Fleetwood Mac: The Definitive History? - Page 3

jellyman10 · #31 10-10-2011, 06:02 AM

There's a thread on this book over on the Rumours forum, about two weeks old I think.

I've had the book for about a month. As I said on the other thread, it's OK visually but the photo captioning and the text itself are poor. The author's other credits include a book on The Eagles and yet he refers to Don Henley as a guitarist - twice. He also attributes to Mick the quote from John about telling Lindsey to leave the room and him thinking he meant leave the band, and a few other bloopers.

I found it pleasant to flick through, as a change from looking at pics online, but that's about all.

Loz

skuncles · #32 10-10-2011, 07:20 AM

The most glaring error I've seen is saying that Lindsey joined the band on stage in 1990 to sing "Limelight", pretty sure they didn't sing the Rush song that night!!

CADreaming · #33 10-10-2011, 07:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skuncles

The most glaring error I've seen is saying that Lindsey joined the band on stage in 1990 to sing "Limelight", pretty sure they didn't sing the Rush song that night!!

LOL! "The limelight will bring you down..."

jellyman10 · #34 10-10-2011, 07:32 AM

There's also a caption that quite literally says 'Typical photo of Stevie Nicks in the late 70s.' I was like wtf? Is that placeholder text that they forgot to take out? Or perhaps a measure of exactly how few ****s they give?

CADreaming · #35 10-10-2011, 07:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jellyman10

There's also a caption that quite literally says 'Typical photo of Stevie Nicks in the late 70s.' I was like wtf? Is that placeholder text that they forgot to take out? Or perhaps a measure of exactly how few ****s they give?

Hahaha! Awesome!

Blueletter18 · #36 10-19-2011, 09:06 PM

It is a really good read, but I have found a couple glaring errors already. Right on the back cover, it refers to "Dreams" as "Dream."

And it lists Lindsey as the writer on the single release.

michelej1 · #37 11-24-2011, 03:40 PM

Thursday, November 24, 2011, Liquid Hip blog, posted by Kim
http://www.liquidhip.com/2011/11/def...od-mac-by.html

The Definitive History Of Fleetwood Mac
By Mike Evans Is Definitive

There have been dozens of books written about Fleetwood Mac. Some of the best like Steve Clarke and Roy Carr’s excellent Rumours ‘n Fax are either out of print or difficult to find. (Although Storms by Carol Ann Harris is worth a look.)

Most are merely regurgitations of well-known information, sometimes with snippets of interviews and articles that have appeared elsewhere. Edward Wincentsen’s absolutely dreadful Fleetwood Mac Through The Years would be an example of the worst of the worst.

Mike Evans is now joining the fray with his own look at the band: Fleetwood Mac The Definitive History. It’s a must-read for any FM fan and a solid retrospective for the casual and curious.

Based on sheer size, Evans stands alone.

This larger, oversized coffee table book doesn't waste a stitch of space. It's filled with excellent photos, some of them never before seen, including by the most rabid collectors.

The book starts with the usual look back, giving a glimpse into the early beginnings of the band and not the one that most people know today. This beginning starts with bassist John McVie joining legendary John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers. The roster at one time included Eric Clapton and, very briefly, drummer Mick Fleetwood.

Fate would eventually bring Fleetwood and McVie together with Peter Greenbaum, better known as singer/songwriter/guitarist Peter Green. And thus, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac was born as a British blues band.

As the narrative retells some of the story, full-page photos of each album cover introduce every successive phase. Evans includes the track listening, songwriting credits, and personnel. These details make it an indispensable resource.

The revolving door that eventually led to rock greatness.

Fleetwood Mac’s revolving door through 1974 would include Christine McVie, Jeremy Spencer, Danny Kirwan, Bob Weston, Dave Walker, and Bob Welch. In fact, it was stalwart Welch’s departure that opened the door for duo Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks.

It's here that Evans does the story justice, telling how Fleetwood was scouting studios when he heard a tape of Buckingham Nicks. He liked Buckingham’s style, eventually inviting the pair to join (they famously came as a package deal).

While most of the lore surrounding Buckingham and Nicks is well known to fans, Evans dutifully lays it out. There are a few new tidbits here and there, but nothing earth shattering. It's been told. We all know it.

Once this famous lineup was solid, the 1975 self-titled Fleetwood Mac was released. All five members (the two McVies, Fleetwood, Buckingham, and Nicks) became multi-millionaires overnight. Maybe it was this early success that also ensured Fleetwood Mac would become well documented, along with the excesses that became part of Rumours, the band’s defining album.

Rumours is a once-in-a-lifetime romanticized anti-love story.

When the two couples in the band split during recording, and Fleetwood divorced (and later married and divorced yet again), most bands would have scrapped it all. Instead, in between the copious amounts of drink, drugs (especially cocaine), and infighting, they captured one of the greatest angst albums ever made.

Rumours, of course, went on to become one of the top-selling albums in history, with Fleetwood Mac justifiably the biggest rock band in the world in the late 1970s. Tusk, the follow up to Rumours, was musically controlled by Buckingham, with everyone else calling it in.

Amazingly, Tusk would be a triumph and a disappointment all at once. The music showcased three obviously different songwriters, with each person's songs strong, but collectively not cohesive. However it was likely the decision to make Tusk a double album (Fleetwood’s call) that ultimately led to disappointing sales, not really Buckingham's experimental tracks.

The retrospective takes the story up through Christine McVie’s eventual permanent departure (retirement) and the band’s current lineup of Nicks, Buckingham, Fleetwood, and John McVie.

Mike Evans’ Fleetwood Mac: The Definitive History Is 8.0 On The Liquid Hip Richter Scale.

Evans does an excellent job pulling decades of information together without getting off track. Fleetwood Mac The Definitive History is one of the best books written about the band. It’s an enjoyable read about an even more enjoyable ride through the years.

Barnes & Noble carries Fleetwood Mac: The Definitive History. You can also find Evans' Fleetwood Mac: The Definitive History on Amazon. There are electronic versions of the book available too. It's hard to recommend them. This is one book that deserves to be owned in print. For more Fleetwood Mac rarities, visit Wolfgang's Vault. Happy Thanksgiving.

Meowi · #38 11-26-2011, 06:42 AM

On the back cover where it mentions a few song names, the Author names a song called 'Dream'. Hmm, never heard that one before.

PenguinHead · #39 11-26-2011, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blueletter18

It is a really good read, but I have found a couple glaring errors already. Right on the back cover, it refers to "Dreams" as "Dream."

And it lists Lindsey as the writer on the single release.

The several errors are really bad, and there's no excuse for it. However, I can overlook them; it's a book I'm glad to have - for the visuals, a fairly decent layout, and the references to their solo work.

michelej1 · #40 12-02-2011, 03:09 PM

Bookpeople's Blog, December 2, 2011
http://bookpeopleblog.wordpress.com/...reads-of-2011/

Fleetwood Mac: The Definitive History by Mike Evans

I also became quite inexplicably obsessed with Fleetwood Mac this year. Was it Lindsey Buckingham’s guitar playing (and stone-cold foxiness)? Stevie Nicks’ enviable wardrobe? Mick Fleetwood’s utter insanity as a drummer? I still can’t pin-point the reason but something has fallen into place and I’ve been listening to Rumours almost non-stop for weeks now. So when this big beautiful book arrived at the store, I almost fell to my knees in supplication. Beginning from the early days before Buckingham and Nicks joined the band to the recent reunion tours, this book is brimming with beautiful photographs and inside information about one of pop music’s most infamous bands.

seekerj · #41 12-02-2011, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jellyman10

Yeah, I got it about a week ago too. It's OK. Nothing new or earth-shattering in there. A few factual howlers, my favourite being that it refers to Don Henley as a guitarist twice. The really jaw-dropping thing is the author's credits include having written a book about The Eagles, ffs.

But Don Henley does play guitar.

chiliD · #42 12-02-2011, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seekerj

But Don Henley does play guitar.

Yeah, so does Mick Fleetwood (lead guitar on "These Strange Times")

MacShadowsBall · #43 12-02-2011, 05:19 PM

I'm glad this thread is in the proper forum.

I've been thinking about getting this book for Christmas, as I don't have any Fleetwood Mac books. Although, I am concerned about these obvious mistakes.

MrStevie · #44 12-04-2011, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MacShadowsBall

I've been thinking about getting this book for Christmas, as I don't have any Fleetwood Mac books. Although, I am concerned about these obvious mistakes.

I don't mind a few errors here and there. I hope somebody remembers me for Christmas.

Lindsfan · #45 12-04-2011, 11:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MacShadowsBall

I'm glad this thread is in the proper forum.

I've been thinking about getting this book for Christmas, as I don't have any Fleetwood Mac books. Although, I am concerned about these obvious mistakes.

I bought it a while back...the price was right. If you get the book, it's because it has a really cool cover and lots of great pictures!! It's a show piece, and for a little over $15 it's pretty cool