Posted by: Anonymous
Whether this is fact or fiction... thought it was worth posting - and thanks to whomever posted the info if in fact it's correct:
"A friend of mine works at Madison Square Garden and got me backstage at the Fleetwood Mac concert last Monday. I heard Lindsey Buckingham telling someone that the new EP being released online was awaiting the approval of the artwork. Stevie at first wanted photos, but then they all decided it should just have a Fleetwood Mac logo and say EP. He said once that is approved the EP will be out in a week. It contains "Sad Angel", "Without You", "Miss Fantasy" and one more Lindsey song."
Whether this is fact or fiction... thought it was worth posting - and thanks to whomever posted the info if in fact it's correct:
"A friend of mine works at Madison Square Garden and got me backstage at the Fleetwood Mac concert last Monday. I heard Lindsey Buckingham telling someone that the new EP being released online was awaiting the approval of the artwork. Stevie at first wanted photos, but then they all decided it should just have a Fleetwood Mac logo and say EP. He said once that is approved the EP will be out in a week. It contains "Sad Angel", "Without You", "Miss Fantasy" and one more Lindsey song."
FFS* Sounds like they already approved it.
ReplyDelete* For Fuck's Sake.
I do love Miss Stevie and respect her decisions as a writer, but c'mon ... 3 contributions from Lindsey (all new) and 1 from Stevie (old)? As much as she writes I'm sure there was one or two fully recorded outtake from the IYD recording sessions she could have given over to Fleetwood Mac. As I said I respect her creative decisions (and perhaps in her shoes I'd feel as she does) but as a fan I want new music and I will pay for it.
ReplyDeleteAs a follow up comment I would add that I do support the band's decision to put out an EP and market it to iTunes. It's new for the band, and obviously long time diehards like myself would love a complete album, but this is how things are done now. I don't think they want to tour for 2 years as Fleetwood Mac just to pay for the expense of making the record. None of them looked like they were having fun during the last leg of the SYW tour. Maybe we'll get a second EP along the way toward the end of the tour?
ReplyDeleteFrom what I hear, her vocals are well represented on these tracks, even though they are Buckingham songs.
ReplyDeleteI think the most successful Fleetwood Mac albums have been ones that are heavy on the Lindsey and with just a few songs from Stevie.
ReplyDeleteI've always felt that Stevie is best in small doses within the context of Fleetwood Mac.
Say You Will felt really bloated because there were a few too many weak Stevie tracks: Running Through The Garden, Silver Girl, Goodbye Baby, etc.
Silver Girl was really atrocious.
ReplyDeleteBut Smile at You was amazing... wish they would have performed it live.
Funny, I thought the Stevie content was the strong point of SYW. Too much Lindsey, in my opinion. LOL
ReplyDelete100% agree with you!
DeleteWell I loved say you will album from both artists and just wished they played more tracks from that album. on this tour at least its fresher music than some of the greatest hits we have heard for yrs.
ReplyDeleteTo the person who runs this website: I am the person who posted this info and it is all true. As I said, I was backstage at MSG in the room set up for the dinner catering for the band and crew. Lindsey came in to eat with what seemed like his manager or agent and was sitting at the table next to me, not 5 feet away. And I heard a 20 minute conversation between them. And it appeared that this man has been with Lindsey a few years, but was asking him about his previous managers. You can add this following stuff to your listing:
ReplyDeleteLindsey also said the EP would be probably black with a white Fleetwood Mac logo and have a small red EP written on it. Lindsey said that he and Stevie were photographed last fall when she came to his house for 4 days to sing on his songs and record "Without You", and John and Mick were photographed later by the same photographer. The band didn't like the photographer, and thought he wasn't very creative. The photos were then photoshopped together for the T Shirts, which the band also doesn't like, since they look too much like the 2003 T Shirt photos, that were then recycled in 2009. And that they would only do a new photo shoot if they in fact do record a full album. And they also think when the EP is released on ITunes it will appear so small on screen that photos won't look good and a simple black cover will appeal to younger fans. The manager told Lindsey that ITunes told them they are going to promote the EP heavily and that there is also a deal to release it with Starbucks. And that Rolling Stone and other media outlets want the EP ahead of its release so they can promote it.
Lindsey also talked about how Stevie was concerned about the band playing NYC because the New York Times gave them a terrible review in 2009. And he also talked to the manager about her not being sure if she wanted to write new songs and give them to Fleetwood Mac. But that she is warming up to the idea because of two reasons: 1: Her contract with Warner Bros. for her solo records ends after one more album. And she is now not in a hurry to put one out because she will then have to renegotiate a new contract and since "In Your Dreams" didn't sell that well, it would put her at a disadvantage. And she is beginning to think a Fleetwood Mac album may do better. And 2: While she is still publicly promoting the "In Your Dreams" documentary with Dave Sterwat and saying what a great time she had making the record with him, that personally she has become less thrilled with working with him again and is more open to having Lindsey produce a Mac album.
They also talked about the set design on the tour. They may loose the 4 large half oval lighting pieces that hang behind the band for part of the shows. They cost $50,000. a week and are not working well, but they don't want to offend the man who designed the entire stage set. That is still being decided by the band.
He also said that Stevie is singing the best she has in a while and that when they are performing the last song alone on stage together (Say Goodbye), he is really getting emotional since he has changed so much over that last 10 years since he wrote it about her.
Thank you for clearing this all up, previous poster. This information is exciting.
ReplyDeleteI hope Stevie does write/present more songs for a Fleetwood Mac album, but I also hope that her solo contract doesn't become too unsatisfactory for her, I'd hate to see her sign up with a lower quality label and for any future work to be poorly marketed/budgeted.
Thank you person above for sharing this info. I'm seeing them on the UK tour twice, so excited already. I wonder, do you know how the Mick Fleetwood M&G are going? Haven't seen any comments about them at all. I am due to meet him in Birmingham, v excited about that too!
ReplyDeleteJust about everything the individual who claims to have been backstage with Fleetwood Mac and overheard everything Lindsey said with his manager...is very upsetting if it's indeed true.
ReplyDelete"Her (Stevie) contract with Warner Bros. for her solo records ends after one more album. And she is now not in a hurry to put one out because she will then have to renegotiate a new contract and since "In Your Dreams" didn't sell that well, it would put her at a disadvantage. And she is beginning to think a Fleetwood Mac album may do better. And 2: While she is still publicly promoting the "In Your Dreams" documentary with Dave Sterwat and saying what a great time she had making the record with him, that personally she has become less thrilled with working with him again..."
Perhaps this is why the "In Your Dreams" doc just didn't float my boat. Stevie herself is already over the experience...and it sounds as though it may all be based on lack of sales of the CD. Stevie still wants the "big time"...one more Rumours before it's all over. I keep hoping she'll record music for the sake of creating, but commercial success is still extremely important to her. I can respect her ambition, but I think the creative process suffers to a certain extent.
So if the In Your Dreams cd had sold 5 million copies, would she still insistent that Dave be involved, but now that it hasn't...perhaps it was his fault?
Granted...these are just thoughts based on hearsay that may or may not be accurate or true.
During early promotion for 'In Your Dreams' Stevie said she didn't care if the album sold well, it was just something she had to do (Perez Hilton interview). Obviously there was some humility in that statement, every artist wants their work to be well-received and to sell well.
ReplyDeleteThat said, the promotion for the entire 'In Your Dreams' experience was completely out of whack. Releasing the documentary just about two years after the album's release is a total slap in the face to the creative process. When we watch IYD we are watching footage that's three years old, so of course she's in a different mindset now. Further delays in making it available for sale will only hurt sales. The documentary should have been released to theaters no later than early 2012 with a spring release for DVD. They could have done a DVD/CD combo and tossed in the individual music videos and the UK bonus track.
On a different note, maybe it's a good thing that Stevie only has one remaining album with Warner. They don't seem interested in promoting her new material; it was the same thing with 'Trouble in Shangri-La.' It started off really well and because she isn't as big a draw as she used to be (mostly because of the way radio's changed) it's like the label lost interest.
While I appreciate the insight of the backstage gossip the Anonymous poster shared, remember it is only hearsay. Lindsey's observations have always differed from Stevie's. And while I can also agree with the poster who said 'Say You Will' was filled with too many weak Stevie songs, that is partially Buckingham's fault since he was so heavily involved in production. "Smile at You" is the perfect example. The old demo for that song is amazing; the 2003 rework of it doesn't really fit Stevie's strengths as a vocalist. And Lindsey can be just as overindulgent as Stevie when he's the principal producer.
If Fleetwood Mac makes another full record I think the smartest thing they could do is hire Ken Callait and Richard Dashut to come back and produce for them. Lindsey and Stevie can serve as associate producers.
So excited! Thanks for dropping eaves and sharing your experience.
ReplyDeleteI am sure that the band would not like gossip that is being told from anonymous fans that over here something back stage. its people like you who ruin back stage meet and greets and back stage passes.etc.because you gossip on what they are talking about on blogs like this.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Stevie's recent collaboration (You Can't Fix This) & several on stage appearances with Dave Grohl & The Sound City Players not only opened Stevie's eyes but invigorated her to possibly work with someone different on her solo next outing. Stevie really seemed to love the experience of recording that song and perhaps she is eyeing Butch Vig, and maybe even Dave Grohl to collaborate with? Stevie is a classic gemini and gets bored very easily, and even though Dave Stewart & Stevie were a great team & they made an amazing record, it's important to remember Stevie has not been loyal to any producer since Iovine. Every record since RAL she has used several different producers again & again - this is a pattern. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Stevie wanted to work with somebody new again to bring fresh & different energy to another project. Maybe she'd do something bold and work with a younger producer...who knows??
ReplyDeleteAnd if Stevie has just one more record to complete her Reprise contract, who says that she would even renegotiate another contract. Does Stevie really want to continue to record into her 70's?? With one more record obligation on her current contract, she'll be pushing 67, or maybe 68 before that even gets finished & released. I think it's a stretch that she'd even be concverned about renegotiations & more record obligations. I would think she would like to be free of any contract and just concentrate on writing her memoirs or doing smaller tours.
Ya I would love if she would do a dvd documentary of her whole musical career. simular to Tom Petty's 30 yrs. Running down a Dream. That came out awesome.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your eavesdropping session - how fun!
ReplyDelete@davidmikej
ReplyDeleteI totally and wholeheartedly agree. Call Ken Caillat and Richard Rashut in for the next album - if there is one. Not only are they extremely talented, but Ken Caillat has made a name for himself in the business and in fact now has his own record label.
If this news is true then I will not be buying the EP.
ReplyDeleteI do not like LBs way of singing and his guitar playing has changed so much in the past decade that it's just pluck pluck pluck. There's no real rhythm to it anymore. And with it being just 'Without You' from Stevie, I've got zero interest. I don't even like the song.
I'm not surprised we're only getting one song from Stevie though, as I don't believe she does near the amount of songwriting that she would like us to believe. That's why she keeps recycling old songs. Sad thing is she recycles the wrong ones. And even when she finds a winner in there, the production messes them up.
'Running Through The Garden' & 'Smile At You' were two of my favorite unreleased tracks, and then Say You Will ruined them both.
That's my least favorite Fleetwood Mac record to date, actually. Even TIME has a warmer place in my heart, and that album seems to be universally hated by everyone.
As for In Your Dreams, it didn't sell like crazy, but it did OK. The album was just OK in my opinion anyway, but mostly suffered from terrible single choices.
I don't think anyone could take 'Secret Love' seriously with that "ohh-ohh-eee" line in there. It was about as rock & roll as 'Goldfish and Ladybug'... And 'Cheaper Than Free' was probably of interest only to the 65+ for wedding anniversary parties. There was just no edge to either. 'For What It's Worth' had a nice melody, but it was never going to get attention anywhere. Three boring singles.
She should have went big, not safe.
'Annabel' was the most Fleetwood Mac sounding track on there and was ignored. It should have been edited for radio and promoted heavily. It had that 'poet' thing written all over it and really echoed 'Sara'.
'Wide Sargasso Sea' and possibly 'Italian Summer' could have been released as the 2nd and 3rd singles.
'New Orleans' & 'Ghosts Are Gone' should have been dropped from the record. Both are about as good as 'You Can't Fix This' which I personally feel is the absolute worst track she's ever written, recorded, or released. It's dreadful.
I also happen to think that both Say You Will & In Your Dreams suffered from having too many songs. We ended up with a lot of filler materiel on both. Say You Will was pretty terrible through and through, but at least In Your Dreams had a warm, well produced sound over all that made it a little more listenable. Say You Will sounds as if it were recorded inside a phone-box.
What's most unsettling here though, is the crazy influence that sales and accolades seem to have on Stevie. Someone above mentioned 'recording for the sake of creating', which is what I thought Stevie was all about back in the day. She always came off as someone who HAD to create like some mad wild songstress... but more and more today, I feel it's about success, money, and being acknowledged.
There, that's it. No one asked what I thought, but since this is a comment section, you've got it. Take my body, but leave my jewels alone!
@DogDaughter ... while I disagree with much of what you said, I will agree with you on a few key points. First, IYD suffered from poor choices for singles. While I don't think "Cheaper Than Free" was ever meant to be a single (the video was a free video of the week on iTunes), choosing "Secret Love" as the lead single was perhaps the wrong idea. It would have served well as the third or fourth single. The lead single SHOULD have been "Moonlight (A Vampire's Dream)." "For What it's Worth" was a good single choice, but I would have chosen "Everybody Loves You" as a single as well. That song would have at least garnered some strong Adult Contemporary radio play. Second, some of your comments about SYW are spot on. The demos for "Smile at You" and "Running Through the Garden" are amazing. "Smile At You" went from being a ballsy kiss-off rocker to becoming something not fit for the changes in Stevie's voice.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree that IYD suffered from filler, but SYW definitely suffered from filler from both songwriters. If you watch the SYW documentary, it's easy to put the blame on Lindsey. He insisted on a double-album. Stevie and Mick tried to tell him a double album wouldn't sell and was a bad idea. In the end you ended up with 18 tracks (20 if you bought the deluxe version and exclude the live tracks) when 12 or 13 would have been enough. Thirteen track is typical for an album.
I will say I think Stevie's work on SYW suffered from "over-production." She herself has said many times that was the worst experience she's ever had making a Mac record and touring. She's never had great things to say about SYW. If they make another record with Lindsey being the chief producer I could see her insisting on having more creative control on how her songs come out.
I cannot wait for the EP. Without You and Sad Angel sounded fantastic live so, I am stoked. I wonder if they are testing the waters with the EP, before they release a full album. One Eskimo, another great band, started with an EP and went from there.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a record executive so, I would not begin to act like I know how it will sell. Nevertheless, I am a fan and ready for the material they are willing to offer. It will be nice to have at least those new tracks. If they follow these with more new material, I will buy those as well. Dear Mac, artwork is nice, but I am more interested in having the music. Who am I kidding? I am sure the artwork will be top-notch!
It's always so interesting to hear what people love and hate.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think Moonlight is one of the most generic, trite, poorly written songs Stevie Nicks has ever recorded. For me it's far and away the weakest link on In Your Dreams. And I know that a lot of people really loved it.
I've always thought that if you took Moonlight, Ghosts Are Gone, and Cheaper Than Free off of In Your Dreams, the album would have been equally as strong as Bella Donna.
The three best songs for me have always been New Orleans (Rolling Stone had it on their Top Ten songs of the year list at # 10), Anabelle Lee, and For What It's Worth. And Everybody Loves You probably could have been a big hit, in a different time.
I loved the days when albums were only 11 songs. If Fleetwood Mac was better at self-editing, they would put out albums that were as strong as they were in the 70's.
Although I still think that In Your Dreams and Seeds We Sow were about as great as they could be. Easily their strongest in decades. Sometimes I wonder if those two albums should have been combined into one great last Fleetwood Mac album.
@davidmikej
ReplyDeleteHad 'Moonlight (A Vampire's Dream)' been titled just 'Moonlight' without any known connection to vampires, or those silly Twilight films, I think I could have given it more love.
Knowing it was semi-inspired by such a truly terrible piece of fiction wrecked anything the song had going for it. I was unable to take it seriously beyond that. Stevie Nicks writes about about Poe, not Stephanie friggin' Meyer!
What's next, some nonsense inspired by Game of bloody Thrones...
SYW felt overindulget at times, to me. However, I must say, I thought Stevie's Thrown Down and Say You Will and Smile At You were very strong and I was shocked that radio chose Peacekeeper to promote that record as opposed to Thrown Down which was excellent, in my humble opinion. I wonder with Stevie if legacy is on her mind given her age and that is what drives the striving for accolades/new producers, etc. From IYD I again, was surprised Secret Love was selected over the obvious Annabel Lee or even For What It's Worth, to promote that CD. I agree with a lot of the prior posters on which songs work for them and which, for whatever reason, do not work as well. Still love the band and am excited about an EP. Also, I second Ken Caillat, whose book was interesting by the way, to produce the next project.
ReplyDeletePeacekeeper to promote Say You Will reminded me of Big Love being played when Tango first came out. I thought Seven Wonders and Everywhere were the obvious first picks; although later on, Everywhere was released on radio as a single.
ReplyDeleteI loved Big Love when it first came out.
ReplyDeleteI remember driving late at night and hearing it for the first time.
It stopped me in my tracks because it sounded like nothing Fleetwood Mac had ever done before. It sounded like a Kate Bush song.
Make me #3 to suggest Ken Caillat as a producer. Why? Because just about everything he's produced with Fleetwood Mac (except some of Lindsey's Tusk experiments) has a timeless, classic rock sound. Not too rocking, yet not too soft-poppy. I think he could have made a real gem out of Say You Will (well, as much of a gem as it could be without Christine!). But I'd REALLY love to hear what Ken could do with Buckingham Nicks!
ReplyDeleteWatching the Destiny Rules documentary, one gets the sense that Lindsey is temperamental, and in being so, others tend to tap dance around him and let him have his way--for the most part. Perhaps that's why in the last 20 years, it seems it's his songs that get selected for airplay (almost like Stevie had her day with Dreams; and Chris obviously had radio hits). Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteI want this EP now! It would be Fleetwood Mac's first legitimate EP since the 1975 line-up came to being. I hope they have at least a title for it for posterity ("One More Link in the Chain", perhaps).I'm very disappointed that there will only be 3 songs on it. They should have put 6 songs on it: 3 for Lindsey, 3 for Stevie. That's what most EPs over the last 40 years tended to be. I thought Stevie had two "holdovers" from SYW? I thought the album was originally 23 tracks, then whittled down to 18 (20 on the Deluxe, which I have)...I thought the Rolling Stones cover and 2 original Stevie songs were left in the vaults. There are SO many "backlogged" songs of Stevie's...all she had to do was grab a couple and re-record (or better, just remaster)them. I sure hope we get a music video of some kind, though that seems unlikely. The group should have released this EP (and the next LP/CD) thru Target stores: All of their CD packages are better than most others, w/ bonus tracks/packaging, etc. The group should do a full length album and release it exclusively thru Target, like Prince did w/ his LOTUSFLOWER triple CD. That should have been a given. This way, they could control the price of the album, however lengthy it may be, and have at the very least a "Gold" album, if not a "Platinum" one, which I still believe is very possible for them in the 21st Century. I'm not that crazy about having to go to Starbucks to get an album from a classic rock group; though, that's starting to become a trend.
ReplyDeleteGod, I totally miss the days of going to Tower Records, Sam Goody, HMV, Discorama, etc. and picking up a physical copy. Nothing beats owning an LP/cassette/8-Track/CD of brand new music w/ cover art, band photography, liner notes, and lyrics to lavish and lust over. I can't believe that people prefer to walk around w/ a portable Jukebox filled w/ random tunes and multitudes of various music, instead of separate works of art in their own personalized packages. I never thought we'd see a day like this...so sad.
I AGREE WITH THE ABOVE POST...SO MUCH HAS CHANGED WITH THE MUSIC TODAY...HOW IT IS RELEASED ,ARTWORK LINER NOTES, LYRICS ETC!
ReplyDeleteTHIS GENERATION OF NEW TECHNOLOGY...REALLY MISSED OUT. I LOVE TO TAKE A LOOK NOW & THEN AT MY OLD LP COVERS AND SLEEVES...SO MUCH TO LOOK AT!
Any news about John and Mick for a change?!!!??
ReplyDelete