SYW: A Dud Album

[Johnny Stew]

I imagine very few people were expecting sales in league with 'The Dance,' and hopefully Warner Brothers really was thrilled with how 'Say You Will' did, but I think many fans, and probably the band members themselves, never expected that it still wouldn't have sold a million copies four years later.

Is that a reasonable expectation? I suppose not. But that's the way it is when you have a reputation for selling millions of albums.

As much as I personally love the album, "Say You Will" didn't seem to create any momentum for Fleetwood Mac, and perhaps if it had had a longer shelf-life, the band members would have been more keen to get back into the studio with each other.

It has to be tough for artists who are used to selling a certain amount of albums, to feel confident as to whether their new music is really connecting with people. The sense that you're selling only to your loyal fanbase and not many others, must be somewhat disconcerting the first couple of times you experience it. Times, and buying habits, have changed though, and artists -- and fans -- have to adjust their expectation levels accordingly. Some already have, while others are still working on it.