You Make Polling Fun: FLEETWOOD MAC POLL RESULTS, ILM Artist Poll #22

Linthicum rings like a bell through the night...

Somebody mentioned upthread that "Station Man" and "Hypnotized" carried over into 1975-76, and "Oh Well" is on the 1980 live album. Did any pre-75 material hang around in their live set after 1980?

I recall a dj on the local classic rock station claiming "Hypnotized" popped up in the setlist for a recent reunion tour.

I think some of this stuff sneaked back into their set in '87, once Burnette & Vito replaced LB. Rattlesnake Shake became a staple on that tour, and Black Magic Woman got played as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZVIEaKV4cI

This poll, which I didn't participate sent me back through the entire Buckingham/Nicks-era catalog. In addition to Rumours (and I concur with Al's sentiment that it's pretty clearly the best, revisionism notwithstanding), the first stunner for me in the bunch was "Monday Morning," which is such an effusive way to open this era of their career. I also think Mirage is a pretty underrated record all in all. "Gypsy" and "Hold Me" are incredible singles -- and the production on the whole is kind of a perfect fusion of the Rumours smoothness and Tusk's out of tune guitars (the cover snap is also outstandingly Shakespearian).

One thing: the poll also prompted me to buy the Caillat book, which hipped me to how Lindsey apparently has this long history of physically abusing people -- particularly women (which is confirmed here).

How is this not better known about him? Do people just write it off as the price of genius or something?

i read a chunk of Harris' book one long afternoon at the bookstore two summers ago, and while her blithe entitlement got on my nerves I had no reason to doubt the events therein.

I believe "Blithe Entitlement" was the original title of Mirage.

blithe entitlement is snorting coke with Stevie Nicks in a parked car outside a house where a big early eighties Hollywood party's taking place.

I just read the Caillat book too! It was absolutely worth the read. I loved all the little production details. So much great information there. Wish he hadn't been as hung up on Nina from the Record Plant. What a cornball.

I love this exchange b/w Courtney Love and Nicks:

CL: One thing you've always done, I realized recently, is write about these muses, these other females, these goddesses. These parts of yourself. You don't write big, sexy love ballads about men. I wondered why that was for you? Because I do the same thing. I was listening to a song of Billy Corgan's yesterday called "I Need a Lover." It's sexy, okay. But I'm listening and I'm going, I can't write like this.

SN: You know who else asked me that same question a long time ago: Prince. We were really close for a while--we never went to bed together, but we had something that was very, very special. And he always said, Why don't you write songs that are more sexual? And I said, Well, because that's not the way I am in my real life. I am not a person who walks naked through the house. I will always have something beautiful on. It will be beautiful, and it will enhance me.

Those last two sentences!

There's so many layers to Courtney's question. It's not clear to me that she's only -or even at all- asking about the lack of explicit sexuality in Stevie's music. The way she frames the question tells me she's trying to find out whether her own muse is as autonomous (from men) and feminist ("these other females", "these goddesses", "these parts of yourself") in spirit as Courtney has made her out to be ("Because I do the same thing").

Stevie's answer is very "Stevie", in that neo-Victorian way of hers, and in its final two sentences(which I doubt she would have uttered circa 1975), somewhat diva-ish. But in that answer too, there's more than that, which I can barely begin to articulate..

I was listening to Bjork yesterday, and it strikes me how different sexuality plays out there. Bjork seems to be perpetually startled by sex (and love too), and she keeps circling around this sense of awe and wonder, and gutturaly celebrating it. With Nicks you could say, well, she wants to cover "nakedness" up in something beautiful, and in this way she's just a big prude. But I think it's something else. I think, unlike Guomundsdottir, she's just not at all startled by her sexuality, or even desire more broadly, at all. If anything, what she's "startled" by (constantly disappointed by, more precisely) is the other side of it: the frustration of desire, the loss of the the loved one, and the ensuing aftermath of mourning or melancholy ("I know I could have loved you but you would not let me").

I just read the Caillat book too! It was absolutely worth the read. I loved all the little production details. So much great information there. Wish he hadn't been as hung up on Nina from the Record Plant. What a cornball.

He was kinda corny across the board though, no? It's one of the things I liked about the book. The guy outwardly acquired all the accoutrements of 70s California cool - the gig, the car, the babes, the deductible cocaine- but throughout it he retains a "wow gee-whiz" tone about the whole thing. He comes across as genuinely digging and respecting the people around him, without being blind to their flaws.

Agreed -- I thought it was a great read. How could you not be jealous of him?

You know, aside from the whole Lindsey-choking-him thing.

I have just now realized Lindsey is playing here in town tonight. Snapped up a ticket pronto. Made me glad for this poll having reignited my Lindsey interest.

I saw him in August: a brief, intense performance. Terrific.

Yeah, that was a great show. I liked the contrast between his zenned-out stage patter and the taut, manic playing. Rock and roll.

I showed Christine McVie a little bit of love.

I will forever believe that the chorus to “Hold Me” was cooked up by Lindsey in the studio and that he deserves a writing credit. The original refrain is shit.

Sounds like he added the background gremlins and tightened the lyric?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbYV6PO6UKY

xp :) every good blog post starts with a pre-emptive riposte to the reader

Christine stands in opposition to the general narrative that Lindsay came on board and pushed the band into being a pop juggernaut (not to diminish his contributions)

but Christine's style and songwriting was already pretty established, there's stuff in the Bob Welch/Kirwin era that could easy slot into FM or Rumours

like this for example, love this song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmJtRnazW20

Is there a good 70s or 80s live version of “angel” on any sanctioned release or good boot?

I shouldve voted for Coming Home & the 74 Angel. Heroes is a bit of a monster; prob Bob Welch's finest hour (while Christine is warming up for the s/t next year)

Bad Loser too tbh

Don't Stop over Sands of Time and Woman of 1000 Years? Criminal.

A few years ago, I bought four of the early-'70s albums as budget CDs: Future Games, Bare Trees, Mystery to Me, and Heroes Are Hard to Find. I did play them all in the car, but only once and put them away. Took them out again last week and was really struck by two instrumentals (well, one's a near-instrumental): "Sunny Side of Heaven" and "Safe Harbour."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxUtZSdXy6A

They only got one vote between them in this poll--would have added them to my ballot for sure, also "Forever."

I'd never heard Behind the Mask, but the other day my shuffle gave me something that I assumed was Christine solo, but no. Behind the Mask. It was ok.

I want to buy the one CD I'm missing in that sequence above, Penguin, but it's not part of the same budget series and very over-priced on Amazon for some reason ($35 used plus shipping).

Bare Trees sounds like its sleeve: spare, wintry, fragile.

I wasn’t familiar with Prove Your Love until it was in that HBO show about the Lakers a couple years back. That was a nice surprise

A compilation focused on those post-Green, pre-N&B years would've been very welcome, but it doesn't look like we ever got one. Bare Trees is the best of them though thanks to Kirwan. Based on that album, especially for his solos on songs like "Spare Me a Little of Your Love," I think he could've flourished as the lead guitarist with the later group if they could've made that work, but based on his conversations at the time, he clearly had enough of the band and later his mental illness would make it impossible.

(by "making that work," that probably means filling in for Buckingham when he quit/was fired, but by then Kirwan was in no shape to do anything)

kirwan replacing buckingham in 1987 would have been so dope

just read Fleetwood's latest autobio, he'll have to write another one, what a life to have to keep updating your autobio, but per Mick he wasn't sure what to do about Danny's nervous breakdown so he consulted Jon Lord after the gig and was convinced to fire him that night, and then he cried afterwards

where were the adults, anyways it's kind of a sad read, reads sadder than the 94 autobio, feel like maybe rock star is not a good job

Play On, from 2014? Or is there something newer?

yeah that's the latest, covers everything up to Christine tentatively joining back up and working out new material, which I guess turned into the Buckingham/McVie record, on account of Stevie not being at all interested in writing/recording

Mick talks very wistfully about his dalliance with Stevie, was pretty intense apparently before he traded her for her best friend lol, what a shitshow

his greatest regret seems to be the wild ass drama he subjected his kids to, which was a lot but at least he understands how shitty that was and is repentant

wow how interesting. am now curious to learn more. i recently discovered Mystery to Me - was amazed. what a beautiful start to finish conceit.

I want to buy the one CD I'm missing in that sequence above, Penguin

It's completely forgettable. McVie and Welch are on autopilot, and the new "lead singer" performs on two songs that have nothing to do with Fleetwood Mac. Christine plays some nice piano on "Road Runner", that's the highlight.

I really like “Remember Me” and “Dissatisfied.”

Actually “Did You Ever Love Me” too. I guess I just like Christine’s stuff.

I swear Penguin was listed as a new release on the Cherry Red website a few weeks ago, but it's nowhere to be seen now.

It's not that bad considering the state they were in at the time, pretty impressive turnaround though I'm sure it was stressful

and yeah it totally gave Christine a chance to stretch out a little more which totally saved the band several times, Christine McMVP

also Penguin is a really good album cover, maybe the best Fleetwood Mac album cover

i recently discovered Mystery to Me - was amazed. what a beautiful start to finish conceit.

yeah what a rebound, fire the singer, keep the guitar player and move the entire band into an old farmhouse in the english countryside, because of course

guitar player and drummer's wife hit it off, drummer is not happy, bass player and keys player are on the rocks, bob welch is over it and eyeing a solo career, make a record you have ~4 weeks

cannot imagine a world where this ragtag crew is subsidized by the upper crust to make Mystery to Me but they sure did

bass player and keys player are on the rocks

...and she is supposedly "hitting it off" with the engineer.

also Penguin is a really good album cover, maybe the best Fleetwood Mac album cover

This is Bare Trees or Mystery to Me depending on whether I'm up or down, I've actually displayed the latter around the house.

Controversial opinion: Christine's songs on Heroes are Hard to Find are better than what she came up with on the '75 album.