Which two albums represent Christine's best Fleetwood Mac work?
 

Moving on the great Christine McVie! I had to combine some Pre-Rumours era albums, as there is a limit of ten choices. Clarify your choice for those combo options.

Pick 2 albums that you feel represent and showcases Christine McVie at her very best!! :cool:

Well, not Tusk. That's my only vote.

Michele

I am probably in the minority, but I love Christine's Tusk songs.

Rumours and Tango for me, the same as Lindsey.

How could anyone not love and celebrate Brown Eyes, Never Make Me Cry, Honey Hi, and Never Forget Tonight?!

This one didn't flow as naturally as Stevie and Lindsey's work. In the end I chose Mystery to Me and Tusk. Mystery to Me found Christine on the verge of superstardom that unfortunately had to wait another two years. Too bad for us because her work on this album complements Bob Welch's stellar work so well that it almost rivals the fab 3's chemistry. Of any of her pop songs, none has the exciting build up of Believe Me and Why is such an epic listening experience.

Some find her work on Tusk boring and uninspired. I disagree and hear a Christine to that point at her very best vocally and I think song writing wise, hits a pinnacle with Over and Over and Brown Eyes. Think About Me as a pop song I think is better than even the timelessness of her Rumours work. Honey Hi has the best three part harmony that was only reached once more on Tango in the Night. Ending the album with Never Forget was great homage to her pop sensibilities and effectively grounded the wildness of Tusk.


All that said, I'm a big Christine fan and she has not once disappointed me ever as a life long Mac fan, I love all of her work. Miss her gorgeous voice terribly. :nod:

Tusk has always been one of my least favourite FM albums, and to my ear much of Christine's material on there just feels a bit weak: only Brown Eyes and Think About Me stand out, and I don't much care for either of those songs.

I was torn on this poll. Tango in the Night was a shoe-in, but choosing the second album from the others was tough. In the end, despite a fondness for Bare Trees, Mystery to Me and the 1975 album, I went for Rumours.

Wasn't she just amazing on Tango? Even with the 80's production, these songs sound fresh to this day and are so well written, arranged and performed that it shows just how important she is to the band.

It's really easy for me not to like those songs. Not one of them appeals to me even in the slightest.

I voted for Rumours and Tango. Much of Christine's material doesn't appeal to me, but these albums have songs of Christine's that I do listen to on occasion.

Me too. I voted Rumours and Tusk.

Rumours, and Mystery To Me!

I like Honey Hi, Never Forget and Think About Me, but Brown Eyes, Over and Over and Never Make Me Cry are so dull I can hardly stand it. They are so stultifying as to almost obscure the value in the other 3 songs.

Michele

Mystery to Me was the no-brainer here. She really came into her own as a songwriter on that album.

Part of me wanted to vote for the Wlech/Kirwan/McVie albums, but much as I enjoy her songs on those albums, I actually think she was the weak link of that songwriting trio, so I find it hard to laud her work too much.

All the rest of her FM albums have a few songs I love and about as many songs I find a little too forgettable. So I really just picked Rumours at random. It's as good an answer as any, for me. But I forgot about how irritating I find Don't Stop to be. Now I kind of wish I could take it back. ;)

For the record, I adore Never Make Me Cry. But I wouldn't say I'm a massive fan of most of her Tusk work besides that. It's all just pretty ok.

I went with Tango and Mystery. And yes......She was weakest on Tusk. Tango is her absolute pinnacle to me.:nod:

Mick

Tusk!


:xoxo:

Every one of her Tango songs sparkles. I really got into that album when I was in my first year of university, having bought it in a second hand record shop. I remembered it from when I was little and my parents had bought the LP.

Obviously, I knew Little Lies and Everywhere. The revelation was Isn't It Midnight -- what a track! I still love that opening, it cheers me and thrills me when I hear it.

Mystified and You & I are little gems that I have become very fond of, but I know they aren't to everyone's taste. I suppose I love them like some people love Walk a Thin Line or The Ledge (the allure of which, alas, still eludes me).

Oh dear.... we don't like "slow" songs here, do we.:distress:

I never got Brown Eyes in particular......shocked it was a fan fav......:shrug: Ah well.

Mick

For me, it's Mystery to me and TITN, but Bare Trees has great Christine songs, too. Her music on Tusk is a bit to slow for me, aside from Think about me, which is a rocking track, they are all dull to me, I fall asleep while I appreciate their beauty.

I probably don't favor them, but there are plenty of slow songs of Christine that I like, Never Forget is one of them. I also like Only Over You and Wish You Were Here.

I don't like plodding slow songs.

Michele

This is hard!

I always thought Christine was weakest on Mirage. "Hold Me" is a perfect pop song, but the others are insipid IMO. "Only Over You" being the absolute worst. I'm *OUT* of my mind....arggghhhhh!

I love her Tusk material. "Brown Eyes" is just sublime. I think there's a lovely vulnerability to "Over and Over" and "Never Make Me Cry." "I may not mean everything, but I'm happy to have your love." "Could you ever need me? And would you know how?" I know exactly how she feels. I even like the maligned "Honey Hi." "Never Forget" is pretty forgettable :laugh:, but it serves its purpose as a closer.

The second choice is a tough between Rumours and Tango. Ultimately, I think YMLF and "Songbird" are superior to "Little Lies" and "Everywhere." "Oh Daddy" is one of my absolute favorites; it's much darker than her usual.

I used to be more enthralled with her Tango songs. I think "Isn't it Midnight" is my favorite. I love the interplay between her and Lindsey.

Honorable mention to Mystery to Me. :)

This is so hard. I am not a huge fan of Chris' songs from Tango. I just did not love Everywhere or Little Lies. I still don't. The songs I love are (a) Over My Head (b) Oh Daddy, (c) Why (d) Spare Me a Little (e) Hold Me and (f) Come a Little Bit Closer. I don't think two are on the same record. But these are my favorite by Christine.

Glad to see Mystery on here, and I for one love Christine's Tusk tracks especially Over & Over (love the production, guitar twang, the back-up vocals, love everything about it - didn't know some fans didn't actually) and Brown Eyes (much more mystic sounding than most CV tracks and the unmistakable Greeny guitar at the end - aw yeah!).

I'm glad Tango got the most votes so far, cause it wouldn't be that succesful without Chris contribution.

And my other vote was to Rumours. I can't live without Songbird and YMLF

Yes! I'm with a Conga. Christine is great on all FM albums but these two are just fantastic and showcase just how important she was to the sound of the band.

I really love her work on Mystery to Me. Even backing vocals and singing on Bob's tune were awesome moments. Tango is an obvious choice as another great album for her.

Tour wise she stole the BTM tour.

I chose the same two- I agree with your assessment about Tusk- her voice is in its best shape here, and her songs on the album showcase her extreme versatility, from ballads to upbeat pop. And Mystery to Me- LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Why. Believe Me and Just Crazy Love are catchy rockers, and The Way I Feel is so endearing, and provides a nice change of pace on the album.

Kinda wish I'd seen the BTM tour. Was she quite energetic? Some Dance reviews say Chris by then looked like she'd checked out, but I get the impression in 1990/91 that she was still pretty into performing.

She was very energetic, spoke a lot to the crowd and looked like the leader of the band.

Christine during the Dance show in Cleveland was not as energetic but she was definitely in the game.

Me too! Brown Eyes, Honey Hi, Over and Over, Think About Me, Never Forget Tonight...I love them all.

Chris was very interactive and present on the BTM tour, I don't really think she had a choice, thought, to step up and take charge. Billy and Rick were the newbies and Stevie was there physically but that's it.

I'm all for John doing some song introductions, as he used to in the early/mid-70s!

I never knew he did that! That certainly would shake up their current tour just a little bit!!

I have a few recordings where, for example, he'd introduce Rhiannon. It was nice; I like it when John is involved more.

Er...I would write in "In The Meantime" if that were possible.. I know it's not FM, but it's definitely up there as some of her best work, EVER.

Tango In the Night IS Christine's album, she totally owned it. Her vocals, writing, melodies, arrangements are amazing. I especially love "Mystified" and "Little Lies"...the harmonies on both songs during the chorus are to die for... *sighs happily*

I also voted for Rumours because "Oh Daddy" and "YMLF" are probably my two favorite Chris songs. And I couldn't help but vote for BTM..this album is significant because Chris was more or less the creative leader on it, whereas it's usually Lindsey who does that. Her influence is apparent in almost every song. It's just a great album. I especially love "Behind the Mask", what a beauty.

Oh Chris...everything you do is magic :D

Nice shout out to her Behind the Mask songs. Save Me is just a good as her Tango songs.

...although I'm going with the same as you Rumours and Tango in the Night. :cool:

I used to think, based on chart performance, that her Tusk songs weren't as strong as the ones from the other four mega-Mac albums. But over the years I have found myself returning very often to her Tusk songs. They have this ethereal quality that is all loveglow or something. Her vocals on the album are outstanding.

I chose her Rumours and Fleetwood Mac (75) songs simply because she was in such great form on those records, but not because I think the other records show a tapering off. If there is any record on which I am disappointed with her overall output it would be Behind the Mask--but there I largely blame the production. The title tune and Save Me would have sounded great in a different context.

Oh, and here's a not-so random shout out for Sugar Daddy.

I love Sugar Daddy! It makes me very happy :blob2:

Can you imagine LB on the guitar solo of Save Me... uhhhh

Also agree on the Tusk tunes. What I used to skim over I now love to death. There's just something so real about them.

'Tango' and 'Mystery' for me too. I actually really like her contributions to 'Mirage' too.


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