I can see both sides of this "fan vs. critic" argument, but c'mon folks, if you're a fan of a band that makes you feel like you're being USED or CONNED for BEING a fan, I think a dump-truck load of criticism is warranted.
As far as the "bar of expectation" being high...well, "f-ing A" right it is. Not counting 35 years of great music already given us, we've been led along like sheep for nearly the past decade (or it FEELS that long, anyway) awaiting Lindsey's "Gift Of Screws", read "insider" reports that Lindsey's new material is
"the best he's ever done", Mick feeds us things like
"a whole new sound", etc, etc, etc. I'm tired of eating the crap they're feeding me. I want to hear the stuff and judge for myself. I've NEVER been "disappointed" enough that I'll ever stop being a fan of Fleetwood Mac, but the way they've gone about making me FEEL about being a fan has really pissed me off.
And, as I think about it, in the past 8 or 9 years since I started posting to various on-line Fleetwood Mac boards/newsgroups, etc, I find my criticism of the band has increased 100 fold.
I think I've hit on the "why that is"
I think it is a situation that "ok, we're all here BECAUSE we're Fleetwood Mac fans"...I assume we can take that for granted, right? Ok, considering that as "the given", I'm not going to sit here and type inane "everything Fleetwood Mac does is wonderful" posts...the ol' "preaching to the choir" BS. The DAY the new
Say You Will album comes out, I'll have it in my collection, I'll be listening to it 10-20 times a day for the first few weeks. I'll pick out my likes & dislikes with a fine-toothed comb. I'll post my thoughts here and elsewhere, knowing that a majority of us have heard the songs and will be able to relate to, but I definitely do not assume being agreed with, what I post. That's actually kind of refreshing, in the big picture. But, put me in the REAL world, up against some less than marginal "Fleetwood Mac listener" (as opposed to "fan") who dares to criticize the band and I'll eat 'em for lunch..."how DARE you criticize them when you know absolutely NOTHING about them and won't even consider yourself a fan". By being here, there's a comfort level of understanding that allows us to criticize the band, fawn over the band, enjoy AND dislike all the many facets of the band and still be a part of a tight knit community. Sure, I know I've ruffled feathers here on a number of occasions, and vice versa; but, it is the fact that our view of this band is on such a microscopic level (by that I mean that we take every bit of info, music, etc, and examine it down to its sub-atomic parts), that we sometimes lose track that by just BEING here show our "fandom" in all its glory.
(Can I get an "AMEN, brother"?) 
(Uh, chiliD, will you get back on TOPIC??!?!?!?)
uhhh...yeah...sure....
So, the album title is
Say You Will, eh?? It doesn't light my fire, but at least we don't have to MAKE UP a name for it like we have had to with
Dog & Dustbin &
the white album 
Quote:
Originally posted by Johnny Stew
At least they didn't call it "Uddersucker"
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HEY!! Nothing wrong with recycling!!!
Clapton did for HIS latest!
One More Car, One More Rider was the original title for his album that eventually released as
August...it was an 11th hour name change. In his Rolling Stone magazine interview article that preceded the album's release by a week, the title was reported as OMC,OMR...but, in the meantime, his son Conor was born and Eric retitled the album.