[DavidMn]

Originally Posted by Jyqm

I'm not exactly sure what you mean by "cult status," David. Do you mean a particular group of devoted fans who have been following their career for years, or do you mean more an institutionalized status, with the proper publications always making sure to give the band their due and a steady stream of relatively hip young people jumping on board the train? The four bands you mentioned do all enjoy something of a cult status, but in very different ways.

At any rate, part of the problem with Fleetwood Mac is indeed the perception of the post-1974 incarnations as "lightweight," but I think it's also the fact that the band has changed so much over the years, it's somewhat difficult for a cult status to emerge. Fleetwood Mac has to settle for a couple mini-cults, then, the largest of which is the Green God fans. There's an ever-growing group of people who recognize just how awesome Fleetwood Mac was under Peter, and the various archival releases over the past few years (come to think of it, there's been an unfortunate paucity of those lately...) have really helped that.

I think there's also a slowly growing cult that is beginning to appreciate the Fleetwood Mac, Rumours and especially Tusk albums in a new light, as kind of the epitome and deconstruction of perfect California 70s pop/rock.

I think the biggest obstacle to Fleetwood Mac achieving more of a cult status, though, is Stevie. She's got quite the cult revolving around just herself, and I think the image that comes out of that (either the airy fairy witchy woman, or the big-haired cokehead, propped up by inscrutable lyrics and relatively generic music) turns off a lot of people who might otherwise give Fleetwood Mac more credit.

Oh I guess what I was trying to say there is that those other bands I mentioned, it seems like they have this beyond rabid following.Does that make sense?