Some questions that have been bugging me...

Originally Posted by Artemis

I let my friend borrow all my Fleetwood Mac albums from The White Album - Say You Will (apart from Behind the Mask and Time, I don't own those ones) and he asked me some questions about the band and Stevie that I just couldn't answer.

First of all, why did you let your friend borrow all of your FM albums? You know you'll never get them back now! lol.

Originally Posted by Artemis

1) If she was the most popular member, why did Stevie always have the fewest songs on the album? Two on the White Album, Five on Tusk, Three on Mirage and Tango...

I couldn't answer that, although I did point out on Rumours that, if you look at it in a certain way, Stevie had the most songs on the album with 5/12 (Dreams, Silver Springs, The Chain, I Don't Want To Know, Gold Dust Woman)

Excluding SYW since it's really 50/50, duets and collaborations (basically World Turning, The Chain)...A real general answer would be that Christine had seniority, Lindsey had more "power" and Stevie was kind of there as an accident. Remember, they wanted a guitar player - they did not necessarily need another singer/songwriter. So, I think for that reason they gave her as many songs as they could - given the circumstances. I don't think Stevie pushed any buttons about that because she knew she was lucky to be there. It's kind of ironic because even though Stevie had the fewest songs on each of the albums, she is the one most people think of and will remember.

Here's a few things to take into consideration also...Stevie is the songwriter on Crystal even though Lindsey sings. So, excluding the duet of World Turning between Chris and Lindsey, Lindsey has as many songs as Stevie on the White Album. Lindsey and Stevie have the same amount on Rumours. Actually, if you want to be technical, Stevie had more than Lindsey since Silver Springs was released as a b-side. There have been no other songs from L or C that were fully recorded but just not released on that album (that we know of).

Of course, Tusk was Lindsey's brainchild so he got the most. Christine only has one more than Stevie.

Not sure why Lindsey had 5 on Mirage and Tango. Chris had 4 and Stevie 3. Again, he is only singing on Hold Me and is not its songwriter.

Originally Posted by Artemis

2) What happened to Stevie's voice? The change in her voice from Tusk to Mirage was noticeable, and then from Mirage to Tango is even more noticeable.

I thought it was just the cocaine? But then he pointed out that others in the band were doing cocaine too, and Christine and Lindsey remained vocally consistent.

Stevie did not sing correctly. She sang with her throat rather than her diaphragm. She also belted out a lot more than the others. Rhiannon in concert back in the day was a prime example. Constant touring, booze, drugs, aging, with no rest just took its toll on her singing voice. The hole in her nose since the mid-80's also has affected her voice thereafter.

Originally Posted by Artemis

3) Why such a long break between albums in the 80s? Between 1975-1979 they made three albums, but they only made two albums in the 1980s. Was this because they hated each other or too busy with solo albums, or is there another reason?

Solo albums plus needing a break from the FM machine. They all lived in a bubble with each other apart from the rest of the world. Just them and their entourage for a good 5 years. Add in the soap opera element too. It's gotta give at some point.