Favorite Mac Tour

[David]

Originally posted by BlueGrass
How u know?

If you listen to recordings of a lot of Fleetwood Mac concerts, or even see them a bunch of times, from different tours, you pick up on how they played songs & what they sounded like at various times, & you can distinguish between a "Rhiannon" recorded in 1977 & one recorded in 1980. The "Rhiannon" on the "Fleetwood Mac Live" album was definitely recorded during the early part of the 1977 tour, as a comparison of it with other early 1977 tour recordings of "Rhiannon" would reveal. The sleeve just says it was done in London, England, so if that information is correct, it was recorded at the Rainbow Theatre sometime during that run (April 8, 9 & 10). The arrangement, the jamming, the instruments being played, the vocals -- everything is essentially identical to other recordings of "Rhiannon" from that same time.

Additionally, there are a couple of recordings of some "Rhiannons" from London on the Tusk Tour, & those sound nothing like the one on the album. The band is playing the song differently, singing differently & even playing different instruments. It's three years later & the live sound has changed. Maybe one of our fan site hosts will post some "Rhiannon" recordings from some of these shows in order to allow everyone to compare eras.

[chiliD]

What he said. Except, I'd say that it comes from a LATE 1977 version, instead of an EARLY 1977 version...in those early 77 shows, Stevie was STILL belting it out with the same fervor as in 75/76, it wasn't until MID-77 that the dynamics of her vocals within the song changed. Compare versions from the March 77 San Diego show vs the August 77 Las Vegas or Los Angeles shows.



Plus, it's a dead giveaway that the Live 80 album is not what it is advertised, since (even BESIDES the early arrangement of "Rhiannon") they never played "Don't Let Me Down Again" on the Tusk tour...and hadn't played it since early 1976 at the latest.

[fleetfootmike]

Originally posted by David
Maybe one of our fan site hosts will post some "Rhiannon" recordings from some of these shows in order to allow everyone to compare eras.

No, but I'll pull out a few versions for analysis Bear with me a while, and I'll pop up a web page with a comparison...
(not going to try editing a 8x5 table in here!)

[face of glass]

I'm not even considering the current tour, nor the Dance one. If they aren't supposed to be a nostalgia act then why do they act like one?

I guess the 1975/1976 tours were ideal, for the reasons ChiliD mentioned. Lindsey may still think they sounded like a lounge act on other people's tunes, but I guess it's mainly because they didn't do enough of his songs.
But otherwise the line-up didn't really hit its stride live until the Tusk and Mirage tours. The setlist may not have changed much, but they could still pull up a surprise from the sleeve ("That's Enough For Me" once in Europe, right?) and the arrangements and solos varied enough. It wasn't the most pleasant time for the band members, in fact, maybe that's why those two tours had the youthful intensity at its max.

The Tango tour I have problems with: the backing musicians and singers appear for the first time. The band interplay begins to lessen. Stevie's voice is at its worst; I even prefer her tone on "When I See You Again" to these flat performances that she gave. The change in her stage movements was disappointing too.
But on the other hand Rick and Billy sounded more comfortable with the PG era material than Lindsey (with the exception of "Oh Well"). So at that point one could still maintain illusion of FM retaining the band interplay of the past.

Tusk it is.

[chiliD]

Originally posted by face of glass
But on the other hand Rick and Billy sounded more comfortable with the PG era material than Lindsey (with the exception of "Oh Well").

Ooooooh...uh....yeahhhhhhh...I think I have to go ahead & disagree with you there.

I don't think Lindsey EVER got a good handle on "Oh Well". The 87/88 tour versions, I think, are the best in the history of the band, as far as LIVE performance. Nothing comes close to the original studio version, though.

[Mari]

I voted for Tusk, but Say You Will is a close second... because I'm still so happy to have seen LB perform live, last saturday, FINALLY

Originally posted by chiliD
What he said. Except, I'd say that it comes from a LATE 1977 version, instead of an EARLY 1977 version...in those early 77 shows, Stevie was STILL belting it out with the same fervor as in 75/76, it wasn't until MID-77 that the dynamics of her vocals within the song changed. Compare versions from the March 77 San Diego show vs the August 77 Las Vegas or Los Angeles shows.

actually, i've got a slew of those early to mid 1977 Rumours shows. The very first "Rhiannon's" of that tour were very similar to the Rosebud performance. Stevie hit the same notes and did the same ending - almost verbatim. For the next few months (till the beginning-middle of June), the performances were still strong but it was slowly becoming evident that Stevie's voice was changing and she was having difficulty hitting the higher notes...It's really apparent on the "all your LIFE" lines as well as the ending...Then, in the Little Rock show, she began dropping down the second high note during the "all your life" verses. Her voice was getting a little more strained and scratchy - but it was still good...just a little more raw....Then, in the MSG show from the end of June, she had a really bad night...it's painful to listen to it....she was almost whispering the ending in a falsetto....she kept repeating "try hard!" "try hard!" at the end....i think that was when she began changing her singing during that song.

The "live" album version was definately from the spring of that year. It's a pretty solid performance. Vocals and all....However, i think that they overdubbed the "dreams unwind" lines until she does the screaming part before the final crescendo...she was doing a very soft rendition of those lines which i don't hear on any of those other era shows. And, her voice sounds more Tuskish to me...We know she overdubbed the "Sara" vocal so it's quite possible. Also, they overdubbed the chorus of "Rhiannon".
In the "live" album version, Stevie is doing the middle part and Chris is doing the high part. When they actually did it live back then, Stevie always did the high part and Chris the middle. I'm sure they just wanted it sound fuller. Sounds good to me though either way.

[face of glass]

Originally posted by chiliD
I don't think Lindsey EVER got a good handle on "Oh Well". The 87/88 tour versions, I think, are the best in the history of the band, as far as LIVE performance. Nothing comes close to the original studio version, though.

I didn't try to say that I consider Lindsey's take on "the best song ever written, after 'Stardust'" as superior to Rick's and Billy's, although you can read what I wrote that way. I hold both versions in equal value. I understand that if you consider "Oh Well" as a song that only a person with a knowledge of blues can do justice, then Lindsey doesn't cut it. Rick and Billy are more comfortable with it. But I think it was fascinating to hear Lindsey do something that wasn't completely in his ballpark but that he still had an enthusiasm for. On a good, coked-up night, I don't think the instrumental sections were any less hot than what Burnette and Vito were cooking up with their guitars.

Originally posted by chiliD
Ooooooh...uh....yeahhhhhhh...I think I have to go ahead & disagree with you there.

I don't think Lindsey EVER got a good handle on "Oh Well". The 87/88 tour versions, I think, are the best in the history of the band, as far as LIVE performance. Nothing comes close to the original studio version, though.

i actually think the version on the "live" album is one of the best versions he's done.

Billy and Rick's version was decent too...i think i like their covers of Peter Green's stuff than of Lindsey's.

[chiliD]

Originally posted by face of glass
I understand that if you consider "Oh Well" as a song that only a person with a knowledge of blues can do justice, then Lindsey doesn't cut it.

Not even my point at all. "Oh Well" isn't "blues" in the least (which is my one beef with Billy Burnette's annoying intros of the song when he kept saying "Anyone wanna hear some BLUES?" before playing "Oh Well"...like fingernails across a blackboard.)

I will admit that by the time Lindsey left the band, he'd improved his take on "Oh Well" a TON...and the Live album is testament to that (agreeing with joe, here); especially, when compared to the versions he did on the Who's The New Girl? boot from 1975 and the Sin City '77 boot...those version of OW are REALLY weak. But, the song STILL was in the set, so I really never have had too much of a beef about it. I'd rather hear a weak version of "Oh Well" when I see Fleetwood Mac, than to not have the song in the set at all (like during the current tour and The Dance tour...it's blasphemy to omit that song from a Fleetwood Mac set!)...and with the "guitar pyrotechnics" that Lindsey is featuring this tour, I'm really, REALLY surprised that "Oh Well" ISN'T in the set this time around. ESPECIALLY, since they're touring the UK & Europe! "Oh Well" would fit PERFECTLY right before "Come".