Behind The Mask: Longplay Review

vivfox · #1 04-19-2008, 08:27 AM

In 1990 Fleetwood Mac found themselves in a position they had been in so many times before-struggling to hold on. In the band's long history, Fleetwood Mac had been on the bottom of the heap just as many times as they had been on top. From 1975 to 1987, Fleetwood Mac was a soft rock juggernaut with sold out tours, Platinum albums and Top 10 hits stemming from their ability to tie Classic Rock themes, Singer/Songwriter vibes and So Cal harmonies into an attractive package. The five band members of the era, drummer Mick Fleetwood, bassist John McVie, keyboard/vocalist Christine McVie, singer Stevie Nicks and guitarist/singer/producer Lindsey Buckingham had come to define a band that had an army of musicians beforehand.

In 1987 Fleetwood Mac made a major comeback with the Tango In The Night album, the Mac's first album of new material in five years. The lead single, Buckingham's "Big Love", was a Top 10 hit. They were planning a World Tour to take over the planet one more time. Then the bottom fell out, Lindsey Buckingham quit (allegedly violently by Mick Fleetwood) to pursue his solo career (culminating in 1992's Out Of The Cradle album).

Fleetwood Mac's motto had been "the show must go on" so they recruited two singer/ guitarists to replace Buckingham, Billy Burnette (ex-Mick Fleetwood's The Zoo) and Rick Vito (ex-Jackson Browne, Silver Bullet Band). This lineup went on tour which I got to see at the recently spared Cow Palace in Daly City (and was one of two shows taped for the Tango In The Night concert video). The show was fun and professional but the chemestry that happens with Buckingham was missing. Still, it was great to catch Stevie Nicks in between meds and the addition of Vito allowed some of the bluesier side of the band to come out.

Following a Greatest Hits set that included an Adult Contemporary hit "As Long As You Follow", the revised Mac went to the studio with a number of questions. Could they maintain their chart dominating ways? Would Stevie Nicks stay without Buckingham? Was Buckingham irreplaceable in the studio? To find out, they recorded Behind The Mask with producer Greg Ladanyi and here are the results, track by track:

Skies The Limit - The second single from the album was a quintessential Christine McVie track. Midtempo relaxed beat, cozy harmonies and McVie's warm voice singing about the ways of love. I liked the sort of jauntiness the song had and it allowed the band members to show their strengths without being flashy. A great start.

Love Is Dangerous - The new guys tended to pair off with the girl singers and Rick Vito found a match with Stevie Nicks. This surging blues rocker is reigned in by a softer guitar sound than usually comes with this type of song. Nicks and Vito trade off and share lead vocals giving the song a he said/she said feel. "Dangerous" used to receive a lot of airplay on rock radio in the waning days of AOR. Nicks must have been impressed because she hired Vito as her guitarist on following solo tours.

In The Back Of My Mind - Billy Burnette gets face time with this arty slow moving pop tune. Unusually dark in sound and theme for Mac, Burnette does a good job of bringing some depth to the band. It had one of those rhyme scheme choruses to emphasize the disturbed mindset of the song. Burnette used to take exception that this was taken as a solo song as he had written it with the band in mind.

Do You Know - While Vito and Nicks connected, Burnette teamed up with McVie for four minutes of Adult Contemporary glory. A solid ballad, I never understood why this wasn't released as a single because it had "drive time love song" written all over it. If you like the soft side of Mac, "Do You Know" is a lost treasure.

Save Me - The lead single from the album and maybe a misstep in that sense. "Save Me" is a fast paced lite rocker with Christine McVie's laid back vocal at odds with Rick Vito's dazzling fretwork. A tasteful rocker, ideal for the Golden Circle set, was enjoyable but did not convince the public that the band could go on without Buckingham. Though I enjoyed listening to this cassingle on a car ride to L.A. at the time and it had a nice B side with Rick Vito atmospheric cover of "Stop Messin' Around".

Affairs Of The Heart - Stevie Nicks had concerns about staying without Buckingham, as his ability to wrap her songs in a soft gauzy haze was part of the band's appeal. Without him, Nick's song came across harder and firmer but less distinct. The song and performance were fine, but without the extra production the song lacked some of the magical qualities of her prior tunes. And yet, I'm such a fan that it doesn't really matter that much because I still love the song.

When The Sun Goes Down - Burnette and Vito pair off this time to do a rewrite of the Travelling Wilbury's "End Of The Line". Not bad and had a bit of a fun feel.

Behind The Mask - Lindsey Buckingham contributed some guitar to this song, a Christine McVie led pop song with that feeling of hushed seduction she excels at. Still, it's just OK though it broadens the scope of the album a little by adding a second "dark" song. Probably the edgiest song on the disc narrowly beating "In The Back Of My Mind".

Stand On The Rock - Rick Vito again struts his blues rock thang with a lighter than needed guitar sound on "Rock". Vito mentioned at the time that he felt held back from rocking harder to meet the band's soft rock jones. Not terribly memorable except that it was Vito's only full lead vocal in the album.

Hard Feelings - The most impressive song by one of the new guys, Billy Burnette turned in this lush Beatlesque pop ballad. More Adult Contemporary greatness, Burnette nearly made a case for himself as Buckingham's replacement with this track. I played this one on my CD player a lot back then.

Freedom - Stevie Nick's second lead vocal was this fast pop rocker that was equal to "No Questions Asked" from the Greatest Hits album. Again a decent but not spectacular song by Nicks standards, it was still as enjoyable as the white winged dove. Her familiar rasp gave some much needed star power to the Mac at this point. A welcome pace changer bringing some rock and roll thunder to the second half of the album.

When It Comes To Love - Burnette and McVie share the lead on this one, another midtempo soft rock opus. One of the weaker songs on the album.

The Second Time - Sort of carrying on a tradition, Stevie Nicks sings backed by an acoustic guitar for the album closer with the self referrential name. The most memorable song on the album for me, a nice ending. Though I would often get it confused with the theme song to a TV show called Anything But Love with Jamie Lee Curtis and Richard Lewis at the time. Guess it was the whole acoustic vibe.

Behind The Mask was a solid, consistent album at a time they needed to blow the doors off the place. The Partridge Family atmosphere couldn't compete with the volitile creativity of the Buckingham era and after the tour, this version of Fleetwood Mac called it quits. A Nicks-less lineup would return with Dave Mason (ex-Traffic) in tow but nothing could wake the beast until 1997 when Buckingham and Nicks returned. I just realized, I miss this album. Back to the $1.00 bin!

Posted by Mr. Mike at 4/18/2008

http://mrmikesmediamadness.blogspot....ection_18.html

Villavic · #2 04-21-2008, 09:51 AM

It would be interesting to know about the recording sessions. I've never found an article where Stevie, Mick or Christine talked about it.

chiliD · #3 04-21-2008, 10:24 AM

Hmmmm...all credibility lost when he referred to the "Save Me" B-side as "Stop Messin' Round" when it actually was "I Loved Another Woman".

**jbrownsjr** · #4 05-03-2008, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chiliD

Hmmmm...all credibility lost when he referred to the "Save Me" B-side as "Stop Messin' Round" when it actually was "I Loved Another Woman".

wasn't Oh Well Live on the back of As Long as You Follow single? i can't remember

starshine · #5 05-03-2008, 04:40 PM

I remember when this LP/cd came out.....but I still missed Lindsey at the time....I do really like Rick Vito .........the Cd is ok.....I hate the LP cover....not the best.....it should've been a picture of the 'band' not some unknown strangers.....it might have helped some? who knows......did they even release a song of Stevie's from this LP? Was it 'Love Is Dangerous? I just don't recall......I just remember Christine's singles....SM and SITL....Also, in my old Rumours fanzines....they have this one page that there was some special Mask cd that had pictures 'played' on the screen with the lyrics to the song.....does anyone know what I'm talking about??? I've just not ever ever seen this....would love to get a copy of this.....would it play on dvd players today?? Heck this was 1990? Just wondering if anyone knows about it.....I was just early into my collecting than so I had like no clue to look for it....I tried it with my regular Mask cd but it only played no pictures of the members. It is suppose to have a number on it but I don't recall it.....sorry.....any info would be great!!!!!!!!!

TheWILDheart · #6 05-17-2008, 03:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by starshine

I remember when this LP/cd came out.....but I still missed Lindsey at the time....I do really like Rick Vito .........the Cd is ok.....I hate the LP cover....not the best.....it should've been a picture of the 'band' not some unknown strangers.....it might have helped some? who knows......did they even release a song of Stevie's from this LP? Was it 'Love Is Dangerous? I just don't recall......I just remember Christine's singles....SM and SITL....Also, in my old Rumours fanzines....they have this one page that there was some special Mask cd that had pictures 'played' on the screen with the lyrics to the song.....does anyone know what I'm talking about??? I've just not ever ever seen this....would love to get a copy of this.....would it play on dvd players today?? Heck this was 1990? Just wondering if anyone knows about it.....I was just early into my collecting than so I had like no clue to look for it....I tried it with my regular Mask cd but it only played no pictures of the members. It is suppose to have a number on it but I don't recall it.....sorry.....any info would be great!!!!!!!!!

My BTM CD has that picture thing but I can't get it to work. Also, in regards to what you said about the singles, ITBOMM was a single.

Street_Dreamer · #7 05-17-2008, 02:13 PM

I think that special feature on the BTM cd only worked on old Mac computers. I'm probably wrong, but that's my guess.

Matt

Johnny Stew · #8 05-17-2008, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by starshine

did they even release a song of Stevie's from this LP? Was it 'Love Is Dangerous? I just don't recall......I just remember Christine's singles....SM and SITL....

"Love Is Dangerous" was released as a promo to radio stations, but it was never commerically released -- even though it hit #7 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.

The commercially-released 'BTM' singles were:

"Save Me"
"Skies The Limit"
"In The Back Of My Mind" (Europe-only)
"Hard Feelings" (US-only)

iamnotafraid · #9 05-29-2008, 04:59 AM

Starshine the Behind the Mask CD was released as a CD-G (CD w/Graphics) and you had to have a CD-G player to see the content. I have tried to get it to work with a laser disc player, but no luck. I read somewhere that some Karaoke players will play the content. So if anyone has a Karaoke player maybe they could give it a try and post their results?

michelej1 · #10 06-15-2008, 12:06 AM

Globe and Mail (Canada) April 30, 1990

BYLINE: ALAN NIESTER; GAM

BODY:

Warner Brothers 92 61114 ALAN NIESTER
Behind The Mask is Fleetwood Mac's first studio album in three years, and
the first work to feature new guitarists Billy Burnette and Rick Vito, the
pair who replaced Lindsey Buckingham.

It's easy to criticize the album by saying that it is simply a package
of solo works strung together with little regard for an over all
consistent sound. But that has been the case for the entire 23-year
Fleetwood Mac history. It used to be drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist
John McVie backing up the likes of Peter Green and Bob Welch. Now, the duo
backs up Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie and Rick Vito. The top changes, but
the bottom stays the same, so there is a sense of consistency.

That being said, it's unfortunate to note that Vito and Burnette are
probably the least interesting additions since Danny Kirwan. Their
contributions here are uniformly mediocre, the best of the lot being
Burnette's oddly pyschedelic In The Back Of My Mind.

But there are also a few highlights. Christine McVie's Save Me is a
sophisticated rocker, featuring a double-tracked vocal chorus and million
dollar hook. And Stevie Nicks turns in some of her nicest work in years on
Affairs of the Heart, which highlights her sexy drawl to good advantage.

Otherwise, there's not much going on here. Nicks contributes only two
more songs, and it certainly sounds like she's saving her best stuff for
her solo efforts. McVie's collaborations with both other band members and
outsiders are uniformly mediocre.

michelej1 · #11 07-05-2010, 02:10 PM

Boston Globe (MA), April 8, 1990

Section: ARTS AND FILM

MCVIE AND NICKS SALVAGE FLEETWOOD MAC'S LATEST

Steve Morse, Globe Staff

Few bands have flip-flopped identities like Fleetwood Mac. Once a renegade blues-rock act mentioned in the same breath as Led Zeppelin, they've mutated into a carefully polished, studio-driven pop band. Christine McVie, who was booed when she broke into the group's macho, guitar-blaring lineup in 1970, now anchors the band with mellow keyboard riffs that have become staples of Top 40 and classic-hits radio.

For better or worse, the Mac has canned the frantic, boys-night-out rowdiness of the charter group led by the unforgettable Peter Green -- an eccentric who later became a gravedigger -- and by Jeremy Spencer, who split to join a Children of God commune.

These days, Fleetwood Mac is enduring yet another identity crisis. When last seen in 1987, they were breaking in two new members (guitarists Billy Burnette and Rick Vito replaced Lindsey Buckingham) and talking about a "rebirth" of the band. They mounted a highly successful comeback tour, but only now has the new lineup completed an album together.

Titled "Behind the Mask" (Warners), it comes out Tuesday, followed by a tour landing at Great Woods Center for the Performing Arts on July 26 and 27.

Despite all the talk about Burnette and Vito restoring a rock punch to the group, the album is still a meticulous, sanded-down work that sounds so smooth you could almost skate on it. There are some wonderful songs -- and no doubt a few Top 40 hits ready to roll off the assembly line -- but overall, a bit more was promised than is delivered. Burnette and Vito often try too hard to replace the magical, light-fingered Buckingham; and oddly enough, the rhythm section of drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie -- the only original members in the group -- sound tame as well.

Superlative efforts by McVie and Stevie Nicks save the record from being too safe and mannered. Both are at their best, showing just how much they have taken over the band. McVie, one of the most underrated women in the business, carries such tunes as "Skies the Limit" and "When It Comes to Love" with her romantic optimism and quietly tempered, but always melodic, piano rhythms. She also adds some of her finest lyrics since 1977's "Rumours" LP, plus some dreamy vocals reminiscent of her earlier, psychedelic songs on the Mac's "Future Games" and "Bare Trees" albums.

Nicks is likewise in strong form. "Affairs of the Heart" is vintage Nicks, with its bewitching, confessional tone topped by chiming guitars and an awakened backbeat from Fleetwood. Describing a failed romance, she sings "no one understands the affairs of the heart" with a poignancy that stops you cold. The climactic tune, "The Second Time," with gently woven acoustic guitars from Burnette and Vito, is also mesmerizing.

The contributions from the newcomers are more spotty. Both Burnette (son of Elvis Presley rockabilly peer Dorsey Burnette) and Vito (formerly of Bob Seger's band) have gruffer voices than Buckingham's, thus helping to flatten some of their harmonies. They also take an occasional lead vocal, with mixed results. The best is Burnette's rockabilly tune, "When the Sun Goes Down." The worst is Vito's pedestrian arena-rocker, "Love Is Dangerous."

Ultimately, this album sounds more like a mini-collection of solo records than a statement by a fused, well-integrated new band. There are 13 tracks -- a lot by today's standards -- and some feel like a hodgepodge. The band still misses Buckingham, no matter what they say -- especially his exotic touches such as the Caribbean and Moroccan rhythms that floated onto Mac's last studio LP, "Tango in the Night."

But there are healthy signs -- notably the continued brilliance of McVie and Nicks -- that suggest the latest Mac incarnation may just need more time to develop. For their next album, they should take off the mask, spend less time in the studio and let the chemistry flow more naturally.

michelej1 · #12 07-05-2010, 02:12 PM

Los Angeles Times, April 8, 1990

Section: CA-Calendar

Fleetwood Rolls on Without Buckingham
*** 1/2 FLEETWOOD MAC "Behind the Mask" Warner B ros. Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to five stars (a classic).

VE HOCHMAN

Fleetwood Mac has survived--even thrived--for two decades through the comings and goings of creative linchpins Peter Green, Jeremy Spencer, Danny Kirwan and Bob Welch. But the loss of Lindsey Buckingham, who spearheaded the group's longest and most successful phase, figured to be too much.

Time to refigure. Without Buckingham's obsessively unique vision, the group has embraced an all-for-one, one-for-all attitude for what sounds like the most truly group effort since "Rumours," or perhaps even since 1972's "Bare Trees."

Following a Mac tradition, newcomer singer-guitarists Rick Vito and Billy Burnette make their mark right off the bat. Eight of the album's generous 13 songs bear their writing credits, and it's in fact the Vito/Stevie Nicks burner "Love Is Dangerous" that sets the tone, reinjecting the band's original blues foundation.

Nicks and Christine McVie both seem revitalized by the changes and contribute spirited adult pop songs, while founders Mick Fleetwood and John McVie remain the stalwart rhythm anchor that's been the one constant through the years. But, again, this Fleetwood Mac is not about individuals. And to think we always assumed it was turmoil and instability that made the group interesting.

aleuzzi · #13 07-12-2010, 01:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michelej1

Globe and Mail (Canada) April 30, 1990

BYLINE: ALAN NIESTER; GAM

BODY:

Warner Brothers 92 61114 ALAN NIESTER
Behind The Mask is Fleetwood Mac's first studio album in three years, and
the first work to feature new guitarists Billy Burnette and Rick Vito, the
pair who replaced Lindsey Buckingham.

It's easy to criticize the album by saying that it is simply a package
of solo works strung together with little regard for an over all
consistent sound. But that has been the case for the entire 23-year
Fleetwood Mac history. It used to be drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist
John McVie backing up the likes of Peter Green and Bob Welch. Now, the duo
backs up Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie and Rick Vito. The top changes, but
the bottom stays the same, so there is a sense of consistency.

That being said, it's unfortunate to note that Vito and Burnette are
probably the least interesting additions since Danny Kirwan. Their
contributions here are uniformly mediocre, the best of the lot being
Burnette's oddly pyschedelic In The Back Of My Mind.

But there are also a few highlights. Christine McVie's Save Me is a
sophisticated rocker, featuring a double-tracked vocal chorus and million
dollar hook. And Stevie Nicks turns in some of her nicest work in years on
Affairs of the Heart, which highlights her sexy drawl to good advantage.

Otherwise, there's not much going on here. Nicks contributes only two
more songs, and it certainly sounds like she's saving her best stuff for
her solo efforts. McVie's collaborations with both other band members and
outsiders are uniformly mediocre.

I agree with this review, except for the Danny Kirwan comment.

chriskisn · #14 07-12-2010, 09:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aleuzzi

I agree with this review, except for the Danny Kirwan comment.

Really? I though the:

That being said, it's unfortunate to note that Vito and Burnette are probably the least interesting additions since Danny Kirwan. Their
contributions here are uniformly mediocre, the best of the lot being
Burnette's oddly pyschedelic In The Back Of My Mind.

wasn't worthy of agreement either.

aleuzzi · #15 07-12-2010, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chriskisn

Really? I though the:

That being said, it's unfortunate to note that Vito and Burnette are probably the least interesting additions since Danny Kirwan. Their
contributions here are uniformly mediocre, the best of the lot being
Burnette's oddly pyschedelic In The Back Of My Mind.

wasn't worthy of agreement either.

We apparently disagree (surprise!). As much as I like Vito, and as much as I like Burnette's contributions to Time, I simply do not like their work here--nor am I thrilled about Christine's or Stevie's. Behind the Mask is, for me, the weakest of all Mac albums. Time is WAYYYY better.