How has your fandom changed over the years
 

How has your Fleetwood Mac fandom changed over the years?

EG -if you liked th early male line-ups, did you welcome the inclusion of Christine or did you think it was the end of civilization as we know it to have a GIRL in FM.

As an early fan did you welcome Buckinghamnicks with open arms or did you think they should be lined up against the nearest wall and........... for changing the sound of your favourite band?

Does your fandom start and end with Rumours and Tusk?

Did you start with the Rumours era but have since come to love the early/later incarnations?

Did you see only Stevie for years but now realize you loved Lindsey and or Christine all along?
Or was Stevie your route to discovering Lindsey/Christine/Peter/Bob/Rick/

Did it all start with Tango/ Dance and you're still discovering new delights?

Did you discover Bekka and work backwards?

Or has the definitive Fleetwood Mac not happened yet for you?

etc etc

Well I got into Mac through Rumours/Mirage which were the two albums my Dad had when I was growing up. I got into Stevie myself as an extention of the mac but ended up being more of a Stevie fan than a mac fan. When I was younger my Mum bought me Rumours, Mirage and Tango in the Night on tape and Behind the Mask on CD..i must've been about 5 or 6. Then I picked up a copy of Other Side of the Mirror in a charity shop and was hooked.

I was a Peter Green fan before there ever WAS a "Fleetwood Mac". But, after Peter left and I heard Kiln House, I remained a fan...the group had by then, gotten to be the bigger entity than any particular member. Then through the '70s, I got used to the constant personnel changes (so when Lindsey left in 1987, and Steve & Christine left in 1990, they weren't earth-shattering events)

I've been just fine with each "reinvention" of Fleetwood Mac...with the exception of the return of Lindsey & Stevie in 1997. I thought that was the worst thing Fleetwood Mac could've done.

Does your fandom start and end with Rumours and Tusk?
I started with MIRAGE in fact. Though I already knew DREAMS, DON'T STOP and YMLFUN. But the Gypsy video got me interested in this band. This was simultaneously with BELLA DONNA so actually Stevie was the first atracttion.

Then I bought the LIVE album (cause I'm a live versions fan) and that was when I became fan of the Rumours lineup. I've listened other lineups but the Rumours one is my favorite.

Did you start with the Rumours era but have since come to love the early/later incarnations? Frankly, I don't LOVE them, but I like some. I'm not into blues that much, but some songs are interesting.

Or was Stevie your route to discovering Lindsey/Christine/Peter/Bob/Rick/
Yes, she was the route.

When I first got into them I was a die-hard Christine fan. I loved her stuff - and refused to become one of those "Stevie Nicks obsessives" Then I became a Stevie Nicks obsessive :lol:

I mean I was way obsessed with her and FM...but over the years I've mellowed...I'm not longer "obsessed" more appreciative...that sounds lame.

They're my #2 favorite band of all-time, but I'm just not as rabid as I used to be in my fandom.

you're all probably going to be shocked by this, but mine hasn't changed. I was hooked by our Rock Goddess on The Dance and I'm still rocking a little to the Queen Mother more than ever today.

shocked, right? :shocked:

I became a fan with the release of Rumours... then got the "White Album" and "Buckingham/Nicks". I have been SO incredibly sold on them ever since! When they played Atlanta on the Rumours tour I already had tickets (3rd row in front of Lindsey!!) but won their album catalog from a radio contest. I mainly listened to just the Christine and Bob Welch songs off them, tho. Since then tho I LOVE those early albums. :nod:

I have remained a die-hard fan of theirs all along. Was incredibly "suspicious" of the TIME phase but hung in since Christine was still there... even got that cd just for her songs. Since then, I love me some TIME and that is one of my very, very faves. :wavey:

I thought SYW would have been cooler as a long-awaited B/N follow-up. :cool:

Interesting question.

I came to the Mac the way most people did: Rumors (my older sister bought it when I was six) and Mirage (which came out when I entered junior high).

I first loved Stevie ("Gypsy" and "Dreams") in part because of her look, in part because her voice is so unique.

So, within a year, I wound up getting Tusk, then the white album--both of which I loved. By then, my favorite member was--and still is--Christine. I couldn't get enough of her voice.

So, in pursuit of more Chris, I bought Heroes (which at first shocked me; I was horrified by the weirdness of the songs, and the horns in the title track...), then Penguin (which I LOVED). All the Bob Welch-era albums became so interesting to me. Then, I moved further back. Kiln House, Then Play on, etc... I still can't believe the richness of this band.

I was in HMV one day and saw the Rumours re-master on sale of £6.99 and since my parents used to play The Dance a lot in the car I though "Why not? It's supposed to be an all time classic" so I bought it, thought it was great, especially Lindsey's stuff. Second Hand News remains one of my favourites. The I order Tusk and the White Album. Loved them. Then ordered Say You Will and Tango In The Night. Eventually got Mirage one day when I was in Belfast. Then, since I'm a big Blues fan I moved onto the earlier stuff and have been slowly working my way through that. I'm a completist for bands I like, regardless of line-up, so I'm willing to give any incarnation of FM a chance (I hate it when people dismiss Black Sabbath because they aren't the original/most popular line-up so I refuse to do that with FM).
Lindsey's stuff is still my favourite, with Peter Green in second place.

[I think this post was rather rambling... blame alcohol lol]

I started with "Tango" in 1987. I was 13 at the time, and didn't have a ton of money for music, so whatever I did buy, I had to be fairly selective. I had been following the group on MTV, and had developed a curiosity. That peaked when Lindsey quit the group, and I knew I had to buy the "Tango" tape. A few weeks later I bought "Mirage" (since I knew "Hold Me" and "Gypsy") and found an LP of "Mystery To Me." So very early on in my fandom, I realized there were other eras of Fleetwood Mac. My next purchases were Lindsey's "Law And Order" and one of those Boston Tea Party shows from the Peter Green Days.

Christmas of 1987 saw the additions of "Fleetwood Mac" and "Tusk." I also saw and read the CD box for "Future Games," which helped me understand where the band had gone, and where they were going. Oddly enough, "Rumours" was the last Big Mac studio album, which I got in the new year. I also was able to pick up "Penguin," "Fleetwood Mac In Chicago," and "Heroes Are Hard To Find" in the cut-out bins, as well as various solo albums. The most intersting thing I found was at a record show, and that was the Christine Perfect album. Now, this was before I had gotten her 1984 album. A few months later, I went to Chicago and picked up "Then Play On," "The Visitor," and "Future Games."

So, within the first year or so of the release of "Tango," I went from not knowing anything about Fleetwood Mac to being a fan of the group. By my third year of fandom, after going to many record shows, used record stores, flea markets, music import stores, and even estate sales, I had all of the studio albums, a good chunk of the solo albums, my first copy of Buckingham Nicks, and had chatted with the record companies and even managers.

How has it changed, going into my 20th year of fandom? A lot of the mystique, thanks to the various bootlegs that have surfaced within the last few years, might have died down a bit, but that's been replaced by a new level of respect for the group. I don't listen to them as avidly as before, but then I'm now 32 and have actual responsibilities. I don't always rush out to the store to pick up a new solo album, but then I've always been very cautious with money. In other words, I'm still the same fan, just grown up.

In terms of my attitude towards the band, that hasn't changed. From the beginning, I knew this was a band of change. I quickly learned of the different eras, and as quickly found a magical quality in the music of every era. It's probably also why I don't really have an issue with the later incarnations of the group. The band's history, and diversity, has made them the most interesting band to me.

I should note that within months of getting into the band, I started playing guitar and writing songs, so having all those singer/songwriter/guitarists is something I've identified with, and have personally benefitted from. It's like there is this weird connection, forged at an early age, for me.

It was Stevie's voice and songs that captured my attention first. 'Rock A Little' was the first album I owned by her (got it for Christmas in '85), and from there I sought out her first two solo albums and then started collecting her albums with Fleetwood Mac -- which is how I also became a big fan of Lindsey and Christine.
The more I learned about Fleetwood Mac, the more I wanted to hear the music of the earlier incarnations, and eventually my fandom encompassed all of the various lineups.

Through it all though, Stevie has remained my favorite... as she's the only one who has consistently entertained me, touched me and inspired me without fail.

Thats me. My ex-boss was a big fan of "Everyday", and forced me to listen to TISL, which I now thank him dearly for - because that album marks the changing point in my musical taste. I used to be a hip-hop fan until I heard that album, now I just don't know what I was thinking...

From that album, I ventured into Fleetwood Mac. The first album being "Rumours" and the last album I bought "Kiln House".

I was mainly intrigued by Stevie when I first heard The Dance. I tried listening to some of the stuff by the earlier FM lineups, but I just couldn't get into it. I like some of the early Peter Green stuff (before Then Play On) and I've heard some of Christine's work with Chicken Shack, which I like, too. I can't stomach Bob Welch, though. :sorry:

My fandom has cooled way, way down. As I've mentioned before, I'm mostly over Stevie. I appreciate Lindsey now more than I ever have, and am probably a bigger fan of his now than I am of Stevie's.

I just love reading that because it's nice to know after being into Fleetwood Mac since 1975-the White Album-that they can still reach a much younger fan here and there.
I still love Fleetwood Mac, but after Christine left, it wasnt exactly the same.It was listening to Over My Head-on AM radio at that, that turned me on to the band.
From there, I got Buckingham-Nicks, which I loved-still do. Then that led me to a few older albums-Future Games and Then Play On, which I enjoyed. Back in 1977 they would play Hypnotized and Future Games alongside the Rumours music from what I remember.
I saw them live during the Tusk Tour, Mirage, Tango in the Night. All of them except the Time line up which didnt appeal to me at all.
So after all these years Stevie is still my favorite.
It's funny about the Dance, because that's been awhile now, but I remember feeling so glad/excited that the Rumours line up was hitting the road again. I got to see their 2 shows at Shoreline, outside of San Jose.
I would go see them again like I did 3 times on the Say You WIll Tour, but like alot of fans, I'd love to hear a different set. Even though Christine's gone from the band I'd love to hear Hold Me. And Angel, Storms, Tango in the Night for starters.

Rumours brought me to FM. Mylove for the band continues to grow. From Rumours, I became a fan of B&N in addition to the respective solo work. The intensity of my fandom does increase based upon the release of work or a tour...group or solo.


[edit] who am I kidding...LINDSEY IS #1 :]

I became a fan in my early teens in the late 1970s when FM were all over the radio .The 3 albums by the Rumours band in the 1970s are to me their zenith .I still listen to them all the time and of course all that time I was obsessed with La Nicks and thought she too could do no wrong and musically at that time through maybe The Wild Heart she really didn't.

I started off being a Stevie fan when I saw the video for "Stop Draggin My Heart Around" (albeit a decade or so after its release - since Bella Donna was released the same year I was born). I was already a big fan of Tom Petty, so her association with him was what got me interested.

Then came The Dance and I almost immediately became obsessed with all things Fleetwood Mac - but most especially with Lindsey Buckingham.

Then there was that long stretch of time when there was nothing new from the band or from LB solo, so I started investigating the works of some of the band's associates - Walter Egan, Warren Zevon, John Stewart, etc.

These days my biggest interest is with Billy Burnette and Bekka Bramlett, though I am still very much a fan of Lindsey Buckingham and, of course, people like Walter Egan.

How exactley did Christine leave in 1990? Stevie left in 1992 officially after 'Paper Doll' and Rick followed in '93. By this time the band was in ruins. I like to believe that between '92 and '97 Fleetwood Mac did not exist. Christine stayed with the new lineup that Mick got together I believe to do "Time" but that was such a disaster I do not acknowlege it as a Fleetwood Mac album (even though I own it). Infact, I don't acknowlege it as an album. I just don't acknowlege it. It should be locked away in a cellar under a pool of sick and should NEVER be brought out. I thought of all people YOU would know about the lineups.

In the fall of 1990, Christine and Stevie both announced that they were retiring from the touring aspect of Fleetwood Mac, but they would both continue to record with the band.
Months later, Stevie told the press that she was leaving Fleetwood Mac altogether, due to a fallout with Mick (she wanted to include "Silver Springs" on 'Timespace,' but was blocked from doing so).

Around that same time (1991), Rick also announced he was no longer a member of Fleetwood Mac (while doing press for his first solo album).

Sometime in 1992, Billy also left to focus on his solo career, but he returned soon afterward.

"Paper Doll" was originally recorded for possible inclusion on 'Greatest Hits,' but was abandoned. The song was then finished (with overdubs, including new backing vocals by Lindsey) in 1992 for '25 Years - The Chain.'
Out of loyalty, Stevie also sang backing vocals on one of Christine's new contributions to the boxed-set, "Heart Of Stone."

The 'Rumours' lineup performed together in January of 1993 for Bill Clinton's inaugural gala and, shortly thereafter, Stevie confirmed to USA Today that the performance was one-off and that that particular lineup of the band was not getting back together.

A few weeks later, Fleetwood Mac performed at the Super Bowl, with the lineup consisting of Mick, John, Christine, Billy and Rick (who performed at Billy's request).

In the summer of '93, Rolling Stone magazine announced that Bekka Bramlett was now a member, ostensibly replacing Stevie.
Dave Mason came on board shortly afterwards.

With the little history lesson out of the way, I'll say that, while everyone is entitled to their tastes and no one can possibly like everything, too many people write-off 'Time' without even giving it a chance, simply because Stevie and Lindsey aren't on it (aside from Lindsey's little guest appearance).
But, if you go in with an open-mind, it's actually a really great album. And thanks in no small part to Richard Dashut's excellent production work, there are many moments during the course of the album that sound very much like the classic Fleetwood Mac of the late '70s.

I first got hooked by The Dance. I always heard Landslide and Silver Springs on the radio, and I liked them, so I just randomly listened to the CD one day and loved it. Then I got TVBoFM to kind of start off, then I bought Tusk, Rumours, etc...I got hooked fairly quickly. Today, I might not listen to them quite as much, but they're still my favs. ;)

Actually, I was really looking forward to hearing Time. I couldn't wait to get it home and play it all the way through but when I did, I just didn't like it AT ALL!! Anyway, here's my Fleetwood Mac story in depth:

My Dad had Rumours and Mirage when I was growing up so I knew who they were and a little bit about them. I remember when I was young I found it hillarious that this band with a strange name had a man called Lindsey and a girl called Stevie. Anyway, around 1998 ish my Dad bought The Dance. That's when I REALLY got into them. My Mum bought me Rumours and Mirage on tape so I could listen to them in my room (I never had a CD player until about 2000). I was about 8 or 9 ish. Then I picked up Tango in a charity shop and my aunt and uncle bought me Behind the Mask one xmas on CD. My first Stevie solo purchase followed. I got Other Side of the Mirror, again from a charity shop and then Rock a Little both on tape. That was it until about 2000-2001 or whenever I got my first CD player with some birthday money. I picked up Bella Donna to play on my new CD player and Dad got me The Wild Heart of xmas that year. I got Trouble in Shangri-La for the xmas after it was released. I didn't buy anything of Mac or Stevie for a while then until the double disc remastered editions came out. I got White album, Rumours and Tusk all on CD and Dad gave me his copy or Mirage in exchange for my cassette so he could play it in the car. I was slowley replacing all of the old cassettes with CD's. Around late 2004 ish I got Street Angel and Tango in a clearance at Music Zone and Say You Will in one of those 2 for £10 (or as priced) thingy's at Woolworths. Somebody bought me the early Greatest Hits from the blues years around the same time but I wasn't really interested. I got "Time" fairly recently but it bores me so much, I've never really payed much attention to it.

ChiliD is gonna be so pissed off with this whole post!
I can't wait.

Interesting!
 

Funny how Lindsey wanted to do the SAME EXACT THING after Tango was made and he got screamed at for it. :rolleyes:

To be fair - he backed out like the day before a world tour - therein lies the difference :shrug:

Your lack of acknowlegement of Time wreaks of the same utter ignorance as those who claim the Holocaust never happened.

As Johnny Stew pointed out, both Christine & Stevie announced their departure of the band a month prior to the end of the 1990 tour. However, one small discrepancy with his post, at the time of their announcement, neither of them mentioned the caveat of just leaving the road; they'd just announced that they were leaving outright...it wasn't until after the end of the tour did Christine retract her complete departure and said that she would still be open to RECORDING with Fleetwood Mac; just not touring with them. Fleetwood Mac had a complete album entitled Another Link In The Chain finished (sans Christine) in early 1994. They took off on a world tour, but the album was delayed. Finally in mid-1995, they re-worked the album adding Christine's tunes and two weeks after the END of an 18 month tour, they released Time to no fanfare and no tour to support it.

That's true. Whereas in the early 1990s things had been brewing for a while, I don't think I was surprised at all over the announcement but I was shocked over Lindsey.
I also remember reading at the time that both Chris and Stevie were annoyed with Mick over his book.

Funny how they used a Stevie Lyric ( "and Mick says Stevie . . . ") and the reference to her lyrics. But, such is life.

Time was an okay recording, though I did not like it all that much. I do, however, like Bekka and DM and I like Nights in Estoril.

Now, now. The Holocaust wasn't that bad!

I agree. Time has some wonderful moments: Billy's "I Got it in for You" and "Talkin' to My Heart" are both genuinely lively songs Bekka's "Nothing Without You" and her reading of "Winds of Change" are excellent; and Christine's "Hollywood" and "Nights in Estoril" are both reat tunes.

The only real duds, I think, are Mason's contributions, which throw the album out of focus.

I used to be totally obsessed with everything Stevie, although Christine had been my favorite Macster since I was really little. I actually liked the Rumours line-up in general, and I was kind of scared to listen to pre- and post-Rumours stuff. First I got BTM and Time, which I didn't like too much. Then one day I spontaneously decided to purchase all of the pre-Rumours albums. I fell in love with the Bob Welch era and it's still my favorite.

Actually, everything I saw and read at the time (most notably the Entertainment Tonight piece on the band) said that both weren't going to tour anymore with the band, but would still record.

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Los Angeles Times (12/06/1990), The Final Stop with Fleetwood
Lesley Thode


Los Angeles Times, December 6, 1990


The Final Stop With Fleetwood

Fleetwood Mac will mark the end of an era Friday at the Forum when Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie make their last full-time appearance.

by Steve Hochman, Special to the Times

Stevie Nicks had hoped to make it to Friday night at the Forum before the tears started falling.

That's when she and Christine McVie apparently will be making their last appearance as full-time members of Fleetwood Mac. Though the two are slated to contribute to the next Mac album, the Inglewood Forum concert will mark the end of an era for a group that ruled the pop charts in the late '70s, with the two women as the public focal points.

Nicks figured that it would be Friday, during her introduction of her song "Landslide," in which she always makes a dedication to someone at the show, before the emotions of change would really hit her.

But she didn't even make it through a recent interview.

"In my heart I don't believe it is the last show," Nicks said through sobs while talking on the phone from Saskatoon, Canada, where the group was performing.

"I know that's not what everybody else has said to you," Nicks said. "We are all individuals and have our opinions, and until three years go by and I see the whole thing with no chance of getting back together, I'll never believe it's over. I really believe everything is destined, and if we're supposed to be together, we will be."

But for now, if not forever, this version of Fleetwood Mac is over. McVie, who initiated the end last summer after her father's death made her long for more time with her family, left little doubt about that.

"In the last few years it's been more of a band than it's ever been," McVie said in a separate phone interview from Saskatoon. "I think we spent more time laughing in the last few years than in prior years. That's one thing that's held us together.

"But when the time comes for change, you know it, you feel it," she said placidly. "Things can't go on the same as always. You go around in circles."

The emotions are weighing heavily on her too.

"I'm trying not to think about it," she said, noting that Lindsey Buckingham, who joined the group with Nicks in 1975 and left two years ago, may join in for a song or two at the Forum. "(Friday's concert) is going to be such a heavy gig. Practically everyone we've ever known from time immemorial will be there. It's going to be nerve-wracking and emotional. It would be silly to spoil the show just for that."

The women's contrasting attitudes serve as perfect illustrations of just what Fleetwood Mac will be losing after the show: For 20 years McVie has been its self-described "Mother Earth"; for 15 years Nicks has been its angel, Gypsy or space-cadet, depending on one's perspective.

One or the other has written and sung virtually all of the group's most popular songs: McVie's "Don't Stop" and "Say You Love Me," Nicks' "Rhiannon," "Dreams" and "Gypsy." In terms of the group's image, their loss may be the greatest ever for a band in which personnel change has been the order, even more so than the losses of founder Peter Green in 1970 and creative linchpin Buckingham two years ago.

"I would have to say this is our biggest challenge, in no uncertain terms," said drummer Mick Fleetwood, 43. He and bassist John McVie are the lone survivors of the original Mac, which began in London in 1967. "But without sounding at all blase about the subject, it's a decision that's come in a pleasant way, and it's understandable," Fleetwood said, also speaking from Saskatoon. "Each, for their own reasons, basically wants more time to herself. And, God knows, both of them have given so much to Fleetwood Mac through the years."

What each plans to do with her time is as different as their personas. McVie, 47, has her eye on six months of rest with her husband and songwriting partner, Eddie Quintela.

"I can't really think more than six months ahead now," she said. "But I imagine we'll go into the studio in August to do the new Fleetwood Mac album. And we bought a 400-year-old house in Kent, England, that needs a lot of restoration. And then maybe I'll take a year and start a solo project and write intermittently."

In contrast, Nicks, 42, has a workaholic schedule, concentrating on her already successful solo career.

"I'm booked into the studio Feb. 1 to do two new songs for a greatest-hits package," she said. "And then I'd like to take a month and do about 15 solo concert dates. Then after that I'll come back and do a new solo album and tour. I figure I've got about a year and a half of solid work."

Meanwhile, Fleetwood Mac will go on.

"There will always be a Fleetwood Mac as long as Mick and John are around," said Christine McVie.

With singer-guitarists Rick Vito and Billy Burnette having joined when Buckingham left, and no hard feelings regarding the exits of McVie and Nicks, this may be the smoothest transition yet for the Mac.

But Fleetwood is aware that without its two women, the group may never have the same impact and drawing power it had. He acknowledged that Friday's show may be the last time the band ever plays a venue as big as the Forum.

"One has to face the obvious that it may not be as successful," he said.

But Fleetwood is also relishing the idea of the reduced band's returning to its bluesy roots and being able to just go out and play without making much of a fuss, rather than mounting the huge, grueling tours that have been the norm since the 1977 album "Rumours" became the all-time top-selling album at that time.

Still, he won't rule out McVie's and/or Nicks' guesting at future shows. And there's even the possibility of a 25th-anniversary show in 1992, with all the past and present members--including Buckingham, Green, Bob Welch and Danny Kirwan--invited to play.

One thing that Fleetwood seems to have ruled out, though, is replacing Nicks and McVie. And he promises that the new Mac will not be a nostalgia band with Burnette and Vito singing the hits associated with the two departing singers.

"This is going to be a new Fleetwood Mac," he said. "I don't think there's any other way of approaching it. It would be like ending up in a Holiday Inn: 'Hi. I'm Mick Fleetwood, and this is "Dreams."'"
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Christine was part of the project from the gitgo. Billy, OTOH, was the last one on board, having left in March, 1993, but coming back by October or November of that same year.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...Mac/Mac951.jpg

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The Times (07/22/94), The Mac is Back
Lesley Thode


The Times of Northwest Indiana, July 22, 1994

The Mac is Back
by Nancy Nau Sullivan

Mick Fleetwood likes to say: "The Mac is back."

The band that took a pretty rough detour is back on tour, and fans can welcome Fleetwood Mac when they make a stop here Tuesday, July 26, at the Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville.

"We're just happy that Fleetwood Mac is alive and well and nurturing the creative process for a new album," said Mick Fleetwood during a telephone interview from Green Bay, Wisc. "After 10 shows on the tour I can see that people are loving what we're doing. We're not doing Stevie Nicks songs. We have the green light to do what we want."

And that new chapter means picking songs from the original ranks of Fleetwood Mac music that are not all "highly personal" signature songs, he says. "We're digging into some of the old blues."

Fleetwood doesn't seem to be one of those introverted artists. He likes to talk. And a live performance has always held magic for the group through a 25-year career and up a mountain of 40 million record sales.

This tour is partly a test of the chemistry of songs off a new album (as yet unnamed), which will appear next spring. "Some say that's a risky proposition, to put a band out on the road before you've got an album to promote. But we were itching to play, and we've never been ones to bow to convention anyway."

Hardly conventional, the English drummer from London is "a gypsy" and "a traveling alien" in the United States for 20 years--after growing up as a military brat in the Royal Air Force, he says. A longtime resident in and out of Los Angeles, Fleetwood says the band will be moving on after the tour ends in October and they will relocate on the east coast.

"We'll move away from LA. It's that time, and it's never been home, home there. Professionally it's time to leave," says Fleetwood.

In LA, Fleetwood says he went through the "usual disasters," such as divorce and the earthquake. "I'm a sun worshipper and we have the best weather in the world, if you discount some of the air quality."

The new direction will also include his soon-to-be bride, Lynn Franko, with whom he plans to open a blues club in Alexandria, Va., where Fleetwood has a home.

Once out east, he and band members will become ensconced in studio work to produce their first album in four years.

At 47, he is awaiting word on the birth of his first grandchild, and the energy and enthusiasm in his voice for a new life is catchy. That old life was "a nightmare"--one he left nearly three years ago, he says. "It's no secret I was a raging alcoholic and into drugs. I don't recommend it because it's a losing deal, and I'm blessed to be out of it. I have my health and I'm facing things head on. I've become a better person."

At 16, Fleetwood had dreams of starting a band, and in 1967, he went off with guitarist Peter Green (no longer with them) and John McVie (the "Mac" in the name and still their famed bassist) to make a start in London. The following year they were outselling the Beatles all over Europe.

"We were just a bunch of kids with a strong affinity for blues music," he says. "We were blues fanatics and that's how it started. Pure blues, not pop."

In 1972, the fireworks started when Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham joined the band, and the string of hit albums and singles in the late 70s and in the 80's started coming, including "Fleetwood Mac" (Will You Ever Win), "Rumours" (You Make Loving Fun, Don't Stop and Dreams) and "Tusk" (Sara and Hold Me).

But now it seems the band is going full circle, with a return to some of that blues sound, he says. Bekka Bramlett, with her "bluesy voice," is the new featured vocalist, replacing Stevie Nicks, who is on her own and on tour with a new album.

Vocalists and guitarists Dave Mason and Billy Burnette are also along with Fleetwood and John McVie. Christine McVie, former wife of John, has become a sort of "artistic director emeritus" of the band, says Fleetwood of the group's longtime song writer and vocalist. "She'll wander in and out. She's earned the right to do that. She has a very real creative input in the studio." And she will work on the new album, although she is not making the tour.

"We're living well, and we're blessed," says Fleetwood. "People say how on earth can you do this. But it is possible." He says he wants to "stay out of the dark and follow the white light."

Hey, that sounds like a song.

BREAKOUT

Tickets to see Fleetwood Mac at 8 p.m., Tuesday, July 26, are $23, available at the Star Plaza box office, Route 30 and I-65. Or call (219) 769-6600 or (312) 734-7266. Tickets may be purchased through Ticketmaster.
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(Note: I'm just reposting. Lots of wrong things, like "We're not doing Stevie Nicks songs." Hmmm, so what was "Gold Dust Woman" again? I guess that must have been added later. But, even if they didn't do GDW, there still would have been too many old songs, Mac or Mason.)

As for the delay, from what I've heard, Mick Fleetwood and Dave Mason didn't feel like they were getting their sounds right, and ended up spending like $1 million more on the album. They basically spent the money WB was going to use for promotion.

Okay... I think you made your point. ...or better yet, what IS your point? :shrug:
Needless to say, I TOTALLY DISAGREE with your thoughts.... but that IS the beauty of these boards, isn't it? ;)
Personally, "TIME" is one of my very faves. I had written off the Dave Mason songs at first but have really come to like them, if not for Bekka's input on them.
Billy's contributions are way too few and far between! I love his work on Time and BTM and found him to be a great fit in the band.

Suffice it to say, I love me some Bekka! :nod:
I understand where people are coming from but (personal grudge here) I hate when she is referred to as "Stevie's replacement". I know... I know... but still.
Bekka is an amazing talent on her own and if for no other reason I'm glad Time didn't get further than it did is because I would hate for her to be destined to a life of singing "Gold Dust Woman" and "Dreams"!

Just the same.... I know the Time-love is rare but I give credit to those on the boards that at least give it a listen and recognize it for what it is.
Face it, Bekka and Billy KNEW they would be forever seen as "replacements" for Buckingham and Nicks. But they brought their own unique gifts to the band and to Rumours-line-up-fans, they were pretty much in a no-win situation. :shrug:
I can't imagine ANY other Mac album or line-up catches as much grief as the Time line-up.

Prior to that, it was, ironically, the "Penguin" line-up.

My mom introduced me to FM. I can still remember her playing the green greatest hits album in the car over and over. As much as I didn't want to like "mom's music," I was hooked. Christine was initially my favorite, I think, because her songs are so catchy.

I liked FM throughout middle and high school, but I never expected to hear anything new from them and I didn't have any of their albums except mom's greatest hits and her vinyls. I do remember being stoked watching them at Clinton's inauguration. Then, the Dance happened, and thus my interest in FM was reborn. I bought The Dance, and then their other studio albums, and then a bit later, Stevie's solo stuff. Eventually I picked up Lindsey and Christine's solo material and some pre-BN stuff.

As of now, Lindsey is the most interesting member to me, though it was Stevie for many years. Lyrically, he's at (or near) his zenith, IMO. Stevie's recent songwriting output is very hit and miss with me. Of course, I still love her. Stevie circa the 70s and early 80s will never cease to amaze me.

Eh, the Penguin line-up needs grief!:)
With the exception of Dave, I really like the Time line-up.

They toured in Europe. I saw them with Bekka, Dave and Billy. They even did 2 shows in Holland. Didn't they tour the States in that line-up???

Anyway, for me it started with Rhiannon, got the Rumours album for my b'day and was hooked eversince. And although I'm not a real fan of the blues (sorry, chiliD) I've got all the Mac albums. Stevie was IT for me and still is, that never changed and I doubt it ever will. What has changed though is that I don't have to have everything I see or save every picture or download every show. I'm not as fanatic as I used to be. In the 'early' days (Rumours, Tusk, Mirage, Tango) I had to go to every show possible and I didn't care if I didn't have food for a week or that I had to borrow money. I had to see them. Nowadays I'm not that eager anymore and I'm not about to put myself in debt to my ears to see a show. I was very happy that Lindsey's tickets were so cheap and I'd love to go see Stevie in Vegas but I just don't have the money. Years ago, I would've taken out a loan, not anymore. I still consider myself a fan though, a poor fan :lol:

ChiliD said they didn't tour in support of the album, which they did not. They toured for 18 months PRIOR to the album's release. They did one show, a corporate gig for Microsoft I believe, after the album's release, and then took a break for the holidays. At the time, they said they would be back, and it was only a little break. This is why, on one level, I really don't have an issue with all the old songs in the set. It's not like they had this new body of material folks could just go out and buy. Though, I would have personally liked more new stuff.

Well, it goes like this for me. For about the first 10 years, 77-87, It was Rumours lineup exclusively. I wouldnt have known Peter Green from Peter Piper. But I heard Oh Well on the radio about then and I was eager to find out more, much to the benefit of my overall appreciation for Fleetwood Mac.:nod:

let's see. I started with the dance, but in 2000. :shocked: A friend of mine had the cd in her car and it was playing. At the time, I listened to pop/hip hop, etc. So I was like.."wtf is this??"

she told me it was fleetwood mac and my reply was "fleetwood mac?!! aren't they old ?? ":lol: she gave me the low-down and I listened to a few songs. (I knew lindsey was hot just by listening to his voice...:laugh: ) anyway...I stole her cd and she ended up buying me one for Christmas so I would give hers back. We bought the video to the dance and it was all over.

my mother listened to Fleetwood Mac as I was growing up, but I thought it was stupid becuase..well...she's my mom. SHe's not "cool" :laugh: But for some reason I had this song on the tip of my tongue and I could not place it. I just had this feeling it was FM. I just remember the "bow bow bow" part. Rumours was the first one "I" bought and wouldn't you know. Second hand news opened it up and my crisis was over!! I could sleep! All along I kept thinking.."I didn't know fleetwood mac sang this song!!" "hey! I know THIS song" . Since then I've bought all of the rumours line-up albums. All of stevie's, and 3 of Lindseys. I do prefer this lineup (sorry..not trying to start a fight) but I have branched out slightly and bought other FM line-up albums. And I really like them!!! :D

I don't think my friend realized the monster she was about to create. :o

Yes, that's the one. Although it'd be more appropriate to call it the White Album Era. That's what started it all for me. Then I went back and got into all the earlier Fleetwood Mac incarnations. Loved all of them, except the bluesier stuff took a little while to warm up to. I've followed them ever since the mid 70s, and although my fanaticism has somewhat waned, I still think of them as my favorite band. I think they're the only ones I have to go see every concert when they come to town, or buy their record the first day it hits the shelves.