RS: "Fleetwood Mac: They Dared to be Different"

[blemelin]

I remember reading this back in February 1980, when I was a senior in high school. I spent most of that winter with my headphones on, listening to Tusk. I was enthralled with some of the sounds on that album, especially the subtle piano-guitar sounds on Sara (aural mysteries that sounded like someone taking a velvet hammer to piano strings) and the intricately wrapped vocals on an otherwise throw-away song like Honey Hi. At first, a lot of Lindsey's songs left me cold, but as I listened to the record Over and Over, I started to get it. That's All for Everyone left me almost hypnotized, as did Walk a Thin Line. Listening to the whole album from start to finish was a true commitment, but in the harsh winter of the rural Indiana plains, what else did I have to do? Storms broke my heart, as did Never Make Me Cry and Brown Eyes. Other songs rocked me. A few bored me. Over the years, the album has continued to evolve within and without me. Last year, I was having brunch with a friend at a restaurant in the East Village, and someone working there started playing the record. It was a large space with very good acoustics and a good sound system, so we sat there eating and drinking through the whole thing. We schmoozed with the staff (some of whom sat down and drank with us), and by the time we left, we were quite buzzed and floating a few inches off the sidewalk, and not just because of the drinks. "It will be all right. We'll never forget tonight." http://www.rollingstone.com/music/ne...erent-19800207