BTM or Time?

[David]

Originally posted by xdreamsunwindx
I'm trying to expand my Mac collection/tastes to more eras of the group and whatnot. My question is, what would be a better choice for my situation, Behind the Mask or Time?

I can't really guide you in one direction or the other because I don't know anything about you or your tastes & inclinations, but I enjoy "Time" a lot more (it's still not a great album, though). Thanks to Richard Dashut, "Time" has clear delineation between instruments & vocals & the mix is sharper & punchier; it's a much better-sounding album than "Mask." Bekka's an R&B belter. If that's your thing, you might like her. Dave Mason is a nonentity on the album. Billy is his typical low-key charming self. He's got a wacky self-depreciatory quality in his vocals & songwriting that are ingratiating if slightly dull. (At times, he seems to disappear inside the band for want of ego & assertiveness.)

The "Mask" material is some of it tuneful & interesting ("Skies the Limit," "When It Comes to Love"), but only Vito's guitar playing & Christine's electric piano really come alive. Many of the tracks just seem ambivalent or uncommitted, & the Ladanyi/Fleetwood Mac production is some of the sludgiest in Mac history.