Tango as a double album

[WalkAThinLine.]

Originally Posted by Wdm6789

I love Tango. It’s actually my favorite album from the Rumours era. Lindsey and Christine really killed it on Tango. Stevie left a little to be desired though. I wonder what the album would have been like if Stevie was able to bring her A game. But also we know Lindsey did a lot of the production on Tango, he could have helped Stevie’s songs more.

Some users on The Ledge have referred to this album as Buckingham McVie 1.0, which I find very apt. The two share writing credits on 25% of the album's tracks, and that's not accounting for non-album cuts like "Where We Belong". It's very possible that Buckingham viewed Nicks' tracks as an afterthought, although you can tell that Buckingham put a decent amount of effort into "Seven Wonders" and "Welcome to the Room...Sara". It certainly didn't help that Nicks recorded most of her vocal takes completely intoxicated. With a better vocal performance from Nicks, "Welcome to the Room...Sara" would probably be a mid-tier Tango in the Night song.

[UnwindedDreams]

Originally Posted by WalkAThinLine.

With a better vocal performance from Nicks, "Welcome to the Room...Sara" would probably be a mid-tier Tango in the Night song.

I think I may be the only one who loves the Tango version of WTTR...Sara. The demo was synth powered for me and not as fast as the album version.

And the demo doesn't have that strong delivery of "FRONTLINE...BABY" Or the ukulele sound

It's my favorite song on the album.

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by UnwindedDreams

I think I may be the only one who loves the Tango version of WTTR...Sara. The demo was synth powered for me and not as fast as the album version.

And the demo doesn't have that strong delivery of "FRONTLINE...BABY" Or the ukulele sound

It's my favorite song on the album.

When you log off The Ledge, will you cease to exist?

[UnwindedDreams]

Originally Posted by jbrownsjr

When you log off The Ledge, will you cease to exist?

Of course it was a problem...


What about your memory existing these days? I know of that quote from Christine "C.F.MV" because of your signature and it took you a followup post to remember you had it!

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by UnwindedDreams

Of course it was a problem...


What about your memory existing these days? I know of that quote from Christine "C.F.MV" because of your signature and it took you a followup post to remember you had it!

God, it still hurts Christine passed.

[SteveMacD]

The picture of Christine’s piano with flowers and pictures from the service hit me pretty hard today. It made it a bit more real.

[Macfan4life]

Originally Posted by UnwindedDreams

I think I may be the only one who loves the Tango version of WTTR...Sara. The demo was synth powered for me and not as fast as the album version.

And the demo doesn't have that strong delivery of "FRONTLINE...BABY" Or the ukulele sound

It's my favorite song on the album.

So much code language. You literally need a secret decoder ring to understand all the secret messages and symbolism.
Speaking of the sound. I always thought the sound had an Alison Moyet, Invisible sound to it.

Its not home, and its not Tara
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8CeAHfAD2w

[UnwindedDreams]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

I always thought the sound had an Alison Moyet, Invisible sound to it.

Should we say Lindsey stole the sound from Alison Moyet?

I like the Tango sound. It's more dance flavored than the demo which to me sounds like an elephant march.

[UnwindedDreams]

Originally Posted by jbrownsjr

God, it still hurts Christine passed.

She's always with us. I'm mad at Sirius for not making a permanent Fleetwood Mac station. Yet Billy Joel gets one!

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

The picture of Christine’s piano with flowers and pictures from the service hit me pretty hard today. It made it a bit more real.

Yea, it was really moving to see that.

[aleuzzi]

Originally Posted by Wdm6789

I love Tango. It’s actually my favorite album from the Rumours era. Lindsey and Christine really killed it on Tango. Stevie left a little to be desired though. I wonder what the album would have been like if Stevie was able to bring her A game. But also we know Lindsey did a lot of the production on Tango, he could have helped Stevie’s songs more.

I’m gathering from comments various band members have made about Stevie’s health and abilities at that time, and from some of her demos on the Tango Deluxe, Lindsey not only helped her as much as he could but went beyond the call of duty to pull something salvageable from her rock-bottom performances. The main problem with “When I See You Again” is neither the song itself (though some of the lyrics are, ummm, bad) nor with the spare and delicate arrangement, but with Stevie’s vocal. When she drops out and it’s just Lindsey singing, the song and the sound are quite lovely. In a sentence: she herself was to blame for the shabbiness of her Tango performances. The reasons were serious and she couldn’t help it at that time—but no one else could rescue her songs either.

The rest of Tango is clever, well-calculated, and impressive from a craft perspective. But for me it’s the weakest of the five Rumours-era albums, even if it is wildly successful.

[HomerMcvie]

Not to beat a plastic horse, but it's plastique! I know Lindsey was trying to adapt to "the current times".... but those current times suck now, IF you're Fleetwood Mac. Organic would be the last word to describe it. Digital Hell might be more appropriate.

I couldn't tell you the last time I listened to it.

[tango87]

I still adore Tango. It may be a confection, and less of a true band effort than the rest of their work, but I think the whole vibe, all tied together with the album cover and the videos, has a magic to it.

Lindsey worked (seven) wonders to create something with a cohesive, sophisticated feel, and I think managed to make something that actually underlines the group's mystical element. He played Stevie's role!

I know a lot of people think it's too synthy, but as we learnt later, a lot of those sounds were actually guitar, played at half-speed and treated in strange ways. I'm sure the intro to Little Lies is a guitar, by the way.

[Macfan4life]

When I See You Again gets bashed and deserves some of that bashing. However, Stevie's other Tango demos were horrendous. I think Ooh My Love is so bad that I am surprised they officially released it on the Tango deluxe reissue. Her work on the album was so limited and there was such a time crunch. There is that RAL tour interview on youtube where Stevie talks about sending the Mac songs while she was on tour. She speaks of an acoustic Landslide sort of song that she just sent to the Mac that she wanted to do with Lindsey. I am guessing this is the song. I suppose the band and Lindsey got her Fed Ex tape and tried to develop it as best he could. However, have you noticed how bad her demos were in the 80s? If you listen to her demos in the 70s, they are coherent with a fairly good melody and good singing. They were partially sculpted works of art that Lindsey took to the next level. For Tango, Lindsey got a lump of clay. Her 80s demos were a bunch of shrieking cokey vocals with a cheap casio type of random sound. Her craft took a back seat to the party.
Long story short, Whatsa matta baby was the diamond in the haystack. As much as it gets bashed, it was still probably the best option.
Lindsey and Chris all submitted new songs and Chris even mentioned in that recent 1987 interview that was posted that she wrote some of the songs when actually recording the album. I think Stevie was under pressure to look fresh and submit newer songs like her band mates. However, it would have been better to dig into her vault on older songs. I would have loved to have heard a Tango version of Running Through The Garden. Any of her older songs would have made a better album. Welcome To The Room Sara is such an odd song. Few if anyone understood what the hell she was talking about. People want a good melody, a good groove, something to sing along with. Something to relate to. I never saw Gone With The Wind. I had no idea who Scarlette was and did not understand her Frontline follies.
This is a dream, right?

[bwboy]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

When I suppose the band and Lindsey got her Fed Ex tape and tried to develop it as best he could. However, have you noticed how bad her demos were in the 80s? If you listen to her demos in the 70s, they are coherent with a fairly good melody and good singing. They were partially sculpted works of art that Lindsey took to the next level. For Tango, Lindsey got a lump of clay.

I think it’s interesting when people credit Lindsey as the ultimate craftsman for producing and turning songs into the works of art they are, but he gets none of the blame or criticism when the songs he produces suck. You make a great point that maybe Stevie’s demos were pretty good in and of themselves, and Lindsey was able to add production to help make it a great song, whereas with a poor demo, Lindsey couldn’t even make it a tolerable song.

I feel these 5 folks created something that would not have worked if even one person or component were off. As wonderful as Lindsey’s work was, the albums wouldn’t have been the masterpieces they were, especially FM, Rumours, and Tusk, without those five people.