Still think Stevie is going to do the FM album?

[SteveMacD]

Originally Posted by MikeInNV

All right, as a Chiffonhead I'll bite. What would really make me mad is if Chris and Stevie wouldn't release their collaborations just because LB wasn't involved. As you said....



Contrary to many opinions, no one is stopping them from doing just that (other than themselves).

Except the fact Stevie is still a member of the band. If she chooses to be a member of the band, she has to record. It's her job. She's in or she's out. She owes the band a clear answer about her intentions. If she opts out, so be it.

[wheart]

Originally Posted by elle

yes. i'm not sure what exactly he said in Chicago, but at other m&gs he also mentioned a possibility of releasing it as one of the band members' solo album (i think he said as LB solo album?) or as FM with just 4 members if SN doesn't get on board. or waiting for her for years.

their new album and when/how will it be released seems to be a recurring question for Mick at every m&g.

Wow! thanks for the info. I had no idea it had progressed this far. Personally, I would love a FM album with all 5 BUT I would prefer just the four and have Stevie do her solo thing if she isn't 100% excited about and committed to the project. If she isn't as thrilled as the rest of the band appears to be about the prospect of recording another album with Christine then she definitely shouldn't. I think it would be heartbreaking to have 2/3 of the songs be amazing and 1/3 be indifferent.

[TsnFan4Ever]

Stevie planned a color tour for 2015 before Christine returned and postponed her tour so FM could do this current tour. She put the band first, even though it's caused her dearly (re: 24K sales). When the FM tour ends, they will take some time off to rest and let Stevie tour (possibly a limited tour like Bella Donna and IYD first year) before finishing the album. Have a little faith in her and the others; they aren't on our time, they're on theirs.

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by TsnFan4Ever

Stevie planned a color tour for 2015 before Christine returned and postponed her tour so FM could do this current tour. She put the band first, even though it's caused her dearly (re: 24K sales). When the FM tour ends, they will take some time off to rest and let Stevie tour (possibly a limited tour like Bella Donna and IYD first year) before finishing the album. Have a little faith in her and the others; they aren't on our time, they're on theirs.

Are you kidding me? Do you know how many more millions she got for touring with FMac?

[KenshiMaster16]

Originally Posted by jbrownsjr

Are you kidding me? Do you know how many more millions she got for touring with FMac?

Not just that but the 'Songs from the Vault' sub-title alone raises red flags with people. In the store I manage, some of my usual customers will come in to check new releases on Tuesday and I had about 10 people look at me and say something along the lines of "So she's regressed to releasing material that wasn't good enough the first go around?"

I like the album, I like the updated sound from the demos, but that sub-title raises a huge red flag for certain people. It's almost like a B-Sides/Rarities album and those never sell well at all.

Her best bet, honestly speaking from someone who loves her career on the whole and from an artistic point of view, is to just f*cking get out there, do the damn Mac album and if you want to keep releasing solo stuff, release EP's, like one a year, maybe two; four/five songs each of just old re-recorded demos and maybe 1 or 2 new things if she's feeling up to it and do small venue shows where she can do the new stuff without feeling the pressure of dragging out those hits. The Mac can be her money maker whilst she gets the pleasure of recording with Dave and going back down memory lane through her vault of songs. It's that friggin' simple, done and done.

But I realize she and they don't work that way and it'd never happen in a million years.

[PenguinHead]

Originally Posted by KenshiMaster16

Not just that but the 'Songs from the Vault' sub-title alone raises red flags with people. In the store I manage, some of my usual customers will come in to check new releases on Tuesday and I had about 10 people look at me and say something along the lines of "So she's regressed to releasing material that wasn't good enough the first go around?"

I like the album, I like the updated sound from the demos, but that sub-title raises a huge red flag for certain people. It's almost like a B-Sides/Rarities album and those never sell well at all.

Here's a different perspective. Artists, especially prolific artists, produce more than they release. Things are held back, or are left undeveloped for numerous reasons. Not everything an artist works on is released. Stevie has amassed a body of work in various states of construction that she has revisited occasionally, and some of those songs have trickled out on previous albums.

It should never be an issue or make a difference if a song was written yesterday or thirty years ago. Time is not relative to the quality or integrity of the song. Saying "So she's regressed to releasing material that wasn't good enough the first go around?" is a simplistic assumption based on nothing but hypercritical senselessness. These are low rent Stevie fans, reaching for any reason to disparage her. It's not a fair critical assessment.

Many of those demo have been circulating and floating around for so many years, long before the internet. They were traded on cassette tapes by fans who, by snail mail, made transactions with collectors from classified ads in the back pages of music magazines. With the internet, those songs/demos became easily accessible to a much larger audience beyond die-hard fans. If these songs weren't so familiar, perhaps this album wouldn't be subject to such criticism and derision.

I'm not sure how the word Vault has any negative connotation. Isn't a vault typically used to safely store and preserve items of precious value;
rare keepsakes such as artwork, jewelry, 24 Karat gold, etc...?

Side note: Elvis Costello (albeit-a musical genesis beyond reason in his prolificity and scholarly sophistication) has hundreds of songs that don't appear on albums. Most of them have been released as (dozens of) b-sides, in compilations, and as bonus CDs in re-released records. Fans don't dismiss the material as inferior, or question why it didn't make it on an album. I'm not comparing her to Elvis, but considering the longevity of her career, she hasn't been as prolific as fans might like. I'm grateful she gave us 24 Karat Gold. Let's hope we get more from her, whether its "new" Vault albums, or newly written songs.

[KenshiMaster16]

Originally Posted by PenguinHead

Saying "So she's regressed to releasing material that wasn't good enough the first go around?" is a simplistic assumption based on nothing but hypercritical senselessness. These are low rent Stevie fans, reaching for any reason to disparage her. It's not a fair critical assessment.

Except the people I brought up aren't high rent or low rent Stevie fans, they are the equivalent of the 'casual audience.' A few of the guys I mentioned come in every single Tuesday without fail, talk music in general and buy several albums just to hear, in their words, "whats new." They aren't Stevie fans, they're fans of music in general. They are the ones who, outside of us, really push her sales and matter because we'll always be there to purchase whatever she or the Mac coughs up, they are the ones that need to be drawn in. In fact, I even remember several of them buying In Your Dreams the day it released. So their views and opinions matter even though it's drastically different from ours.

Originally Posted by PenguinHead

If these songs weren't so familiar, perhaps this album wouldn't be subject to such criticism and derision.

I'm not sure how the word Vault has any negative connotation. Isn't a vault typically used to safely store and preserve items of precious value; rare keepsakes such as artwork, jewelry, 24 Karat gold, etc...?

Vault in the album business usually means a collection when used, and collections can sell well like Greatest Hits do except in this case when its blatantly marketed as rehashed/unreleased/demo-ey stuff and especially in this case when some of it sounds pretty dated. I had one person try and buy it the day it came out under the assumption it was another greatest hits package. When told it was a new album and they looked at the tracklist on the back in shock, they put it back on the shelf. The fact of the matter is, the marketing decisions just simply sucked. If it had been marketed as a brand new album instead of a collection from the Vault along with the sub-title, maybe then people would've been a little more interested.

Not to get on too much of a rant here, but another example is the expanded Mac stuff. You have no idea how many times in my 9 years of working at this store I've had people ask for Rumours and when I show them the two disc, they scoff at me and demand the version "without the extra crap" so they end up buying a used copy for 5.99 instead. Casuals just aren't interested and the marketing was aimed at us, not the people who really matter when it comes to sales.

Back on topic, I read Stevie wants to go back and record more demos with Dave after the tour. I wonder if this will be purely her thing or if she will end up taking part and sending stuff Lindsey's way?

[louielouie2000]

Originally Posted by KenshiMaster16

Back on topic, I read Stevie wants to go back and record more demos with Dave after the tour. I wonder if this will be purely her thing or if she will end up taking part and sending stuff Lindsey's way?

Where did you read that? This is what I've been saying all along- that Stevie will want to put some new material into demo form after this tour so she will have something new to bring to the Mac's table.

[bombaysaffires]

Originally Posted by KenshiMaster16

Back on topic, I read Stevie wants to go back and record more demos with Dave after the tour. I wonder if this will be purely her thing or if she will end up taking part and sending stuff Lindsey's way?

when you say demos, do you mean creating demos of NEW songs or demos as in the demos that have been floating around for years that she wants to make into Vault vol 2? Coz my understanding is that it's the latter.

[BlueDenimLamp]

Originally Posted by bombaysaffires

when you say demos, do you mean creating demos of NEW songs or demos as in the demos that have been floating around for years that she wants to make into Vault vol 2? Coz my understanding is that it's the latter.

Stevie said she has 10 or so demos ready and might just go back to Nashville and record them when the tour is over...As far as LB goes I don't think he will be given the opportunity to have a large influence in the final outcome of whatever songs FM does get from Stevie...I predict Dave will be there and Stevie will allow LB to add his parts (like on SA ) and nothing more...

[bombaysaffires]

Originally Posted by BlueDenimLamp

Stevie said she has 10 or so demos ready and might just go back to Nashville and record them when the tour is over...As far as LB goes I don't think he will be given the opportunity to have a large influence in the final outcome of whatever songs FM does get from Stevie...I predict Dave will be there and Stevie will allow LB to add his parts (like on SA ) and nothing more...

this sounds to me still like it's more of the demos she wants to turn into Vol 2. Not new songs. I'll put my money on it.

[bombaysaffires]

Originally Posted by TsnFan4Ever

Stevie planned a color tour for 2015 before Christine returned and postponed her tour so FM could do this current tour. She put the band first, even though it's caused her dearly (re: 24K sales). When the FM tour ends, they will take some time off to rest and let Stevie tour (possibly a limited tour like Bella Donna and IYD first year) before finishing the album. Have a little faith in her and the others; they aren't on our time, they're on theirs.

She would not have sold significantly more copies than she actually did. Maybe a few, but not tens of thousands let alone hundreds of thousands more. Her sales numbers are where they would be/will be at this point in her career in the industry as it stands now. Sad fact of life these days. She might have generated a lot more publicity, but sales? Doubtful.

[Andy Man]

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

Except the fact Stevie is still a member of the band. If she chooses to be a member of the band, she has to record. It's her job. She's in or she's out. She owes the band a clear answer about her intentions. If she opts out, so be it.

Yes, this is the key thing. I would lose a lot of respect for Stevie if she did not take part in a new studio album and yet continued to tour with the band. We all remember how Christine seemed to want to continue working with the band on new material during the Say You Will era and was not allowed to do so as she did not want to tour.

Having said that, I do agree that without Stevie on board we are unlikely to see any major Fleetwood Mac releases. If it turns out that it is just the 4 musicians who end up making new music, I imagine we will see a release similar to that of Extended Play (online only and independent). Whether the band (mostly Mick and Lindsey) wants to recognize it or not, Stevie is the individual who keeps them being able to tour arenas and potentially release a major studio album. This of course does not take away from the talents of the others, however we need to be realistic.

I find it hard to believe that with the momentum that the band has had lately that Stevie will not join in on a new album. Just give them time...

[jbrownsjr]

^^^^^^^ I agree with this. Stevie is the biggest draw, but by no stretch the biggest talent.

[BlueDenimLamp]

Originally Posted by bombaysaffires

this sounds to me still like it's more of the demos she wants to turn into Vol 2. Not new songs. I'll put my money on it.

There's no question about it. She said she would turn the finished product over to WB for what might be a "24K" repackage or deluxe edition.