Do You Think It's Over?

[TrueFaith77]

Originally Posted by Black_Moon

Okay, I'll put forward my interpretation of "Rumours II", based on what you said. This will be a wild guess!

After the thirty-two years of turmoil, angst, and more love affairs than The Tudors could ever have hoped for, Fleetwood Mac need to end their recording career (assuming the "next" album would be the last) reflecting on this. Like "Rumours" did, but a continuation of the album. So, back to the Southern Californian sound Buckingham-Nicks had when they first joined the band, with just tight harmonies and the narrative to carry the songs.

That's pretty close to what I mean. Sequels are underrated. Lindsey's sarcastic expression "Rumours II" refers to a formula to be followed (this album needs a "Go Your Own Way", this album needs a "Dreams") and commercial considerations foisted upon artists by the industry. But as history has shown, sequels can also be liberating. In movie terms, Godfather II & III, Robocop 2, Empire Strikes Back, Another 48 Hours, Gremlins 2: A New Batch, Crank 2: High Voltage all are examples of sequels that deepened the proven appeal of their popular predecessors.

I think there is something joyful in the formula that I described, that can be enriched, now, by the fact that Stevie and Lindsey are. . . older. Songs like "Thrown Down" and "Under the Skin" suggest that they are still responding to each other in fascinating, complicating ways that illuminate all human experience. The pop audience has an investment in the relationship these two share: 12 songs to explicate its various nuances could be a beautiful thing.

I think that kind of lazer-focus can be freeing.

But I wouldn't want this to be a goodbye. AFTER Rumours II, I'd be all for the Fleetwood Mac political album: Stevie's songs about Iraq War veterans & Katrina; Lindsey's songs about the decline of the music industry & his struggles to maintain his artistic integrity within it. Imagine those two perspectives interwoven. Marx would approve.

Call that political album: Vampire Song