Most Under apppreciated Album
 

What do you think is the most underated or overlooked album?
My pick has to be 1990'S Behind The Mask which I don't think got the credit it deserved. It isn't a 5 star album by far, but I think the album is full of gems (Skies The Limit, Save Me, The Second Time, Affiars of The Heart to name but a few).

Your Thoughts.

I would have to say Tusk. It really bothers me that whenever anyone(who aren't die-hard fans like us) talks about FM all they think about or talk about is Rumours. Granted...Rumours is one of the greatest albums of all time and I absolutely adore it, but they have had many other great albums, especially Tusk. There are just so many special things on Tusk that I just can't believe don't get more credit. I really wish people would listen to it without trying to compare it to Rumours.

But remember...I do love Rumours and think it's their best, I just wish they would get more recognition for other wonderful albums and songs.

mirage..... really... which critics ever mention it? ok so it had hold me and gypsy.... two big hits that are sometimes talked about... but really... wish you were here... oh diane.... love in store (one of my favs from that album) that's alright (yeah way country and doesn't fit very well on the album but still really cute and good) and a song almost everyone forgets... straight back... yeah so it takes a long time to warm up to... and to be honest i don't think the album version is as good as they could have done it- i have a copy of them rehearsing it for the mirage tour and it's soooo freaking good (btw if anyone wants a copy i'm more than happy to file transer) and we can't forget eyes of the world.... yeah i know that this album had a bit of commercial success... but nowadays people really really don't look back and remember mirage... they look back and remember rumours... sometimes the white album and sometimes people go "and you know, tusk seemed to be a flop but in hindsight it really was an amazing album" but very rarely do people go "oh and remember mirage in 1982? what a record!!" so there's my opinion.... yeah

I think most of Fleetwood Mac's albums without the Rumours line-up are underrated and overlooked. Especially, Mystery To Me, Bare Trees, Behind The Mask & Heroes Are Hard To Find. Mystery To Me, especially is just about as good as any of the best Rumours era Fleetwood Mac albums.

I think Fleetwood Mac's most underappreciated is probably Tusk. Sure among fan circles it's often a favorite, but it just continues to get bad press. I was really fuming recently when it made Rolling Stone's 100 worst albums last month. I mean... did these guys even listen to it? I think they're just continuing a lame old notion that since Tusk was a sales "disappointment," and slightly avant garde, that it was bad. Rolling Stone chosing Tusk was a cheap shot, IMO. It's my opinion that Tusk is Fleetwood Mac's creative pinnacle... and a true masterpiece.

Outside of Tusk I'd have to say Mystery To Me. What a fantastic album! Every song is worth it's weight in gold! ~Louie

"TIME"!!!!


(and every album before Lindsey & Stevie joined and after Peter Green left)

Time and most of the Peter Green era albums.

I agree with this whole-heartedly! Also, I agree with the fact that Tusk is underrated. The critics didn't like it, because they wanted another Rumours, which is insane! No two albums are alike, and if they are, they usually don't sell well. If they do sell well, the band is usually one of the "flash in the pan" kind of bands. A great band keeps trying to improve on their work and also make changes to keep it interesting while staying true to their underlying sound. If it is the same stuff over and over, how boring! zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Tusk is truely unique and shows off the band's versatility while keeping true to the underlying Mac sound. I think it is terrific and very underrated!

:wavey: :wavey: :wavey:

And, if they'd gotten another Rumours, they would've panned it for being exactly like Rumours.

I totally agree with you! Critics---who needs someone else's opinion? We only need our own opinion! :laugh:

:wavey: :wavey: :wavey:

Time, definitely. Not the mess that everyone thinks it is. Behind The Mask is very underrated, as are the pre-Lindsey and Stevie albums, but Time is a good record that got destroyed by everyone without deserving it.


Song of the moment - In The Back Of My Mind

I agree with you. I don't understand why so many people hate Time. I admit I only got Time to see why so many people hated it. I don't find anything wrong with it.

I agree with you so much particularly regarding the 1971-74 albums. For some reason, I've been listening to these back to back for the past month or so and love them a lot. I've never really listened to them all the way through. I think Chris's songs were so underappreciated back then.

It's hard to answer this question though. Are we talking underappreciated NOW or at the time of their release? I wouldn't be able to comment on most of the albums if it was the latter. I liked BTM when it came out and thought it was underappreciated definately. But now when i look back on it i'm not as fond of it as i was then. I guess because back then i was glad to have anything release by them and it was still 4/5 of the Rumours line up with some extra "help". I think the main thing missing was that Lindsey wasn't on it.

My op...
 

I don't own Time or BTM so I can't comment on either...I've only heard some songs on BTM. :shrug:

I think Mirage is given a bum rap, it may be the weakest FM album when you compare ALL the FM albums, but it's CERTAINLY not the worst album ever made! We all have our fave albums and songs, so it's all about preference. :nod:

Tusk is WAY underrated...as is pretty much every FM album besides Rumours. :rolleyes:

Re: My op...
 

You should get both of them. On Time you can hear Lucy Fleetwood(Mick's daughter)sing, she's pretty good.

*agrees* Apart from the bit about Empire State.

Mirage is the only Rumours line up album I've yet to listen to all the way through. Even though it did hit #1, I think it had a bit too much production in it. For example, Love in Store could have done much better without the corny "ah whoa, oh oh oh" part. However, I do love this song live on the Mirage concert when it's more upbeat and flows better. Another studio stinker but great live song for me is Eyes of the World. It seems that for a lot of the songs they were going for a much crisper sound, but sometimes that made the songs choppier. I've tried to get into Straight Back, but there's just too much going on in that song. And, I've yet to actually listen completely to Only Over You, Empire State, Oh Diane, and Wish You Were Here. And unfortunately, I've become a rather small fan of Hold Me, the album's biggest hit (chart wise). Just too much repeating...really, how many times can they possibly keep just repeating the phrase "Hold Me." I don't imagine too many people get the name of that song messed up. It's not a bad album though, and I think it should have more recognition. My mother, who lived through the Fleetwood Mac years, didn't even know Mirage existed until we were watching the video for Gypsy and the title came on with the album name "Mirage."

I would have to say the obvious choice...Tusk. It really IS so incredibly underrated. A lot of their best work is on that album, and it has such a signature sound. The album went onto influence so many many bands, even to this day.

(And of course Storms is on it, which is my favourite Stevie song!:nod: )

:wavey: :wavey: :wavey:

Right now I'd say Future Games. I can't see any of the B&N or Green albums as being underrated, they certainly have sold and continue to sell.

lol!!! i agree.

I saw the rolling stone article that the Tusk album was in, but I think it was the top commercial failures or something along those lines, not "worst albums".

Tusk and Mirage are definitely underrated. Not being a huge Christine fan, I *love* her songs on Tusk--Over and Over is my favorite Christine song, and probably in my top 10 FM songs. Plus, this is the only album where I feel Stevie got a fair share of album time. Sisters of the Moon is one of the best songs ever made, and I love Angel, Storms, and Sara. Beautiful Child is up there with Stevie's best. Some of Lindsey's songs are wacky, but I love them too, esp. The Ledge, That's All for Everyone, and Walk a Thin Line, but Not That Funny is much better on the Live album.

I really think Mirage is great, I can honestly say I don't dislike any songs on this album. Love in Store is another favorite Christine tune, Lindsey's and Stevie's backing vocals really make that song, the 3 of them together is great, I wish they did that more. That's Alright is a guilty pleasure, inspite of its countryness. Im not a big fan of Eyes of the World, but that awesome guitar saves it. And that kick-ass piano at the end of Wish you were here is a great way to end the album.

btw, whats up the beginning of "Wish you were here" and "Silver Springs" being exactly the same??

:wavey: adam :wavey:

of the rumours era, i'd have to say tusk or mirage.. i dunno, i think lots of people (non-diehards) recognize tusk, but mirage is still unknown to them. and at first, i have to admit, i hated mirage. sometimes "Oh Diane" still grates my nerves, but I've really come to enjoy the album. I positively ADORE "Love in Store" (no rhyme intended).. and, basically, the WHOLE album. It's fantastic. I'm glad I've come to see the light.. heh.

Of all the FM incarnations.. i think Mystery to Me is wayyyy "looked-over." I first got my copy in 1997 and ever since the first time I listened to it, I've been hooked on that cd. I think all the personal drama really hindered MtM.. it probably would have been a big hit if they would have been able to promote it.

Sarah

right???? when i first heard "Silver Springs" from the Dance i knew that beginning part sounded like something else. so.....off to the Mirage album i went and i was right. exciting story huh?

While I agree that "TIME" was not given a chance, I still dislike this album. I listened to it trying to be open minded and overlook the fact that Stevie and Linndsey were no longer in the group but I still found the album a bore. The only songs I liked from the album are Talkin To My Heart, Hollywood .... Some Other Kind of Town and my favourite song on the album Nights In Estoril.

While I haven't listened to Time and therefore have no subjective opinion, I think it's still right to say it wasn't given a chance. I didn't know Time existed for the longest time (no pun intended) and thought Behind the Mask was FM's last output before The Dance (besides the box set). I don't know how good the album is, but I feel that it wasn't given a chance probably because it was a much different Fleetwood Mac. Mick said once "good album, wrong band" or something like that...he might have said wrong name. In other words, he likes the album but because it was under Fleetwood Mac with no Lindsey and no Stevie and probably has a different sound than Rumours era Fleetwood Mac, it just wasn't given any attention.

I agree on the 71-74 albums. From the Rumours era I pick "Live"
for the simple fact it's the only one from that era that I've ever seen in a cutout bin. This was the early 80's and of course I bought it. (I love live albums.)

I agree with you, Dugan, the live album rocks! I listen to it all the time. That live version of Rhiannon alone is worth the price :D But really, the tracklist could have been much more interesting. What about Sisters of the Moon, The Chain, etc? And while I love that version of Sara, I'm sure that is not the best version from the Tusk tour. Didn't I hear somewhere that they recorded all the shows from the tusk tour, is that true?

:wavey: Adam :wavey:

Of the Buckingham & Nicks era albums, I'd say that 'Mirage' is probably the most underappreciated.
'Rumours' and 'Tusk,' are the two that get mentioned most by critics and fans alike.


Johnny Stew

Oh definitely, if we're talking ANY album, then I vote for "Live" too..! I love all the tracks (sound quality and performace quality) on it, especially "Go Your Own Way" and "I'm So Afraid".

:wavey: :wavey: :wavey: