Say You Will

[Johnny Stew]

Originally Posted by dissention

My friend went out and wasted her money on the DVD-A version without even owning surround sound. She claimed she could hear a difference.

The songs are actually mixed differently... so while I'm sure she could hear a difference (I can, even when not playing the disc through my surround speakers), she just wouldn't get the full impact.

My little cousin is reading over my shoulder and begging me to "put some smilies."
So, for Chelsea....

[dissention]

Originally Posted by Johnny Stew

The songs are actually mixed differently... so while I'm sure she could hear a difference (I can, even when not playing the disc through my surround speakers), she just wouldn't get the full impact.

I tried and tried and tried and couldn't hear one heck of a difference without playing it on my surround sound. Not a bloody thing.

Originally Posted by Johnny Stew

My little cousin is reading over my shoulder and begging me to "put some smilies."
So, for Chelsea....

Greg'll get you for that, Walter.

[catinthedark]

Funny - I'm reading this thread, and thinking, man, if someone came along and said, we're sending you away to a deserted island - but you can take ONE Fleetwood Mac album and listen to it and only it for the rest of all time... I don't know which one I'd choose!!! I love them all for such different reasons.. I guess, ultimately, I'd choose Tusk or SYW simply because they're longer and offer the greatest diversity. AAaaaaaah! Such a hard choice. But I think in the end... it would be... um.... Tusk. Yes. I think. Yes. Tusk. Because, ultimately, if I were tearing my hair out with boredom, I could always listen to Beautiful Child over and over and over again...

[Johnny Stew]

Originally Posted by dissention

I tried and tried and tried and couldn't hear one heck of a difference without playing it on my surround sound. Not a bloody thing.

Which audio option did you select, Dolby 5.1 or 2.0?

[Johnny Stew]

By the way, were these reviews ever posted? I don't recall seeing them here....

http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=7214

Fleetwood Mac - Say You Will (DVD-A)
Warner Bros. // DVD Audio // $18.98 // April 15, 2003
Review by Holly E. Ordway

The content

Say You Will is actually a "reunion" album for Fleetwood Mac, 15 years after their last release. Over the course of Fleetwood Mac's more than 30-year history since its origins in 1967, the band members shifted, with various members joining and later leaving the group. Say You Will features four of Fleetwood Mac's long-time members: Mick Fleetwood and John McVie (two of the founding members), Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham. So for dedicated fans of the group, there's a lot of history behind this release; for me, however, I came to Say You Will without preconceptions, since I knew of Fleetwood Mac but had only casually run across their songs.

The general feel of the album is what I'd call "folk rock," and reminded me of a Sheryl Crow or a slightly "harder" version of the 10,000 Maniacs: similar handling of guitar and percussion, but edgier vocals. (Since I like both Sheryl Crow and the 10,000 Maniacs, this is a positive comparison, I might add.) In fact, Sheryl Crow contributed to the album with guitar work on "Say You Will" and backup vocals on "Silver Girl." The well-crafted Illume is subtitled "9-11" but manages to be a thoughtful exploration of loss and longing, without going for the cheap manipulation of specific references to the World Trade Center bombing. Particular standouts were "Miranda," "Running Through the Garden," and "Everybody Finds Out," but on the whole it's hard to pick out specific highlights, since they're all quite solid. The only one that I really didn't care for was "What's the World Coming to," which is ironically the opening song in the album.

The lead vocals on the songs shift between Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, which gives a pleasing variation in the album's sound. All in all, I found the album to be very enjoyable, with a coherent sound for the whole album, yet with individual songs also being distinctive; the music has enough substance to it that it's an album that will most likely see a lot of repeat play.

The menu interface is very clean and easy to use. An opening screen gives the options to play the DVD, view the play list, or select audio options. Once the music is playing, a static black-and-white image of the band is presented on the screen, with the title of the song superimposed; there's a different image for each song.

Say You Will is a lengthy album, with 18 songs included on the disc. The complete play list is as follows: What's the World Coming to, Murrow Turning Over in His Grave, Illume (9-11), Thrown Down, Miranda, Red Rover, Say You Will, Peacekeeper, Come, Smile at You, Running Through the Garden, Silver Girl, Steal Your Heart Away, Bleed to Love Her, Everybody Finds Out, Destiny Rules, Say Goodbye, and Goodbye Baby.

The DVD

Audio

Both a Dolby 5.1 track and a Dolby 2.0 track are included on the DVD, but in practice they sound about the same. The 5.1 track does have more use of surround sound, but it's not as effective as it could be. Rather than having a balanced spread of the whole score, the main focus of the songs is usually the center channel, with the side and rear channels used mainly for percussion and the occasional "special" effect; the result is that the immersive effect is hit-and-miss. Sound clarity is good, in both tracks, but there's not quite the depth and richness that could have been there.

Extras

No special features are included on the DVD. A booklet is included inside the case which supplies lyrics for each of the songs.

Final thoughts

Say You Will makes a satisfying addition to the music collection of any listener who has a taste for "folk" style rock, with well-handled guitar and drum sections backing up strong, distinctive vocals. It's recommended.

Rating:
Music: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
Audio: 3.5 stars
Extras: 0.5 stars
Replay: 4 stars
Recommended

_________________________________________________________________


http://www.musictap.net/Reviews/Flee...uWillDVDA.html

Fleetwood Mac - Say You Will - DVD-Audio
05/15/2003 3:00p ET
Daniel Wolfson - Reviewer

When I first heard about the impending release of Fleetwood Mac's new album 'Say You Will' several months ago, I was none too excited. The last ten odd years have been a chaotic time for the band, with absences on recordings, first by Lindsey Buckingham, then Stevie Nicks, then both. And one of Lindsey's absences was filled by Dave Mason, which effectively killed a proper Traffic reunion. While 1997's "The Dance" featured a full Mac reunion with some interesting new material, I still wasn't too keen on a new studio album, especially after learning that Chriistine McVie has retired and moved back to England. This plus the fact that there were to be eighteen tracks on the disc made me wonder the issue was quantity vs. quality. What do you get when you combine all these ominous prospects?

Their best album in over 20 years, that's what! And an early candidate for Album of the Year. The disc starts with "What's the World Coming To?" by Lindsey, a catchy number which asks the musical question that we've all been asking for the last two years. This is followed by "Murrow Turning Over In His Grave" also a Lindsey Buckingham composition, which continues the apocalyptic vision of it's predecessor. The chorus, a well done round arrangement, reminds me of "Black Betty", that 70's arena rock tune by Ram Jam.

Stevie provides the next two numbers. The first is the hypnotic 'Illume (9-11)' which Stevie, who was in NYC on 9-11-01 wrote in her hotel room at the Waldorf Astoria that night. The several references to incense refers to her burning it all night to cut off the smell of the conflagration at Ground Zero which was very apparent even sixty blocks to the north. "Thrown Down" is the most classic Fleetwood Mac song on the disc.

My personal favorite song on the disc, "Miranda", is a hypnotic tune by Lindsey. The guitar reminds me of Lindsey's solo version of "Big Love" from '"The Dance", a version which made the original studio version sound like the most overproduced song in music history. "Red Rover" is perhaps my least favorite song on the disc but features some outstanding guitar work.

Stevie's "Say You Will" is the most commercial song on the album, which may well be why the album was named for it. Lindsey's "Peacekeeper", which easily could be about Iraq, is uneven. As Matt Rowe pointed out, it does indeed have a middle reminiscent of "Kodachrome", so much so that Paul Simon might deserve a writing credit. Lindsey fares much better with "Come", which features a flamenco intro and then a very un-Fleetwood Mac heavy style which is very invigorating.

Stevie has the next 3 songs. "Smile at You" and "Running Through the Garden" are both excellent songs which feature some of Stevie's best vocal work in years. And "Silver Girl" supposedly dates back to the "Rumours" days, yet would also fit in comfortable on 1982's "Mirage".

Lindsey's "Steal Your Heart Away" has an almost Travelling Wilburys feel with some beautiful harmonies. His "Bleed to Love Her" which debuted at 'The Dance' has one of my favorite guitar parts I've heard from him.

"Everybody Finds Out" has a nice dance groove to it. "Destiny Rules" has an intro which recalls "The Chain" and then drives into an archetypal Mac sound, yet at a noticeably faster tempo.

The disc concludes with both Lindsey and Stevie offering their goodbyes. First Lindsey with "Say Goodbye", a terrific acoustic guitar piece with Don McLeanesque vocals. Then Stevie gets her turn with "Goodbye Baby" in which either the narrator or their addressee is dying, bringing the disc to a poignant end.

"Say You Will" is a terrific collection of songs. It's not perfect, but it is their best work since "Mirage" and deserves to mentioned in the same breath as "Rumours" and "Fleetwood Mac". Even with Christine's absence as a writer and singer, though she did sing on a few songs, the band holds its own. Stevie Nicks seems to have taken over as the main creative force here, although Lindsey, while co-opting several other artists styles for several songs here, at least does it right.

As for the DVD-Audio mix, it is done very well and consistently. The rear channels are used for echo, vocal harmonies, and interestlingly, much of the percussion. Since Fleetwood Mac's vocals alone would be enough to warrant spaciousness, the full advantage taken of 5.1 is done incredibly well. The extras, which are merely band pictures, (though in striking black and white) are almost non-existent. One very important thing about this release is that the CD and the DVD-A were both released on April 15th. If the DVD-A folks continue to offer simultaneous releases of both formats (as will be the case with Steely Dan's "Everything Must Go" on June 10) this will be a big boost for the format.

In conclusion, the Mac is back! I only hope Lindsey's and Stevie's conjunctive Goodbye songs which close the recording are only lyrical license and not goodbye to their fans. Fleetwood Mac has scarcely had more reason to stay together and start again. Oh, Christine?

Rating:
Album: 4 stars (out of 5)
DVD-Audio Quality: 4.5

[Jyqm]

Originally Posted by DavidMn

One of the reasons SYW is my second favorite Fleetwood Mac album to Tusk is that while I see all of these so called "Dinoasur Bands" sit on their butt's and either constantly tour without any new material or make lame albums that sound like their just waiting to cash a check on their name, Fleetwood Mac in my opinion absolutely did neither of those things on SYW. Every time I listen to that cd, I am amazed at how inspired and fresh these recordings sound to me. I look at it as that they combined some of the best elements of Romours and Tusk on SYW. I realize that I'm not a musical expert by any means, but that's how I feel on the subject. BTW, Rumours is a close 3rd for me, and I know I'll get some angry responses to that one, but that's ok. I can live with that. I just like a band that still gives a damn at their age. We can all be proud that we are their fans

I'm with you that SYW is a great album, and it's wonderful that Fleetwood Mac are still releasing such great new material, however sporadically.

But I have to take exception to your complaint about rock dinosaurs who "constantly tour without any new material." This is definitely a legitimate beef to have with a band that simply hits the road once playing the same sounds-just-like-the-studio-version performances of their hits. But touring can still be something fresh and exciting even if (or even especially when) it's not done in the name of promoting a new album. The big example that comes to my mind is Bob Dylan, who's been touring incessantly for over a decade now. He hasn't released a new album in four years, but he's still always out on the road. But he's not turning in tired performances. He plays widely different sets every night, incorporating all kinds of lesser-nown stuff from his catalogue, and when he does play his better-known tunes, he offers up new arrangements all the time. There are plenty of musicians like this nowadays, folks who tour all the time without releasing new material, but their art lies in the way they make their performances special and new every night.

[DavidMn]

Originally Posted by Jyqm

I'm with you that SYW is a great album, and it's wonderful that Fleetwood Mac are still releasing such great new material, however sporadically.

But I have to take exception to your complaint about rock dinosaurs who "constantly tour without any new material." This is definitely a legitimate beef to have with a band that simply hits the road once playing the same sounds-just-like-the-studio-version performances of their hits. But touring can still be something fresh and exciting even if (or even especially when) it's not done in the name of promoting a new album. The big example that comes to my mind is Bob Dylan, who's been touring incessantly for over a decade now. He hasn't released a new album in four years, but he's still always out on the road. But he's not turning in tired performances. He plays widely different sets every night, incorporating all kinds of lesser-nown stuff from his catalogue, and when he does play his better-known tunes, he offers up new arrangements all the time. There are plenty of musicians like this nowadays, folks who tour all the time without releasing new material, but their art lies in the way they make their performances special and new every night.

Fair enough. I stand corrected on that point.

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by dissention

My friend went out and wasted her money on the DVD-A version without even owning surround sound. She claimed she could hear a difference.

The version of Thrown Down on the DVD-A is different in that there are extra harmonies in the chorus, which IMO enhance the song. Other than that, it sounds a tiny bit better, but that is about it.

[blinker12]

I agree with everyone else -- SYW is great. Nothing will probably ever surpass Tusk in my book, but SYW is #2. Just like Tusk, it's flawed (Lindsey computer voice, anyone?) and a little fragmented but still endlessly fascinating.

[Villavic]

Originally Posted by amber

I totally agree. I was thrilled with SYW, especially Lindsey's tunes. Excuse me, make that thrilled and amazed. Awestruck? Electrified?

Rumours is my fave. no doubt. SYW is cool but, in this case I absoultely disagree. Lindsey tunes are too predictible. SWY, OOTC.. they have too similar sounds. I wanted something different in SYW.

Besides, I miss Chris. The Rumours lineup, the White-Tango era was superb. (well, specially the white-tusk era)

[dissention]

I loved SYW when it came out, but it's no a big fave these days. The luster has worn off, mainly due to Stevie's tracks. I actually don't play it often because I made a mix CD of Lindsey's Tusk tracks and SYW tracks, that's all I really need from the album. I took Goodbye Baby, Smile At You, and Running Through Garden and put them on a Stevie mix CD.

The album has a horrific running order, it's choppy, and just doesn't flow at all. Sounds like two solo albums and the utter lack of pre-thought that seems to have gone into it bothers me for some reason.