.png)
.png)
Monday, December 28, 2009
THE VERY BEST OF FLEETWOOD MAC (UK AND AUSTRALIAN CHARTS UPDATE)
"The Very Best Of" is down two positions to #23 in the UK.
UK TOP 75 CHART RUN (2009 Best Of Version):
Week 1 #6 Debut
Week 2 #10
Week 3 #12
Week 4 #15
Week 5 #26
Week 6 #29
Week 7 #31
Week 8 #25
Week 9 #21
Week 10 #23
AUSTRALIA:
ARIA TOP 50 CATALOGUE ALBUMS CHART - Week of December 28th:
"The Very Best Of" notches another week at No. 1 on the Australian Top 50 Catalogue Charts. Total weeks on the Catalogue Chart = 7.
ARIA TOP 50 ALBUMS CHART - Week of December 28th:
Fleetwood Mac's "The Very Best Of" drops to #25 on the chart. Total weeks it's placed non-consecutively on the chart = 103
ARIA TOP 50 PHYSICAL ALBUMS CHART - Week of December 28th:
"The Very Best Of" drops down to #22 on the Physical Albums Chart. Total weeks it's placed non-consecutively on the chart = 108
Fleetwood likes to spend his time with the reds and the blues
SIMON COLLINS, The West Australian
When he is not touring with Fleetwood Mac, drummer Mick Fleetwood likes to spend his time with the reds and the blues.
The reds are the wines he has blended with California's Langtry Estate and Vineyard for the past eight years, and the blues are of the 12-bar variety found on the Mick Fleetwood Blues Band's latest album Blue Again.
A Grammy-nominated return to his roots, the album draws on the British blues sound of the original Fleetwood Mac, formed in the late 60s by Fleetwood and gun guitarist Peter Green. Bassist John McVie soon joined to add the "Mac" part of their moniker.
Chatting during the Mac's recent Australian tour, the English-born musician says his Mick Fleetwood Private Cellar range has overcome the usual snobbishness directed towards celebrity labels and is making serious inroads into the US market.
"I love it. It's hard work and it's been a lot of fun," Fleetwood, 62, says from the Hyatt Hotel. "I'm not a big technician, like my playing, but I come from the heart and fortunately we're getting really well written up."
While there was little time for the giant drummer to sample some local wines during the Fleetwood Mac tour, he hopes to do some serious "research" when he returns for some east coast shows with the Mick Fleetwood Blues Band in February.
Fleetwood's fifth "solo" release since 1981, Blue Again features guitarist/singer Rick Vito who toured with Fleetwood Mac from 1987-91 when Lindsey Buckingham left the band.
The blues side project is a chance for Fleetwood to reconnect with the traditional sound of the 60s British blues movement as well as the origins of his legendary pop outfit.
"I'm a blues player and that's certainly me and John (McVie) - we came out of that whole blues movement. It's just something I've always loved to do," Fleetwood says. "To focus on that has been a thrill and getting back to playing blues and really addressing some of the original Fleetwood Mac material is a joy."
The Hawaii-based musician and vintner enjoys changing gears between the precise stadium shows of Fleetwood Mac and the looser, smaller performances of the Mick Fleetwood Blues Band.
"When Fleetwood Mac get out and grind the big wheel and get it going, it's sort of hard to stop which is good because . . . there's plenty of bums on seats," he says. "I love to play (with the Mac) - every performance is a joy.
"But you're aware of a lot more pressure just by the fact you're representing a musical franchise. You've got to be on the spot at the right time."
Meanwhile, the blues band affords him a chance to jam and have some fun with 12-bar blues. "There's more freedom for an old fart like me to mess around," he laughs.
The Mick Fleetwood Blues Band started with loftier aspirations than winery tours and bar-room jams. When he and Vito planned the project two years ago, they wanted a reunion of the original Fleetwood Mac members at London's Royal Albert Hall. While he managed to convince former slide guitar player Jeremy Spencer, who left the band in 1971 to join a Christian cult, to perform, the event hinged on the presence of Green.
The guitar great has battled schizophrenia for most of his life and got the "heebie-jeebies" not long before the show, forcing Fleetwood to cancel the event. Green still has a strong presence on Blue Again. Half the songs on the album were penned by him, including Black Magic Woman, Albatross and Rattlesnake Shake.
While the blues band gigs are always fun, Fleetwood says that the Mac's current greatest hits tour - which stopped by Perth for two epic concerts this month - has been one of the most enjoyable in the legendary band's long history.
He says that without a new album to worry about, the two odd couples of the Mac - himself and McVie; Stevie Nicks and Buckingham - have somehow managed to tour without burning out.
A clear sign of a rare healthy passage for Fleetwood Mac came when Blue Again landed a Grammy nomination for best traditional blues album and Nicks was only beset by mock envy.
Fleetwood chuckles: "Stevie congratulated me and said, 'Well, I didn't get a Grammy nomination for my solo album'."
Blue Again is out now.
CAN DON HENLEY AND STEVIE NICKS WORK TOGETHER?
Can Don Henley and Stevie Nicks Work Together on an Eagles and Fleetwood Mac Tour?
December 27, 2009 by Ron Hart Ron HartAssociated Content
Will Don Henley and Stevie Nicks share the stage, and the limelight, as the rumored Eagles and Fleetwood Mac co-headlining classic rock tour seems to be close to official? As Henley and Nicks are the most recognizable names and faces in their respective 1970's rock super-groups, the two share a history that somehow manages to be both shrouded in mystery and well publicized.
Probably the most difficult aspect to putting together a concert tour like this one is not logistical in nature. Though logistics can be a challenge, the biggest obstacle can be the egos involved. Who exactly is the bigger group, the Eagles or Fleetwood Mac? Who will close the show? Are more Eagles fans or more Fleetwood Mac fans coming? How will this affect the dynamic between the principals in the two groups?
Now, throw in the fact that Don Henley and Stevie Nicks had an on again and off again love affair during the late 1970's and into the early 1980's, and you have an even more complicated situation. While both are quite a bit older now, romances from the past often are hardwired in people's psyche. To further complicate matters, Nicks was involved in no less than three of the other participants in this mega concert tour: Lindsay Buckingham and Mick Fleetwood from Fleetwood Mac, and Joe Walsh from the Eagles.
If this all seems to add up to a potentially tenuous situation, here is one more thing to consider. Don Henley, in an GQ article from the early 1990's, told the world that he believed Nicks became pregnant by him, aborted the baby and named the unborn fetus Sara. Henley shared that he believed Nicks then wrote one of her most famous songs, Sara, and dedicated it to the Henley sired love child that would never be.
In subsequent years, Stevie Nicks made it clear that she was not at all happy with Henley's statement to the world. While she did not deny being pregnant with Henley's child, she apparently was very unhappy with Henley for sharing it in an interview with a national magazine.
Certainly, it appears that through the years Henley and Nicks have patched things up. In recent years, they have performed on stage together, most notably during a mini-tour without the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac in which both performed alone and together.
While both Henley and Nicks became solo stars in their own right, neither became nearly as big as they were with the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac respectively. So while a small solo tour with the King and Queen of 1970's Southern California rock seemingly went well, an Eagles and Fleetwood Mac pairing will have a lot more attention and will represent a lot more at stake.
Both groups have had more than their share of internal drama, but as they bring them together to sell out football and baseball stadiums across the country, it will be very interesting to observe their on stage dynamic (if they perform together), and any offstage drama that may leak out to the world at large.
While both Henley and Nicks are total professionals, and as each are nearing the point of senior citizenship, it is unlikely that any real 'dirty laundry' will be exposed. And for his part, Henley is now a married man. But if the interpersonal relationships again get emotional or complicated, it will be interesting to see how it might effect the tour and the product on the stage.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)