we weren't going to get a deluxe edition for it. I had a chance to listen to it several times now and love everything on it. After several listens I now recognize what Stevie is saying at the end of SOTM but didn't realize it was from Cecelia. This is something that I will enjoy for years, and so glad we got it after being in the vault for 40 years!

As for the haters, if you don't want to buy it then don't. There are digital files for $18 if $100 is too much, but to come on here and try to spoil other people enjoyment over your own hateful rederick makes you out to be nothing more than another internet troll.

I listened to some of the first disc and the third disc at low volume (my dog was sleeping) last night on Spotify. The labeling on all three discs is all screwed up. That’s disappointing and yet a little comical at this stage of the game. I’ll listen again at higher volume because I’m curious to see whether intros and outros contain a little more data, with the remastering.

The Santa Monica Civic Auditorium cuts are dated Sept. 4. New one on me. If it’s correct, it means that these things didn’t come from a band rehearsal in July for the final leg — my working hypothesis. Why would the band gather to play for anything three days after the tour ended? I can only conclude that they intended to play new things for the live album they already had planned, and maybe to record some bits and pieces of things for patching. In fact, maybe Stevie’s wondrously bronchial singing on “Sara” was recorded here and then laid on the instrumental tracks from St. Louis almost a year earlier.

I love the third disc. I love “What Makes You Think,” but I knew I would anyway. (If “So Afraid” was a bulldog onstage, this was a kangaroo on a sugar high — imagine Bobby Van on a pogo stick.) The August 1980 performances mark the band’s live apogee in my brain. There’s nothing before or since in this incarnation’s live cycles that capture the preternatural communication among the musicians and that end-of-tour enervation, bundled with such individuality and such personal voice (no other band in the world sounded like Fleetwood Mac in August 1980). To my ears and eyes, it’s like the sexually desperate, sophisticated waning of a great culture before implosion — it’s Fleetwood Mac’s Weimar period.

“Angel” is supposed to be from Richfield Coliseum, the same show used for the 20/20 TV show. Has anyone checked the two for confirmation? “Angel” is splendid here, but I don’t know whether it’s actually Cleveland as advertised. We were also supposed to get “The Chain” from Cleveland on this album, but we know we got LA 1982. I had really hoped we’d get at least something from the Bowl 1980 because, after all, it was supposed to be the original Live album. Maybe when they reissue this three-disc package a few years from now, they’ll suddenly “find” some Bowl cuts and add them?

Stevie’s harmony singing on “Second Hand News” is powerfully spot on. She matches Lindsey’s drive yelp for yelp. Neither one of them is going to let the other outpace. That kind of competition is so much more thrilling than the staged melodrama on “Silver Springs” in 1997. Give me this genuine musical athleticism any day. I think I was at that LA show, too, but hearing it now doesn’t spark any specific memories other than what was filmed.

And we’ve all complained, even the reviewers: I wish they could have added a fourth disc instead of all the vinyl crap and repro tour collectibles. Who needs that garbage, especially when it displaces another disc of old concert audio?

My grade: A–
It’s about as great as the white, Rumours, and Tusk deluxe sets, and better than the Mirage and Tango sets. I look forward to reading the Wild article and seeing the pictures.

:lol::lol::lol:
Dramatic much?
$100 IS TOO MUCH. If you don't want to hear other people's opinions, perhaps you shouldn't come to community forums!

Btw, have I mentioned that $100 IS TOO MUCH?

I like it, I swear!!! ;) I give it an A-. There were a few times I was underwhelmed. But, not often.

Hey enough with the hateful rederick!:lol:

Wtf is rederick, anyway?

And I'm rarely hateful, but usually a smart ass. Don't confuse the two!

If there was only one officially released Fleetwood Mac CD that I could take to a desert island, it would be LIVE.( I should point out that I always skip Not that Funny,Never Going back Again and One More Lonely Night) Still awaiting the box, but based on one itunes listening of Disc 3, I am happy with it- despite the apparent inaccuracy with dates and venues, which is really unacceptable.
I have about 100 + live shows from 1975-2019, so I am familiar with live versions of these songs . That said, disc three has some great material. Stand outs at first listening were Hold Me, Brown Eyes and -much to my surprise- Tusk , which is much more 'fluid' than later versions.

I thought it southern for rhetoric:shrug::)

I'm not certain, as Imma Yankee transplant. Although I'm fixin' to pull up my britches and find out(those are my two favorite southern words).

I hadn't even figured out that they were trying to spell rhetoric! :wavey:

I’m from a little town near Birmingham, deep in Christine homeland...the Black Country.
And even I knew what BS3 meant!!...

I’ve been persuaded ..I’m buying mine tomorrow, can’t wait.:]:]

Great packaging of the Live box set. The demos of Fireflies and One More Night are amazing with those clean youthful voices. I will be listening to the three discs tomorrow. Some great never before pictures of outtakes from the album cover.

That's the best Tusk Live, that I've heard. It's fluid, it makes more sense as a song, it jams to give the crowd energy.

I've always thought it was just filler live.

From what I understand the dialect spoken in the Black Country of the Midlands is the oldest version of English in existence !

Is Fireflies just Stevie and keys? Thank you!

It’s only her voice but it may have more then keys... I have only listened to it once.

I’m underwhelmed by the reissue. Of the new offerings, “The Chain” stands out as excellent. I love it, love it, love it. The rest is fair-to-good but not outstanding. “Angel” sounds decent but without SEEING Stevie doing the dancehall bit on stage I’m not especially excited. Her vocals on “Gold Dust” are flat. Why pick an unadventurous version of “Sisters” when there are other well-known better ones?

Christine sounds best on “Brown Eyes, though it’s not an obvious song to do live. Her vocals on “TAM” are better than the YouTube one that’s been floating around for years, but the rest of the band don’t sound as energized. She sounds tired on “YMLF” and outright exhausted on “Songbird.” “Hold Me” is lovely and fun.

Lindsey fares best because his raucous songs are best suited to the stadiums. “WMYTYTO” and “Tusk” shine here. Still, I’m not terribly interested in repeated listenings.

The original release’s version of “Not That Funny” is good, but nowhere near as good as the Mirage tour version on YouTube.

So, in all, meh. I’m glad for “The Chain.”

Aaah Beorma’s tribe..Anglo-Saxons, from the 7th century..

I’ve lost most of my accent as I’ve lived in Hampshire (via Yorkshire) for 40 years..until I phone my sister.... hahaha

I know what you mean .I have not lived in my native Philadelphia in decades but within hours of getting off of the plane at Philly international I start calling water wooder again.

I LOVE Stevie's wailing and howling at the end of "The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)". Tear it up, sis !!

LOVE LOVE LOVE the exuberance of 'Second Hand News'! What a great opener! :thumbsup:

'Hold Me' - Yeah, I'm liking the 'yeahs'! :nod:

An earlier version of 'Sisters of the Moon' would've been better (something similar to the documentary video) where Stevie doesn't annoyingly talk-sing the words, and she does the awesome "It's you, it's you, it's you, it's you..." instead of the birds flying away lines.

'Angel' - much better on the doc video too. Too much growling and she sounds worn out. Like 'Sisters', an earlier version would've been better before the tour became a yearlong grind for them all.

Some of the performance credits are screwy. Wasn't 'Rhiannon' actually from the 'Rumours' tour (not 1980 as listed)? And 'Monday Morning' as well? This wasn't done on the 'Tusk' tour.

The booklet's a disappointment. Could've been more pics. Do we really need 2 full pages of the audience, and a page and a half of the clean-up crew? :(

Yes, that Rhiannon is definitely from the Rumours tour. At no point on the Tusk Tour was she singing it at that level still. And Monday Morning was definitely from 1977 too. They did open with it on the later dates of the Tusk Tour but that version is older.

I don't understand how these things get screwed up. Basic stuff which should be easy to correct. Same with The Chain being from Cleveland 1980 but really being from LA 1982. I guess they figure the 'masses' wouldn't have a clue nor care.

Not to mention 'Over My Head', given as 8/24/80. :confused:

We all know Christine only did 'Over and Over' and 'Think About Me' (at least for a few shows) for the 'Tusk' tour.

I've always found it curious that while Stevie and Lindsey did a couple of their new songs on this tour, Christine held back. Was she herself not comfortable with her new material? Or was it a group consensus when deciding the set list?

It would've been cool if she did 'Brown Eyes', instead of waiting till 1982. Or my personal fav 'Honey Hi'. :nod:

These are the things I want to hear about in interviews! I don't care about 99% of what people talk to them about. I want to know why Chris didn't play Brown Eyes throughout the ridiculously long Tusk Tour but somehow thought to play it in 1982 and then yet again 5 years later after Lindsey left?

I do think Chris tends to stick to hits. Even in some of her Mirage-era introductions of Brown Eyes, she feels compelled to call it an obscure song from an obscure album. Even as late as 2015 she basically talked down Think About Me during introductions and I want to say did the same with All Over Again on their last dumb tour. It's probably why we never hear anything from her pre-1975 catalog anymore. And I guarantee without Lindsey's pushing, she wouldn't have even thought about playing Wish You Were Here on BuckVie.

I remember a recent interview where Stevie made a comment along the lines of “with Tusk, we were touring for an album some of us didn’t care for, singing songs we weren’t crazy about” or something to that effect. If she was referring to herself and Christine, then that would explain why Christine didn’t sing many songs from Tusk live for that tour. I think Stevie sang Sara, Sisters of the Moon, and Angel, and on subsequent tours she sang Storms and Beautiful Child.

Knowing how Stevie always loves her own songs, it must've been a jab at Lindsey's 'Tusk' material.

I love the set. I think it's great that we now have two live versions of Angel from the beginning and end of the tour in great sonic clarity.

I'm still curious why they apparently have some tracks from the forum 82 show that sound amazing and they released some on this set....yet a few years back on the mirage reissue it was just a cleaned up version of the laserdisc audio. Perhaps they discovered tapes after the mirage project was released?

Also, Dreams isnt actually from a Paris soundcheck at all. It's the same audio from this video, shot in 77:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3ywicffOj4

The labeling in general is a complete disaster. Instead of the intern at Warner Bros, they should of had our very own David be in charge of that task.