FM Fan or Fan of FM's Members?

[jwys_soapbox]

Reading the messages on this site it occured to me that there seem to be a lot of people who are "diehard" fans of FM--people who would buy the music and go to the shows no matter what line up the band was composed of. I thought about myself and whether I am such a fan. I'd have to say no. I'm a fan of Lindsey, Stevie and Christine and I'd have to say that if none of them were in the line up my attention would quickly fade unless they got somebody really good to replace them. Just out of curiosity, I wonder who else feels likewise, hence the following poll:

[wondergirl9847]

I would have to say I can do without the post SnL lineup, I love the pre SnL lineup..Danny being my fave pre-member with the albums, Bare Trees, Mystery to Me, and Future Games being my faves from the pre-era. I don't really care for Bekka, Billy or Rick's voices much, so that's really why I don't care for post-Rumours. JMO. I do like some Stevie and Chris songs from the albums done then, (and Billy's In the Back of My Mind) but I don't own either BTM or Time. Eventually, I'll get them to complete my collection, which applies to Stevie's Street Angel too.

[jwd]

I'm first and foremost a Fleetwood Mac fan. I love the band over any ONE member.... past or present. I'm one of those fans that love all the incarnations of the band from Peter Green's lineup to today. Granted I do have my favorite individual members and groupings, but even the ones I like least still draw my attention and interest in some ways. I would buy just about any music put out by FM regardless of who was in it but maybe not put forth the effort and expense to go to a concert.


Joe

[DownOnRodeo]

There wasn't really an option that suited me on the poll, so I put "theres one I can do without", being Christine, for the reasons I've posted elsewhere. Mainly cause shes given heaps and heaps to FM in the past, and now we get to hear her exceptional music solo!!

[David]

Originally posted by jwys_soapbox
Reading the messages on this site it occured to me that there seem to be a lot of people who are "diehard" fans of FM--people who would buy the music and go to the shows no matter what line up the band was composed of.

This describes me. I'm always going to pay close attention to Fleetwood Mac regardless of who is in the band. However, I differ from other diehards like Steve Denison & Steve MacDougall in that I don't like all the work that has come out of all the band's incarnations. In fact, some of the work --- particularly from the "Behind the Mask" years --- is stuff I find often lifeless or banal. That album was on my CD player the day it came out ... because it's the Mac & I'm a diehard. But I didn't fall in love with it. I went to see Mac play quite frequently after various members left. But once again, I have my criticisms of those gigs. So for me, on the basis of artistic achievement & musical interest, Fleetwood Mac has been way up & way down in my estimation.

I have some sort of psychological reaction to the concept of "Fleetwood Mac" & it's obviously compulsive. But that doesn't mean I take a liking to everything that the band generates.

[wetcamelfood]

Options 1 & 4 come closest to me but I can't fully agree with either one as the music to me doesn't have to be happening under the FM name though it sure would be nice if all the "stuff" could just be water under the bridge and they could all just work together again already but I know realisticallty this will NEVER happen though I can always dream about all 16 of 'em being up there on stage rockin' the nigt away.

I have no problem with new members joining FM though I doubt very much that this will ever happen again as Mick used to be of the mind of "OK fine you're leaving, we'll get someone else and go on" but now it seems that if it's not as close to the BN lineup as he can get it (or he would accept a reasonable fascimile to the Peter Green days as well...) then it will just be a "quiet half a decade (or so)" before he finally gets one of those things to happen which I personally find a shame but that's JMHO.

So, yeah, I guess I'm cloest to the ChiliD way of fandom in the sense of I collect all recorded works by all 16 Mac memebrs whether it be in the band, as a solo artist, as a member of another band or as a guest appearance before and/or after their time in FM. As long as they play/sing on the recording and it's been legally released in some fashion then I need it!

As for the shows, I used to be of the mind of "if they come close to my area I'll go see 'em play" but with limited funds etc. and the recordings being of most importance to me, now my "feelings" (not so much by choice but dictated by lack of money) are "as long as I get to see each member play once live before I die". Naturally that sounds like a bleak way to word it but y'know what I mean, just to get the point across. Since I've seen the Rumours gang live in one form or another, I feel I've "covered" them, I've seen Peter with PGSG, Billy & Rick on the BTM tour and Dave Walker with Savoy Brown in 1991. So, if any of the others ever do play in my area then I'll be right out there to see them in but that's it for me as far as the concerts go, though when legal live CD's/DVD's get released I sure rush out and get those regardless of which one it is! If I hit the lottery some day then I'd see if I could revert back to my original way of thinking about the live shows! The only member that is a gray area for me is Bekka because I did see The Zoo in 1992 but of course I didn't know she was going to be in FM at that point so I probably didn't pay as much attention to her as I would have liked to knowng what I know now etc., I probably would go though. I know I'm dreaming that I'll ever get to see some of the others live (like DK, JS etc.) though.

So, that's my deal.

John

[chiliD]

I think my stance has been well documented here, there & everywhere (hey, there's a song in there somewhere...call McCartney!).


Like, John, I pine to see every member in concert sometime during my life...I never EVER thought I'd see Peter Green play live, and now have seen him three times...so that gives me renewed hope of seeing Danny make a full recovery in my lifetime. Seeing that Jeremy Spencer has done a tour within the past 5 years and reading that he now lives in the US give me renewed hope that I'll get a chance to see him play live. The one's I'm not so sure about are Bob Brunning, Bob Weston & Dave Walker, but they're not longshots by any means. Maybe I'll even get to see Christine do a solo show, since I regretably missed her 1984 tour.

I HAVE seen Fleetwood Mac, as a group, 45x's (no, that's NOT a typo)...the first two back in 1974 when Welch was still in the group. I've seen Stevie solo 3x's, Lindsey once, Bob Welch about 10x's, Dave Mason about 9x's, seen Rick Vito 5x's (once when he was with Jackson Browne, once before Fleetwood Mac, 3x's since)...seen Lindsey & Stevie twice make cameo appearances with Walter Egan (even sat next to Mick, John & Lindsey at one of his shows), seen Stevie make cameo appearances with Bob Welch three times, saw Christine make a cameo with Welch once, saw Mick Fleetwood make cameo appearances with Walter Egan once and Bob Welch once (Obviously during happier times!)

As long as the "product" is Fleetwood Mac...or if it has a "three degrees of separation" (Walter Egan, Janet Robin, Todd Sharp, George Hawkins, etc) from Fleetwood Mac, I'm there.

[Gypsy-Rhiannon]

Well I have to admit to being a Stevie fan first and foremost, and I am only really into the Rumours line-up of FM

Pip

[macfan 57]

I voted for option 4. Since I consider myself a Christine McVie/Fleetwood Mac fan, I'm pretty ambivalent about what is left of Fleetwood Mac now. I've seen them live 6 times and Christine once solo and I'm satisfied with that. My only regret is that I never got a chance to see them live back in 1975 or even better yet, during the Bob Welch years.

[Cristian]

I am, too, basically a Christine McVie/Fleetwood Mac fan, mostly because I got into Fleetwood Mac because of the Rumours incarnation first. But now that I've listened to most of the material from before and after that period, I can say that Fleetwood Mac, no matter the members, always (or most of the times for that matter) means good music. From Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac to Then Play On, from Kiln House to Tusk, from Mirage to Time to whatever-they-are-calling-the-new-album-by-now.




Song of the moment - Docklands

[seteca]

I'm primarily a fan of Lindsey Buckingham, and therefore LB-era Fleetwood Mac. It was the music of Lindsey that led me to discovering other great music such as the songs of Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie, Peter Green, Danny Kirwan, Jeremy Spencer & Bob Welch. I couldn't care less whether or not "Fleetwood Mac" continued to exist, as long as Lindsey continues to make music.