Fantasy Tango
 

What made it onto Tango in The Night and what was left off, or used as only a B side, has always baffled me- There was a lot of innovative pop music recorded during those sessions, and I feel what made the final cut doesn't do the band justice. So I decided to make a playlist, my own version of Tango. I've had a hard time listening to the album ,as it stands, all the way through, and found listening to this fantasy Tango really enjoyable, and overall a better representation of the mac in general, and from this era.. I replaced 1 song from each member with another one of their respective B sides or outtakes and added 2 more.
Tracklist:

Book of Miracles
Big Love
Seven Wonders
Everywhere
Caroline
Tango In The Night
Mystified
Joan of Arc
Little Lies
Down Endless Street
Ricky
You and I Part I
Welcome to the Room...Sara
You and I Part II

I realize some might think I'm crazy for leaving off Isn't It Midnight- its just never worked for me, I just don't find the song or the arrangement interesting. Family Man doesn't even feel like the mac to me, and I think a lot can agree that When I See... is just too bland.
Having Welcome to the Room in between the You and I's was just an experiment that sounded good the first time through, but who knows...

Again, I really enjoyed listening to this running order, and think the songs I added were songs crucial to representing the band's creativity in arranging and production during this time period.
Try it and tell me what you think,
or maybe you've done the same thing and have an even better version! :)

i haaaaaaaaaaate Family Man

but [and i'm in the vast vast minority here] i LOVE Welcome to the Room :shocked: i know. i would never omit that. or Isn't it Midnight. I love that too

im very disappointed Joan of Arc never made it on there
and i love the Juliet outtake :p

Joan of Arc is an amazing song...touching, desperate...but I think it didn't fit into the general style of TITN. Nevertheless, Stevie should have used it for TOSOTM.
Sometimes I feel like an alien! everybody hates Family Man, but me and my friend, who are the greatest FM fans in my town, do love it. When I first told him about the song I said: you'll probably won't like it. most people from the ledge hate it.
But God bless his heart, he is in love with that song too. I think it is a great great song. There's a demo version that's even better, which has an extra verse. and the solo of guitar at the end...is sooo beautiful.
On the other hand, I agree with most of you who prefer you and I part I from part II. Book of miracles and down endless street are great tracks too.
there's a little song called "special kind of love" with never made it and never was recorded properly, which I adore. anyway, I love the album and all the b-sides, it's my favourite FM album, it's magic, has something magic. when you play it you can feel the colours from the cover.

I agree with your premise. I've always loved the B sides. But I lost Down Endless Street and have never been able to replace it.
Do you know where I can find it on the net?
I'm not very computer savy so it would have to be easy to download.
Thanks.,

I, personally, hope that Joan of Arc will be resurrected for the next Mac album. I think it's a song that will really relate to things that seem to interest Stevie in the post-9/11, Iraq-War era.

I think it would have fit into SYW perfectly, but I suspect that its inclusion would have tipped the album into way out there territory. I also think "Space Needle" could have been re-rendered by Lindsey and would have fit as well. But then again, SYW would have been overflowing with these dark, minor-key, 6-minute opuses (opi?)...

I would have ditched "You and I Part II" and "Mystified," and included "Family Man" and WISYA instead. I have always found "Mystified" to be just too full of sugary-sweet goopiness; I practically need an insulin injection after I hear it. And "You and I Part II" always makes me reach for the skip button. It just sounds so much like a cheesy cruise ship commercial jingle; even Kathy Lee Gifford would have called it tacky. Why that made the final cut over "Part I," I will never know... :shrug:. I like the inclusion of "Ricky," but I think Christine should come up with some different lyrics and a stronger melody on the verses. Kudos for not including "Special Kind of Love," which is even goopier than "Mystified." I think it would be neat to "bookend" the album with "Juliet" as the opener and "Book of Miracles" as the closer. I really, really like the FM version of "Juliet." It rocks hard!

You might add me to the reputed minority of fans who love Family Man. I think it a solid song, and I enjoy singing along to it.

-Matt

I always thought You and I part I should have opened the album. I think parts I and II were perfect bookends for the album. I've been inspired by this thread to make a Tango Double Album playlist in my iPod. Yay!

http://www.mediafire.com/?vo9hnuh5byg

Instrumentally, it's excellent. Great guitars, lead & rhythm. Great drum track, great bass, &c. Musically, it's back & forth between a major 7th & a 6th, a pop sound I've always liked -- always puts me in a traveling mood & a reflective bent.

As for "Joan of Arc," has it ever been confirmed that this is the Mac? I've never heard anyone except fans & bootleggers call it Fleetwood Mac. It never sounded like Fleetwood Mac to me, although I know it could be.

Thank you very much, I'm listening to it now. I haven't heard this in a long time.

I totally agree.

I haven't even listened to Tango once. I stopped at Family man, because I couldn't take it anymore. I suppose I'll have to dig it out...

Hmm.. Now that it was mentioned, You and I Part I would probably be a great album opener:thumbsup:

I've never actually heard the Mac version of Juliet.. could anyone post? thanks:nod:

"Book Of Miracles" is, when it comes down to it, just an instrumental version of "Juliet".

"You & I, Part 1" segueing directly into "Big Love" would've been the killer way to open the album.

I LOVE "Family Man".

HATE "Ricky"

LOVE "Down Endless Street" (just wish it would've been finished...there's zippo of the "typical" Lindsey guitarwork that graces the rest of the Tango album)

Don't know what people find listenable about Stevie's demos...I can't take 'em...any of 'em...and I can relate to the possible difficulties Lindsey had in finding anything useable about them to help mold them into finished songs. "Joan Of Arc" in particular. No wonder I find Stevie's tunes on Tango so abhorrant.

"Isn't It Midnight" is the song that has always drawn me back to this album...so by its exclusion on your list, I would find the album unlistenable....well, not "unlistenable" per se, but I wouldn't have anything to keep pulling me into listening to it.