What happened during the making of TITN?

[trackaghost]

Lindsey left after this record and I want to know why!

These are the facts as I know it:

Firstly Tango started as a Lindsey solo album (as usual) and was turned into a Mac album after the recording of Christine's solo song Can't Help Falling In Love went so well and also, I've heard, to help out Mick Fleetwood, who at that time was facing bankruptcy. Was Lindsey forced into turning his album into a Mac record?

When the band went into the studio, it was hardly a band affair at all. Stevie was hardly there due to her solo tour commitments and then her stint in Betty Ford (how long was she in the studio with the Mac?). I have heard that Lindsey was quite kind to her during this period though. Mick also was pretty addicted at this time. The recent Uncut article said that John only came in to do his bass parts and left. That leaves Lindsey and Christine. Did they get on? Well there's at least four collaborations from those sessions (Mystified, You & I Pt 1 and 2, and Ricky) but they never appeared to be great mates to me. Or am I wrong?

After the record was completed Lindsey committed to a tour. Why? Band pressure? Those first videos they made together looked pretty friendly but I suppose looks are deceiving.

For whatever reasons he changed his mind (after the tour was booked) leading to that infamous confrontation. These days he says that it was because the situation in the studio was so terrible, he thought it would be ten times as bad on the road. That suggests there was fighting... does anyone know?


Can anyone shed any light on all of this, I am so curious! What do you guys think went on? And is there anything I've got wrong or that I'm leaving out?

[Johnny Stew]

Originally posted by trackaghost
These days he says that it was because the situation in the studio was so terrible, he thought it would be ten times as bad on the road. That suggests there was fighting... does anyone know?

I've never really gotten the impression that there was necessarily any fighting, just that... given the fractured and strained relations within the band, and the haphazard contributions from 3/5 of the members, Lindsey probably just figured going out on the road with these people would be a huge headache.

Can't say I agree with his timing on that decision, but it's all water under the bridge now.

[strandinthewind]

I maintain and will always maintain it was crummy and spoiled bratesq of LB to leave the band after they had hired people, booked a tour, etc. But, he left and is back - so, its water under the bridge so to speak LB has said that the studio stuff was not a great situation (whatever that means) and that he left because that bad stuff would be greatly amplified on the road. I think a lot of it was, right or wrong, Stevie because LB said at that time, "Well what was I going to do on tour - watch Stevie twirl?" Ouch!

[trackaghost]

Originally posted by strandinthewind
LB said at that time, "Well what was I going to do on tour - watch Stevie twirl?" Ouch!

Wow did he really say that?

That suggests to me there was something else going on. Hmmm.

[chiliD]

Lindsey has said (since The Dance ) that the only way to finally be able to heal from his & Stevie's breakup was to quit the band and just get away. All those raw feelings that had been hanging on for that entire 1977-1987 decade must've finally come to a head and become unbearable. Considering how much squabbling those two seem to do (from the reports of the arguments over the song choices & running order on Say You Will ) when they're supposedly getting along, when they weren't, it must've REALLY been volatile.

Sure, it was probably not healthy to keep waffling on whether he'd tour or not up to the eleventh hour, but everything worked out well for Fleetwood Mac. It was one of their better received tours, despite Buckingham's absence. Plus, when you think about it, Lindsey actually was just keeping the long Fleetwood Mac tradition of guitarists bailing out when a tour is either on the line or underway.

Just for ME, I enjoyed that tour's set list moreso than the two prior tours, or any tour since that 1987-1990 incarnation split.

[strandinthewind]

I agree with chiliD that the addition of Billy and Rick, though they were underused IMO , added a new life to the bad. LB's sound had gone very askew of rock and roll and blues. They kind of brought it back a little. I always wonder how great they would have been if Chris had been more into it (she was tired of touring then ) and Steive had been lucent? Not that Rick and Billy were not good on their own, but when you have dead weight so to speak, it cramps the creative process.

[Lala]

I dunno guys...it seems like on the TITN DVD that some of the stuff the boys do on two guitars Lindsey can do on one.

[strandinthewind]

Originally posted by Lala
I dunno guys...it seems like on the TITN DVD that some of the stuff the boys do on two guitars Lindsey can do on one.

I cry foul - although LB is brilliant, he bow has like five guitarist and/or kyboarist on stage with him. Also, Ray L. used to add sound for LB. So, LB was not always alone

[SteveMacD]

I agree. And, FWIW, Mick has said that Billy Burnette was already going to play rhythm guitar and sing backing vocals on the TITN tour even if Lindsey had stayed, and that it was Lindsey who wanted to add a second, full-time guitarist.

[4Buck]

It was one of their better received tours, despite Buckingham's absence. Plus, when you think about it, Lindsey actually was just keeping the long Fleetwood Mac tradition of guitarists bailing out when a tour is either on the line or underway.

The tour was sold-out when Buckingham quit the band and there were no refunds. That's why the "Tango in the Night" tour was successful............Fans couldn't get their money back....

The McVies and Mick Fleetwood were too zonked out of their minds for Buck to even consider going on tour with them..... Nicks was around a total of 10 days for the making of the album, and Buckingham had to oscillate his own voice to make it sound like his former lover's. It was infuriating.

To think these people were 40 - 45 years old and acting like this.

>>>>Life on the road would exascerbate the groups' wasted behavior...... Buckingham would have to carry the rest of the members along for the ride while they'd just continue their standard workman-like duties and he did the majority of the work (frontman-singing-guitarplaying-arranging-production).

........Peter Green and Bob Welch had all the pressure dumped on them, as well.........Unfortunate but smart for them to bow out....

[chiliD]

Originally posted by 4Buck
The tour was sold-out when Buckingham quit the band and there were no refunds. That's why the "Tango in the Night" tour was successful............Fans couldn't get their money back

I detect a note of "sour grapes". A majority of the people who went to the shows enjoyed the experience.

[shackin'up]

Originally posted by chiliD
I detect a note of "sour grapes". A majority of the people who went to the shows enjoyed the experience.

oh yes.. me too.

but I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss Lindsey back then...it was a great experience, but without acknowledging it at the time, I had a "hollow" feeling, too, afterwards...

glad it's been filled BIG TIME last year...

[Johnny Stew]

Well, whatever Lindsey's reasons for backing out of the tour, the remaining members of the band... along with Billy and Rick... certainly rose to the occasion, and put on some fantastic shows.
They had a terrific and surprising setlist, and they put a lot of energy and commitment into the performances.

They dun good.

(By the way, I know the dates were already scheduled, but I didn't think tickets had already gone on sale and had already sold out.)

[chiliD]

Originally posted by trackaghost
I often wondered how the Rumours and Little Lies fans dealt with going to the Tango show and being faced with several blues numbers... I know you hardcore fans think it's great but the majority of fans in the audience would have been there for the hits. Just a thought.

Let's see, here's the set list from the majority of the tour:

Say You Love Me
The Chain
Dreams
Isn't it Midnight
Oh Well
Rhiannon
Seven Wonders
Rattlesnake Shake
Gypsy
Over My Head
Gold Dust Woman
Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You
I Loved Another Woman
Brown Eyes
Don't Let Me Down Again
World Turning
Little Lies
Stand Back
You Make Loving Fun
Don't Stop
Blue Letter
Go Your Own Way
Songbird

I count ONLY "I Loved Another Woman" as a "blues" tune. Looks like the set is pretty geared toward the Rumours & "Little Lies" crowd to me. Sure, they threw us oldsters a couple of tidbits with "Rattlesnake Shake" & "I Loved Another Woman", but other than that, it was mainly "the hits". I think any complaints of "Oh they're playing too many old blues numbers" would be invalid.