Favorite album before Stevie and Lindsey

[FierySequences]

Originally Posted by Macfanforever

I wish I can answer this poll.At that time before I was madly in love with Olivia Newton-John.

most all the albums are listed in full on youtube. Chris/Bob era offers some really great stuff.

actually...all the albums are good, but I'm not a big fan of Kiln House. Some of JS's tracks are too obscure.

[chiliD]

Major problem...I like them all about equally...a ever so slight dip in quality on Kiln House & Penguin counterbalanced by the peaks on Then Play On & Mystery To Me...and dips & valleys all on one album (Bare Trees).

Although I do think had it not been for the off-stage foibles during the Mystery To Me tour (or if they could've channeled that pain an anguish like they did just a measly 3 or 4 years later), it could've been what Rumours ended up being (odd how interpersonal relationships almost killed the band after one album, yet a very similar situation after another launched the band into the stratosphere of popularity which was the glue keeping them together)

Looking back from nearly 40 years on, there really wasn't a major shift in the band's sound from album to album despite personnel changes. It was just a slight blending from album to album...like the songwriters knew what was coming even if they weren't going to be around. You go from "Rattlesnake Shake" on Then Play On to "Tell Me All The Things You Do" on Kiln House to the "Dragonfly" single A-side having a Kiln House feel to the B-side "Purple Dancer" almost being a major announcement of what was coming on Future Games...then with Bare Trees being the first album in a while to have the same lineup as the album prior and "Child Of Mine" & "Homeward Bound" being lead-ins to Penguin and "Dissatisfied" & "Bright Fire" also blending into the entire Mystery To Me album followed by Heroes Are Hard To Find blending tunes with sounds of what came just before ("Bermuda Triangle", the title track) and a sound that the founder gave ("Safe Harbour" being Welch's attempt at an "Albatross" type track), to Welch forseeing the sound of the next incarnation with "She's Changing Me" & "Angel", neither of which would have been out of place on the 1975 self-titled album.

[shackin'up]

Originally Posted by chiliD

Major problem...I like them all about equally...a ever so slight dip in quality on Kiln House & Penguin counterbalanced by the peaks on Then Play On & Mystery To Me...and dips & valleys all on one album (Bare Trees).

Although I do think had it not been for the off-stage foibles during the Mystery To Me tour (or if they could've channeled that pain an anguish like they did just a measly 3 or 4 years later), it could've been what Rumours ended up being (odd how interpersonal relationships almost killed the band after one album, yet a very similar situation after another launched the band into the stratosphere of popularity which was the glue keeping them together)

Looking back from nearly 40 years on, there really wasn't a major shift in the band's sound from album to album despite personnel changes. It was just a slight blending from album to album...like the songwriters knew what was coming even if they weren't going to be around. You go from "Rattlesnake Shake" on Then Play On to "Tell Me All The Things You Do" on Kiln House to the "Dragonfly" single A-side having a Kiln House feel to the B-side "Purple Dancer" almost being a major announcement of what was coming on Future Games...then with Bare Trees being the first album in a while to have the same lineup as the album prior and "Child Of Mine" & "Homeward Bound" being lead-ins to Penguin and "Dissatisfied" & "Bright Fire" also blending into the entire Mystery To Me album followed by Heroes Are Hard To Find blending tunes with sounds of what came just before ("Bermuda Triangle", the title track) and a sound that the founder gave ("Safe Harbour" being Welch's attempt at an "Albatross" type track), to Welch forseeing the sound of the next incarnation with "She's Changing Me" & "Angel", neither of which would have been out of place on the 1975 self-titled album.

Although I disagree with you on the level of quality on some of these albums, ( I really think that the first Two never levelled with TPO, and BT, KH, FG (that I love, btw) were no match with MTM, I really agree with you on the evolutionary development of the band though all It's incarnations. beautiful post dude. ( let's just not talk about the post tango incarnations, then we Will disagree again..)

But what you wrote, That's how I look at FM's musical legacy, too.

[chiliD]

Originally Posted by shackin'up

beautiful post dude. ( let's just not talk about the post tango incarnations, then we Will disagree again..)
.

Thanks. I DO know when to STFU sometimes, ya know.

Originally Posted by shackin'up

Although I disagree with you on the level of quality on some of these albums, ( I really think that the first Two never levelled with TPO

Well, a first album is a first album...unless they're really special, there is a "learning curve" with album making. Plus, I have that "problem" with Mr. Wonderful, since being here in the US, English Rose WAS their 2nd album in my mind...(didn't put the effort into the UK albums with Fleetwood Mac like I did with the Beatles' UK albums...I thought the US 2nd album was far superior than the UK 2nd album). And, still, to me, as an album in its entirety, I think English Rose as a blues album is every bit as good as Then Play On is as a rock album (except for the cover, however! LOL!)

[aleuzzi]

Kiln House! There's no other record quite like this in all of rock.

In fact, Kiln House and Then Play On are both entirely excellent in different ways and moods.

The 71-74 albums are all interesting and have moments of great quality and interest but are, on the whole, uneven or inconsistent. Of that batch, Future Games has the most consistent concept or sound. Mystery has some of the greatest Welch tunes, and Penguin some of the most enjoyable C. McVie moments.

[On Ice]

I would vote Mystery to Me as it truly is a Rumours before Rumours. No doubt that if the promotion could have been followed through, it would have at least sold in the White album category. It's held up well with the passage of time and contains great writing and performances by both Bob and Christine. Hypnotized and Keep on Going later went on to become staples in classic rock radio and back in the day easily could've been chart toppers.

[chriskisn]

Someone else voted for Penguin. Whoever you are...I think I love you!

[jesme]

Late to the party here , but I vote for Bare Trees...

[TrueFaith77]

Future Games takes me somewhere I've never been before. I think I read somewhere that it has a following amongst surfers. I can understand why. Also, that opening: Woman of a 1000 Years makes the ache of Danny's yearning indelibly felt.

[Macfanforever]

Originally Posted by FierySequences

most all the albums are listed in full on youtube. Chris/Bob era offers some really great stuff.

actually...all the albums are good, but I'm not a big fan of Kiln House. Some of JS's tracks are too obscure.

Thanks for the info. I do have the pre-Stevie/Lindsey FM albums in my collection which I have not played in ages.I got to spin them more often.