Buckingham Nicks reissue is just the album.

[David]

Originally Posted by mitzo

Did they release Frozen Love as a single for this? No vid for it on YT that I can see.

It never even occurred to me that Rhino/Warner might release a single from this thing. Ya never know. Most of the album doesn’t sound like anything you would hear on any radio station today, my inner spirit tells me, including the lengthy and hippie “Frozen Love.” The album is a proud relic of a long-ago time that doesn’t fit anywhere today except a collective scrapbook.

EXCEPT — “Stephanie.” I can imagine that being played (perhaps as a novelty) on at least two radio stations in Los Angeles. It’s the kind of melody (albeit instrumental) that makes for a great hook in people’s minds, even today. It’s also something that Lindsey could play on air if he visits any radio stations or does any TV. And Stevie wouldn’t need to be there!

A single like “Stephanie” isn’t intended to rip up the singles charts. It’s only for providing a sweet, hummable earworm of a very, very old — outdated — album.

[Macfan4life]

Originally Posted by bombaysaffires

I will use the word 'whore' as someone who can't control themselves around something. And by that definition, Chris was a wine whore, and a toxic man whore and Lindsey was a coke whore for a while and clearly a control whore. And he was a toxic personal relationships whore. He said it best himself when he said the people you get in relationships with are a reflection of where you're at at the time, and he got involved with some doozies. Stevie was a fame whore, Mick was a money whore. John was a booze whore and a boat whore. Their sex lives were another thing.



I suspect everything that didn't happen with this release was more about the dysfunctional if not outright toxic relationship between the two principals and their teams not agreeing to much--if any-- further materials more than about Rhino's position on any of it.






Stevie's whole goal in life was indeed to be a STAR. And she did whatever (whoever?) she had to to make that happen. Not a criticism; just an observation. So yeah she understood the assignment and WORKED it. Lindsey always had a more ambivalent relationship with fame; the McVie's were so quintessentially British about it and found it kind of embarrassing (fame that is) and annoying, though Mick loved it (though he never got it just from being himself but rather by being part of the band).

Also remember, Stevie, once she started seeing the photos that Herbie and others took of her understood very very quickly how she translated onto film and really studied it. She was up coked out of her head all night taking polaroids of herself because of ego, but...also, she put in all those hours and hours taking pics of herself studying them and figuring out how to get more of those kinds of images. She latched onto the fact that image counts for more than anything most of the time. She manufactured a persona for herself. It's always funny when the real Stevie slips through at times... like earlier discussions about her portraying herself as modest, and even prudish when we know her personal life was anything but. I remember when I first discovered she smoke cigarettes (eeeewwww) and swore like a sailor. TOTALLY not the image of the delicate, fragile innocent that she worked hard to create. She for decades has perpetuated this notion that she really just craves a quiet life, up on a cliff overlooking the sea with just her books and her sketches and her piano. Same woman essentially got that during COVID and bitched about how boring and lonely and awful it was... because reality is she lives for attention and people crowding around her telling her how great she is and whatever. "all i want to do is write songs" and yet ...two years of lockdown and how many songs did she write?? She needs big drama and big dramatic relationships to fuel her writing. I still love the statement she said to Rolling Stone not long ago "I worked hard to be who the public thinks I am"... which is her way of saying I worked hard to create this persona and make you think I am a certain person.....

She's also the best of them in spinning her responses in interviews to create the narrative and image she wants. She knows most reporters/interviewers do little to no research and will just print whatever she says. She has even used that to threaten the band on more than one occasion to get what she wants from them (more than what's been published about).

At some point all of that became more important to her than writing good songs.

You bring up some really good points. Staying up all night doing blow in a bathroom taking Polaroids of yourself is narcissistic if not a little mentally ill but we can blame it on the blow. She needed a camera on her and even in her out of orbit self she still thought she looked like a superstar and needed those camera flashes to remind her of it. She was not living in reality.
"You're not living in the real world"

[aleuzzi]

Originally Posted by David

a sweet, hummable earworm of a very, very old — outdated — album.

Yes—it is. The greatness of Frozen Love excluded, it’s a mostly charming, derivative set of songs arranged to play to an early-70s market. They were not ahead of their times. All signs (in retrospect) point to greater things to come, but that would require a setting change, and in ‘73 there was no indication (on record) that these two would be (or could be) what they became.

By comparison, a song like “Hypnotized” (recorded the same year as BN) sounds entirely new, perhaps even ahead of its time. In a different way, Just Crazy Love sounds like early 80s guitar-driven pop.

[UnwindedDreams]

Originally Posted by bombaysaffires

She's also the best of them in spinning her responses in interviews to create the narrative and image she wants. She knows most reporters/interviewers do little to no research and will just print whatever she says. She has even used that to threaten the band on more than one occasion to get what she wants from them (more than what's been published about).

I've been saying for years that she has a few Trumpian similarities.

[Macfan4life]

Originally Posted by aleuzzi

Yes—it is. The greatness of Frozen Love excluded, it’s a mostly charming, derivative set of songs arranged to play to an early-70s market. They were not ahead of their times. All signs (in retrospect) point to greater things to come, but that would require a setting change, and in ‘73 there was no indication (on record) that these two would be (or could be) what they became.

By comparison, a song like “Hypnotized” (recorded the same year as BN) sounds entirely new, perhaps even ahead of its time. In a different way, Just Crazy Love sounds like early 80s guitar-driven pop.

I was just reading an article that said one of the biggest mistakes Fleetwood Mac ever made was releasing Hypnotized as the B side to the single For Your Love. Hypnotized is polished just like a single should be and should have been released as the lead single. It had the sound of a single and is pretty much the song people relate to the album Mystery To Me. Its one of those....what if's.....

[WalkAThinLine.]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

I was just reading an article that said one of the biggest mistakes Fleetwood Mac ever made was releasing Hypnotized as the B side to the single For Your Love. Hypnotized is polished just like a single should be and should have been released as the lead single. It had the sound of a single and is pretty much the song people relate to the album Mystery To Me. Its one of those....what if's.....

It could have been the band's first charting single in the US since "Oh Well". Whereas the current rules for Billboard allow for nearly any song to chart provided that they have are registered with unique URC and ISRC codes, only retail singles were allowed to chart in the 1970s. Had "Hypnotized" been issued as the A-side, I find it plausible that it could have done moderately well commercially. I also don't think that "For Your Love" was necessarily a poor choice for a single, but radio programmers were more interested in "Hypnotized". Upon its initial listen of Mystery to Me, the record label claimed that the album did not have a single, so Bob Weston suggested that they cover "For Your Love", which replaced "Good Things" in the track listing.

[aleuzzi]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

I was just reading an article that said one of the biggest mistakes Fleetwood Mac ever made was releasing Hypnotized as the B side to the single For Your Love. Hypnotized is polished just like a single should be and should have been released as the lead single. It had the sound of a single and is pretty much the song people relate to the album Mystery To Me. Its one of those....what if's.....

Perhaps even more detrimental was the aborted tour. Mystery to Me charted significantly lower than Penguin or Heroes, and the only reason I can think of is that they did not get a chance to properly promote the album. It got a negative review in RS as well, but that alone would not have sunk its immediate fortunes.

That two-three songs from Mystery stayed in the band’s rotation on the next few tours is proof that touring helped a lot: it went gold along with Bare Trees, which also featured longstanding songs in various setlists through ‘76.

But yes, “Hypnotized” had real radio potential. Sadly, so did “Remember Me” and “Did You Ever Love Me”, so who knows…

[estranged4life]

But only because it will fill the void where I had expected this release years ago ( back when I listened to FM related music)...

Sure it will be somewhat like the Tony Martin era Black Sabbath reissues by Warner, very basic and no thrills...

[Villavic]

Originally Posted by aleuzzi

Perhaps even more detrimental was the aborted tour. Mystery to Me charted significantly lower than Penguin or Heroes, and the only reason I can think of is that they did not get a chance to properly promote the album.

At setlist.fm it shows MTM dates from aug 24 1973. Mick wrote they stopped on oct 23 when they were in Nebraska. But setlist.fm shows more dates, they supposedly went to Atlanta in november; dates ends in feb 20 1974 (last shows in Canada). Were those shows played by the fake Fleetwood Mac?

[Macfan4life]

Originally Posted by Villavic

At setlist.fm it shows MTM dates from aug 24 1973. Mick wrote they stopped on oct 23 when they were in Nebraska. But setlist.fm shows more dates, they supposedly went to Atlanta in november; dates ends in feb 20 1974 (last shows in Canada). Were those shows played by the fake Fleetwood Mac?

The fake Fleetwood Mac tour started January 16, 1974 in Pittsburgh. Not sure how long it lasted but Joe Walsh saw them in Florida and commented that even though Mick was not there the band was kick ass and very tight. I believe Kiss opened for them a few dates. Its crazy to think but there was no social media and no MTV. The Mac were not on their album covers much either. Some knew from the first night but it took some time for word to get out the band was fake. Its one of rock's most incredible things to have a fake band using your name tour.

[Street_Dreamer]

It's not just one of the great stories of the band but in rock and roll history.

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

The fake Fleetwood Mac tour started January 16, 1974 in Pittsburgh. Not sure how long it lasted but Joe Walsh saw them in Florida and commented that even though Mick was not there the band was kick ass and very tight. I believe Kiss opened for them a few dates. Its crazy to think but there was no social media and no MTV. The Mac were not on their album covers much either. Some knew from the first night but it took some time for word to get out the band was fake. Its one of rock's most incredible things to have a fake band using your name tour.

[Macfan4life]

Originally Posted by Street_Dreamer

It's not just one of the great stories of the band but in rock and roll history.

I wish there would be a Fake Fleetwood Mac reunion. I imagine some of them may not be alive. But any surviving member will do. I don't think there is any concrete interview of any member of this fascinating piece of rock n roll history. I think Mick said in his book like he did not know their names and did not even want to know their names. But apparently they were a great band. I think one of them went on to play in a famous band. But much of their existence is sketchy.
I want answers dammit.

[WalkAThinLine.]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

I wish there would be a Fake Fleetwood Mac reunion. I imagine some of them may not be alive. But any surviving member will do. I don't think there is any concrete interview of any member of this fascinating piece of rock n roll history. I think Mick said in his book like he did not know their names and did not even want to know their names. But apparently they were a great band. I think one of them went on to play in a famous band. But much of their existence is sketchy.
I want answers dammit.

Dave Wilkinson, the band's keyboardist, provided his perspective of the band in both Bob Brunning's book and the Rock Family Trees documentary. In the Bob Brunning book, he was very critical of Craig Collinge, who was according to Clifford Davis was meant to be the temporary drummer until Fleetwood was ready to join the other members of the fake Fleetwood Mac. As you mentioned above, Fleetwood has refuted this piece of information. I would be curious to hear footage from the fake Fleetwood Mac - Wilkinson remarked in the documentary that their band competently covered Fleetwood Mac's material.

[BigAl84]

Well...it looks like they're releasing the album and that's it. I would think by now if they were going to do some interviews together, we would be seeing them by now. Not even Rolling Stone has done an interview with either of them (that we know of) yet.

They had some really good PR hype and they're totally letting it fade away.

[Villavic]

Originally Posted by BigAl84

Well...it looks like they're releasing the album and that's it. I would think by now if they were going to do some interviews together, we would be seeing them by now. Not even Rolling Stone has done an interview with either of them (that we know of) yet.

They had some really good PR hype and they're totally letting it fade away.

So far there's only those written notes and the billboard video. I thought there would be an interview with each separated, not together. But I wouldn't be surprised if there was nothing.

I'd like at least interviews with any of the personnel involved. Dashut, Waddy, etc. Is there any old interview with Keith about this album?