The album that could have been...

[SteveMacD]

Okay, so I was thinking (which can be dangerous) that Fleetwood Mac hasn't really had what I'd consider to be a classic album since "Tusk." All of the albums since "Tusk" have varied in quality (and personnel). We got a taste of what a Big Mac reunion would be like with "The Dance," but we weren't given a full album of new material from the Big Mac. While I think we can all agree that "Say You Will" is Fleetwood Mac's best album since "Tusk," Christine isn't there and most (including Stevie) feel it's way too long.

However, she was on the so-so album, "Time." Her songs on "Time" really didn't do a lot for me. But then I started wondering if it was the songs or the context in which the songs appear, related to the other songs. Part of the magic of the Big Mac was that the three writers were able to balance each other out. But with that album, the other singers' material really wasn't complimentary to Christine's material. (Rather odd that Christine seems out of place on a Fleetwood Mac album.)

Which leads us to "Say You Will." There are a lot of great songs, as well as a few songs which should have been left off the album. The album, for me, just doesn't flow so well. I always skip a few tracks. It's still a great album, but not quite a classic.

With this in mind, I figured out a way to have a new Big Mac album that feels like a classic. Cut the songs I skip on "Say You Will" and add Christine's songs from "Time." Also, throw in "Twisted" for good measure. Here's how it played out:

What's The World Coming To
Hollywood (Some Other Kind Of Town)
Thrown Down
Miranda
I Do
Say You Will
Peacekeeper
Smile At You
Sooner Or Later
Steal Your Heart Away
Twisted
Bleed to Love Her
Nights In Estoril
Destiny Rules
All Over Again
Say Goodbye
Goodbye Baby

And, how does it sound? Surprisingly good. It's an album that one can listen to in one sitting, without skipping over songs (though "Sooner or Later could have been cut by a minute). Sure, there are differences in production, but the songs brilliantly flow together, in that classic, balanced Big Mac way.