It took a while for me to warm up to it, but I'm loving "Sad Angel". At first I think it was a bit too "straightforward" for Lindsey post-Tusk, but then I realized this is a great opening rocker, a la "Monday Morning" or "Second Hand News".
I also really dig "Without You". When I listened to the '70s Buckingham Nicks version I gotta admit I didn't really care for it. But this recording kicks ass. I love the sound of Lindsey on guitar and I still think Lindsey and Stevie sound great together, and I hope that if they do indeed do another album that they share more lead vocals like they do on this, because it definitely makes it feel more like Fleetwood Mac rather than a Lindsey solo project and a Stevie solo project mashed together. I'm still not totally sold on "It Takes Time", but it's growing on me. Obviously I feel that it could fit on a solo album of his, but I d feel that it is a strong song. Lastly, I really dig "Miss Fantasy", and have since I first heard it. It's the most Fleetwood Mac-y type song of the whole EP, although I definitely think it has the pure pop songwriting and sound Law And Order had on a lot of it's songs. I love the mellow sound and I think it might have been a better song to push than "Sad Angel", but whatever, I still got it now.
Overall, I definitely feel a Mirage vibe, in that it seems like the group (mostly Lindsey) is trying to get back to what a large section of the public perceive as their strengths. However I think this time it was Lindsey's decision to try this kinda thing, and that's why these songs are much stronger than his work on Mirage ("Oh Diane" and "Eyes of the World" excepted). It's also neat that since this material reminds of Mirage, they also use the same logo that they did for that album.
Also, I don't know if anybody has mentioned it yet, but this is my guess at the story of how Extended Play came about:
You had Lindsey, Mick, and John working on the eight songs Lindsay wrote. They got 'em recorded, minus Stevie's parts. Stevie comes in and chooses "Sad Angel" and "Miss Fantasy" to work on. She also figures since Buckingham Nicks is gonna be re-released (yeah right) that they do "Without You" to add to that album. I wouldn't doubt that they considered just putting out another greatest hits album with the two new songs, but then they probably realized that it's not quite time for another one of those yet. So they decide the three songs will be an EP. Maybe then Mick and John add bass and percussion to "Without You" to make it more "Fleetwood Mac". Then somebody (iTunes, management, one of the members?) and says, "hey guys don't you think three songs is pretty skimpy for an EP". So at the last second they ask Lindsey to see what he has on his hard drive, and he pulls out "It Takes Time" and even though the rest of the band isn't featured, it is "finished" and easily takes up the fourth spot. I have to assume this song was a major last minute addition because none of them did as much as mention it in passing. And I think that explains the lack of Stevie. I'm surprised that they didn't have any Say You Will outtakes penned by Stevie they could have used.
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