Going Their Own Way (Sunday Times, 24th May)

[HomerMcvie]

Originally Posted by nicepace

Oh, please. This is so easy to solve. The four of them just need to go in the studio and say to Stevie: "we're recording the album now, come along if you'd like, but if you don't feel up to it we'll finish it up without you."

She'll think they're bluffing. But then the four of them release two songs as a "preview" of the album. When she sees they're actually recording and making concrete plans to release the album without her, she'll be in the studio with her tail between her legs spouting some sort of face-saving nonsense about the stars aligning.

Who the hell is she to hold them hostage(which she's trying to do!)?

To hell with her. They should go in without her. Either she shows up, or she doesn't. I'd prefer the latter.

[jkmaletic]

Originally Posted by HomerMcvie

Who the hell is she to hold them hostage(which she's trying to do!)?

To hell with her. They should go in without her. Either she shows up, or she doesn't. I'd prefer the latter.

Me too.

#FreeStevie

[secondhandchain]

F U Stevie for not wanting to make the album after finally getting Chris back.
FU Lindsey for not trying to maybe be a little nicer to her.
FU Mick for (yes Ill blame him) adding those 40 some odd shows. Did you really need to?

This was just a cash grab tour and I'm done with them. Of course the whole Stevie and Lindsey drama (we are getting along now, no we aren't) is an act to draw us in to by more tickets to the tour.
Most unhappy with Stevie (used to love her, don't even like her anymore) but Mick and Lindsey deserve some of my anger too. I'M DONE!!!!

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by secondhandchain

F U Stevie for not wanting to make the album after finally getting Chris back.
FU Lindsey for not trying to maybe be a little nicer to her.

I think he was being nicer to her, on stage and off, the whole time he was trying to cajole her into doing the album -- which started before Christine returned. That's why he never bluntly said she wouldn't commit to doing it until this interview. Now, he's over it.

Michele

[gldstwmn]

Originally Posted by jkmaletic

Me too.

#FreeStevie

Right? Then she could tour for 24k and not have to re live the 70's and 80's drama which really seems to be grating on her.
I love Mick's idea to walk Hadrian's Wall. It looks like one of those spectacular once in a lifetime, bucket list things to do. http://www.visithadrianswall.co.uk/things-to-do/walking

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by gldstwmn

Right? Then she could tour for 24k and not have to re live the 70's and 80's drama which really seems to be grating on her.

It's amusing to me that she has never said it bothered her to talk about it before. Now, she has always said she doesn't like to relive those Klonopin years, but never said she didn't like talking about, say, 75-86 before. That was a new one.

I mean, I know when she looks at old interview clips on Youtube and can tell that she was high back then, I know she doesn't like it, but they haven't said that they get tired of rehashing the drama, which I would have expected them to say (and wish they WOULD have said) 30 years ago.

About this tour, it was ill-advised. Maybe it was good for Christine to get back on the horse and I certainly cherished seeing them all together. I also know that they only did the tour now, because Stevie wouldn't agree to doing an album first. But without an album, the timing of the tour, right after the last one, was atrocius and Stevie's complaints about that are valid.

Michele

[PenguinHead]

Originally Posted by HomerMcvie

Who the hell is she to hold them hostage(which she's trying to do!)?

To hell with her. They should go in without her. Either she shows up, or she doesn't. I'd prefer the latter.

Stevie sounds like a spoiled child - poor little rich girl! But I can't fault her for being a little peeved that this long tour has gone on longer than expected, due to demand, as well as greed. I worried the demands of this epic world tour were going to burn them out, and they apparently have.

Her comments are raw and candid. She seems really pissed off. Mick's comments about wishing that Lindsey and Stevie could get along, similar to Christine and John. I wish that too! Unfortunately, the two uppity Americans in the group can't get beyond their past and their egos. Though Lindsey can be exacting in manner, he seems much more amiable than Stevie. I understand her frustrations, but why does she always portay the band as her nemesis?

She mentions how tiresome it is to relive the past over and over. Yet she is entirely guilty of incessantly pandering to it. She spends more time in the past than the present or the future. That choice is hers. She is the only one in the band that doesn't play an instrument, thus she is absolved of the demands the rest of the band face when recording an album. To honor the band (as well as the fans), the least she could do is give them three or four songs to work on, spend a few days in the studio cutting the solos and backgrounds, and be on her way.

This is near the end of the road for Fleetwood Mac. Stevie, show some respect and consideration for the band and the fans. A little sympathy? You need a little sympathy. I hate the prospect that she might end her rein in Fleetwood Mac on such caustic terms. I'd rather have her on the album than not. But if not, I hope that won't stop Lindsey and Christine from finishing and releasing a Stevie Free album. Surely it will be a super fine Buckingham McVie album.

[Andy Man]

I think the underlying issue that really comes through with the article is that Fleetwood Mac is in a position that very, very few bands have ever been in. Let me explain...

There is no question that, on the surface, Fleetwood Mac has been a "nostalgia" act for the last 6-7 years or so (the 2009 tour through to now). However, unlike The Stones, or other "classic" bands that continue to blast out the hits to essentially the same crowd, Fleetwood Mac has actually been gaining popularity and respect all through the last decade. I think that this is something quite unique considering the last time a studio record with all 5 was released was in 1987. Yet, despite the time frame, a massive new audience of indie rock artists and fans have been driven to the band because of their body of work (which, compared to most "big bands" is relatively small). So while the set lists have pretty much been the same (except, of course, now with Christine's material back in the fold) the demand for tickets has skyrocketed due to a huge influx in fans; I can't think of another band in FM's rock category that has gained the amount of relevance with such a distance between their most creative time period.

Because of this sudden resurgence of interest in the band, the question is how to best deal with a new round of fame? It seems as if the bands management (and members) are in a "go-go-go" frame of mind; run this new interest in the band to the ground, doing all that can be done to maintain it. Lindsey and Christine seem to have been given artistic inspiration from the band's current status and I truly do believe each of them when they state that they are making great music and are excited about releasing it. And while I'm sure Mick has a vested interest in new music, I think his approach to the band's current status has been to "sell-sell-sell" out arenas worldwide. In retrospect, I think the extension of this tour (while it did allow me to see them!) will be viewed as a mistake (it has taken a toll on their energy for sure).

Stevie seems uncertain about what to make of this new relevancy. She's a very smart individual who knows the music business in a way that none of us on this board will ever know. I'm sure she realizes that if she gives into the band with everything they are wanting of her, the FM train could go on and on and on. As a fan, I want her to be a part of whatever the band is doing. However, I can see her point about needing to get away; If you're tired, you're tired. Knowing that there is a massive audience available to the band now has probably created much debate within the band: how to deal with this 'event'? For Stevie, it seems she wants to acknowledge all the new interest in FM but at the same time to be able to keep her sanity. Whatever you think of the band, one thing is certain: the chaos and turmoil they have always spoken of is real. This is a band of individuals who even until now, when most bands would be basking in the success FM has been having recently, seem to have fundamental differences on how they view life and their creative output.

[PenguinHead]

Originally Posted by Andy Man

I think the underlying issue that really comes through with the article is that Fleetwood Mac is in a position that very, very few bands have ever been in. Let me explain...
Stevie seems uncertain about what to make of this new relevancy.

Fantastic post Andy Man!
A great read, full of deep insight and thoughtful perspective.
The Andy Man can! (in my head I'm hearing the song The Candy Man).

[sue]

24 Karat Gold was recorded in 3 weeks, she doesn't have to spend months in the studio.....providing she has some new material. (if not rob the vault)
However, she has a valid point, she sounds exhausted and deserves a long break...
Go to Malibu, have fun furnishing your house.
Don't see or even speak to any of FM, then in 6 months time come back and do your 3 weeks in the studio...
I agree with other contributors, she sounds totally pissed off with the whole FM thing ....the girl needs a break.

[aleuzzi]

None of their positions surprise me. What surprises me is how openly they admitted their frustrations. Christine sounds largely positive but she HAS had 16 years of rest and regret to make her come running back with open arms. Mick, Lindsey, and Stevie sound fed up with one another.

Yes, the tour should have been much shorter (around 40 American dates, period.) Then they should have continued work on the album.

I'm sure that Stevie will eventually hand in a few songs and dutifully perform but I'm sensing all of this seems so remote to her because right now she doesn't have a single song in her. She's worn out. She has not recorded new material for the band since 2003. David Stewart coaxed the old self out but that is a different Stevie. The Mac Stevie might never come back. There's a good chance the songs she contributes to the new album will sound like parodies of the woman who wrote Landslide.

[gldstwmn]

Originally Posted by Andy Man

However, unlike The Stones, or other "classic" bands that continue to blast out the hits to essentially the same crowd, Fleetwood Mac has actually been gaining popularity and respect all through the last decade.

The Stones have a much larger catalogue. They tweak the arrangements and are known for their massive stage set up. They also will go out and play small venues. And like Fleetwood Mac, they still sound good. So that is the draw with the Stones.

[AncientQueen]

Right now I don't see the relevance of a new album. Who cares about a FM album, aside from some fans and some people who needs gifts for people who have everything.

I get touring, but the creative output of the band has been minimal for decades now, with (imho) no member being particulary successful in a solo effort, neither creativly nor finanicially. So Stevie knows better than everyone else how good her material is right now, how Lindsey will produce her stuff, what conflicts they will have over it, she knows how the marketing will work, how good the album will sell. The EP wasn't exactly a success. Stevie knows the game, she is playing it for decades. Maybe she is right with "it isn't worth it".

[bombaysaffires]

Originally Posted by AncientQueen

Right now I don't see the relevance of a new album. Who cares about a FM album, aside from some fans and some people who needs gifts for people who have everything.

I get touring, but the creative output of the band has been minimal for decades now, with (imho) no member being particulary successful in a solo effort, neither creativly nor finanicially. So Stevie knows better than everyone else how good her material is right now, how Lindsey will produce her stuff, what conflicts they will have over it, she knows how the marketing will work, how good the album will sell. The EP wasn't exactly a success. Stevie knows the game, she is playing it for decades. Maybe she is right with "it isn't worth it".

interesting thought....

I watched the recent interview with Ken Caillat on some local Santa Barbara chat show that someone posted in another thread... and he told a story of how it was Stevie who, as they were going in to make Rumours, said basically, listen we're having all this success and our next album could be really successful so let's not fight and break up let's continue and be even more successful. And I stumbled across and interview with the late John Stewart online and in it he recounted how, during the making of his Bombs Away Dream Babies album she was encouraging him in making a commercially-viable album saying (according to him) 'we've all made the other kind of album (artistic but not commercially successful) and having a hit album is so much more fun' We've always known she's the most image-conscious and is totally into selling as many copies of her albums as she can. (As Christine noted, 'she's a brand' and she's very savvy about it). So I'm sure she's thought about the sales figures.

But even she's got to know by now that NO ONE is selling vast numbers of albums anymore. That's in the past. Not even her solo stuff will sell big.

The question is, if she doesn't want to work with FM, what *does* she want to do next? She really hasn't said--we assume another solo LP, but we don't know. Yes she's mentioned at times she might like to do another Vault-type album, but she's been very quiet in any interviews about what exactly her next work goal is... she just seems to talk a lot about going off to her Malibu trailer or whatever.

[louielouie2000]

Originally Posted by AncientQueen

Right now I don't see the relevance of a new album. Who cares about a FM album, aside from some fans and some people who needs gifts for people who have everything.

I get touring, but the creative output of the band has been minimal for decades now, with (imho) no member being particulary successful in a solo effort, neither creativly nor finanicially. So Stevie knows better than everyone else how good her material is right now, how Lindsey will produce her stuff, what conflicts they will have over it, she knows how the marketing will work, how good the album will sell. The EP wasn't exactly a success. Stevie knows the game, she is playing it for decades. Maybe she is right with "it isn't worth it".

Nobody cared about the EP because 1) the music was poor 2) it wasn't the full Rumours lineup 3) the EP was digital download only (not exactly the core FM fanbase medium of choice) 4) it wasn't a full album.

I disagree about nobody caring about a new album, though. Look how well the Eagles last album sold. FM needs one last studio album with the Rumours 5 to tie up there legacy. And it needs to be a great one. If they do that, they can truly go out on top all while having something vital and creative to say. It could be a great critical coup for the band.