The Death Of Fleetwood Mac...Time

[louielouie2000]

Originally Posted by HomerMcvie

Time was the best thing to ever happen to FM.

Seriously? Peter Green the founder wasn't? How about Bob Welch, who pretty much single handedly kept the band alive for a half decade while it was slowly self-destructing? And who knows... without the rampant success of the Buckingham Nicks era, the band could have disentigrated long before the critically and commercially acclaimed Time was recorded... the album that was heralded by fans and critics as the savior of Fleetwood Mac and rock history alike!

I won't deny that Rumours was the worst thing to happen to the band. But I have differing reasons why I believe that to be the case. Mainly, it was all downhill from Rumours. The album was so good it just couldn't be matched ever again. On top of that it was so successful it's sales could never be matched. Not to mention the fact that one album alone has dominated the band ever since, and all of us hardcore fans are SICK of it. And I truly am sick of it... whenever I hear Don't Stop or Go You Own Way these days my stomach turns .

But it's not all gloom and doom, though. Via Rumours countless fans have been exposed to iterations of Fleetwood Mac they likely never would have heard. I know I wouldn't have even listened to the '70-75 era albums without having been roped in by Rumours first... much less been able to fall in love with that period. There is no doubt Buckingham Nicks kept the band alive for decades too... albeit at the cost of the band's soul atrophying.

While I'm responding to this thread, I just have to attack the notion that's upheld by a vocal minority that the Time era of Fleetwood Mac was more genuine than the Rumours one. To me, Lindsey's (and subsequently, Stevie's) being hired into the band was an organic thing. The band needed a new guitarist because Bob Welch was on his way out, so they hired Lindsey. After Stevie left, Mick knew he needed another pretty blond girl to get the band some attention and get some butts in the seats... hence his hiring of Bekka. To me, the reasons why Bekka was hired were far less pure than why Lindsey (and as a freebie, Stevie) were hired. But that's just my opinion. And while I'm just laying it all out there, let's not forget Mick, Chris, John, and Lindsey have all dismissed the Time era... and have all referred to the Rumours incarnation of the band as the lineup of Fleetwood Mac. And I agree... without Chris these days, it's no longer "THE" lineup, IMO... and the magic of Fleetwood Mac has evaporated.

Rant over... feel free to feed on me like rabid piranhas!