Crow replacing Stevie in FM?

[SteveMacD]

Originally Posted by BombaySapphire3

Fleetwood Mac already tried the Nicks replacement thing with a back-up singer name of Beka Bramlett..it tanked miserably to the tune of the only Fleetwood Mac studio album in 40 years to fail to make the Billboard 200

Street Angel sold 350,000 copies. Out Of The Cradle I think sold about 50,000 copies. Time sold about 50,000 copies. So, combined, they sold about 450,000 copies. The point being that Fleetwood Mac was about as cool as a pocket protector from about 1991 through 1996. I mean, if Behind The Mask was a disaster at 1.5 million copies, what does that say about where their combined careers were going? Is it any wonder they decided to get back together in 1997?

As for the lack of success related to Time, a lot of it is because the record company decided the album would be DOA. Why? Because that band was essentially in the process of splitting up and Lindsey and Mick had their reconciliation. The band only played one show after the album's release. Christine made it known that Time was her swansong. Bekka and Billy let it be known that they had plans to make a record as a duo, as the band wasn't letting them do what they wanted. Which left Dave Mason, who already had a big solo career. With Lindsey and Mick talking, I'm sure Mick thought it would be easier to be Lindsey's drummer than try to find another new band AGAIN or have Fleetwood Mac become the new Dave Mason Band.

Originally Posted by chriskisn

Which is sad because under the right conditions Bekka could have been a big star. It just wasn't going to work with her replacing Stevie - especially given the loyalty of the Stevie fans.

But it's not like Stevie's career was flourishing. Street Angel only sold about 350,000 copies.

When you see the crap that makes records these days I struggle to understand why Bekka is still a backing singer...

My hunch is that Bekka grew up around rock stardom, saw what it did to people, and decided it wasn't for her. Music is in her blood, though. So, she has intentionally kept it low key. I read somewhere that a record company wanted to make her the next Whitney Houston, offered her a contract in the millions, and she turned it down, as she wouldn't be staying true to herself. She might not be a star, but she has become a songwriter for big name, multi-million selling artists, and is likely making a killing on that.

I've always looked at the Stevie vs. Bekka thing as Joni Mitchell vs. Mavis Staples. Both have a place for very, very different reasons.