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#1
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Billy and Bekka made a nice country album together! They have similar musical pedigrees.
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Life passes before me like an unknown circumstance Last edited by PenguinHead; 11-12-2014 at 03:08 AM.. |
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#2
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The Bekka And Billy album is not only a great country album, it's a great album in general. Bekka's vocals are superb, particularly her backing vocals on Heart To Call Home. Billy doesn't get nearly enough credit for his abilities as an artist and a songwriter. He's always been able to fit himself into different music genres seamlessly and with authenticity.
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#3
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I have mixed feelings about this whole period. I liked most of Time. Christine delivered, on a song-by-song basis, better material than on BTM, and she did make an effort to appear on Bekka and Billy's (very subtly in his case, but I can hear her here and there in the mix). Mason is just out of place, like the previous Dave, but Mick's These Strange Times captures the confusion of the era perfectly. So taken in its entirety, the album makes a passable case for a change of direction after yet another personnel change, with a heavyweight holdover from the previous regime taking on the burdern of carrying the torch (think Danny Kirwan on Future Games).
I would have to concede that the newcomers do not deliver material that stands comparison with Chris and Bob Welch's contributions to FG, so the comparison falls down a little. I do think Billy's songs are much better than his BTM songs, however. The main problem is the fact that there was a studio entity and a touring Mac. I don't blame Chris at all for not touring. They never played in the UK during this period, so I never saw them live, but I wonder if I would have been able to summon up the emotional belief to buy into their performance. Out of loyalty and curiosity I would probably have gone, but the performances I've seen on youtube lack a certain chemistry and I'm kind of glad I never had the chance. With Chris it would have made some sort of sense and they might have got away with it, but Billy, as the sole front-line survivor from the BTM front line didn't or couldn't make enough of a stamp musically to justify them carrying on. Although Mick and John were there, there wasn't enough of the musical blood-line carrying on to to hook in the punters. |
#4
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One thing I just thought of regarding Mick's comments on this time in the new book is that he basically says due to the fighting with Mason/Bekka etc. he couldn't keep this going. So how come fighting was tolerated for Rumours etc. but not this?
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#5
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Quote:
Mike (Scarrott) |
#6
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2. The band had finally broken through and were touring behind a hit album when the personal relationships fell apart. They were able to use that as creative inspiration. 3. There's a big difference between couples breaking up and two people who don't like each other. Neither is pleasant, but the couples were able to maintain professional relationships. 4. Lindsey Buckingham was back in the picture by that point. A Buckingham-Fleetwood tour would have been more respectable than a Fleetwood Mac tour that didn't feature any of the Rumours singers while still relying heavily on that material. Quote:
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The problem with the whole era, starting with the Tango tour, is that they were too subservient to the Rumours legacy, which was understandable, but not something that they had done during the previous personnel changes. They didn't do any Peter Green songs on the Kiln House tour, for example. As a result, the new members were allowed to develop their own identities within the context of Fleetwood Mac.
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On and on it will always be, the rhythm, rhyme, and harmony. THE Stephen Hopkins |
#7
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John |
#8
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I was on a roller coaster excursion at Six Flags in California and was surprised to see that Fleetwood Mac was performing there, later that day,along with REO Speedwagon and Pat Benatar. I was both elated and skeptical.
I knew that Stevie, Lindsey and Christine were gone, and felt crestfallen that their status was now at level where they were performing shows at an amusement park with two somewhat has-beens from the 1980s. The only saving grace was that they were the headliners. The show was fine for what it was. But it was a little disconcerting when they performed classic Fleetwood Mac songs. Most of the audience was likely very confused and not informed about drastic line up change. Only a fraction of the venue was filled, and I saw people walking out during the show. It was sad. I recall feeling so worried about what kind of future was in store for the band. I can't recall, but I thought I already had the Time album when I saw this show. But I've seen some posts saying that the album didn't come out until after their tour.
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Life passes before me like an unknown circumstance Last edited by PenguinHead; 11-21-2014 at 02:56 AM.. |
#9
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In 1976 the band was experiencing a huge wave of creative and commercial success. It's well documented that the chemistry they had was worth preserving despite the infighting. They had a future ahead of them. By the time the of the Time, Fleetwood Mac's stature was in flux. Now they were old school. Two of the prominent members were gone, and the third one (Christine) was barely holding on. The market/music scene, as well as their image had changed drastically. They're performing in amusement parks, with two other somewhat has-been bands. They hardly had the chemistry or constitution to withstand the tensions between them. It's not hard to understand why this configuration had a short shelve life. It hindsight, Christine's tentative presence was precursor In circumspect, it was Mick's attempt to persevere; to keep Fleetwood Mac alive. It was another link in the chain; a place holder of sorts, which allowed the next chapter of the the band to unfold: The Dance.
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Life passes before me like an unknown circumstance Last edited by PenguinHead; 12-24-2014 at 02:42 AM.. |
#10
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Well put. That's exactly the way I'd put it, if I were as articulate as you are, Mike! I saw two shows at Clear Lake in California, one in 1994 and one in 1995. They were the most un-Brechtian Fleetwood Mac concerts I've ever seen. There wasn't even a glimmer of sparkle or theater in the performances. It was like watching a bunch of good musicians rehearse on a Saturday afternoon while their mates were grilling burgers out back. No glamour at all, no elation at hearing the classics being performed, and the tiny sense of sexual joy came from Bekka, but even that sexuality had no higher emotional feel—you watched Bekka and thought she was hot, but you didn't fall in love with her. Since 1967, people had been falling in love with one or more members of Fleetwood Mac at their concerts. But that identification was totally absent.
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moviekinks.blogspot.com |
#11
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I always wondered what the deal was with Time? I though Christine had said that she was still willing to record new music but not tour. Then they did an album without her and it got rejected and then Chris returned to record Time with the new lineup. Why didn't she want to contribute to the initial recording sessions?
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#12
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She was always, at least publicly, involved with the project. There were pictures of her playing with Bekka and Dave prior to Billy's return, and there's the one full band picture. In every interview they gave, she was still mentioned as being the Brian Wilson of Fleetwood Mac. The only songs that she's definitely not on are the ones where Steve Thoma is listed as keyboards, as opposed to additional keyboards.
Maybe she started the project with the band but decided to pull out midway through, maybe around the same time Richard Dashut left the project, but was forced back into it for contractual reasons. I have no idea because there's photographic evidence she was there from the start, was always mentioned in interviews, and I've never seen anything to suggest that she wasn't involved.
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On and on it will always be, the rhythm, rhyme, and harmony. THE Stephen Hopkins Last edited by SteveMacD; 12-30-2014 at 12:21 PM.. |
#13
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I thought though there was a CD "Another Link In The Chain" that got rejected by WB because none of the Rumors era Singers was on it and somehow she was convinced to return to the band and record with this lineup even though she did not tour.
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#14
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That is very true. Got to give him big props for his talent.
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Life passes before me like an unknown circumstance |
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