Fleetwood Mac on Dick Clark's *Primetime* New Year's Rockin' Eve - Page 3

CarneVaca · #31 12-19-2003, 02:50 PM

Y'all take a deep breath now, heah?

Strip it down. That's all. Strip every single one of those songs down to the bare vocal and essential rhythm. Go to Dissention's site and listen to some of the center-channel mixes, particularly Red Rover. Everyone of Lindsey's songs on SYW is more dynamic from a melodic standpoint. Strand makes a good point about Smile at You. But outside of that one, Stevie rarely stretches her vocals in a melodically interesting way. We can all discuss opinions of what we like and don't like, but you want to insist that from a musical standpoint her songs are better, you either don't know better or you're kidding yourself.

And by the way, Peacekeeper was changed for SYW to fit her vocal. I'm convinced of it. In the process, it became a less appealing song.

Johnny Stew · #32 12-19-2003, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by CarneVaca
Strip it down. That's all. Strip every single one of those songs down to the bare vocal and essential rhythm. Go to Dissention's site and listen to some of the center-channel mixes, particularly Red Rover. Everyone of Lindsey's songs on SYW is more dynamic from a melodic standpoint.

I'm going to admit something here, that I didn't dare say before for fear of a flame-war... but I'll just go ahead and say it.
I think Lindsey's vocal on the center-channel mix of "Red Rover" (from dissention's site) is awful.

In fact, as I listened to it the first time, my brother was in the room and said, "what the hell is that crap?"

Thankfully the full-production masks that.

So if you're going to use that mix as an example, I can't help you out there, because I see nothing more "dynamic" about that track than the center-channel mixes of Stevie's songs.

Her stuff holds up extremely well, even when it's damn-near acapella. In fact, some of her songs are even more arresting in this context.
They're not subservient to the music going on around them.

No, she doesn't have the greatest range vocally, but the appeal of her voice, and her delivery, goes beyond perfect-pitch. That, coupled with the unique outlook conveyed in her lyrics, is what causes her songs to be infinitely more interesting to me than any other artist out there.

Of course, that's simply my opinion.

wondergirl9847 · #33 12-19-2003, 03:21 PM

I just wanna pop in and say Smile At You has Stevie's greatest vocal on the album! The breaks in her voice are phenominal!!

I have to disagree with ya Christopher on the vocal argument, but it's all about opinion anyways. I think Lindsey's voice is AMAZING this tour!! I just posted in his forum about him singing Say Goodbye (also, I didn't mention it, but NGBA is greatness too!) and how, to me, he sounded flawless and perfect. His breaks are also phenominal this tour. Stevie did a great break too during, I think, Goodbye Baby or some song and I was like "WOW, that sounded cool!!"

Stevie has a unique voice, unlike any other, but this tour, IMO, is Lindsey's showcase in more ways than one.

She really made me happy when she got a lil crazy on Rhiannon ("weeeellll, I don't THINK you do!!"), Gold Dust Woman ("go hooooooooomeeee aaaahhhh!!!"), Silver Springs and Stand Back this tour, especially in England. I was like "Come on, Stevie!!!!" when she'd pull that mic and go for it!

Johnny Stew · #34 12-19-2003, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by CarneVaca
And by the way, Peacekeeper was changed for SYW to fit her vocal. I'm convinced of it. In the process, it became a less appealing song.

I find the album version much more appealing than the 'Gift Of Screws' version.

I thought the addition of Stevie's harmony vocals and the ditching of the tinny drum-machine were terrific improvements.

But, for some reason or another, it's damn near lifeless in a live context... and I don't think it would have made any difference if Lindsey had never changed it.

wondergirl9847 · #35 12-19-2003, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Johnny Stew
I'm going to admit something here, that I didn't dare say before for fear of a flame-war... but I'll just go ahead and say it.
I think Lindsey's vocal on the center-channel mix of "Red Rover" (from dissention's site) is awful.

In fact, as I listened to it the first time, my brother was in the room and said, "what the hell is that crap?"

LMAO!! I had Red Rover on really loud one day and my mom comes in "What are you listening to?" in a disgusted voice. I was thinking "A masterpiece, but you wouldn't understand that." LOL

I am DYING to hear the Soundstage Red Rover to hear his voice live without the production covering it up!!!!!!! If they cut that out...HEADS WILL ROLL!!!!!

I can't say this enough, but it's so weird how one song can make a person break down with tears of sheer joy and make another cringe like they are about to get shot.

Ahhh, the complexities of the human race.

Johnny Stew · #36 12-19-2003, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by wondergirl9847
LMAO!! I had Red Rover on really loud one day and my mom comes in "What are you listening to?" in a disgusted voice. I was thinking "A masterpiece, but you wouldn't understand that." LOL

I can't say this enough, but it's so weird how one song can make a person break down with tears of sheer joy and make another cringe like they are about to get shot. Ahhh, the complexities of the human race.

*lol*
I know how you feel, Christy!
Since my brother had such a negative reaction to the center-channel mix of "Red Rover," I wanted to prove to him that Lindsey still rocks, so I played "Murrow"... which, in my opinion, is nothing short of genius.

Unfortunately, he just shrugged his shoulders, said, "it's over-produced," and walked off.

Like you said, it's amazing how a song can just absolutely blow one person away, while leaving someone else cold.

CarneVaca · #37 12-19-2003, 03:50 PM

Well, Johnny, what can I say? Sometimes there's no accounting for poor taste.

CarneVaca · #38 12-19-2003, 03:51 PM

And by the way, your brother is right about Murrow. It is overproduced, as is much of the album. That doesn't necessarily make it bad though.

Johnny Stew · #39 12-19-2003, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by CarneVaca
Well, Johnny, what can I say? Sometimes there's no accounting for poor taste.

Oh, I whole-heartedly agree with you there, buddy.

strandinthewind · #40 12-19-2003, 04:13 PM

Interestingly, if La Nicks' songs are musically "at fault," a position I do not take in general, I submit that "fault" belongs mostly to LB. After all, he was the producer. He drastically altered several of her songs from the original demos I have heard. Also, no slam to Stevie, but she pretty much is not capable of this level of production.

A good example of this is "Goodbye Baby." The demo for this song was just Stevie at a piano playing a very, very spare arrangement consisting of two, possibly three chords and her singing in that incredible 70's high, high voice (sheebus! ). While the vocal melody, though lower and softer, on SYW is pretty much the same as the piano demo. with added lyrics and a new chorus, musically, the cut on SYW is very, very different. John is playing the original piano melody with the bass notes and LB is playing a new and IMO very interesting guitar overlay (Ba Ba Bum, Ba Ba Bum, Ba Ba Bum . . . ) onto the new gauze-like synth parts. So, the sparse original musical construction of the demo was completely altered - very successfully IMO - by LB.

Another good example is "Thrown Down." LB's new riff on this is just brilliant as are John and Mick's new rythm parts. LB's soft repeating of "together together together together" is also just great production. However, LB's production of the chorus on the SYW regular cut as opposed to the "Wall of Sound" cut just, IMO, sits there and goes no where in relation to her voice dancing with the lyrics in the non-chorus part of the song. Interestingly, the chorus on the DVD of SYW is slightly different in that it has an echo harmony after each phrase e.g "Thrown Down (then higher Thrown Down") - "Like a barricade" (then higher "Like a Barricade"), etc. This arrangement works much better than the reg. CD cut IMO. It lifts the chorus up and makes it stad out from the rest of the song.

Stevie made a comment about leaving for the mixing of the record saying she really would not have been able to do it because LB had labored for hours laying many, many tracks and parts for each song that only he knew what was going on in them

Ah - the tortured genius of LB

BlueGrass · #41 12-19-2003, 05:47 PM

I have a question regaurding the other SYW demos of like SYHA and SYW that sound more raw and live. Are these really early mixes or just someone playing around with the sound?

Cammie · #42 12-19-2003, 09:58 PM

Hope they use a Mac Rocker like Come!

Not the changed Peacekeeper!!! A female's
voice makes the lyrics irrelavent... it is not
about a romance...its about Life...a man is
crying from his gut...it ruins the dynamics!!
The man is scared for his family so He Kills!

"Take no prisoners...ONLLLY... KILLLLL!!!"

Not exactly New Years Eve lyrics for NYC!!!

Say You Will or Say Goodbye would be better!

Okay...Now you can "let me have it"! Just MHO!Sky

CarneVaca · #43 12-19-2003, 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Cammie
Hope they use a Mac Rocker like Come!
Not the changed Peacekeeper!!! A female's
voice makes the lyrics irrelavent... it is not
about a romance...its about Life...a man is
crying from his gut...it ruins the dynamics!!
The man is scared for his family so He Kills!

Interesting observation. I'm going to think about that for a minute...

Merf · #44 12-19-2003, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Not the changed Peacekeeper!!! A female's
voice makes the lyrics irrelavent... it is not
about a romance...its about Life...

So you're saying that a female voice is only suitable to sing romantic lyrics? That a female voice makes the lyrics "irrelevant" if said lyrics are NOT of a romantic nature? I'm sorry, but I find that completely off base and unfair to female singer/songwriters everywhere (including and especially Stevie Nicks, whose voice you find so deplorable on a song Lindsey wrote and wanted her to sing as well.) Let us not forget it was Lindsey's choice to add Stevie's vocal, and if he felt it made the song "irrelevant" he wouldn't have added them. Bottom line.

"Come" on New Year's Rockin' Eve? I doubt it highly.

CarneVaca · #45 12-19-2003, 10:21 PM

Merf, I think Cammie meant that Lindsey decided to turn Peacekeeper into a romantic song after the fact. He didn't write it as such. I don't believe the implication was that Stevie can't sing anything but romantic songs. That's clearly not the case.

It is important to remember the point you made: that lindsey wanted Stevie in the song.