The two versions of FUTURE GAMES
 

This is similar to the thread on Sentimental Lady but Bob also covers Future Games on his 3rd solo, The Other One. Here again, I really liked both versions. It took me awhile on the solo version but I was really impressed with it. It's not quite what your expecting after knowing the Fleetwood Mac version. I haven't heard it for awhile but I remember it was mainly or all acoustic and Bob sings in a really subdued tone through out. It was also on his...Best of... cd but not on the one released called Greatest Hits. I thought it was a great alternate version but the first is the standard and in my opinion OUTSTANDING like Sentimental Lady. Does anyone else have any thoughts or preferences on Future Games?

Actually, there are THREE
 

There's Bob's first version with Fleetwood Mac (#1), his rearranged version on The Other One (#2) and the third version is on his recent Fleetwood Mac Years & Beyond album (#3)

Oh right, like the complete atmospheric rehash of it on HAHTF ("Safe Harbour") doesn't count. :rolleyes: Then again, he was going to leave the band and since "Future Games" was supposedly his first song for FM it's an understandable recycling.

"Safe Harbour" is by NO means a rehash of "Future Games"...if anything, it's a rehash of "Albatross"...Welch-ized. :shrug:

Plus, it wasn't until WELL after the album was released...not until after the subsequent tour that Welch decided to leave the band. Even up until the last minute he was waffling. :nod:

Ironically, in his liner notes for 'His Fleetwood Mac Years & Beyond,' Bob seems to also have forgotten he recorded "Future Games" three times.

About "Sentimental Lady," he wrote, "Now that I've redone it for this project, that makes three times. That must be a record... call Guinness!"

If it is a record, then he shares it with himself for both songs!

I always meant to email Bob to tease him about that, but I don't have the guts. :o :laugh:

Johnny,
Does Bob ever play out in Nashville, that you know of? I'm down there 4-6 times a year, but have never seen anything about him playing out on the town.

I can give you that but I still think that the core of the track is the very similar guitar shimmer; to me it creates an atmosphere close to "Future Games" anyway. And in spite of similar instrumentation, "Bermuda Triangle" still sounds like "Hypnotized Pt. 2" to me. You know, that Buckingham ain't the only one who recycles himself, and he puts his self-repeatings into different atmospheres, unlike Mr. Welch. ;)

But all the same, the thought of leaving might still have been in his mind for a very long time. He might have just told about it to the band members much later. If he wanted to get closer to the hard rock sound of Paris (which wasn't all that hard and I think FM would have done as fine a job on those songs as Cornick and Sales did) already with HAHTF (which is what I understand the quote in Brunning's book was hinting at) and wasn't allowed to do so then I understand the possible self-quotation.

Why, that sounds like that spoiled brat Lindsey Buckingham, except that he left the band in a much more unprofessional way. ;)

Sure...listen to Pete Townshend...he's the "MASTER recycler".

"He", Buckingham? or "He", Welch? :shrug:

LB, of course. :) BTW, didn't you once state that there's a huge similarity in between "Safe Harbour" and "Mystified"?

Yep. "Mystified", to me, sounds like they took "Safe Harbour" and Buckingham-ized it, and added a full set of lyrics.

Not related to the topic, but - face of glass, I just noticed the signature line on your posts quotes a lyric from one of my favorite songs. You're a Joy Division / New Order fan as well as Fleetwood Mac? I figured I was the only one here :) I guess this isn't the right forum to discuss which version of "Ceremony" is the best (it's the first one, of course) ;)

(hope that's what your signature quote refers to - if not I've probably completely confused you and everyone else)

But then again you seem to be more of a pre-Rumours fan while I prefer 'em sellouts. ;)
Yes, I admit to being a JD/NO fan, to the extent that I am a fan of Fleetwood Mac. I think Coldplay, a guy who used to post here, listens to Joy Division as well.
The best version of "Ceremony"? In spite of the fine NO renditions I'll still pick the one with Ian Curtis on vocals, no matter how poorly recorded it was. It was brilliant when they dug it out for the boxset.

Check your e-mail as well. :nod: