New album?
 

So since the Unleashed Tour began, with all the stage talk, interviews, and just the general speculation of a new album, I've been thinking. About statements from the band, the conversations here, and just wondering.. who thinks they will record again, for sure? And who is unsure?

They'll record. With a producer. If they want to make one last big artistic statement, I recommend Jack White.

I don't know, I have my doubts that they will record a new studio album. If they go to AUS in dec. and jan. (and it seems like they will) than I'm sure they won't start any project till 2010. Guess it depends what Lindsey and Stevie's plans are after the tour in over, and how they are feeling after the tour is over.

And Chris won't be a part of it at all.

I think I'd rather have a new Stevie solo album and then a new Fleetrwood Mac record. That could mean that there could be another Mac album in 3-4 years' time, with Stevie's solo album in 2011 (recorded in 2010) and Mac's in 2012/13 (there was only 2 years between Trouble In Shangri-La and Say You Will after all).

As for producers, I'd like to see them work with Rick Rubin or, as has already been said. Jack White (him and Lindsey could do some GREAT stuff!)

I don't think Rick Rubin is right for them. John Chelew would do it right. Without ten really good songs, though, no one can make a great record.

How about someone like Christopher Bishop? or Paul Myers? with Edward T. Graham handling the engineering tasks?

Come on David. That's a joke about people of new media isn't it? Do you mean that? At least there is some realism in my recommendation: Lindsey said himself that he'd LOVE to work with Jack White. Not in a lifetime Stevie would, but one never knows with her.....maybe she likes him too.

They couldn't wait untill 2012/13. They would be too old, illness etc would hinder a tour and I don't think at that age a 50 date tour would be on the cards anyway, Lindsey and Stevie's voices wouldn't hold out.

I don't really rate Jack White all that much.

Mick said that there was a "good chance" of a new Fleetwood Mac album when I met him in May. That being said, this is one long tour for a bunch of 60-year-olds so although I'm pretty sure they'll keep recording, our tour dates may be very limited or unexistent in the future.

I seriously, seriously hope that isn't the case-- Marissa and I are seriously planning to do everything we can to really dedicate ourselves to a new tour. But who knows?

One thing is fairly certain-- this will probably be Mac's last time out together.

No no no, they've done some excellent work in production & engineering. I have some of the CDs myself. I like the way they "hear."

They have to do another tour. At least we know they are not gonna get away without doing a farewell tour! (was unleashed really Farewell Part 1?)

They've probably already got stuff in the can. All the talk is just hype, imo. They have to have some material for the 'ol publicity machine, after all.

At any rate, I hope they do release one more batch of new material. It would be a nice.

I think it was Farewell Warm Up, part 1...

What did they produce? I didn't find anything under their names immediately. didn't do alot of searching though. I'd like to hear some so I can see what you mean....

I just hope, if there is a new project, it's a little more collaborative in spirit. I really love Say You Will, and while it can feel like a mash up of solo projects, with these artists, at that time, it was the best we were gonna get - and it was great. I like some of the material on SYW just as much Tusk, the best IMO.
But really. If there is going to be one more, or multiple studio projects from this Mac line-up, I really want to see them working closer. I mean, it's been said before, but this is basically Buckingham Nicks with one of the greatest rhythm sections in the modern blues rock world. We got a taste of what it could be like on SYW, but the process wasn't as intimate as it sounds. So I would love to see a real collaboration:thumbsup:

Yeah. As much as I love SYW it is too disconnected. From What's the world coming to ---- Murrow turning in his grave. It doesn't flow.

Exactly. I just hope they don't bow out with Say You Will being their final effort. There are some great songs, but I don't even know if I can call it an album with a straight face. There was seemingly no collaboration. It seems everyone was so spoiled, and egos were so big that they all couldn't just walk into a room TOGETHER, and flesh out songs, and craft and ALBUM. They all clearly came to the table with finished or nearly finished work, they barely seemed to interact, and the finished product just sounds like a mish mash of songs that have no place sitting beside each other.

I really don't know if there is another Mac album on the horizon at this point. There absolutely will be more touring. They may even tour for another decade (who knows, maybe longer). They've pretty much all clearly stated to the media that they weren't pleased with the end product of Say You Will. But I don't know if they can all truly swallow their personal issues, histories, and egos to make one last album. I hope they do... I truly hope they do. I agree, an outside producer is the way to go. The key would to be find a fine balance between Stevie's and Lindsey's sensibilities. Lindsey will want someone more progressive and "now," and Stevie will want someone more established and classic. I just don't know if it could really happen at this point without Christine. I think she was the moderating, mediating force between parties, and she's been gone for a dozen years now. A new album would be a WONDERFUL surprise, but I'm not expecting it at all at this point. Even if they did decide to record one, it would be well into late 2011 before we ever saw it, at the VERY earliest.

Great post.

I totally agree, When Christine left I think there was in Stevie & Lindsey 2 polar opposites in terms of what an album should be. I question some of Lindsey's production techniques on SYW (ie Murrow, Say Goodbye). These would have been more at home on one of his more esoteric solo works. He has to realise that Fleetwood Mac is a commercial venture and should remain so, As their best work was created with this in mind (Rumours, Tango).

Hmm... yes and no. I agree that Rumours and Tango were the Rumours crew's best, most approachable, highest quality albums. You could say they're probably the best balance between innovation and commercialism. They probably strayed a little too far left with Tusk in regards to creativity... and did a hard knee jerk back towards commercialism with Mirage. I suspect artistic turmoil was a big part of making Rumours and Tango so great too. Do they have that kind of fire left? And if so, can it still be channeled into MUSIC? I have my doubts. I think there are too many distractions for the band members now... spouses, kids, health issues, age, histories, etc. They're all just spoiled old rock stars with conflicting runaway egos, and I don't know if there is any getting around that at this point. Lindsey's and Stevie's last albums are arguably the best of their entire careers... but can they transition that into one last amazing Mac album? I just don't know if they can go do it without Christine being there to keep everyone in line.

I don't believe that Christine was any sort of a bridge between SnL. To me, all their albums sound as disconnected as SYW, only with 3 directions instead of two. I don't mind it, but only the first two albums felt like they had any sort of "meshing" whatsoever. But, overall, I still feel like I am hearing 3 separate solo artists, save for a handful of songs where the collaboration was there or they at least had more equal parts musically and vocally.

Honestly, we don't REALLY know how much discussion went on for SYW anyway. I would bet money that Stevie was just fine letting LB do all the prep work prior to her arrival to work on the tracks. For instance, he asked her about cutting the guitar solo in half on TD and she was cool with it.

Regardless, there are tracks on SYW where the two of them together still blow me away both with LB's guitar work on her songs (RTTG) and her vocals on his songs (Miranda, SG, WTWCT) and vice versa (Illume, TD). Almost a nice BN follow up. Almost...

Well, I think she was a bridge, but not a bridge when it came to Lindsey's contributions to Stevie's songs. I don't think Christine being there kept him from doing what he wanted on those songs (Gypsy, Dreams, etc.)

Lindsey and Stevie working together (as we saw on those making of Angel video clips), from the ground up would do more to make their songs sound more collaborative.

Michele

Great topic of discussion. Honestly I could see this one going both ways. BUT I really do think they will put out a new album in the future. I surely would love one since neither the Mac or Stevie has released a new materials album since I've been a fan, and I would like to get that experience at least once.

Pretty sure they will continue to tour as well!

True, it would be great for a ground up collaboration.

In what way do you think Christine was a bridge though? Musically or politically?

I think it will be, to be honest. The Dance only partially reunited them-- the chemistry was revived but only applied to old, classic songs. There's a big difference between creating music and playing music; at the beginning of Say You Will, those four people had not created music together in 15 years. Plus, both Lindsey and Stevie went into the recording of SYW with recent successes in their solo careers and that mentality carried into the studio.

Now, they've spent the past few years very united as a band. Although Lindsey and Stevie have both maintained their solo careers, they now have the band at the forefront of their minds because its been their main professional focus.

I think we will have a better, more well-rounded album in the future-- as long as it is not put on pause for solo work. If we get a bunch of leftovers from solo albums like we did on SYW, the disconnection will continue.

Hopefully, Lindsey will realize that he can still be experimental and have artistic merit while still considering the band. Hopefully, Stevie will adapt to it and maybe use some of Lindsey's mindset to add to her own work.

There's no doubt in my mind that we could get a seriously great record. I just don't want the band looking at SYW like they did at Tusk and making a commercial album to follow it, hoping for a better result. At this point, anything too commercial might just sound old.

Yes, the sequencing was horrible. Its not that hard to place similarly sounding songs in a specific order to make them flow... although Stevie likes to suggest its a rare talent she's proud to possess (see: Rumours) Probably another reason why she's still pouty about the SYW experience.

But, anyhoo, WTWCT was probably the right choice for Track 1, but Murrow is too jarring to be Track 2. I bet it turned off many of the casual fans who bought the album.

It's all a matter of opinion Luke. To me Murrow was Lindsey's best track on the album. Having it as the second song greatly reminded me of his song The Ledge being the 2nd track on the Tusk album which was performed right after a slow, soothing Over & Over. It worked there and it works here as far as I'm concerned. Also I doubt any casual fans are interested in new music by Fleetwood Mac. They only want to hear the hits.

Stevie has stated before that Chris was the "glue" that held FM together, the moderator and fairy godmother so to speak. I don't think she took a lot of crap from Stevie or Lindsey. I definitely agree that the three songwriters had vastly different aesthetics, but there was still some sort of common ground that made their songs hang together. Maybe it was the luscious harmonies with Chris that was the common thread. All of the songs on Say You Will just seemed to be far more independent efforts.

Regarding the Mac recording process, I think Stevie was absolutely very used to handing over reasonably rough versions of her songs to Lindsey, and him "making them into magic" as she states it. I really think it kinda backfired with Say You Will... I think it's the first time she's gone to the press and named specifics about her dissatisfaction. Watching the Destiny Rules documentary, she really came to the plate with fairly finished songs too to be honest. Lindsey for the most part just polished them up. Add that to the fact that the overwhelming majority of Lindsey's songs were absolute 100% carbon copies of the Gift Of Screws tracks that had been floating around for nearly a decade in the Mac community, and it just doesn't seem like either were particularly interested in making Say You Will a truly group effort.

er....Katey Sagal's ex husband? :thumbsup: :lol:

Great post. I 100% agree, I think there is certainly a great possibility that the kids could still record the best material of their careers. I truly hope it happens, it seems all the parties have honed their crafts to a deadly precision after decades and decades in the biz. I think the key is everyone coming to the plate cleanly, without motives, with egos checked at the door, with a positive work ethic, and with an outside producer who is willing to get up to his or her neck in quicksand. I've been a rabid fan since '93, and if the past 16 years has taught me anything, you NEVER know what these kids will do next! I do think it could happen. Stevie's last album was arguably the best of her career, and definitely amongst the most progressive of her solo works. Lindsey's last album is also arguably the best of his career, and it seems after 30 years, that he's FINALLY figured out how to blend progression with approachability. Add to the fact that both their albums and the last Mac album were all the poorest selling of their respective careers, and maybe they'll come to the table more humble this time around. Maybe the kids ARE on a more similar plane now than we give them credit for!

Why thank you :)


Agreed. Their only motive needs to be derived from a universal goal as a band-- create music as a band without killing one another before its release. We don't want another Tango In the Night situation.

Plus, if Lindsey doesn't produce, there will be someone there to speak to him from a voice of authority and help draw the creative line without supressing him too much. With an outside producer, balance could be found.


I thought Trouble in Shangri-La sold pretty well in comparison to her other later solo albums?




On a side note, it just occurred to me that a lot of Stevie's Trouble in Shangri-La tracks probably would have molded to Lindsey's tracks a little better. Some were less traditional but still carried a sense of commercialism. Yet to me, TISL is a total solo album, and it carries no Fleetwood Mac undertones. So that combination (TISL-type tracks on SYW) would have either redefined Mac or made the barrier between the two songwriters even more prominent.

Interesting.

Great discussion. All members of Fleetwood Mac have said in the past that Christine was a mediator between S'n'L (Politically).

For a new album they need collaberation. How about they co-write some songs together as well as writing their own. Thie would mean a more focused approach to what they are trying to achieve.

True. And not coincidentally, those first two albums with that lineup were recorded with the group all together at the same time & in the same place (or two). After that, the unity of time & place (no pun intended) eroded. Say You Will was the furthest point in that direction the band had ever gone: tracks were recorded over about a ten-year period with a smorgasbord of different personnel & environments. Think of how much the logistics of recording can & do change over such a time span. Your singing voice changes, your proclivities for orchestration & arrangement change, even the recording equipment you use changes. All of this created in 2003 what is, in my book, a fractured collection of aural artifacts. Say You Will doesn't just sound like two solo albums -- it sounds like about five or six, because Lindsey's tracks alone sound like three or four.

The only song that has any resonance in it as a collective Fleetwood Mac work, reminiscent of earlier times, is Destiny Rules. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that that was pulled together in the shortest amount of time.

I think that was why I adored Destiny Rules from the second I heard it... it was like a throwback to Gypsy to me... it was very tight, clearly a full band effort, gorgeous harmonies, yet it still sounded like a progression from what we'd heard in the past. Songs like Come (which I LOVE), sounded like an alien just landed in the field :lol:. I bet you're right too... I bet they pulled together, and crafted that one pretty quickly. That seems to be the way the band does their best work anyway, instead of this constant noodling and pursuit of perfection.

I never thought of it that way, but I definitely agree... SYW sounds more like a half dozen albums put into the blender vs two.

TISL made Gold status... aka, it sold 500,000+ copies. Street Angel was the only of her albums to not have even make Gold. I believe the rest of Stevie's solo works are Platinum... 1,000,000 copies or more sold. I think she probably expected TISL to do better than it did, but in my opinion she didn't strike soon enough after the Dance while the iron was hotter. She might have been smarter to put out TISL in '98, THEN Enchanted in '01.

Yeah, I agree Stevie's TISL tracks would absolutely have molded to Lindsey's SYW tracks better than what ended up on SYW. Her SYW tracks sounded more like classic Mac... a direction Lindsey was not going in for that album. Who knows, maybe they'll get it together for another go around! Let's hope! :thumbsup:

First politically. Probably "bridge" isn't the right term, because I don't think she actually linked them together in the traditional "glue" sense. I think she was more of a deflector, buffer, car bumper . . . They could both turn towards her, so they didn't have to crash into each other head on as often.

Musically, just her presence there didn't facilitate the melding of Stevie and Lindsey's musical sound to me. Christine and Lindsey probably did more for each other's music.

Although Lindsey may think otherwise, I don't think Christine changed the sound of Stevie's music much. Lindsey said something like Christine's presence made Stevie's music less aggressive. Yet, Lindsey was running around feminizing everything (Hold Me) more than Christine ever did.

However, just having Christine in there too made Fleetwood Mac's overall sound more varied and complex. I think it offered fans more.

Michele

I would have loved it if they had put the sequencing arguments on Destiny Rules. Judging from SYW (the album) and the placement of Time Precious Time, if Lindsey was responsible for those 2 things, then I'd have to say his sequencing sensibilities stink.

Trying to piece things together, it sounds like they went to Hawaii post SYW production. Lindsey stayed behind for the engineering and since he was the only one there, he put his foot down when it came to final track sequence. To disastrous results.

The album opens badly and I always say that the match of RTTG and Silver Girl has cost several people their lives. There are certain patients who were transitioning well off of life support until they heard those 2 songs back to back. Then, tragedy struck.

The album ends nicely though with Say Goodbye and Goodbye Baby. Reminds me of Burns and Allen.

George: Say goodnight, Gracie.
Gracie: Goodnight Gracie.


Michele

With three people creating different sounds for a band rather than two, the polar opposites work. The variety IS the band and gives a little something different to each song. With only two songwriters, the divide does not benefit an album (like I think it did with Christine) but instead gives you the impression that there are two solo artists throwing all their tracks on one disk. There's a difference between three people bringing their best music to a table-- we all know generally what to expect from a Christine, Stevie or Lindsey song. With SYW, there were two people doing the same thing and it just didn't work as well.

Three was kinda the magic number, I think.

Three's the charm.

It's a very pedestrian statement from her, nothing particularly magical at all, but I remember reading my SYW tour book before the show and when I got to the part where Stevie says they were meant to be three for all of those years, it made me cry.

Of course, John then said of Christine, "I thought she got fired," and that quickly laughed the tears away.

Michele

Mac constantly brings me to (completely unnecessary) tears and immediately after, I'm cracking up. I wish I could have listened to what was going on in John's head all the time during all the diva drama flying around limos and dressing rooms.

Thinking of that tour book, they were questioned about the SYW cover and, until then, although I love the cover photo, I never really thought of how it depicted the four of them all lying down together. In that sense, it is very much like the Rolling Stone bed cover and I had never put those 2 photos together, until I read it in the program.

Although you can fold it out, so that all 4 of them are lying down (and you can fold out Mirage so that you see all 5 of them standing together too), I always thought mostly of Stevie/Lindsey and John/Mick as two separate pairs for the SYW pictures.

Anyway, when asked if they are all sleeping together during the SYW tour, only John says "no." He is emphatic about it. The rest of them give teasing answers. I thought it was pretty amusing.

Michele