Day of three finds us looking in at the driving guitar force of Fleetwood Mac, with Lindsey Buckingham. There's no denying that adding Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham to the Fleetwood Mac mix completely elevated the band to another level. Each one had such a distinct sound, when coupled together they form a complex companionship. Separated, you can hear their unique voices in a more complete setting.
In this experiment, not every song works. Again, this isn't a "best of." It's about what group of songs can cohesively go together to form an album. Now while Tusk is pretty much a full Fleetwood Mac contribution, it's really Lindsey's baby (not to mention that it there was some good extra credit in there for a few USC students) hence its inclusion.
Enjoy and let me know which edition is your favorite.
Here is Buckingham Mac:
- Tusk (Tusk)
- Tango In The Night (Tango In The Night)
- Big Love (Tango In The Night)
- Empire State (Mirage)
- Go Your Own Way (Rumors)
- Family Man (Tango in the Night)
- Can't Go Back (Mirage)
- Monday Morning (Fleetwood Mac)
- What Makes You Think You're The One (Tusk)
- Caroline (Tango In The Night)
- I'm So Afraid (Fleetwood Mac)
One of my favorite bands of all time is Fleetwood Mac. What makes The Mac so amazing isn't one particular member. The band is a true sum of its parts. They are the gold standard when it comes to the team effort approach to their songs, albums and live shows. Though they are a chameleon of a band who has evolved and changed over time, they have had their share of chaotic times. But difficult roads lead to beautiful destinations. When the group is in sync with each other, there is no one better.
But what if that wasn't true? What if Fleetwood Mac only had one singer? The Mac has been known since their early beginnings as a band who has shared vocal duties. But just for fun...what if that wasn't true? What if they only had one singer? What would an album by Fleetwood Mac sound like? Over the next three days, I want to look at three different versions of The Mac...each one featuring a different singer. What would an album sound like if only Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie or Lindsey Buckingham were the singer? I am not advocating this should be the case...but what if?
Up first, here is the Stevie Nicks version of Fleetwood Mac. I have kept the album to a tight 11 songs, trying to find the best songs that cohesively fit together. It's an interesting experiment and I'd love to know your thoughts. Listen below.
In making the perfect Thanksgiving holiday mix, I have realized one very important thing: there are no Thanksgiving songs. How is it possible in the most capitalistic country in the world that the mass marketing propaganda machine never exploited the Thanksgiving holiday (which is America's own unique holiday) with tunes to celebrate the day? There are more songs celebrating Festivus (which is a fictional holiday created by George Costanza) than there are songs about Thanksgiving. Today, that changes.
Websites have attempted to make Thanksgiving playlists in the past, but there are always glaring issues with them. Because of the lack of overt Thanksgiving songs, songs that potentially encompass the Thanksgiving theme are selected even though they have nothing to do with the mood or feeling of this day. Playlists tend to pick songs with Thanksgiving food in the title but songs like Dee Dee Sharp's "Mashed Potato" is not about the dinner staple but about a dance. Ray Charles' "Sweet Potato Pie" is about a girl not a dessert. Also, just because a song has "Thanks" or "thank you" in the title doesn't instantly make it Thanksgiving worthy. Andrew Gold's "Thank You for Being a Friend" or Dido's "Thank You" are nice gratious songs but only borderline set the right mood. Or even Drive-By Truckers "Thanksgiving Filter" is dead-on accurate but not appropriate for a family setting. Some songs have major religious themes but ultimately Thanksgiving isn't a religious holiday. Too many of them feel out of place. And lastly, some of the Thanksgiving-esque songs just plain suck.
So I have challenged myself to make the best Thanksgiving playlist ever. In making the list, I wanted to encompass what is truly at the core of the holiday. Having gratitude is a major component, but I believe more than anything, Thanksgiving is about family. Thanksgiving is about bringing together the family and celebrating our differences as much as our simularities. And being thankful for having them in our lives.
I have scoured the internet and my personal library to create a playlist that is as ecclectic as a Thanksgiving meal and as diverse as the dinner guests. Enjoy and have a happy Thanksgiving.
We all have our favorites. We all have artists who we follow. We all have artists who we can listen to no matter the album, whether it's considered their best or their worst. For me that artist is Tom Petty. He has been one of my favorites for over 25 years. He also may be the only artist among my favorites I've never seen live. That changed this week. After going through a deeply frustrating personal set-back, one of my best friends came through out of the blue with a free ticket to his show in Anaheim. It could not have come at a better time, and it was exactly what I needed. Tom Petty...40 years a rock n roll star...put on one of the best rock shows I have ever seen. It was big, personal, and filled with every riff I ever wanted to hear out of Petty's mouth or Campbell's guitar. Today, I have gratitude that when we get knocked down that our friends are there to pick us up.
One of Petty's best rock friends is the one and only Stevie Nicks. Many people don't know that Nicks almost became a member of the Heartbreakers in the 80s. Nicks may have had a massive career in dysfunctional family of Fleetwood Mac but her solo outings were ripe with huge duets and guests that made her equally respected on her own. And with Mike Campbell sneaking into every one of her solo albums, it's safe to say that she might as well be a Heartbreaker.
