Behind the Mask turns 34

[Macfan4life]

Surprise! Guess what I did? A few weeks ago when this discussion started about the Grammy nomination for "best album package" I went on Ebay looking to try and find what sort of package came with the album. I was looking at the albums and CDs that were for sale. I never updated my BTM cassette to CD. I suppose I never thought it worthy. I got a great deal on a CD and bought it on Ebay. Over the last 2 weeks, I have listened to the album front to back (or as Stevie would say, back to front) at least 7 times. I have played these songs many times over the years from youtube but when was the last time anyone listened to BTM in its duration? It sounded really good. Tango has more sparkle and is perfected in areas but I prefer the overall sound of BTM. For example, Tango shines better than anything on BTM on the title track, Isn't It Midnight, Little Lies and the acoustic guitar on Family Man. Nothing that good is on BTM. But if I had to listen to one in its duration, I prefer the BTM sound. I dont think the band went out of its way to impress anyone. They all were skilled and experienced musicians that all wrote some good songs and recorded them. It sounds good but no one went out of their way to make it extra poppy. I think they thought their name alone would bring it success. But the music industry was changing. Even Stevie just came off her flop album OSOTM and for the first time too these albums did not go platinum. Little known fact is George Hawkins is the one that suggested the producer to Mick after the first one did not work out. I love that Lindsey was asked and performed acoustic guitar on the title track. Sort of reminds me of when Peter Green was asked to perform some guitar on Tusk (Brown Eyes).
I laugh at Chris when she called it a "suicide album" because it was so dark. It definitely is a very dark album. Rolling Stone actually loved this and said "not since Bare Trees or Rumours has the band recorded pain so unwaveringly and sounded so good." IMHO there are no home runs on this album. If you did not know who they were and listened you would say the band is good and sounds good and deserves a record contract. I love the fact that in the entire Fleetwood Mac catalog Stevie Nicks sings on at least one bluesy rocker (Love is Dangerous). That really is cool.
The band really had some unfortunate issues to deal with recording this album and touring to support it. There is one issue that was similar to making Tango and that was Stevie was seldom there. She was recording and then touring to support OSOTM and would only pop in a few days. She also was tranquilized which really hurt her ability to write and perform good songs on the album. I think her songs here are just as bad as Tango. It sounds like Stevie was edited and layered in songs because of her absence. Her voice shows up at the strangest times which is why I think they layered her voice in similar to Tango. She comes in one time with "ooooos" on Do You Know and she is not no the chorus of Save Me. She only appears at the end. She again appears strangely for one backup on When The Sun Goes Down "Take good care" and is never heard again on the song. She appears again for a groan right before the bridge on Behind The Mask. I think this is why Skies The Limit stands out because its the only song she is truly singing back up with the band. It was a late recording after the album was finished and she was done with OSOTM and was back with the Mac.
This album is all Chris. Besides her own songs, she is singing lead, or, verses or dueting on tracks 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 12. Plus she is playing keyboard solos even on acoustic songs like Second Time and singing back up extensively through the album. Its a very intensive Chris album which really appeals to me. While I dont care for Billy's singing, it merges with Chris's voice perfectly.
Now here are some fun facts about this era. The 1987/1988 Shake The Cage tour was cancelled in Australia because of Stevie's illness. The band promised Australia to start their new tour there and they kept their promise. The band instantly kicked off its BTM tour in Australia which dragged the album to #9 there. Instead of flying over Japan, they stopped and did promo there which did not work. The album was not successful there at all. The band makes 2 concert dates in Japan. From Japan the band goes to Canada while Save Me breaks into the top 40 in the states. The album makes it to #14 in Canada and Save Me is a top then hit there. As soon as the gets to the States in late May 1990, Save Me is already dropping out of the top 40 and the album dropping from the charts. That must have been devastating for the band to get to the states with a new album and its already sinking. It makes you wonder if the band started touring the states, could that have pushed Save Me into the top 20. IMHO starting promotion and touring outside the states hurt sales in the USA. But you must admire the Mac for keeping its word to Australian fans.
The album goes to #1 in the UK and Greece. Who would have ever thought a Fleetwood Mac album would go to #1 in Greece. The album also goes top 5 in Germany, Ireland, Sweeden, Norway, and Iceland. Yet it barely cracked the top 20 in the United States.
This is also the only Fleetwood Mac album that never released a Stevie song as a single.
Listening to this album so much lately brought back many memories. I remember waiting in line for concert tickets and hearing fans talk about the new album. Some were saying the song Back Of My Mind, Mick was saying....what's in Stevie's mind lol. In the summer of 1990 those outdoor sheds were popping up all over the country. I remember I snagged 2 really good seats mid theater for mid July. But sadly this was cancelled along with a bunch of dates because of Chris's dad passing. The band did make up all those dates starting in late October, November, and December. The Farewell tour was actually dropping Save Me for Say You Love Me. Besides her singing with Rick on Love Is Dangerous, Stevie never performed any of her new songs on the tour except that Japan promo show? Lindsey joins the band for their last few nights and its an end of an era. Stevie and Chris announce they will no longer tour with the band. This big summer delay causes Stevie's Timespace project to get majorly delayed. Stevie also in 1990 publicly stated her beef with Mick about all the long European dates.
Makes you wonder. What if the album was successful in the states and had hits. Would that have changed anything?
During the early 80s Heart had an album produced by Keith Olsen. The band went full mainstream rock instead of hippy and hard rock. Yet the album tanked and was not successful. Their record company dropped them and a new label would only sign them if they agreed to have professional song writers write pop songs for them. In 1984 Jefferson Starship released Nuclear Furniture. It also was not that successful. The record company forced changes and they ended up changing their name to Starship and ended up with 3 #1 pop hits. But the pop music was too much for Grace Slick to take and she left. I see Behind The Mask as the band's Passionworks and Nuclear Furniture. Its good music but panned by critics because the lack of poppy songs. Passionworks and Nuclear Furniture are both decent albums though but they are forgotten from those band's catalog.
Finally I would add that the 1990 tour is one of my favorite concerts ever. I felt guilty after leaving the Dance concert for preferring the 1990 concert. I did not like the neutered Chain and everything was so robotic. Lindsey was mumbling to the audience and saying the same exact words as the recorded concert we all taped from MTV. It was great to have Lindsey back but I felt Chris's sad vibes and I missed the unscripted big arena rock sound from earlier years.

There are some good songs from this era. If I had to build my perfect BTM album, it would look like this. Warner probably did not want a new guy leading off the album but since Billy has the best and most edgy song on the album, I say give him the lead off track. Stevie's Freedom is her best track yet its hidden late on the second side.
This would be my BTM album;

Back of My Mind
Save Me
Freedom
Do You Know
Love Is Dangerous
As Long As You Follow

Behind The Mask
When It Comes To Love
No Questions Asked
Skies The Limit
Paper Doll
When The Sun Goes Down

I dont care for Paper Doll but many people like it. I was shocked to find out it was a Top 10 hit in Canada. It was supposed to go on the Greatest Hits album but Mick hated it and picked No Questions Asked. Paper Doll was left over and made the 25th collection years later which it was released as a single and became a hit in Canada.

One last thing. My one peeve about the Dance era was when people started to fawn about Landslide and it became a sing a long song. So many would say, "its great they put Landslide back in the set." Bitch please! If you were there in 1990 or 1991 on Stevie's solo tour it was performed. It just showed that the BTM era was sort of forgotten that no one acknowledged or was aware it happened. Stevie was sort of a backdrop for the BTM era which sometimes can be seen as a good thing.