record shift

This is literally the first result when you type into Google: parody fleetwood mac. I know, it's pretty lame that I'm just about to show you what you could have easily looked up yourself, but here we are (we as in myself and now you, Nairi). I watched the whole thing and it's pretty amusing to think about how Fleetwood Mac were thought of at the time. French and Saunders, in the video above, was a British sketch show that began in 1987 and ended in 2007. I wonder how Fleetwood Mac fit into an era of hip hop and grunge. I still meet a lot of folks who know 'that one song' by Fleetwood Mac and I'm sorry if I ever roll my eyes at you but COME ON. Anyway I'm saying all that to think about how the writers of this sketch came to parody Fleetwood Mac - were they fans? or were they making fun of a band aging out on younger ears? In any case, this video has amused many a YouTube commenter. Also, the Wikipedia page for French and Saunders reveals this fantastic picture:

"Songbird" is the next song in our review of Rumours and while I hold a strong Christine McVie bias I generally try to forget this song is in her repertoire. it's tough to follow "Go Your Own Way" and all those other upbeat tracks with a song as slow as this one. still, I appreciate this live video, another from the 1977 show in Japan. what do we all think of this song?

Sako: Certainly a pretty song and her voice is amazing here. I'm pretty torn because the vocals and lyrics are so good but it's a ballad between the two rock songs on the album so it changes the mood quite a bit.

Nairi: I think it's a really beautiful song, but it's kind of boring. I definitely need to be in a mood to listen to it. I wish they would have switched this out and put in Silver Springs instead (which I think is a better fit on the album anyway). 

Me: (note: when I first wrote out my reviews, I thought this was the first Christine song on the album - wrong! it's actually "Don't Stop".) I can't believe this is the first Christine track. And I almost always skip it. I sometimes groan when she gets into the second verse. Who are you singing about, Christine?! I will finish this song - OMG, not even halfway (at time of writing). 

watch this bootleg version of "Go Your Own Way" - fifth track off Rumours - from a performance in Japan. I dig the Japanese subtitles, which I can only guess are the lyrics to the song. written by Lindsey, it talks about the end of his relationship with Stevie. you can tell he has a lot of love for her when he goes, "Maybe I'd give you my world" but it does have some bitterness. like, I wonder how Stevie feels when he is singing, "Packing up, shacking up all's you wanna do." all I know is she looks super sexy rocking out with the tambourine. also, there is an extended instrumental break during the last half of the video. can't wait to see them jam out live in December!

so, what do we all think of this classic?

Sako: Are you kidding? This song is perfect, there is nothing I dislike about it. The lyrics are incredibly sad and haunting but that guitar and bass...oh yeah! Also I love Lindsey's vocals here with the girls as back-up. 2:30 onwards is pure gold. "Maybe I'd give you my world. How can I when you won't take it from me?" 

Nairi: who doesn't like this song haha. It's awesome. It's a goddamn classic!

yesterday's gone, Fleetwood Mac friends! "Don't Stop" is the fourth track on the album Rumours and it sure puts a pep in my step. this is a live video from 1977, apparently at Le Zenith in Paris. initially I thought this was another Lindsey Buckingham song, but it was written by Christine McVie who wrote this after her marriage to John McVie ended. she says it wasn't necessarily directed towards him, just that she's not a pessimist in general. I feel you, Christine! pessimism is kind of a bummer, and dwelling on the past, the 'what-ifs' can bring you down. thinking about tomorrow sure seems like the sign of someone pulling themselves out of a slump. 

and another fun factoid from Le Wikipedia: apparently Bill Clinton used this for his 1992 campaign and got the then-broken up band to regroup and perform in 1993. I wish I was a Clinton so I could get amazing defunct bands to perform for me!! what do we all think of this Tuesday tune?

Sako: Such a pop song but a ridicously (spelling is hard) fun song. It's impossible not to move to this song especially towards the end of the song "don't you look baaaaack"

Nairi: This is a classic but it doesn't do much for me. It's also not a song I often actively pick to listen to. I like it but it's not a favorite. 

Me: I like the music a lot - classic Fleetwood! "Oohhhh, don't you look back" - if my life was a movie, I would want Fleetwood Mac singing this behind me as I walk away from difficult times.

happy Monday, friends! it's almost over, which means you can already start looking forward to Tuesday which is almost mid-week which is basically the weekend! only trouble with Mondays is they always return. alas.

"Never Going Back Again" is the third track on the album Rumours. here is a video of the band performing in Japan, 1977. check Lindsey on the guitar - finger pickin' away like it ain't a thing, but it sounds so good. makes me wonder how Stevie feels listening to these lyrics, since this was written after her and Lindsey ended their relationship. I mean, how would you feel if your ex was like, oh yeah, totally found a new person who makes me happy and feel better about life again because we broke up and that sucked? I don't want to say I'm into breakup songs, but I'm into this because I feel like Lindsey and Stevie are all about making themselves happy with what they love, not who loves them. and what they love is making that sweet, sweet music. thank goodness. barely over two minutes, what do we all think of this short and sweet Lindsey diddy?

Sako: I always considered this as an interlude type of song. It has an inspired beat and is a very "cool" song. However it will always remain as an album song to me. I usually don't single this one out for a small Fleetwood Jam Session (FJS). 

Nairi:  I actually really like this song. It's also my ringtone... hahah. I love the guitar and how simple the accompanying music is. I also realize the irony of me liking this song because I tend to gravitate to stevie's "wordier" songs (wordy for FM not in general lol), but I just find this song very charming. 

it's Friday night and the living's easy with this beauty of a track, "Dreams," written by Stevie Nicks in Sausalito, where they recorded much of Rumours. apparently she went into a studio belonging to Sly & The Family Stone and wrote this song in ten minutes. there are few things I can successfully accomplish in ten minutes, let alone write a goddamn song, so color me impressed with the writing ability of Stevie. I mean, have you read all the lyrics to this song? 

It's only right that you should Play the way you feel it But listen carefully to the sound Of your loneliness Like a heartbeat.. drives you mad In the stillness of remembering what you had

I mean, that's just the first part of the song and she sings it so beautifully. SO BEAUTIFULLY! especially in light of all the stuff going down within the band at the time with the divorces and breakups. I could go on and on about this song, but I'll stop here and share the opinions of Fleetwood Mac friends Sako and Nairi. 

Sako: So I may be in a minority, but I consider this among the weaker songs on the album [ed note: respect your opinions, but dang, it makes me sad you think so]. Not sure why but it isn't doing it for me, I feel like I'm never in the mood for this song. That said, it is a beautiful song and I usually don't skip. 

Nairi: Not to be a cliche, but I really do love this song. It's kind of like Gypsy in that my instinct is to like it because I recognize the song from my childhood, but with every listen I come to appreciate the song more. The lyrics and the sentiment is so beautiful and of course the music and the buildup is perfect. 

it's the moment no one's been waiting for...our reviews of Rumours! this 1977 album co-produced with Richard Dashut (on this here Tumblr as dickdash) and Ken Caillat (who also produced Mirage and Tusk) is made up of 11 solid tracks with 4 hit singles, including one of my personal faves, "Dreams." for the Bay Area folks, interestingly this album was produced in Sausalito at the height of hippie culture and optimal access to drugs. while Stevie apparently thought that their music was best produced while mildly f*cked up, Lindsey thought it was the tensions of the emergence of intimate personal problems within the band that 'informed the recording process.' 

the album opens with "Second Hand News" - an upbeat track in classic Lindsey Buckingham style. this video shows Lindsey rockin' out with a significantly shorter haircut compared to this photo by Richard Dashut:

what do we all think of the opener to Fleetwood Mac's most commercially successful album?

Sako: Amazing start to the album. Always brings up my energy. I love driving to this tune 'cause there is an awesome build-up and nice parts to belt to.

Nairi: It's a nice upbeat start to the album. This was actually a favorite of mine when I first started listening to FM. As I have grown to listen to more of their work, I have pulled away a bit from this song. I tend to skip it/ not fully concentrate when it comes on. I don't often actively pick this song to listen to but when it comes on accidentally I enjoy it. 

It's unfortunate that Spotify and Youtube don't have stats on the number of times I've listened to Fleetwood Mac, but over the last 40 days, I have been listening to them pretty much all day every day. I've learned more about their songwriting than ever before--distinguishing the styles of each member, and noticing some themes among their lyrical expressions. Notably is the repeated referral to crystals by Stevie Nicks. Snowflakes and precious stones are fine examples of nature's crystals, but what of the crystals in Stevie's writing? 

On their self-titled album, Stevie is credited to three songs, including "Crystal" - a song which has gone under-appreciated in my listenings, but begins our journey through the lyrical stylings of Stevie. 

Then I knew in the crystalline knowledge of you Drove me through the mountains Through the crystal like a clear water fountain Drove me like a magnet, to the sea, to the sea To the sea, yeah

Pardon my pun, but it is clear that when Stevie refers to crystals, she is expressing clarity. This song was written during her relationship with Lindsey Buckingham and, as you may recall, he sung the vocals for this song on the recorded version on Fleetwood Mac. (Stevie later recorded her own version for the movie Practical Magic.) I like this interpretation from FleetwoodMac.net, which talks about their relationship a bit more - interpreting the 'crystalline knowledge' as Stevie coming to clarity with her love with Lindsey. As far as love stories go, theirs runs fairly deep and, as it turns out, 'Crystal' initially appeared on the Buckingham Nicks album from 1973. 

Sexy! Consider me a fan of this album cover. 

The version on this album also features Lindsey's vocals and I think I like this lo-fi, intimate version more than the one they recorded with Fleetwood Mac. The harmonies between Stevie and Lindsey are some of the sweetest sounds to my ears - could it be attributed to their intimate relationship? I don't know anything about the personal details of their relationship, but I think I have always viewed it as tumultuous, which makes sense, given that they met each other while in high school. It is only a matter of time before cracks form on the fault. No one is to blame, for who is to know when a relationship isn't meant to be? At least we have this piece of Buckingham-Nicks' love story to remind us that, despite our own doubts, love can feel true and clear. 

it's been four days since I posted on this here Tumblr - I'm going to blame it on the fact that it's this song, "I'm So Afraid", that has to round out our album review of Fleetwood Mc's self-titled album featuring the line-up of Christine McVie, John McVie, Mick Fleetwood, Lindsey Buckingham, and the one and only Stevie Nicks. it's just - well, let's just see what we all had to say about this final track on the album... 

Sako: A weird track on this album honestly. The riffs don't sound like Fleetwood at all - at least not post-Lindsey/Stevie Fleetwood.

Nairi: This song felt very different from the other songs to me; it sounds more contemporary to me than the other ones, which have a very 70s folk sound. I like the sound though (more rock-y). I think I will grow to like this one in time. I like the song on it's own but I think it's a little out of place on the album. 

Me: (no comments, just know this is my bottom-ranked of the last three tracks on this album)

overall, this album has some classics for anyone to appreciate. here are our best / worst of Fleetwood Mac--

Sako: Blue Letter, Landslide / Warm Ways

Nairi: Rhiannon, Landslide, Sugar Daddy, Blue Letter / I'm So Afraid, World Turning 

Me: Warm Ways, Rhiannon, Over My Head, Say You Love Me, Landslide /  I'm So Afraid, Crystal

what's up everybody! it's another day in #100DaysOfFleetwoodMac and we're going to go right into talking about 'Sugar Daddy' written and sung by Christine McVie. yesterday I wrote that World Turning was my top track of the last three songs on the album, but I didn't notice that I had left notes on this song. what do we all think of this song with a silly title?

Sako: Does Christine have a daddy obsession? I like this one a lot more than "Oh Daddy." Has a nice funk sound. "I'm not asking for love, just a little sympathy." [ed note: right on, Sako! I like this line too.]

Nairi: This obviously is the best named track on the album. Name aside though I like it! It's upbeat and the lyrics are something I can get behind. I think this might be my favorite on the album after Rhiannon and Landslide. It's well paced and fun. And I like Christine's voice in it as well. I think I like her in more upbeat songs because her voice isn't compelling enough for me on a slow song/ballad. 

we are slowly reaching the end of reviewing Fleetwood Mac's self-titled album. here is a great live video of "World Turning" (co-written by Christine and Lindsey), which makes me appreciate this song a lot more than I currently do. in fact, when I initially wrote my album review, I just lumped the last three songs and ranked them--actually, not really, because it looks like I don't have any notes for this song or the last song. good thing Sako and Nairi had some thoughts to share!!

Sako: Really like the breakdown at the end.

Nairi: I think it starts off really promising but then tapers off (but not necessarily in a bad way). I like it but I feel like it's missing something.... I can't tell if it's trying to be more rock or more like an upbeat ballad? When it started I wanted it to be a favorite but then it just kind of disappointed me. But it's still a good song and the guitar is sweet. 

four weeks ago, I wrote a little bit about "Landslide" but today it deserves some extra special attention. Nairi sent me this version of the song and I'm not saying she cried or that I cried (/am crying), but sometimes, this song seems to pull out feelings from my heart that I didn't know existed. apparently Stevie wrote this song while in Aspen, Colorado, contemplating her continuation with Lindsey and Fleetwood Mac, or heading back to school. Stevie, I'm glad you stayed in music, though I wonder what would have happened to you had you gone to school. not sure my life would be the same. and Nairi - not sure what will happen if you go back to school, but if Stevie would have anything to say about it, it would probably be beautiful words in your ears because she is a goddess poet. 

Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love? Can the child within my heart rise above? Can I sail through the changing ocean tides? Can I handle the seasons of my life?

seriously good shit. and now, here are our thoughts (or lack thereof):

Sako: No words needed. 

Nairi: Refer to my comments about Rhiannon. My emotions are the same. 

it's another Fleetwood Mac Monday, and I'm happy we get to start off the week with this lovable track "Say You Love Me" written by the one and only Christine McVie. this was written during her marriage to John McVie. it's so interesting to listen to the more intimate parts of a relationship, especially between married band members. even more interesting is that of the seven tours they had with this song on their setlist, they were divorced for three of them. ugh! Fleetwood Mac, pulling at all my heart strings. here is what we all thought of the song...

Sako: This is a classic and such a fun song. Well done Christine.

Nairi: Obviously this is a classic/fan favorite. It's not one of my favorites but obviously I still like it a lot. 

Me: Classic. Great bass that I find myself tapping my foot to. 1:50 instrumental break - so good. Good collaboration, one of the few tracks I don't mind without Stevie. I love this verse:

Have pity baby, Just when I thought it was over, Now you got me running, running, running for cover. I'm begging you for a little sympathy, And if you use me again it'll be the end of me.