White Album Appreciation

[MacShadowsBall]

I think the white/'75 album gets overlooked so much by the great success of Rumours. When in fact the white album was very successful in its own right. It's also one of the few Mac albums that I prefer Lindsey's songs to Stevie's!

[brickney723]

Originally Posted by louielouie2000

That being said, I've always adored the album version of I'm So Afraid. It's so tortured, moody, dark, and atmospheric.

I've always wondered what the inspiration was for I'm So Afraid.

[welcomechris]

Originally Posted by MacShadowsBall

I think the white/'75 album gets overlooked so much by the great success of Rumours. When in fact the white album was very successful in its own right. It's also one of the few Mac albums that I prefer Lindsey's songs to Stevie's!

I agree! The White Album is awesome!

[welcomechris]

Originally Posted by brickney723

I've always wondered what the inspiration was for I'm So Afraid.

Probably Lindsey and Stevie's Failing Relationship. He's so afraid it will end

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by brickney723

I've always wondered what the inspiration was for I'm So Afraid.

Although people have concluded it was mono, Lindsey does not quite think that's what he had, because he says the family doctor never diagnosed what it was, but he was sick, probably feeling lethargic and drained, for a continued period of time and it caused them to change their Southern California plans and come back. He stayed home and Stevie said sometimes she would spend the night with him, sleeping in the living room of his parents home.

This was about the time that ISA was written and his physical condition may have contributed to the mood of the song.

Michele

[elle]

Originally Posted by welcomechris

Probably Lindsey and Stevie's Failing Relationship. He's so afraid it will end

so he will slip and fall and die. must be.

love your ledgename!

[brickney723]

Originally Posted by welcomechris

Probably Lindsey and Stevie's Failing Relationship. He's so afraid it will end

I hear you, the intensity of emotion that comes through when he plays it live makes me think he's channeling that type of pain, but then the timeline doesn't jibe..

And Michele, yeah, I knew he was sick at the time it was written, so I've thought maybe it has to do with that as well. I wonder if he's ever commented on it? If he has, I've never been able to find it.

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by brickney723

I hear you, the intensity of emotion that comes through when he plays it live makes me think he's channeling that type of pain, but then the timeline doesn't jibe..

And Michele, yeah, I knew he was sick at the time it was written, so I've thought maybe it has to do with that as well. I wonder if he's ever commented on it? If he has, I've never been able to find it.

When asked about ISA and mononucleosis, he commented on not being diagnosed.

Michele

[michelej1]

The Daily Texan April 20, 2015 at 7:43 pm By Chris Duncan

http://www.dailytexanonline.com/2015...-concept-album

Two albums to listen to: One much-needed refresh and one concept album

Fleetwood Mac — Fleetwood Mac

It would be unfair to say Fleetwood Mac had no pop influence before 1975’s Fleetwood Mac, but the release of its self-titled second album did mark an about-face in style. The addition of the band’s two most influential members — Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks — helped the band settle on a polished pop-country feel, replacing the worn-out blues style of previous projects. Driving the album is Buckingham’s guitar skill, but soothing vocals from Nicks and Christine McVie help bring the band’s pop sound to a new level. With over 5 million records sold, Fleetwood Mac came back from the brink of failure to become an international sensation.

Tracks to listen to: “Over My Head,” “Say You Love Me” and “Landslide”

[michelej1]

From the Record Crate: “Fleetwood Mac” (1975) – Fleetwood Mac
By Jon Winkler on July 11, 2015 The Young Folks

http://theyoungfolks.com/review/from...wood-mac/59516

Imagine if you will, you’re a teenage blues rock fan in 1974 recovering from the odd new melodic sound of one of your favorite bands, Fleetwood Mac. After their 1974 album Heroes Are Hard to Find was much more chart-friendly than previous outings, you start to wonder what kind of band this will become. It’s even more shocking to find out that Fleetwood Mac have apparently changed their scenery from bustling England to sunny California. More so, two new members have joined the band and when you go to find out what music they’ve done in the past, you’re shocked to find an album cover featuring a couple that look more like models than rock stars. Fast forward to July the next year as you pick up Fleetwood Mac’s brand new album. To you, the blues-rock junkie looking for dirty riffs and Elmore James covers, what you hear is a more shocking musical departure than the last record. But to someone else, say the hot next door neighbor you’ve been crushing on since pre-k with long blonde hair, sunflowers on her sun dress and rides with top down in her car, it’s the coolest album around.



Today is the 40th anniversary of the album that gave everyone a sneak peek of the sound that would turn Fleetwood Mac into superstars. It makes sense that the band’s first self-titled album (their 1968 debut) has been redubbed Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac over the years, since the 1975 self-titled album served as a new identity for the band. Hints of folk, country and FM-friendly pop rock are all over the 1975 album thanks to the presence of finger-picking Lindsey Buckingham and cooing gypsy woman Stevie Nicks. Funny enough, Nicks only joined the band as a package deal with Buckingham, as he only joined the band on the condition that Nicks (his girlfriend at the time) join too. Since bassist John McVie and keyboardist Christine McVie didn’t want to be hypocrites (they were married at the time) they and drummer Mick Fleetwood (the only man from the original line-up) brought the duo onboard and the rest is history.

One could call Fleetwood Mac the rough draft for their 1977 blockbuster Rumors, as many elements of the latter are found in the former. Buckingham’s driving picks and plucks of the guitar help songs like “Monday Morning” and “Blue Letter” chug through. Christine McVie knows how to move hearts with her delicate vocals and soft balladry (“Over My Head,” “Say You’ll Love Me”), while still matching with McVie and Fleetwood’s tight rhythm section. Even the mystical groove of “Rhiannon” might as well be a demo for the Rumors cut “Dreams.” Of course, the X factor here was Stevie Nicks, with her low but warm vocal delivery that was both bittersweet yet enticing. There’s a reason that everyone from The Dixie Chicks to The Smashing Pumpkins have covered “Landslide,” because all are still trying to match the simple beauty of Nicks’ contemplation of the future.



What’s most interesting on Fleetwood Mac is how, despite each band members bringing different elements to the table, there are moments where they all click together. Take “Sugar Daddy” for example, where Christine McVie’s soft vocals manage to match the groove of her husband John and Fleetwood’s rhythm, along with Buckingham’s springy guitar work. The same unity is heard on closing track “I’m So Afraid,” and Buckingham finds his place amongst the tight rhythm section on “World Turning.” “Rhiannon” is another example, where each band member seems to match up with the sensual soul in Nicks’ vocal performance and swirl around her like magic.

Granted, Fleetwood Mac isn’t perfect due to its reliance on Christine McVie’s ballads that lose its kick after a while. Regardless, the album has aged pretty well 40 years on. People like Fleetwood Mac for the same reason they like The Eagles, in that they combine the most popular pieces of American music in the 70’s. Merging folk, country and pop into an organic rock formula. The band just came off of a successful reunion tour (with the return of Christine McVie) and plan to release new music together, so it’s just a question of if they can recapture that magic. Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to look back at this album and review their formula. It was given a field test on Fleetwood Mac, and the big synthesis was just two years (and two breakups) away.

[FuzzyPlum]

The White Album has been given a place in the Grammy Hall of Fame

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/1...0T72A520151118

Music by Grateful Dead, Fleetwood Mac among Grammy Hall of Fame inductees

Music by rockers the Grateful Dead and Fleetwood Mac, jazz greats Miles Davis and Louis Armstrong and singers Blondie and Roberta Flack will be enshrined in the Grammy Hall of Fame, The Recording Academy said on Wednesday.

Grateful Dead's 1970 album "American Beauty," named one of Rolling Stone magazine's 500 greatest albums of all time in 2012, will be inducted after the band ended its 50-year-run this year with a final tour.

Fleetwood Mac's 1975 self-titled record, which includes the hits "Rhiannon" and "Say You Love Me," will also be placed into the music vault, as well as "The Basement Tapes," the 1975 album by Bob Dylan and The Band.

A total of 26 albums and songs across all genres that are at least 25 years old, were selected by a committee put together by the Recording Academy - hosts of the annual Grammy Awards - to be inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

The selected music is considered to have either "qualitative or historical significance."

"These works have influenced and inspired both music creators and fans for generations and we are proud to induct them into our catalog of distinguished recordings," Neil Portnow, president and chief executive officer of the Recording Academy, said in a statement.

Among the jazz and blues inductees this year are "Miles Smiles," the 1967 album by jazz great Miles Davis and his quintet, Roberta Flack's 1969 record "First Take," and Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong's collaborative 1956 album "Ella and Louis."

Punk new-wave band Blondie's disco-influenced "Heart of Glass," the song that helped push the band into the mainstream, will also enter the Grammy Hall of Fame, along with Little Eva's 1962 pop song "The Loco-Motion" and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts' raucous "I Love Rock 'N Roll."

[Villavic]

This week the album reached #1 in 1975.