Review: Fleetwood Mac 'Rumours' Super Deluxe Re-issue ★★★★/5

FLEETWOOD MAC 'RUMOURS' Re-issue
Bernard Zuel
SMH.com

"If you're already sold on the album, you may be wondering if it's worth getting the extras. Although it has some decent crunch at times and includes Rhiannon, Nicks's hit from Rumours' self-titled predecessor, I don't think much is to be gained from the live disc. For committed fans, there are more rewards in the rarities/demo material. The demo of The Chain has an eerie, foreboding element to it that suggests it could have been a completely different song; likewise an early version of Silver Springs is lower, less optimistic and intriguing. And for those who doubted at the time, Nicks's compelling and stark Planets of the Universe - a demo not released until 2004 - will convince you there was a lot more than scarves and witchy stuff going on there."

Much more to this review at SMH.com

NEW Date: Fleetwood Mac Live at the New Orleans Jazz Festival May 4th

Fleetwood Mac will be performing at the New Orleans Jazz Festival on Saturday, May 4, 2013

Also set to perform: Billy Joel, Dave Matthews Band, Maroon 5, The Black Keys, John Mayer, Widespread Panic, Daryl Hall and John Oates, Phoenix, B.B. King, Frank Ocean, Earth, Wind & Fire, Willie Nelson and hundreds more.

Tickets on sale now!

Ticketmaster

Single day ticket price:

General Admission Standing Room ONLY!
US $45.00 Ticket + US $9.10 Fees = $54.10

Christine McVie May Visit Mick & John prior to Fleetwood Mac Rehearsals

Christine McVie - January, 1993
Photo: Neal Preston

Fleetwood Mac will kick-off their 2013 tour in Columbus on April 4th, and fans should expect to see a foursome on the stage comprised of Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood.

The group did not reach out to Christine McVie for the upcoming tour, knowing that she would turn down the offer. Christine retired in 1998 and currently lives in England. McVie, who wrote and sang “Say You Love Me,” “Over My Head,” “You Make Loving Fun,” “Think About Me,” “Hold Me,” “Little Lies,” and of course, “Don’t Stop”, left the band after their reunion tour promoting 1997′s The Dance.

Mick Fleetwood told Premiere Radio that Christine McVie might visit him and her ex-husband (John McVie) as they prep for the tour. “We are hearing that Christine is going to come out — she doesn’t like flying very much at all — and that was part of, one of the reasons was why she had had enough of touring. But she’s coming out to visit me and John in early February, just before we start rehearsing.”

Carl Harp, 98.5 WNCX

Interesting if this is the case!  Rehearsals would be in L.A.... What on earth would Christine be doing in L.A.? She couldn't possibly just be going to visit Mick and John on the rehearsal set! (no offence Mick). England to L.A. is a pretty fair distance to travel.  Hmmm... Makes you wonder.

[ edit: Here's audio of the interview where Mick says Christine is coming to visit... I suspect it is Hawaii like someone mentioned in the comments where she's going to meet up with Mick and John.  Still great to hear they'll be together.  Maybe they can talk her into contributing to some new music, since flying/touring is out of the question... I believe most fans would agree that appearing on new music and then not touring would be just fine with us... Agree or disagree? ]

Reviews: Fleetwood Mac: Rumours (35th Anniversary Edition)

Fleetwood Mac: Rumours 
(35th Anniversary Edition)

Reviewed by: Scott McLennan
Rip It Up

Infamously recorded amid a blur of incestuous bandmate rooting and powder caches to rival Guy Fawkes’ stash, Rumours’ remarkable tracks outshine the tumultuous tales of their creation even 35 years on.

Rumours sits firmly in the top 10 selling albums of all time for good reason. Despite its familiarity, each track remains as magnificent as a full moon setting over a lake. Many of the tunes have been reimagined, recontextualised or granted new life by entertainers as diverse as Hole (post-Kurt), Bill Clinton (post-election victory) and Eva Cassidy (post-mortem) over the last three decades, but none can recreate the divergent conflagrations that rage on the original.

Whether fuelled by the wisdom of Christine McVie, the ethereal gossamer whirls of Stevie Nicks or the vengeful snarl of Lindsey Buckingham, the power of The Chain, Go Your Own Way and Songbird remain staggering. Although the live disc here offers little in the way of divergence to pique the senses (save a hint of the then-forthcoming Tusk and a few flat vocals from Nicks on Don’t Stop), the lost tracks deliver raw insight.

A pivotal counterpoint to the punk forces brewing on the other side of the Atlantic, Rumours remains a multi-faceted snapshot of the ‘70s – equal parts dreamy Hollywood Boulevard flair and crumbling Sunset Boulevard tragedy.

Rating: 4.5/5

Fleetwood Mac: Rumours - Super Deluxe Edition (LP 2013)

Reviewed by: Jason Strange
The AU Review

Before I talk about the record, I have to ask this question. This iconic album has been re released a number of times. Digitally remastered, bonus tracks, demo tracks, live tracks, everything possible. So what more can they squeeze out with a "Super Deluxe Edition" that we haven't heard already? And is this just another example of a record label milking a cash cow dry?

But let's focus on the actual album itself. Rumours is by far one of the most talked about records in Fleetwood Mac's career. We know about the internal turmoil going through the band during the time of the writing and recording of this album. The love affairs, the fights, the massive drug addictions and of course the talented musicians that were lost in the haze of their personal lives. We know that when Rumours was released, it was one of those landmark albums that is still highly regarded today some 35 years after its release. All of those combustible elements internally led to a great record. And isn't that always the case. Adversity leads to the best music.

Rumours is centred around two massive singles. 'Don't Stop' and 'Go Your Own Way'. While the bands chief lyricists, Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie and Lindsey Buckingham worked independently on the lyrics for the songs not realising that they all shared a common theme of love gone wrong and moving on. It's the tracks that didn't receive the initial radio air play (which wasn't many as half the album were released as singles in the end) that are the most telling on that period of time. A song like 'Second Hand News' which relates to finding out second hand that a loved one is messing around or 'I Don't Want To Know' where you can hear the pain that the band members were feeling internally come out through the music. The band only wrote one song together on the album, the track 'The Chain', which I find to be the weakest of the tracks as it lacks the deep seeded emotion hidden in the other tracks. Nonetheless, the reason why this album worked so well was behind the seriousness of the themes, the music was glorious examples of pop inspired folk with upbeat major chords and a real positive flow in the music alone. A complete juxpostion to the lyrical content.

So how have they milked this one compared to the other re issues? A live set from the Rumours tour in 1978 plus out takes, demos and instrumentals from the recording session. Sadly nothing you couldn't have tracked down before or if not, you wouldn't have wanted to. The live set is of great quality and listening to it I got a touch of a feeling that if the reunion lasts and comes down to Australia, it will be truly amazing. The demos from the original recordings were nothing special and only hardcore fans might get something out of it but its just a marketing ploy to make you pay another $30 for an album you may already have. I'd save the money and just relistening to the Rumours album next month when this is released.

Rating - original album 8.5/10
Rating - live album 7/10
Rating - demos 4/10

Both the 3CD and Super Deluxe editions are available for pre-order via Amazon or iTune.

COMING SOON! Lady Antebellum and Stevie Nicks Meet at ‘CMT Crossroads’

Lady Antebellum and Stevie Nicks Meet at ‘CMT Crossroads’

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Stevie Nicks will share the stage with country superstars Lady Antebellum when CMT presents an all-new episode of CMT Crossroads. Meeting and collaborating for the first time, CMT Crossroads: Stevie Nicks and Lady Antebellum will be taped in Los Angeles to premiere later this year on CMT.

CMT 


This is so cool!  Loved Lindsey's colab with Little Big Town back a few years ago when he appeared on Crossroads... This should be pretty amazing!

Fleetwood Mac: "We've cut about eight or nine songs." + UK Tour News

Speaking to Uncut Magazine ahead of the 35th anniversary reissue of Rumours, Mick Fleetwood has revealed details of the band's most recent recording sessions PLUS pretty much confirms a UK Tour later this year saying:

"The specifics are still to be worked out, 

but we’re coming, we’re coming."

Uncut Magazine

Fleetwood Mac "The Very Best Of" Arrives on iTunes / Amazon Jan 29th for the first time

"The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac (Remastered)" 
Available for the first time on iTunes & Amazon on January 29th!

The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac is a 2CD compilation album originally released in 2002 to promote the 2003 album Say You Will and subsequent world tour.  It was released as a double CD in the USA containing 36 songs, and as a single disc in the United Kingdom. It debuted on the Billboard 200 album chart at number 12 on 2 November 2002. It spent 42 weeks on the chart. It was certified gold on 12 November 2002, and platinum on 10 January 2003, by the RIAA.

The US version contained the highly successful Californian era of Fleetwood Mac's work (1975 onwards). It also featured the B-side "Silver Springs", the previously unreleased The Dance performance of "Go Insane", and several rare single remixes of key tracks, such as "Rhiannon" and "Sisters of the Moon".  The UK version of 2002 contained a few songs from the Peter Green-led blues era of Fleetwood Mac. 

In October 2009, the two-disc US version was released in the UK and many other territories in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, to coincide with the European and Australasian legs of the group's 'Unleashed' world tour. The re-released version features a different picture on the outer slipcase to previous releases. The re-release has proven to be as successful in the UK as the previous 2002 release, and it re-entered the UK album chart at #6 (the 2002 edition had peaked at #7). Sales of both the 2002 edition and the 2009 edition combined have achieved quadruple platinum status (shipping of 1,200,000) by March 2010. The album had spent 100 weeks in the UK Top 100 by June 2011. It reached #1 on the Australian ARIA Catalogue Chart in December 2009, and achieved platinum status in New Zealand within only 5 weeks after release there.

This release marks the first time the album has been made available digitally in the US on iTunes or Amazon.

Wiki

Expected iTunes / Amazon Release date: Jan 29, 2013.  Pre-Order or Amazon

Stevie Nicks Live in L.A. Jan 31st with Dave Grohl and The Sound City Players - Hollywood Palladium

SOUND CITY PLAYERS: L.A. DEBUT & THEATRICAL PREMIERE JANUARY 31

On the heels of their instantly sold out debut live performance and Sundance premiere, Dave Grohl’s SOUND CITY PLAYERS have confirmed that they will commemorate SOUND CITY the film’s January 31 Los Angeles premiere at the Cinerama Dome with a one-time-only L.A. performance that same night at the Hollywood Palladium.

The supergroup features Stevie Nicks, Rick Springfield, John Fogerty, Lee Ving of Fear, Brad Wilk of Rage Against The Machine, Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick, Robert Levon Been and Peter Hayes of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Alain Johannes and Chris Goss, as well as Foo Fighters regulars Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett and Pat Smear and Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic.

Tickets On Sale 12 noon January 16th at Livenation

Ticket Price: US $75.00 Ticket + US $15.90 Fees = US $90.90

Check the list of cities... The Documentary could be playing in your city FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY on January 31st!  Soundcitymovie

Hollywood Reporter

Review: Lindsey Buckingham obliterates the concept of what a solo acoustic concert can be

The first is Lindsey Buckingham's One Man Show, a near-exact replica, right down to the between-song banter, of the program that the Fleetwood Mac frontman gave at the Lexington Opera House in November. Regardless of such a steadfast repertoire, this is a blistering set mostly because Buckingham obliterates the concept of what a solo acoustic concert can be.

One Man Show is not some folkie reinvention of Buckingham's music in and out of Fleetwood Mac. It is, rather, what its title implies: an unaccompanied rock parade that just happens to acoustic. From Buckingham's ageless vocal howl to guitar work that exerts itself with dizzying exactness, the record is steeped in frenzy.

It doesn't matter whether the music stews in the brooding intensity of Go Insane, Never Going Back Again and So Afraid or boils over with the hopped-up drive of Big Love, where the guitar runs sound positively caffeinated. Either way, Buckingham presents One Man Show as a restless joyride.

Big Mac faves make up roughly half the album, and Buckingham fleshes out the remainder with some genuine surprises. From the early '70s comes the pre-Fleetwood Mac instrumental Stephanie, One Man Show's lone statement of solace. But the real treats come by way of three tunes from Buckingham's underrated 2007 solo album, Under the Skin, highlighted by the bittersweet departure meditation Cast Away Dreams.

As of now, One Man Show is available only through iTunes.

by Walter Tunis at Kentucky.com

Warner Bros. releases Fleetwood Mac masterpiece 'TUSK' on 180-gram audiophile 2xLP vinyl

Fleetwood Mac – Tusk – Warner Brothers (1979)/ Reprise Records (2012) 531909- 180-gram audiophile.

In 1979, Fleetwood Mac recorded Tusk. At a cost exceeding 1 million dollars, and taking up two years in studio time, this double album was a significant departure. Under the artistic direction of Buckingham, the twenty-song project mixes a variety of musical styles in a fragmented technical whirlwind. Surrounding the concise songwriting of McVie and Nicks is the spontaneity of Buckingham. However, the anchor to this music is the inimitable rhythm section of Mick Fleetwood and John McVie. It is hard to think of another bass/drum partnership that is so fluent and cohesive. Side 1 opens with a subtle atmospheric number (“Over And Over”) that showcases McVie’s soulful alto, and the blended backup vocals. The next song is more experimental with Buckingham adding some New Wave guitar jaggedness. The juxtaposition continues with a buoyant love song (with impeccable harmonies) arranged in a joyful, British folk romp (“Save Me A Place”). The side concludes with Nicks’ ruminative “Sara”. Her deep-throated singing is compelling and the ethereal backup singing on the bridge is exquisite.

Full Review by Robbie Gerson at audaud.com

The 2 LP set is available on Amazon - $39.99

Now 64, Stevie Nicks still loves billowing skirts and spinning around in a shawl. For that, we admire her even more.

Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac fame. 

No other woman has so successfully managed to have a life in one of the best bands of all time, and go on to impress as a soloist with hits including Bella Donna and Rooms On Fire. All that, and she’s still the queen of rock ’n’ roll, 40 years after it all began in the early ’70s.

Read the full article in the Fabulous e-magazine. Also found free each Sunday in The Sun (UK)

New Interview: Stevie Nicks: the return of Fleetwood Mac

Stevie Nicks's tumultuous life as a rock queen led her to addiction, heartbreak and "insanity". As Fleetwood Mac reunites, she tells Caspar Llewellyn Smith why she's going back for more

by: Caspar Llewellyn Smith
The Guardian

Before I meet Stevie Nicks, I hear her. She is downstairs somewhere in the house she's renting on the beach in Malibu – a short drive, traffic allowing, up the Californian coastline from the two homes she owns in LA – and looking for her dark glasses. It's early evening in December and has long since turned dark outside, but if you're the ultimate rock goddess – NME's recent description, testament to an ongoing revaluation of interest in Fleetwood Mac among the younger generation – wearing shades at night goes with the territory.

Scented candles are spaced throughout the room and there's a well-thumbed copy of the first book in The Twilight Saga on a side table – signs that suggest that the 64-year-old singer is comfortably in residence. Plus there's her Yorkshire terrier, getting stuck continuously under my feet. But, as Nicks says, when all five feet one-and-a-half inches of her does emerge at the top of the stairs, she can't seem to settle.

In fact she shouldn't be here at all (and wasn't planning any interviews), but on holiday in the Florida Keys she was getting bitten to death by bugs and, besides, felt bored. Going home to either of her places in the city wasn't an option because right now she's "making a molecular change": parking her solo career, which saw her tour the world with her solo album In Your Dreams for the past two years, and getting ready for the return of the Mac.

Instead she asked to see if this place, which she'd rented previously, was available. "I'm trying to rest and it's really hard to rest because in either one of my own houses I feel like I should be working," she explains. "I've been coming here off and on for nearly 10 years and there's absolutely nothing for me to do except draw or sit and write poetry or bring the electric piano down." Problem is, "I've been here since Tuesday and I haven't managed yet to actually come up here at three in the afternoon and go sit on that miserable couch and draw for a few hours – because that's when I know I've made a change."

Despite the homely touches, the house looks perfectly nondescript from the outside, and it's modestly apportioned by the standards of LA rock aristocracy. But then Nicks doesn't play the diva either – kooky fan of fantasy, yes (her fondness for the oeuvre of Stephenie Meyer and liking for US fantasy TV series Game of Thrones fits right into that), but not the figure who insisted during Fleetwood Mac's Tusk tour that every hotel room she stayed in be painted pink and must house a white piano.

It is now 40 years since her first album, Buckingham Nicks – the fruit of her relationship, both musical and romantic, with Lindsey Buckingham – and life is coming full circle. Later this month, the most classic of all Fleetwood Mac albums, Rumours, gets the full reissue treatment, and the band will hit the road again for a US tour that will also likely come to Europe. (Of the rumours that they'll headline Glastonbury, Nicks is noncommittal, though she does say she'd love to do it.)

There is also the likelihood of the first new Fleetwood Mac record in 10 years – and even the prospect of a second Buckingham-Nicks album. For fans, this news is as exciting as it might sound improbable. Nicks once said herself that "to be in Fleetwood Mac is to live in a soap opera. And it has been pretty scandalous and incestuous…" And of all relationships, it's been that between her and Buckingham that has provided the richest story lines of all.