Hear the new album!!!

[strandinthewind]

Originally posted by CarneVaca
Goodbye Baby. No need to wax poetic about this song. It's greatness. Stevie should sing like this a lot more; it works much better for her current range.

If only SN could do that all of the time the world would be a better place.

I agree with almost all of your review except for Silver Girl. It just takes me awhile to get used to LB's manic if not raucous, but incredible, playing in Murrow, Red Rover, Miranda, and Come (sigh), especially when juxtaposed to the far more mainstream and apparently calmer La Nicks

[myndpeace]

Two words:

"Only kill!!!"

Thanks Lindsey for not buckling to corporate pressure. I guess the single really was a "cleaned up" version. LMAO, imagine a Fleetwood Mac album getting an "explicit lyrics" warning.

[Vianna]

This song is another one of Stevie's gorgeous and hauntingly beautiful songs, in a class with Storms and Beautiful Child. I love it-I am sitting here trying not to cry-I have to tutor a kid in five minutes=:-)

They should close the show with this song. There won't be a dry eye in the house=:-)

[blinker12]

The low point of the album starts with Running Through the Garden. I was looking forward to this song because I liked the demo. The problem is that it sounds too much like the demo. It's like being stuck in 80s hell. Lindsey should have given it a more contemporary mix.

Silver Girl is probably the weakest song. It seems uninspired, both lyrically and musically. The wimpy production that relies too much on keys sounds like 80s drivel to me too.

I totally agree about "Running" _ the sound is moldy. It's my least favorite of Stevie's contributions.
However, I like Silver Girl. The lyrics are a bit clunky _ doesn't Stevie like to rhyme anymore? _ but I like the melody. I think they could have taken it even farther, though, by bringing back the verse melody as a background during the tag at the end.

Also, I agree with what someone else posted _ I don't get why they included "Bleed to Love Her." It's one of my favorite Lindsey songs, but 5 million people already heard it on "The Dance," in *very* similar form. "Down on Rodeo" is almost as good and has a similar feel _ they should have included it instead. It still kills me that that song didn't make the cut!

[SmthngOfADreamr]

I feel so silly just sitting here because I cried both times that I listened to Goodbye Baby. This is actually the very first time that a song has brought me to tears. I don't know if I could handle it live! It's so sad, especially if you think of it in terms of what we all suspect it's about. It sure does blow 'Has Anybody Ever Written Anything For You' out of the water in terms of a closing song for Stevie, if FM were to use it.

[BlueGrass]

So can you hear full songs? How does "Come" sound..is it heavily edited?

Man only 3 more days.

[blinker12]

It's so sad, especially if you think of it in terms of what we all suspect it's about.

You're right. I think another thing that makes it so touching, for me, is the way she sings it. You can hear in the way her voice cracks and in her tender approach how overwhelming it is for her to revisit these feelings 25+ years on.
I can't see her doing it live _ I think it would take too much out of her emotionally, sort of like "Sara."

[LilyRose]

Pip, I don't know you, but I love you. So much! Thank you, thank you, thank you. This album is so brilliant, so different, so revolutionary in a way. I love the weirdness of Lindsey and the gracefulness of Stevie mixed together. It's simply breathtaking!

Susie

[Mad4stevie]

Originally posted by BlueGrass
So can you hear full songs? How does "Come" sound..is it heavily edited?

Man only 3 more days.

Yep. Full songs. Come is very similar to the GOS version, IMO.

[myndpeace]

... my initial thoughts (please forgive me if this is less than coherent)...

The sound quality of this audio file sucks. I'm sure I'm missing alot of the production here.

Stevie's vocals are amazing. She sounds better now than she did on TISL, and perhaps even better than on the Dance. Anyone who had previously said her voice was shot, listen to this album and then decide whether you still think so.

Lindsey's lyrics, on the whole, are some of the best he's ever written. Period.

Interesting song order. The album as a whole flows much better than Tusk or Mirage do. Dare I say it approaches the flow of Rumours?

Ok, on to the songs...

What's the World Coming To -- I said it before, I'll say it again. Classic opener, much like Monday Morning or Second Hand News. Like MM or SHN, WTWCT is an upbeat lively song with hiddenly bitter lyrics. Classic.

Murrow -- First off, I can't believe the official name of this song is "Murrow Turning over in his Grave." Personally, I think "Murrow" would save ink and breath. It's been relatively unchanged from the GOS verson, which IMO is a good thing. Overall this is a really powerful song -- great sound, great lyrics. Too bad it's a bit too experimental to be an effective single.

Illume -- Having never heard this song before I didn't know what to expect. The sound is very modern and exotic, and it seems to work really well. Overall the song is very dreamy and ethereal, even for Stevie. As a 9/11 tribute song, I like the fact that it makes repectful tribute to 9/11 without explicitely mentioning it or being overly sappy or simplistic like some 9/11 tributes have been (i.e., McCartney's Freedom, Springsteen's The Rising).

Thrown Down -- This has been out for a while, so I'll be short. Every time I listen to the lyrics I find more in them. They are simple, but perhaps more complex than they initially appear. Also, great vocals.

Miranda -- Stevie sings on the chorus (and maybe on the verse too; I can't tell, listening to a bad audio file on bad audio equipment). Anyways, the added vocals add much-needed depth. This song closes out with a powerful Lindsey solo.

Red Rover -- Ok, I still don't understand this song. Both the music and the lyrics are strangely intriguing. I'll have to listen to this one a few more times.

Say You Will -- Man this song is catchy. Also, this is only "happy" Stevie song in a sea of sad, deep, angry, or reflective songs. I don't know if those are kids at the end -- I think it might be synthesized. But either way, good ending. I could really see this as the next single.

Peacekeeper -- Only kill!!! Who-hoo!!! I still like Lindsey's solo version better, but that point aside, I think these are the some of the best Lindsey lyrics ever.

Come -- Definitely different from the GOS version, though I don't know how. If nothing else, then it's been mostly rerecorded. I still don't really care for this one, but I suppose it's tolerable. The long guitar solo at the end is certainly not one of Lindsey's best, but it packs a lot of energy.

Smile At You -- Ok, other than the grammar, which has by now been beaten to a frothy pulp, this song is perfect. The vocals are simply stunning, every time I listen to them. I actually really like the ending; I think it fits the mood of the song well. It starts out tense and climaxes in the middle in an angry fury, then burns out, leaving an empty, resigned feeling.

Running Through the Garden -- I agree with Carne, this song sounds very 80s. But I'm not complaining at all...

Silver Girl -- I like the lyrics (not her best but still decent), but I really do think that the production is uninspired. There's simply nothing much to it. A more exotic or contempory approach, like what Lindsey did with Illume or Say You Will, would have worked better.

Steal Your Heart Away -- A lot like the GOS demo, but with added Stevie vocals. This is traditional Fleetwood Mac -- nothing different or experimental in the instrumentation or vocals, just simply a good song for all the reasons why we love the Mac.

Bleed to Love Her -- Since we got this one on the Dance, I really would have prefered a different song, but Bleed to Love her is nonetheless very beautiful. Very OOTC-like.

Everybody Finds Out -- This song has a real driving energy. Why isn't Carne complaining that this song has a very synth-driven 80s rock sound? But at the same time it is reminiscent of TISL, especially Fall From Grace. And the Big Love-like grunting after the chorus. I guess if Lindsey can get away with Come, then Stevie can have a sexually-charged song too.

Destiny Rules -- I agree with Carne, the guitar riff was ripped from World Turning, and unfortunately a similar riff was also used in Murrow. Ok, can someone please explain to me why a stanza from Illume also appears in Destiny Rules? Perhaps to match Lindsey's recycling of music? Help me here, I'm really confused.

Say Goodbye -- With Christine gone, the Mac are in desperate need of a good concert closer. I think this might be it. A slow quiet song, but not too slow or too quiet. The vocals and lyrics have a perfect touch of bittersweet and lotus leaves.

Goodbye Baby -- Not to be outdone, Stevie comes in with her own bit of poetic mastery. I really wonder what this song is about, because it's clearly deeply personal to Stevie.

[SmthngOfADreamr]

After listening to the song 'Say You Will' for the first time, did it seem to anyone else that it sounded like the was missing a verse after that long guitar bridge? I really thought there would be a new verse in there or at least a repeat of one of the first two. I'm just surprised that it only repeats the chorus and then ends.

And I'll say again, I'm not a fan of the kids at the end. It's a great song with that one exception. Here's hoping for a radio/single version release without them!

[stefan]

I've listened to it twice and here are my thoughts:
First of all- I think it's a very good album! A lot of different ideas and styles.

Nevertheless: the running order is really bad imo!
This time it's very hard to judge and evaluate the songs, because some of them are familiar to us and some of them are new. So experiencing new songs is always more exciting than listening to songs you`ve played a hundred times, which I did with GOS ;-) Anyway- here's what I think of Say you will:

What`s the world coming to? is a good song, it stands in a certain FM opener history and I'm soundwise reminded of Monday morning

Murrow left untouched compared to GOS- I hoped so- great. But misplaced on number 2 of the album

Illume- a 2nd listen song to me. I like it! Really good.

Thrown down- great one! Possible single too.

Miranda- to me one of the worst songs ever published by Lindsey Buckingham. The same riff in the verse as we know from Big love and Doing what I can The chorus is unbearable, what does it sound like? Cheap, shallow synthpseudo pop. I can`t even define what instruments are played there providing this sound. Calypso or whatever. Something on that disturbs me. I really hated from the beginning and still do. A shame that other GOS tracks were left out for this. But that's just my feeling, as a lot of people seem to like it.

Red rover. I am very glad this too has been untouched. Great song, fantastic voice sound and guitar.

Say you will- catchy chorus. But too often repeated. There could have been a 3rd verse or a bridge instead of that. Probably this one could have been better, which surprised me. They left it as a work in progress. Because of the chorus it could possibly work as a single.

Peacekeeper. I must admit, a few weeks ago I was initially a little disappointed because I saw a LB song taken over by Stevie. Her voice in the chorus was too much dragging Lindsey aside as I felt and I was not happy with the mixing. So I feared the CD could become a nonstop duet without defined corners for both of them as singers and songwriters. After a few listens that changed. I love the track now. What I especially like it the sound of Lindseys voice during the verses. The voice sound is something which I don't appreciate on Bleed to love her

Come- what can I add. This is simply fantastic.

Smile at you is O.K. TITN sound on it. Good singing

Running through the garden. I like it and I think it will even grow on me when I hear it a couple of times. It`s fresh and different from what I expected- not knowing the demo just your comments about it.

Silver girl is to me the most boring and uninspired songs on the album. It has no point of culmination. This is more a typical Stevie solo song- but unluckily not one of her best.
This is the weakest part of the album. The running order is just not perfectly fitting. After two Stevie songs in a row the 3rd one Silver girl drags. It seems like her most conventional contribution lacking energy and inspiration.

Steal your heart away. This one is a neat and nice piece. It`s an example of how adding Stevies vocals to the GOS tracks can be a huge improvement. She fits in perfectly and subtle.

Bleed to love her. The studio version somehow is not my kind. It has more potential and could be really great. But especially during this phase of the album there could be something more energetic. The chorus should be the peak of the song but it is not. What I don`t appreciate too is the voice sound on it. Lindsey can do better than that! Compare the bridge part to the original "You do or you don`t"... A huge difference. It seems like he is struggling on that with the singing, but on other tracks with high notes he has no problems. So a lack of singing ability can't be the point- I love the sound of his voice on Peacekeeper and many other songs here like I always do. I too don't understand why they include an already published song, while having a lot of fantastic material on the shelve! What about Down on rodeo? It's such a highlight song! Leaving this out and repeating BTLH is strange and I don`t understand it.

Everybody finds out. Greatness! Gets the album back on the right track! Completely new and unexpecting Stevie sound- great production- very powerful singing from both!

Destiny Rules- I didn`t like the 2 minute sound clip that much. The complete version though is fine to me. The chorus is catchy, the song is more conventional but it`s good.

Say goodbye. It was one of my favorite songs from Lindsey on GOS. Now I have to listen to it more often to be pleased. It is still good, but I am not really totally convinced from the new version. They shouldn`t have changed his voice sound. That was perfection.

Goodbye baby. A very strong and emotional album closer!

It will be exciting to hear the album in CD quality!

[Gazza]

The long guitar solo at the end is certainly not one of Lindsey's best, but it packs a lot of energy.

Are you mad? The damn thing screams!