Fleetwood Mac Forum

I was thinking, which is something I avoid as much as possible. It occurs to me that for two decades we have been expecting great things from a band that has done little aside from letting us down. In the 13 years since the Rumours lineup got together, then losing Christine, we've have exactly one studio album from the band. We got a very polished live album, yes, then another that was somewhat less so but good enough. We got reissues and compilations. But new music? One 18-song album that while it had flashes of brilliance was not in its entirety a masterpiece.

So, I ask, do you feel letdown?

The last thing Lindsey ever wanted to be, was in a dinosaur band. And that's exactly what he's enabling, now. How proud he must be.

Somebody turn them over. They're done.

Not at all. Or rather, not anymore.

First, Fleetwood Mac don't owe me -- or any "fan" -- anything. Sure, it's kind of shitty that they constantly tease in interviews that maybe, just maybe, they'll do something remotely interesting. And yes, it's a shame that the prodigious talents of these people have largely gone to waste in the past decade (Buckingham partially excepted). But these people are old farts, they've been playing the part of rock and roll stars for a good forty years, they've got a ton of money, and ultimately they're entitled to do whatever the hell they want. And if they don't want to write or record new music, and if they want to go out every couple years and play the same old songs according to the same old script night in and night out, then that's their prerogative.

Personally, I think there were a few years there where I spent far too much time pissing and moaning about how Fleetwood Mac were not living up to my expectations. They shouldn't play these songs any more, they should mix it up on stage every night, they should record something with these other people that I like, etc. And to what end? As though my expectations mean jack shit to them or anyone else. Where did I get off expecting anything anyway? Over the past few decades, Fleetwood Mac have made it abundantly clear what kind of band they are, by their actions if not by their words. If I demanded that they prove themselves to be something different, that was my problem, not theirs.

Besides, they may not have much or any decent new music in them anyway. These people were never especially prolific musicians, even in their prime (Nicks partially excepted). There's no guarantee that if they did put something out it would be any good, so why get worked up over the prospect, or lack thereof? I've got more than enough Fleetwood Mac music as it is.

So much of the experience of rock music is predicated on fans identifying with the singers and/or musicians involved -- as friends, as lovers, as avatars. And I think that's a major source of this kind of frustration, even if unconsciously. We want them to continuously remind us that they're worthy of our attention. Things get a lot less maddening when you quit being a "fan," stop giving a shit about the band, and just enjoy the music that you've got. So says I, at any rate.

I will say that the one area in which I remain deeply disappointed in and frustrated with the Fleetwood Mac organization is when it comes to reissues and archival projects. Not that there haven't been high points -- for a while it seemed like we were being absolutely inundated with fantastic material from the earlier incarnations of the band (the Boston Tea Party sets, Shrine '69, Vaudeville Years, Show Biz Blues, Madison Blues, etc.), and the reissues of the first three Rumours-era albums were nice enough. But where are the remastered reissues of any or all of the other studio albums, while we sit here with CDs of everything from Then Play On to Mirage that sound like total shit? Where on earth is the Buckingham Nicks album, for which people have been begging for so many years? Why isn't the Tusk documentary out on DVD, when so many of the cool kids are into that album?

These sorts of projects don't require all that much in the way of time or money to put together, and they should be high-profit ventures. And given that Fleetwood Mac are still quite a popular band when it comes to touring and catalogue sales, I'm sure that there are people out there eager to take these projects on and make a quick buck off them. And we know that the people in the band are shameless money-grubbers. So what's the hold up here?

I can honestly say I don't feel letdown by the band or its music. I look at it this way, they are still around, great performers and are loved by more than one generation. I look at the "stars" of today and the stuff my kids listen to. These new singers are just that, many don't write their own songs, performances are weak unless there is a brilliant light show, half naked women and men dancing around etc. Some of the "new girls" are here today gone tommorow. Fleetwood Mac has endured. Of course I would have enjoyed more albums over the years and less time inbetween. I really enjoy the Say you Will CD, The Live in Boston package and do I dare say it...The Time Album. I think it was a risky move to go out with new members Bramlett and Mason on tour. Although they didn't get much traction I was happy Mick did something. I also appreciate the fact Stevie has continued touring solo all these years also. Fleetwood Mac were my Childhood favorites and still are today. Do I expect a 62 year old Nicks to dance, kick and spin all over the stage at age 62...NO, however in my opinion Mick, Lindsay and John are playing their best in concert and I'm enjoying them more than ever.
Basically to have your favorite band starting at age 8, still making music, touring and still respected when I'm age 43 now, I'm pretty happy. I wonder if my kids will still be listening to Nickleback, Cyrus, and the american idol stars 35 years from now.

Heaven forbid!

I'm not much of a fan of most of the dominant trends in popular music right now, either, but let's be careful with the condescension filtered through highly-selective memory. There are many, many singers and groups out there in the world right now other than the handful of shit you mention, and plenty of good ones. And the reverse is certainly true of the years when you were growing up. You may have been listening to Fleetwood Mac in 1975, but plenty of other folks had their walls plastered with posters of the Bay City Rollers, KC & the Sunshine Band, Olivia Newton-John, and Disco-Tex & the Sex-O-Lettes.

Will your kids be listening to Miley Cyrus three decades from now? Does your sister still listen to Leif Garrett today?

Who Knows, but I do think there are some great talents like you mentioned. There is a few country singers that could be around for a long time...Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood. I'm sure there are some good pop and rock acts out there as well. I do hear some great music on the radio.

Fleetwood Mac is still my favorite. The chemistry between the band members, the personalities, and the music are so unique. I assume one day soon there will be a "farewell" type tour, and I'll be there. Considering they are all 60+ I hope we don't have to wait another 7 years.

Weren't you just slagging off those "American Idol stars"?

I'm sure there are great acts out there in capacity in just about every extant genre. Especially in the age of the Internet, there's really an astounding breadth of stuff available. That's really the primary difference between earlier decades and now in terms of popular music. There just aren't going to be any -- or at least as many -- superstars any more on the level of a band like Fleetwood Mac. There aren't going to be any 30 million sellers, the "marketplace" is just too diverse. In that kind of environment, the stuff that rises to the top of the charts does tend to be lowest common denominator, but the good groups are out there. We just don't know about a lot of them.

At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if they just kept going back out every couple of summers, doing basically what they've been doing with a few minor substitutions, until they all get tired of it. I'd give 'em a few years yet, though, none of them seems so decrepit and exhausted that they'd be unwilling to take a big paycheck for a few months of running around performing songs they could do in their sleep.