who should replace SN if she continues refusing to record
 

after seeing various discussions veering towards different hypothetical options in "Still think Stevie is going to do the FM album?" thread, and loving Steve's arguments for Susanna Hoffs, i thought it might be fun to create a poll and discuss different options.

i asked some FM-loving friends with diverse favorites in the band for opinion on what the poll options should be and what is currently offered in the poll is the list we came up with, so far. feel free to comment and propose other options.

who should replace SN if she continues refusing to record with the band?

• Susanna Hoffs
• Sheryl Crow
• Cyndi Lauper
• Gwen Stefani
• some other girl with well known mainstream persona
• some relatively unknown girl but creative (and influenced by FM)
• Peter Quirk (of The Cave Singers) (or some other guy?)
• Michelle Twig
• Ann or Nancy Wilson
• nobody - it should be just the 4 (Christine, Lindsey, John & Mick)

PS dear shippers and chiffs - this is meant to spur some fun discussion here, so no need to get all serious and offended - after all this is all entertainment, we are not curing cancer here people! :wavey:

I don't think the band will continue under the "Fleetwood Mac" label without Stevie. I'm not singling Stevie out as I think that if any of them retire from the band the others will continue to work together but under a different name and they will leave the "On With Show" tour as their last great stand. If the 4 do continue I think it will be as "The Men Of Mac" featuring Christine McVie or something like that.

An interesting but ridiculous proposition. Stevie is not replaceable. It would seem like a cover band if someone else singing her songs. Bekka Bramlett was suitable only because it was a drastically different line up, without Lindsey, Stevie or Christine. Bekka wasn't a cookie cutter Stevie replacement, but it allowed them to perform a couple of her songs.

Since Mick and John are the namesake of the band, why would change the name? It's their brand, regardless of the many permutations of the band. Fleetwood Mac was initially all men. Fleetwood Men!

So much speculation as to what will happen after the tour. It's clear their end is near. Hopefully there will be one last album. I think Stevie will be a part of it. I don't see them doing a tour on the scale of this current, ridiculously massive world tour.

Yeah, because concert promoters want to bill something as "The Men of Mac Featuring Christine McVie."

Also:

Bonnie Raitt
Terri Nunn (Berlin)

Yes but would FM want the final chapter to be that they were reduced to playing smaller venues or do they want to retire the "FM brand" and have "OWTS" as the final shining star in their crown. Mick is already saying that the new product may take the form of a solo record. If Mick did not care about the FM legacy why would he be saying that?

It was just a suggestion.

Why does she have to be replaced? And why does it have to be a girl? When Cm bailed on the band she was not replaced. Are you saying that a LB CM JM & MF lineup can't be as good or profitable as the SN LB JM MF lineup? If they hire another person will the increase in sales (if any) justify what they have to pay them? In other words will they get a good return on the investment? These are just questions. Like Elle said no need to get "all serious and offended"

:laugh: did you read the poll?

there are guy options, and just 4 of them / no replacement option.

you can pick any of them and describe why you think that would be the best one. looking fw to see which one you pick!

and just to make it clear, the band would still be called Fleetwood Mac.

Therein lies the disconnect. I don't think Lindsey really cares about the arena rock aspect of Fleetwood Mac. I think he'd be perfectly happy playing smaller venues if it meant Fleetwood Mac would be creatively relevant.

While Mick loves being in an arena rock band, no doubt, I suspect he'd rather have Fleetwood Mac be around a few more years even if that meant not being an arena rock band anymore. If Christine, John, and Lindsey said they wanted to go back out as Fleetwood Mac, do you honestly think he'd say no to that? John always struck me as being indifferent. He just wants to play bass. The rest is what it is.

Christine is the one I can't read, and the band's future could be squarely on her shoulders. Based on what she has pretty consistently said since rejoining, I think she came out of retirement to make more new music with Fleetwood Mac. If playing smaller venues doesn't bother her, I see no reason why the band has to call it a day. If it has to be arena rock or nothing for her, then the band is pretty much over.

Well, she has the backup singers, so they need SOMEBODY to do the high harmonies...

If Mick, John, Christine, and Lindsey decide to do a tour, it's Fleetwood Mac. I don't understand how it was okay to call it Fleetwood Mac when it was just Stevie and Lindsey fronting the band, but it's not okay to call it Fleetwood Mac if it's just Lindsey and Christine fronting the band (especially considering Christine has been on way more Fleetwood Mac albums than Stevie).

yeah it's a ridiculous argument. they are Fleetwood Mac. that's not issue in this poll, its premise is we are talking about FM.


meanwhile i don't know how to vote. my preference is just the 4.

but i'm intrigued by your arguments for Susanna Hoffs and i think that would be really interesting.

i also think there are a number of interesting lesser known or somewhat younger and very creative artists who could contribute to the album nicely and it would be really interesting to hear what those combinations would produce.

when we discussed it on fb before posting the thread, people were bringing up many potential artists that sound interesting in the context of FM, especially women. and also some well known artists like Annie Lennox.

It needs to be Florence Welch. Needs. Needs! :]
Amazing singer? Check
Unique voice? Check
Style icon? Check
Fleetwood Mac fan/influenced by?


Check

Florence would be a breath of fresh air! Something new, creative and exciting.

I'm not saying it would not be FM I'm saying does the band want the blockbuster "OWTS" tour to be the last thing great thing the band is remembered for or do they want people looking back 10 or 20 years from now and saying FM went down hill after Stevie left and just faded away.

ha haven't thought of her - she does tick off all these boxes, as you said. interesting option!

My first choice is for Stevie to stay on, followed by them going on as a quartet.

But, it's interesting to think of possible choices as to who could come in if Stevie left. They all have pros and cons. I think Susanna Hoffs has the most pros and the least cons. I think the transition from Stevie to Susanna would be the most effortless. Susanna would instinctively understand her role in the band and where she'd fit in with their harmony structure. I also like that nobody would consider her to be Stevie II (which was a problem for Bekka).

One "younger" artist that I think would do an amazing job is Neko Case. Her voice is haunting, and she was in a band that had multiple lead singers (New Pornographers).

No new Welch until they rectify getting the previous Welch into the HoF.

ha! good point!

love Neko Case suggestion.

If they had ten more years, then I think that could be a valid concern. But, I think whatever they do from here on out will generate some level of interest. When 80% of one of the most successful bands in rock history make an album, people will still notice, especially considering they DON'T have another decade. And, I don't think Lindsey wants OWTS to be the last thing they're remembered for. I think he'd much rather see Fleetwood Mac to go out on a creative high note than on a commercial one, and Christine didn't come out of retirement just to do a greatest hits tour. She wanted to make new music with Fleetwood Mac, and almost immediately went into the studio with the boys after rejoining.

Might appeal to LB's quirky side. You have to love Elvis, looks like Sheryl might be a little intimidated.

It sounds muddy because they're loud, but it was a great performance (except for that idiot behind the amps recording it on a digital camera).

ETA: She actually played that tambourine!

Susanna Hoffs
Easily fits into three part harmonies? Check.
Established public identity? Check.
Experience in multi-vocalist band? Check.
Has worked with Lindsey and Mick? Check.



Check!


("Falling" featuring Mick Fleetwood on drums)



Checkmate! ;)

Current (and known) with the younger generation* who are attending the Fleetwood Mac shows these days?

Nope! :sorry: :laugh:

*unknown by some. I shouldn't generalize.

So, we could have an older artist not necessarily known by younger fans OR we could go with a newer artist not necessarily known by older fans. The crowds are too mixed at a Fleetwood Mac show to use that alone as a criteria. However, if we’re being honest, Fleetwood Mac taps into concert goers’ sense of nostalgia. Even if and when they release new music, the majority of people will be going to see them for the nostalgia. In that sense, bringing in a contemporary (especially one who has worked with Mick and Lindsey) makes more sense than bringing in a young, fresh face who’s young enough to be Christine’s granddaughter. It would look, feel, and sound more natural with a contemporary. For a band like Fleetwood Mac, brining in a fresh face at this point would seem terribly forced, if not altogether cynical.

If we're going to start dragging 80's female vocalist survivors into the conjecture...

I'd say, let's go with Martha Davis.

Would love to hear the Fleetwood/McVie rhythm section tear into a couple of old Motels tunes like "Envy" or "Tragic Surf". ;)

Throughout this band's history, there has always been a fluid lineup of personnel. Usually, when someone leaves, they are replaced. But not always, and not always with just one person. There is no Fleetwood Mac Rule that says there have to be three equal singer/songwriters in the band at all times.

Christine hasn't recorded with this band for decades. Lindsey hasn't recorded enough with this band for a very long time. I want to hear more from both of them, and I want to hear more of their collaborations. I am not interested in hearing what a Sheryl Crow or a Susanna Hoffs could bring to the band. Including them in a new album would just take song space away from Chris and Lindsey. I like both of those women's music quite a bit, but not as part of Fleetwood Mac. Even if they only had two songs on the new album, that would be two songs from Chris or Lindsey that we wouldn't get to hear.

Now, if the band were to record a new album and tour with the album, it might be a good idea to have another female singer as a "special guest performer" to cover a couple of Stevie songs. That's where a Susanna or a Sheryl might work in this band. But she should just come on stage for a couple of tunes, and she shouldn't be considered an actual member of the band.

Neko Case.

Yes to this.

To this, respectfully…..No. Just no. And if Lindsey ever agreed to such a cheesy move that reeks of playing smoky casinos or cruise ships, I would give up on this band forever. :distress:

I voted "nobody" since realistically this is likely to be their farewell album but, if Christine had rejoined 10 years ago and Stevie had refused to record, I agree that Neko Case would have been an amazing choice with her incredible vocal range and energy.

The On With The Show tour will hold little significance in terms of their long term legacy. The hill you presume they will go down without Stevie would just be a twist in the road of a band with a twisted history.

Unwarranted are the dire predictions that their last years will be spent be limping around, reduced to playing to half-filled road houses; their status and reputation so sadly damaged that it will nullify all they have accomplished.

Bollocks!

You seem to be forgetting the "Time" years when FM was a mere shadow of it's former self...This could happen again as it's possible that CM or LB would grow weary of a SN replacement and retire leaving Mick with trying to carry on with only one of the 3 "Rumours" singers in the band.

The B/N version of FM was very generic in my opinion, which confuses me because their one album is very good. It's probably because they can't stand each other most of the time, and it really informs why there was not much output in 16 years of capitalizing on just the two of them.

You could tell in LB's body language during DR how he feels about Stevie. While they did have some great performances, adding Christine really re-energized them. Perhaps, Stevie will let that translate into the studio. (That's my first choice of what I would like to see.)

They need more output and LB and CM as artists have recognized that and have written many new songs for their band. The more Stevie doesn't want to make new music with this band, the more it was about the huge paycheck she scooped up for doing this tour.

If not, I would like to see Nancy Wilson. Same era.. good range, good harmony, and work some of her own tunes in.

Not plausible, but it's a poll.

Having said that, I think just the 4 would be less generic, more musical, and less popular. In my experience as a musician and a fan, some of the best music is unpopular.

SN will record

That's assuming that they HAD 2 more decent songs to put on the album. EVERY album has "filler"...maybe those 2 extra Christine or Lindsey songs would fit in that category, whereas a Suzanna Hoffs/Sheryl Crow tune or two would actually be the stronger choice for the album. Let go of your biases.

And, doing a tour without releasing an album...playing only 30+ year old songs in their set without is BETTER? I'll take seeing "Fleetwood Mac" anywhere with anybody they deem as a member, either permanent or temporary...I'm an "Unconditional Fan". So, if your fandom has "conditions" attached...good riddance to ya.

Which would still be one more than what they had during the "Time" era. You don't seem to understand what the problem was. NONE of the "Rumours" era vocalists were touring with the band. I also remember Lindsey's album flopped and Stevie's album flopped. None of them were setting the world on fire. At least Fleetwood Mac never promoted or toured in support of "Time."

Wow. Sorry you're having such a bad day.

I don't recall ever saying I thought this tour with no new album was a good idea. In fact, I've said many times it's not. I wanted them to record first, then tour the new album. That's not what we got. The one thing about this tour at least is that we've got the writers and original performers of all the songs on stage. Bringing in strangers to cover your hits is far, far cheesier. If you would pay to go see that, well good on you. Have fun.

And there are all sorts of fans and none of them have to meet my or your standards to qualify. I've followed this band for 40 years. This is a forum for sharing opinions.
If you don't like other opinions, maybe you're the one in the wrong place.

I wonder if Lindsey and Christine's creative relationship is what makes Stevie so reluctant. She's seen how well they work together- could she now feel like an outsider? Has she reached a point where she's too self-conscious of her own songwriting in relation to the other two. She knows she probably cant write with Christine or Lindsey. Does she feel like the gooseberry? (whether she should feel that way or not).

Its funny how these same discussions keep going around in circles over several threads- for what its worth I wouldn't mind Fleetwood Mac playing to significantly smaller venues so long as MJCL are there. Half-filled roadhouses and smokey casinos are just up my street and would probably be a lot cheaper- could go to more shows.

That's why I think it would be better to have an established artist who has her own well known songs come in instead of a relative newbie. She'd sing a couple of Stevie's songs, a few of her own hits, and a couple of new songs. It's like what they did on the 1975-76 tour.