[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by aleuzzi

I remember first hearing it and hating the absence of Christine. Stevie sounded nasal and Buckingham’s tunes seemed tuneless. But then, about a week later, I listened with new ears and felt genuine excitement for about 2/3 of the songs. What I liked most were those songs that DIDN’T sound like traditional FM. “Illume,” “Everybody Finds Out,” “Red Rover,” and “Say Goodbye” all felt new and innovative to my ears. The musicianship was strong and even a little more aggressive—something that translated on the tours. While only a few songs on SYW match my enthusiasm for the bulk of IN THE MEANTIME, I was willing to accept this essentially new band, where the bros hit harder and Stevie’s attack was less precious, more direct and accessible. It all added up to an AMERICAN band backed with two monster rhythm players.

But as good as it was, it felt a bit dry, somewhat calculated and defensive. It lacked humanity and warmth.

I never realized how central Christine was to the Mac chemistry until she wasn’t there. I also never realized how much she WAS the Mac sound until I heard ITM, and felt the bulk of it was more FM than FM—even though none of the remaining four were there.

Put another way, the BuckVie project, in which a different configuration of four FM members are present and one is absent, sounds a lot more like an actual FM record.

Yea, couldn't have stated this any better. Spot on, observations.