New album?

[louielouie2000]

Originally Posted by mylittledemon

That's what I mean... it seems to be hinging on him wanting to do it. I don't see it happening, but stranger things have occured!

I disagree. Lindsey is obviously the one wanting to give it another shot. He lets that be known every night of the tour. He is the one who is retreating his position in the band, agreeing to let in an outside producer, etc. Stevie has said in the media the last several years that she won't record with the Mac again without Christine, that she hated the way her songs on SYW turned out, that she hated the power shift with her being the only woman left in the band, that she doesn't think there is any point in recording new material because no one will buy it, etc etc etc. STEVIE is the one who a new album hinges on. I suspect some of this is just her spouting off, trying to steer the band and Lindsey back in a direction she's more comfortable with, and to regain some sort of feminine power in the band with Christine's absence. But will the Mac record again? I just have my doubts at this point.

[daniellaaarisen]

Originally Posted by mylittledemon

It does make sense. I would like to see the band do something risky again... ala "Tusk"... and I don't mean a double album. I just mean in terms of their sound.

Yes-- without a very distinct Lindsey solo sound overtaking the record. I think that most of his SYW tracks were great, but a little too much for Fleetwood Mac. This could be partially attributed to the production.... but the thing is that Tusk sounded like a Fleetwood Mac album, a joined work despite the riskiness of it.

Meh, I really really hope they pull this off.

[daniellaaarisen]

Originally Posted by louielouie2000

I disagree. Lindsey is obviously the one wanting to give it another shot. He lets that be known every night of the tour. He is the one who is retreating his position in the band, agreeing to let in an outside producer, etc. Stevie has said in the media the last several years that she won't record with the Mac again without Christine, that she hated the way her songs on SYW turned out, that she hated the power shift with her being the only woman left in the band, that she doesn't think there is any point in recording new material because no one will buy it, etc etc etc. STEVIE is the one who a new album hinges on. I suspect some of this is just her spouting off, trying to steer the band and Lindsey back in a direction she's more comfortable with, and to regain some sort of feminine power in the band with Christine's absence. But will the Mac record again? I just have my doubts at this point.

At the same time, Stevie has been hands down the most loyal to Mac of all three of the songwriters. Even thought she really didn't need them after her solo work took off, she still made time for Mirage.... Tango in the Night...

Mick has said it before, and I believe it. I think she really does want to keep the band together. After some turbulance with Say You Will, I think she is more likely to be obstinate about getting what she wants out of a new record rather than skip out on it entirely.

[mylittledemon]

Originally Posted by daniellaaarisen

At the same time, Stevie has been hands down the most loyal to Mac of all three of the songwriters. Even thought she really didn't need them after her solo work took off, she still made time for Mirage.... Tango in the Night...

I'd say Christine was the most loyal, but whoops, she's left the band.

LouieLouie... what I meant by that comment about Lindsey and everything "hinging" on him is that, I believe he wants to make another Fleetwood Mac album...but let's hope it stays that way.

And Daniella...in terms of a "new" Mac album not verging too much on Lindsey-solo-ala-Tusk... That is KIND OF hard to do now...what with Lindsey and Stevie being the only two left in the balancing act.

[daniellaaarisen]

Originally Posted by mylittledemon

I'd say Christine was the most loyal, but whoops, she's left the band.

Christine didn't have anything tempting her away, really. Not in the 70s and 80s. Stevie had a successful solo career that Mick has called a typical "death wish" for a band.

So yeah, Christine may have been more loyal but I think Stevie's loyalty is a bigger feat.

Originally Posted by mylittledemon

And Danielle...in terms of a "new" Mac album not verging too much on Lindsey-solo-ala-Tusk... That is KIND OF hard to do now...what with Lindsey and Stevie being the only two left in the balancing act.

Tusk is my favorite FM album, I think, so its not as much about keeping commercial as it is keeping a united sound. They can do whatever crazy **** they want with the next album as long as it is unified. I just think they need to hit a middle, and none of Lindsey's recent solo work has a middle. It's going to take collaboration and sacrifice on both sides... they can balance it despite Christine's absence if they try.

[LukeA]

Oh, whatever. Stevie circa 1982 still needed Fleetwood Mac as much as they needed her. Sure, she had her burgeoning solo career, but would her second solo album have sold as much as it did if the FM connection had been severed?

Plus, lets not understate Christine McVie's popularity in 1981. She very easily could have had a #1 album in 1981, as Stevie did.

[mylittledemon]

Tis true. And Christine had a really popular solo record in 1984...which remains a good pop album. All star musicians and catchy tunes! I think her contribution to the Mac has been key, even if it has been overshadowed by Buckingham/Nicks. Now don't get me wrong, you know I love Stevie and Buck... but I think Fleetwood Mac works better with Christine. I think it's hard and will continue to be difficult for Lindsey and Stevie to strike the balance you're looking for. But, I hope they CAN do it!

[daniellaaarisen]

Originally Posted by LukeA

Oh, whatever. Stevie circa 1982 still needed Fleetwood Mac as much as they needed her. Sure, she had her burgeoning solo career, but would her second solo album have sold as much as it did if the FM connection had been severed?

Plus, lets not understate Christine McVie's popularity in 1981. She very easily could have had a #1 album in 1981, as Stevie did.

Yes, she needed Mac. But not as much as Lindsey and Christine did at the time.

[daniellaaarisen]

Originally Posted by mylittledemon

Tis true. And Christine had a really popular solo record in 1984...which remains a good pop album. All star musicians and catchy tunes! I think her contribution to the Mac has been key, even if it has been overshadowed by Buckingham/Nicks. Now don't get me wrong, you know I love Stevie and Buck... but I think Fleetwood Mac works better with Christine. I think it's hard and will continue to be difficult for Lindsey and Stevie to strike the balance you're looking for. But, I hope they CAN do it!

I think that the band is significantly better with Christine, too. BUT I do have faith in Lindsey and Stevie's ability to make it work if they leave their egos on the coatrack by the door and create a new record with unity at the forefront of their minds.

[mylittledemon]

That's the crux of the matter isn't it? Whether they can make an album that seems unified? I wonder if getting a little bit more loose with Mick and John might help? Who can say?

I think it might help if Lindsey and Stevie approached writing new material together? I think if they could come up with something at least as cohesive as Buckingham Nicks, we might have something on our hands. I agree that SYW felt too much like a puzzle put together incorrectly... And having a new blood producer on the project would allow Lindsey perhaps to step back and look at Stevie from a different perspective and (including his own material) in a different light.

[David]

Originally Posted by daniellaaarisen

I think that most of his SYW tracks were great, but a little too much for Fleetwood Mac. This could be partially attributed to the production.... but the thing is that Tusk sounded like a Fleetwood Mac album, a joined work despite the riskiness of it.

Tusk sounded more cohesive stylistically because 1) it was tracked almost entirely within the space of a single year in a single studio, & 2) Fleetwood Mac themselves were the only producers & players. (Ken Caillat, Richard Dashut, & -- ever so slightly -- Hernan Rojas were the only engineers, & they were all part of the "family" & knew Mac's sound -- helped create it -- on Rumours.)

Say You Will on the other hand was helmed by a ****load of people: three main producers (Lindsey, Rob Cavallo, John Shanks), five different engineers, two separate mixing men, & five other musicians laying down tracks, not counting Christine (Sheryl Crow, Jamie Muhoberac, Dave Palmer, John Pierce, & John Shanks).

The tracks used on the album were also recorded over a span of at least eight years, possibly longer, in various locations.

If the band wants to sound "unified" on a new album, they're going to have to record it from the ground up (no bringing in old tracks & parts of tracks) in the same locale, using the same equipment, & throw the party of additionals out the door.

[carrie721]

Originally Posted by David

If the band wants to sound "unified" on a new album, they're going to have to record it from the ground up (no bringing in old tracks & parts of tracks) in the same locale, using the same equipment, & throw the party of additionals out the door.

also they have to stop being douchebags.

[daniellaaarisen]

Originally Posted by David

If the band wants to sound "unified" on a new album, they're going to have to record it from the ground up (no bringing in old tracks & parts of tracks) in the same locale, using the same equipment, & throw the party of additionals out the door.

Genius.

I wish we could get that across to them, I really do. I don't know if they're going to reach that conclusion on their own.

[mylittledemon]

Originally Posted by David

The tracks used on the album were also recorded over a span of at least eight years, possibly longer, in various locations.

If the band wants to sound "unified" on a new album, they're going to have to record it from the ground up (no bringing in old tracks & parts of tracks) in the same locale, using the same equipment, & throw the party of additionals out the door.

I dont know if thats possible anymore? I think it'd be "new territory" for them to try and collaborate more (as I said, Stevie and Lindsey writing stuff together)... Then again, they've never really done that. I think there's definitely somewhere left for this band to go... I'm just not so sure how they're gonna get there.

[louielouie2000]

Originally Posted by David

Tusk sounded more cohesive stylistically because 1) it was tracked almost entirely within the space of a single year in a single studio, & 2) Fleetwood Mac themselves were the only producers & players. (Ken Caillat, Richard Dashut, & -- ever so slightly -- Hernan Rojas were the only engineers, & they were all part of the "family" & knew Mac's sound -- helped create it -- on Rumours.)

Say You Will on the other hand was helmed by a ****load of people: three main producers (Lindsey, Rob Cavallo, John Shanks), five different engineers, two separate mixing men, & five other musicians laying down tracks, not counting Christine (Sheryl Crow, Jamie Muhoberac, Dave Palmer, John Pierce, & John Shanks).

The tracks used on the album were also recorded over a span of at least eight years, possibly longer, in various locations.

If the band wants to sound "unified" on a new album, they're going to have to record it from the ground up (no bringing in old tracks & parts of tracks) in the same locale, using the same equipment, & throw the party of additionals out the door.

Now that you put it like that, it lays everything into context much better. I believe all of Lindsey's original GOS tracks from the '90s have now found homes between SYW, UTS, and GOS itself. He's effectively flushed that vein out of his system, and can in theory start fresh. Stevie by nature has to start fresh with every album, as she plays no instruments. She brings rough demos to the table, but as we heard in the Destiny Rules doc, her songs change substantially from that initial starting point. The good news is with GOS, Lindsey made his most consistent, well balanced album to date, and you could even say it was his most cohesive, balanced material since his Fleetwood Mac body of work from the '70s. He'd definitely be starting out on the right foot with forward motion from GOS.

Who knows, maybe the fumbled effort that is SYW will only push them to get it together and do it right next time around. I suspect neither Stevie nor Lindsey would want SYW to be the Mac's closing note. Whether or not they can all actually find common ground and a common vision to correct that is what will remain to be seen.