If Stevie were to leave

[nae]

There has been alot said around here lately about how good or bad Stevie's songs are. I'm just wondering, how many of us would be so excited right now if Stevie would have left instead of Christine?

Christine will be missed. I wonder if it will have the same impact as when Lindsey left?

I tend to think the Rumors line up is magical, and if one leaves, well...I can still hear you saying you would never break the chain....


N.

[FiercestCalmSea]

As unfair as it is..i think if Stevie left as opposed to Christine,it would have more of an impact.Especially since the reunion and all the obvious onstage magic between Stevie and Lindsey...that is a major concert draw.Stevie is the crazy lil' singer chic...and while she is a little eccentric..she is captivating...whereas Christine is a consumate musician/singer but she is just not as flamboyant at Stevie, that's all..

[chiliD]

Remember, I'm USED to personnel changes with Fleetwood Mac; it wouldn't make a hill-of-beans difference to me. All three of them could've been gone, Mick & John could've gotten three new people and I'd be JUST as excited about the prospects of the new album. I really don't care WHO the personnel is (beyond Mick & John, that is), I'm going to buy whatever new Fleetwood Mac album that is released.

And, in saying that, I'd love to see a Fleetwood Mac front line of (considering all NEW people, not ex-members coming back...but people that did have previous FMac connections):

Walter Egan-guitar, vocals
Sheryl Crow-guitar, keyboards, vocals
Todd Sharp-guitar, vocals

[DownOnRodeo]

With respect ChilliD I dont rate as highly a bunch of top notch musicians as I do a little of top notch musicianship with a little chemistry. There's a 'soul' there with the BN (and McVies) personalities and songwriting and performaces that speaks volumes to many fans. Further, I rate Lindsey as irreplacable.

FiercestCalmSea - it's not unfair to say that about Christine - the last great gift she gave the band and its fans was her ability to leave without being especially noticable by her absence. It's the way she wanted it.

As far as Lindsey's Fleetwood Mac goes, which is the only FM I place a great deal of importance on, Stevie, him, John and Mick is basically the only combination it could have been whittled down to while maintaining an integrity of similar size.

There has been alot said around here lately about how good or bad Stevie's songs are. I'm just wondering, how many of us would be so excited right now if Stevie would have left instead of Christine?

That was one person's remark, nae - you can believe me that's far from any 'general' sentiment!

Christine will be missed. I wonder if it will have the same impact as when Lindsey left? I tend to think the Rumors line up is magical, and if one leaves, well...I can still hear you saying you would never break the chain....

Well I've sort of explained this above, but again, my opinion is that Christine has ensured she can leave without the band falling to pieces. And frankly Lindsey, let alone the Lindsey/Stevie combo, is just too damn potent and inventive to not be able to refashion themselves musically and in terms of band dynamics.

THe FM we all love on this board is BN's FM - and with Christine endeavourig to always be 'part of the rhythm section', we can thank her for the time shes given us, wish her happiness, and share her joy in the renewed, reformed BN FM.

[seteca]

Originally posted by DownOnRodeo
I rate Lindsey as irreplacable

and

Originally posted by DownOnRodeo

As far as Lindsey's Fleetwood Mac goes

I sort of pulled the second quote out of context, but these two quotes sum up my feelings in a way: the pre-B/N line-ups of Fleetwood Mac were good...very good, but the band has reached a point (in fact, that point was reached probably back in the late 70s) where, for better or for worse depending on your own personal opinion, Fleetwood Mac is, for all intents and purposes, "Lindsey Buckingham's Fleetwood Mac". The sound of Fleetwood Mac that the world has become accustomed to as the "signature FM sound" IS the sound that Lindsey produces in the studio - or "works his magic" as we so often say here on The Ledge. If Lindsey left (again), I think the band should not even attempt to make another album, or even tour ever again.
However, even though Stevie does not contribute musically to anywhere near the amount that Lindsey does in the studio (i'm literally talking in terms of no. of hours spent and different tasks that have to be done), she too, is irreplacable, IF the "magic of Fleetwood Mac" is to remain. Her lyrics aren't on the whole as good as they used to be, but she still comes out with some pretty awesome stuff - I think Illume is going to be absolutely amazing, for example. Her very unique voice is instantly recognisable and people will always identify it immediately, even if they are not fans, and say "that's Fleetwood Mac isn't it?", even if they do not know who she is. Her stage presence is extremely warm, and has not faded one bit over the 28 years she's been with the band. She is the "frontman" of Fleetwood Mac. If she leaves, Fleetwood Mac would not have lost even a fraction of what they would have from a purely musical/production point of view if LB was to leave, but the magic she provides/contributes to would be gone, and although I would be VERY keen to see a John, Mick and Lindsey show (in fact, it would be an absolute dream come true!), it would no longer feel like "Fleetwood Mac".
Besides, who's Lindsey going to stare and shout "And if you don't love me, now you will never love me again" at.........?? Mick??? lol!!
If Stevie was to leave, Fleetwood Mac should stop, and Lindsey should go permanently solo. Stevie is irreplacable, as is Lindsey. As much as Christine will be massively missed, her presence in the band was not as critical as Stevie's is.

All this, just my very humble opinion.

[CarneVaca]

Stevie is the icing of the cake that is Fleetwood Mac. I happen to like the cake better, so I always scrape off the excess icing.

If she left, I would be happy. If she left and Lindsey toured with just John and Mick, I think that would be kick-ass! If she left and Sheryl Crow joined, I would be ecstatic. If Stevie left and Bekka replaced her again, I would jump for joy. (Even though I don't like "Time," I love Bekka's voice, especially in "Nothing withouth You" and "Shaking the Cage.") From a marketing perspective, however, Sheryl Crow would be a better choice.

But let's throw some more "ifs" into the mix here: If Stevie's voice all of a sudden became as good as it once was, I might even close my eyes to the bad lyrics and welcome her presence in the band. If her voice remained as is and her lyrics suddenly took a major jump for the better, I would be very happy too.

[DownOnRodeo]

Originally posted by seteca
Besides, who's Lindsey going to stare and shout "And if you don't love me, now you will never love me again" at.........?? Mick??? lol!!

roflmao!!! That's a pretty funny image, especially with Mick flashing back his bizarre face expressions !! lol

[wondergirl9847]

If Stevie left instead of Christine, I would STILL be a fan of FM, and would buy their new album AND go see them on tour....because point blank, I am a Lindsey fan first and foremost...if the avatar and LINDSEY RULES below didn't give THAT information away, I don't know how to spell it out any clearer.

Anywho...I would still miss Stevie because I like her alot and she is a very interesting presence on stage, her voice is UNMISTAKABLY unique and (most of) her songs are awesome. Like seteca said, who would Lindsey scream "GO YOUR OWN WAY!!!!" to?

If Lindsey left however...I would be EXTREMELY...happy and sad. LOL Here's why...if Lindsey stayed in FM, YAY, if he left to pursue MANY SOLO projects...YAY...either way, I'd be happy, as long as he made RECORDS!! If he left FM to NEVER be heard from again..BOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[DownOnRodeo]

I actually would have been happier if Lindsey was the one leaving and Christine staying....I would have liked to see him replaced by Bob Welch or any of the post Rumours players.

Well the next time you decide to make a remark like that think long and hard about whether there'd be a Ledge to post those (baseless?) comments on without Lindsey. Goddamn it, he even wrote "The Ledge"!!

[wondergirl9847]

That's Adam's opinion...we all have em...I am a HUGE Lindsey fan too, but hey...it's all good...look at my sig!! LOL I love your passion tho for our man, Lindsey!

LONG LIVE THE LEDGE!!

I love Danny and would have LOVED to have had him stick around ALOT longer...but everything happens for a reason and I think it was "Destiny" for Lindsey and Stevie to join FM...just like it was "Destiny" for Peter Green to join Mick and John...and so on and so on....

[David]

I like the sound of the individual musicians in Fleetwood Mac enough to want to hear them regardless of whom they're currently working with.

I want to hear Mick & John drum because I like their sound & their style, so the front line can evolve. I don't like Bekka's R&B singing style (which I find overwrought), so I don't want to listen to her much. I liked her "Gold Dust Woman" onstage in 1994, but I think what excited me most was the arrangement on that one.

When I want to hear Dave Mason, I'm happy listening to his "Dear Mr. Fantasy" or "Only You Know & I Know" or "We Just Disagree" stuff. Billy always had a funny self-depreciating charm & sang "Go Your Own Way" nicely. I don't follow his solo career. Rick appeals to guitarists & guitar fans, particularly fans of blues & rock. He's a talented player. People gravitate toward different styles, & I always picked up on the nifty pleasures of song-based pop. I wanted to hear parts that blended within a carefully crafted tune rather than brilliant solos or freeform attack.

Bob Welch's style with Fleetwood Mac gives me a very pleasurable buzz. In my mind, his style & Christine's low voice at the time meld into a unified style. The two of them brought sophistication to Fleetwood Mac.

What was the question?

[DownOnRodeo]

OK OK I took a cold shower - sorry Adam, no offense taken I hope

I mean, after all..Fleetwood Mac would be....great, um, if Lindsey left and it was ..Bob.... ARGHH I can't say it lol. i can't even picture it - it's like a nightmare!

j/k I respect ur opinion and am not against Bob.. as much as I am anti-anti-Lindsey

[becca]

I think it's pretty impossible to not notice if Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks or Christine McVie are not on a FM album. That's about all anyone can say. they are all very identifiable and strong front 'men'. Stevie did leave and it seems people didn't accept Bekka Bramlett as being as strong. I will sure find it odd to have FM without Christine as she has been on so many of their albums for such a long period, so in that way maybe I will notice her absence more than not having Stevie on one. A lot of the Stevie Nicks stuff that is among her best she did solo, but almost all of McVie's most accomplished songs have has been with FM. I can't agree to say her best have all been with Buckingham though, but he does bring a lot to her material as to Stevie's.

[becca]

Well, I wonder what Lindsey and Bob Welch would be like together. That could be really interesting!

[Johnny Stew]

Originally posted by becca
Stevie did leave and it seems people didn't accept Bekka Bramlett as being as strong.
I will sure find it odd to have FM without Christine as she has been on so many of their albums for such a long period.

Christine is definitely irreplaceable... which is why I'm glad they didn't try. We'll all miss her, but at least no one will have to struggle to try and fill her shoes.


As to the original topic.... just going by the reception 'Time' received, both before its release and after... I'd say that, for many people, Fleetwood Mac loses some of its spark without Stevie.
Christine contributed some *terrific* songs, and Lindsey made a cameo appearance... but for some fans (definitely not all), it wasn't the same without Stevie.
The same can be said about 'Behind The Mask,' without Lindsey... although it most definitely received a warmer greeting than 'Time' did.

I know I've quoted it before, but I'm always reminded of Entertainment Weekly's rather unfair, but very to-the-point assessment of 'Time'....
"Who gives a tusk about Fleetwood Mac, without Stevie Nicks?"

How ever we may feel as fans, that definitely seemed to sum up the general opinion of the public.



Johnny Stew