'In The Meantime' Track By Track Discussion Podcast
 

Hey friends,

Last night tackled "In The Meantime" track by track. I really love this album. If you are interested in watching check it out here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIOOx6rAh0g

Thanks Jeremy. This should be good.
Thanks for all that you do!

Fantastic!!!

Will you do the 1984 solo album (Christine McVie) next?

WatchChain - we did that one a couple months ago!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHSTX_ZbVaM&t=5s

BuckMcVie is next!

Look forward to this!

I am glad I did not buy the remastered version because I keep hearing such bad things about it. It sounds like the original is so much better.
Enjoyed this and I agree with Jeremy that Bad Journey is one of the best tracks. We could have an entire thread or discussion dissecting this fabulous song. This song holds many mysteries like the album name which would not peak that much interest until she said it was so personal to her that she refused to discuss it. Wow. That's heavy! I have a slightly different take on Bad Journey. Many random parts of the United States are mentioned which could imply her 'bad journey" of touring with the Mac. But no doubt when you read the lyrics there is a major relationship here. OMG
First lets put out the random places in the United States that are mentioned

Hidden Hills - exclusive gated community of Los Angeles near Santa Monica
Boise, Idaho - northern rocky mountain city the Mac opened their Tusk tour at
New York City -
Mexico -
Key Biscayne - island off Miami. Sort of exclusive but anyone can drive there. The Mac had roots there way back to the Bob Welch era. I seem to remember something that Bob Welch had a boat there and is where he got his inspiration to Bermuda Triangle. I think John McVie may have sailed there too. During the Rumours era when parts of it was recorded in Miami, the band did hang out here
Gitche Gumee - means big sea or huge water and which refers to Lake Superior in the United States. Its one of the great lakes and even Gordon Lightfoot references it in his hit song "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"
New Orleans -

The places she references are so intriguing and imagine she must have been to each of them to know about them. Did she go sailing with Dennis on Lake Superior?

Now lets move on to the mystery man. She is really calling him out



So I picked myself up, 'cause I put myself down
And I get in my car and drive around
No matter what was said, what that you did
All that's behind me now
'cause I'm moving on

Saw my dreams of love
As distant as the mountain tops
And just as far away beyond the point
Where I am today

Everything was looking good
Just like it should
Trusted you with all my heart
Never dreamt you'd tear me apart

The crazy relationships she had with John and Dennis. She never wrote such harsh word about them "tearing her apart."

OUCH. She's really hurt and letting him know that. Unlike other Chris songs she wants to turn the other cheek and still be in love. Not here.

I do agree that this album has a roller coaster of love and hate. We get a love song You Are and then Liar.

Chris is a completely different kind of writer than Chris. Stevie always said she could never write pop songs or "singles." That was Chris's perfection. But don't we get some Stevie-esque writing on this album? The mystery and relationship innuendo and much more intriguing.

I disagree with one panelist who thought the writing on this album was weak. I just see it a different style she had used before. We get classic McVie with songs like Friend which really sounds like a Mac song. But we get some intense mystery writing with songs like Bad Journey.

I found the one panelist who is not a big McVie fan with the Mac (loves Stevie) interesting when he said that Anything Is Possible is his favorite McVie song of all time. That shows that this remote album really has reached different people in different ways.

I love this album.

Thanks for recognizing this really fine, underrated album.

I agree: the remixes may show off her voice and keyboards by pulling them forward, but in doing so a lot of the very pleasing background vocals are lost.

One point of fact: it’s “Giving it Back,” not “Taking it Back”—a crucial difference in the lyrics.

I know there was a mystery man in Chris's life right before recording this album. However she was separating from Eddy shortly after The Dance. My hunch is Bad Journey is about Eddy. "Trusted you with all my heart, never dreamed you tear me apart" sort of implies it was a very devoted and long relationship and not a fling. Her song Nights in Estoril (10 years prior) was just as colorful but about her devotion to Eddy. Its also an adventurous song that mentions places. Is Bad Journey the bookend version of Nights In Estoril?

Call me the Christine whisperer

So are you guys saying that the remaster of the album is worse than the original master?

unfortunately i think she stuck w eddy until about 2000, when he finally moved out completely. not sure if his new GF was knocked up by then, but she may have been. from what i heard, chris did love ed and also reeeeally didn't want to be alone, so she turned a blind eye to a lot of crap and tried to make it work far beyond what she probably should have. Those angry songs could definitely be about him.

but she also had that mystery guy around 2003... there are never a lack of *sshole men in the world to write about haha so I'm sure he inspired some of the ITM songs as well.

-Lis

I could not disagree more. However, I let go of the previous version and just listened intently to this version.

With my airpods and the dolby lossless stuff, I think it's far superior to the old mix.

That's not to say I don't love the other mixes. I just feel this package is very very well done.

I dig into the word "journey" that implies sort of a long road or long travel which can be interpreted to that long relationship they had. I have an obsession about both Nights In Estoril and Bad Journey for their vivid description of places. Chris was with Eddy for awhile which could be another clue for all the places she was with him at while in the States. She was living in England when the song was written yet all the places on this "journey" are in the states. Their relationship ending came at the worst time in her life. She was retired and needed that rock and stability to help her transition.

I would not dismiss the new remixes. I only wish rhino had released the original mixes alongside the new ones, so some of the touches that are lost in the new mixes could be enjoyed. The background vocals on many of the tracks, the synth horns on Forgiveness.

That said, the remixes for Friend, You Are, and Anything are fabulous.

I think her issues with him were a big part of her decision to move away and retire in the first place. and he sure wasn't a rock or providing stability in the latter half of that marriage. George Hawkins told me Ed was really pressuring her to *not* be involved with the band and tour anymore, etc....which is weird because he was screwing around all over the place whenever she was away. So then I think he just started doing it when she was home! but he was giving her ultimatums like, 'I won't be here when you get back' if she had continued on the tour. and she caved to him.

He also was not a fan of her 'lifestyle' of constant drinking, which I suppose I can understand, but on the other hand he should have known what he was marrying because she had alcohol issues from the day he met her, just like I assume she knew of his playboy reputation. I'm sure his behavior did not help her drinking, which probably made him feel validated in doing what he wanted. It was a vicious cycle.

I suppose we always think we can change people, but that doesn't usually happen.

--Lis

Whoa - talk about a huge error in me calling the song "Taking It Back" instead of "Giving It Back" - that's the one song I never listened to as much. Still, embarrassing on my part.

I love the dissection of "Bad Journey" above - intriguing to read. This is such a great album for sure.