Something depressing I just realized

[chiliD]

"Fleetwood Mac" as an actual entity has pretty much been dead to me since The Dance. One last cash in on Rumours nostalgia tour & video, then from 1998 on its just an aging Buckingham Nicks with a killer rhythm section.

Anyone remember how bad the Sonny & Cher Show was when they got back together after the divorce? That's about how I feel about Fleetwood Mac at this point.

[carrie721]

Originally Posted by chiliD

Anyone remember how bad the Sonny & Cher Show was when they got back together after the divorce? That's about how I feel about Fleetwood Mac at this point.

omg, you're right!

[HejiraNYC]

Originally Posted by foxyluva

What you call fresh and committed, I call boring and generic. Each to their own I guess

I don't think it's fair to compare an album-full of Christine songs vs. an FM album with just a few Christine songs scattered here and there. The fact is that Christine is not known to be terribly ambitious and experimental in her songwriting and performance style. One could also argue that she doesn't have the stylistic range of Stevie and Lindsey- she is basically a pop singer/songwriter with blues and R&B influences. And because of her relative lack of stylistic range, I think an entire album from her does tend to sound rather homogenic upon the first few listens. Admittedly, there is no WOW factor upon first blush because the allure of Christine's music really appears only after multiple listens, when you find yourself humming the hooks and melodies in your head long after the song is over. She's timeless, and ITM will sound as fresh ten years from now as it did a few years ago. By contrast, I am not sure how I would react to a Christine solo album full of samples, drum loops, synthesized strings and vocoder effects (like SYW).

But at the end of the day, for me it's all about that voice- sweet, husky, full, soothing, etc. She's not the most technically gifted singer, but her tone is one of the wonders of the world.

[aleuzzi]

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

I don't think it's fair to compare an album-full of Christine songs vs. an FM album with just a few Christine songs scattered here and there. The fact is that Christine is not known to be terribly ambitious and experimental in her songwriting and performance style. One could also argue that she doesn't have the stylistic range of Stevie and Lindsey- she is basically a pop singer/songwriter with blues and R&B influences. And because of her relative lack of stylistic range, I think an entire album from her does tend to sound rather homogenic upon the first few listens. Admittedly, there is no WOW factor upon first blush because the allure of Christine's music really appears only after multiple listens, when you find yourself humming the hooks and melodies in your head long after the song is over. She's timeless, and ITM will sound as fresh ten years from now as it did a few years ago. By contrast, I am not sure how I would react to a Christine solo album full of samples, drum loops, synthesized strings and vocoder effects (like SYW).

But at the end of the day, for me it's all about that voice- sweet, husky, full, soothing, etc. She's not the most technically gifted singer, but her tone is one of the wonders of the world.

Well said! But you know what? I was wowed upon the first listen. I couldn't believe she had made the album I always wished she'd make: a mix of great pop tunes underpinned with R & B.

I am the first person to step up and say the 1984 self-titled solo album had its problems. There were, I feel, some problems with the production (too glossy), with about half of the songs (too generic) and with giving too much limelight to the band. Still, there was great music there. But with ITM, I think just about every song hits--and stays with me. It's a fine record.

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

But at the end of the day, for me it's all about that voice- sweet, husky, full, soothing, etc. She's not the most technically gifted singer, but her tone is one of the wonders of the world.

You said it. NOONE sounds like her.

C'mon Christine...One more time PLEASE!

And, you know, I mentioned before that I was very fortunate to have met Lindsey in Boulder and chat with him for about 10 minutes. He was very cool and gracious even though he said he'd be back down to the bar after he called his wife! He also wasn't feeling well. Or, was it because my last comment to him was (tapping him on the arm), "Lindsey...Buckingham Nicks?" to which he shrugged and said, "well, i don't know...we'll see."

Anyway, I would kill to meet Christine in the same fashion and actually sit down and share a bottle of wine. I think she would just be "one of the guys" and would be a hoot!

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

I don't think it's fair to compare an album-full of Christine songs vs. an FM album with just a few Christine songs scattered here and there. The fact is that Christine is not known to be terribly ambitious and experimental in her songwriting and performance style. One could also argue that she doesn't have the stylistic range of Stevie and Lindsey- she is basically a pop singer/songwriter with blues and R&B influences. And because of her relative lack of stylistic range, I think an entire album from her does tend to sound rather homogenic upon the first few listens. Admittedly, there is no WOW factor upon first blush because the allure of Christine's music really appears only after multiple listens, when you find yourself humming the hooks and melodies in your head long after the song is over. She's timeless, and ITM will sound as fresh ten years from now as it did a few years ago. By contrast, I am not sure how I would react to a Christine solo album full of samples, drum loops, synthesized strings and vocoder effects (like SYW).

But at the end of the day, for me it's all about that voice- sweet, husky, full, soothing, etc. She's not the most technically gifted singer, but her tone is one of the wonders of the world.

excellent points i haven't considered

[catinthedark]

Originally Posted by elie

ITA with Carrie.

I still love listening to all the old stuff that I 've always loved.
I didn't care much for SYW, for instance (except for 3-4 songs) and maybe that's why I am not looking forward to new stuff.
I prefer listening to Tusk over and over than to be disappointed in a new release.

another instance where someone has rooted around in my brain and pulled out what i've not articulated myself, but which i realize i fully feel, too.

i like a lot of SYW, but in a, i don't know, more superficial way than i love the music on tusk or buckingham nicks. know what i mean? the music on SYW is fun, i love to sing along with it, i love some of the words, some of the sentiment... but it doesn't go deep. buckingham nicks is deep, deep inside me. much of tusk, too. i was thinking rumours, but i'm not so sure. i think i've just heard it far too much. and i think if they released another album, or if stevie did, i would like it on the surface, but it would not be an album that i'd take to a deserted island for the rest of time or that would hold meaning in my life. sadly, i think it's just how music has changed over the decades, i don't know. i feel old, but i just don't think they make music like they used to. fleetwood mac, stevie nicks, or any of the 60s/70s era musicians. yet, i will always love them.

[Aisling]

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

I don't think it's fair to compare an album-full of Christine songs vs. an FM album with just a few Christine songs scattered here and there. The fact is that Christine is not known to be terribly ambitious and experimental in her songwriting and performance style. One could also argue that she doesn't have the stylistic range of Stevie and Lindsey- she is basically a pop singer/songwriter with blues and R&B influences. And because of her relative lack of stylistic range, I think an entire album from her does tend to sound rather homogenic upon the first few listens. Admittedly, there is no WOW factor upon first blush because the allure of Christine's music really appears only after multiple listens, when you find yourself humming the hooks and melodies in your head long after the song is over. She's timeless, and ITM will sound as fresh ten years from now as it did a few years ago. By contrast, I am not sure how I would react to a Christine solo album full of samples, drum loops, synthesized strings and vocoder effects (like SYW).

But at the end of the day, for me it's all about that voice- sweet, husky, full, soothing, etc. She's not the most technically gifted singer, but her tone is one of the wonders of the world.

wow. to me this is an excellent assessment of ITM. as a record, it personifies the best of who christine is as an artist, and i can’t look for anything inside of it aside from what i know and love about chris.

as far as fleetwood mac goes, i am 100% fine if i never hear another new thing from them again. at this point, they’ve amassed an amazing body of work that some groups can only dream of. i have many wonderful memories of my own life, underscored by their songs, and for that i am grateful. so if something new and fresh emerges from them in the coming years, great. if not, it’s still been a hell of a ride for me.

[SteveMacD]

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

I think it has been a great time to be a Fleetwood Mac fan- much better than the mid 90s drought when hardly anything worthwhile was going on.

Maybe compared to what the Eagles have been doing. If you take it back even further, since 1995, Fleetwood Mac has only released two studio albums and a live album. Just going by the "Rumours" band, there have only been four solo albums of new material.

Compare that to another band I really like, Guided By Voices (who were lead by vocalist -and fellow Dayton native- Robert Pollard):

GUIDED BY VOICES
ALBUMS:
1995 - Alien Lanes
1996 - Under the Bushes, Under the Stars
1996 - Tonics and Twisted Chasers
1997 - Mag Earwhig!
1999 - Do the Collapse
2001 - Isolation Drills
2002 - Universal Truths and Cycles
2003 - Earthquake Glue
2004 - Half Smiles of the Decomposed

EPs (some were almost long enough to be LPs):
1995 - Tigerbomb
1996 - Sunfish Holy Breakfast
1996 - Plantations of Pale Pink
1997 - Wish in One Hand...
1999 - Plugs For The Program
2000 - Hold On Hope
2000 - Dayton, Ohio-19 Something and 5
2001 - Daredevil Stamp Collector: Do The Collapse B-sides
2002 - The Pipe Dreams Of Instant Prince Whippet

ROBERT POLLARD SOLO
1996 - Not in My Airforce
1998 - Waved Out
1999 - Kid Marine
1999 - Speak Kindly of Your Volunteer Fire Department (with Doug Gillard)
2001 - Choreographed Man of War (billed as "Robert Pollard and the Soft Rock Renegades")
2003 - Motel of Fools
2004 - Fiction Man
2005 - Music From "Bubble"
2005 - Zoom (EP)
2005 - Relaxation of the Asshole
2006 - From a Compound Eye
2006 - Normal Happiness
2006 - Moon (live EP)
2007 - Meet the King: Asshole 2
2007 - Silverfish Trivia
2007 - Standard Gargoyle Decisions

FADING CAPTAIN SERIES (Pollard's self-financed and released series that were released both under his own name, and a wide variety of pseudonyms.)
Acid Ranch:
2002 - Some Of The Magic Syrup Was Preserved
2005 - As Forever: A Manifesto Of Fractured Imagination And Wreckless Living

Airport 5:
2001 - Tower in the Fountain of Sparks
2002 - Life Starts Here

Circus Devils:
2001 - Ringworm Interiors
2002 - The Harold Pig Memorial
2003 - Pinball Mars
2005 - Five
2007 - Sgt. Disco

Go Back Snowball:
2002 - Calling Zero

Hazzard Hotrods:
2000 - Big Trouble (re-released as Bigger Trouble 2005)

Howling Wolf Orchestra:
2000 - Speedtraps for the Bee Kingdom

Keene Brothers:
2006 - Blues and Boogie Shoes

Lexo and the Leapers: (Robert Pollard backed by The Tasties)
1999 - Ask Them

Lifeguards
2003 - Mist King Urth

The Moping Swans
2005 - Lightninghead to Coffee Pot

Nightwalker (a GBV alias)
1999 - In Shop We Build Electric Chairs: Professional Music by Nightwalker 1984-1993

Phantom Tollbooth:
2003 - Beard of Lighting

Psycho and the Birds:
2006 - All That is Holy

The Takeovers:
2006 - Turn to Red


Note: Bob Pollard was born in 1957, so he not drastically younger than the people in Fleetwood Mac (and is actually older than Bekka).

[SteveMacD]

Frankly, I'm bored to tears with it all. I'm really not a fan of the solo albums. I find I can only take so much of a particular singer's shtick.

Lindsey Buckingham: A few artsy-Lindsey songs go a long way (which is good, considering how often he releases material), but after a while, it comes off as self-absorbed, self-indulgent arrogance. The fact that he’s the guy who penned “Go Your Own Way” automatically eliminates him from being Joni Mitchell with a penis, so quit trying to shove that routine down our throats already!

Stevie Nicks: Okay, the ethereal thing was killer back in 1977, when we had “Star Wars” scenes airbrushed on our vans. And, much like those vans, it seems pretty pathetic 30 years later. Whenever I see a mystical song on a new Stevie Nicks album, it makes me appreciate Grace Slick’s decision to bow out gracefully (or at least until she went bat **** crazy, but that’s another discussion). Plus, Stevie’s limited vocal range and limited abilities as a songwriter (specifically in terms of chording) can make for an album that gets boring after about twenty minutes. In short, a twenty something space cadet is downright cute. A sixty something space cadet is utterly sad. A Bob Dylan with a vagina you are not, Miss Stevie!

Christine McVie: As much as I love her voice, her lyrics are trite and often laced in cliché. That tends to wear on me after a while, and bores me to tears.

This is why I think they were great together (at least until “Tusk”). There really wasn’t time to get bored with any particular member, and they were all bringing their best material to the band. They were very different, but the harmonies and Fleetwood-McVie rhythm section tied it all nicely together.


I could also write about the other members of Fleetwood Mac, but I’ll keep it to just the “Rumours” singer/songwriters. All I will say is that my favorite recent solo album is Jeremy Spencer’s. He sings classic Robert Johnson/Elmore James songs and then throws in songs with heavy political and religious messages. While I might not agree completely, I love how ballsy and honest that is. He didn’t care what anybody thought and did not play to a specific audience. He played the classics he loved AND spoke his mind, and that’s completely refreshing and certainly worthy of respect.

Still, as expressed by others, my enthusiasm has nose-dived in recent years, mainly because I’ve listened to everything so much that it’s really lost its point. The new stuff is okay, but lacks a lot of the spark that kept my interest going for so long. Oh, I'll see them when they come to town, but I'm not sure I'll make an effort to go on a road trip. I could have met Lindsey this past fall, but figured it was pointless. Plus, I’ve been following hockey pretty closely the last few years, which has taken a huge chunk out of my music time. When I do listen to music, I tend to go indie and/or alt.country (and, classic country, for that matter) these days.

[ryan8472]

Well, they don't need to make 6 albums in 5 years or whatever it is because A) There really is no such thing as a 5 record deal anymore, and B) Because they're still richer than God and don't need to be doing that. It's all about the $$$, as if there was any doubt.

[Gailh]

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

I don't think it's fair to compare an album-full of Christine songs vs. an FM album with just a few Christine songs scattered here and there. The fact is that Christine is not known to be terribly ambitious and experimental in her songwriting and performance style. One could also argue that she doesn't have the stylistic range of Stevie and Lindsey- she is basically a pop singer/songwriter with blues and R&B influences. And because of her relative lack of stylistic range, I think an entire album from her does tend to sound rather homogenic upon the first few listens. Admittedly, there is no WOW factor upon first blush because the allure of Christine's music really appears only after multiple listens, when you find yourself humming the hooks and melodies in your head long after the song is over. She's timeless, and ITM will sound as fresh ten years from now as it did a few years ago. By contrast, I am not sure how I would react to a Christine solo album full of samples, drum loops, synthesized strings and vocoder effects (like SYW).

But at the end of the day, for me it's all about that voice- sweet, husky, full, soothing, etc. She's not the most technically gifted singer, but her tone is one of the wonders of the world.

Very, very well put.

I would say however that she has just as broad a stylistic range as Stevie and Lindsey. They also pretty much stick to their style which is what made the Rumours line up so compelling - the differing styles

Gail