The Tortured Fans Department
The Tortured Fans Department will meet weekly to discuss the latest news in sports and music. Our focus will be on providing a fun listening experience for everyone. Topics will range from fantasy football sleepers to album reviews for our favorite artists. We will talk about travel, TV or whatever else catches our attention, but we promise there will be something for everyone in each episode.
The Tortured Fans Department
Ep. 51 - 'Rumours' - Fleetwood Mac (The Record Club - Volume 1)
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Shaun and Ryan kick off a new series on the Tortured Fans Department called 'The Record Club' where we will do album deep dives into some of our favorite records ever. The structure of these will be similar to our album review episodes, where we provide some history around the artist, a background of the album and a track by track breakdown. We are also going to be placing the songs into tiers and giving the album a final score.
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Hello, everybody, and welcome back to another episode of the Tortured Fans Department podcast. I am your host, Sean Boyle, and joining me today it's a recurring guest. It's a special guest, it's my good friend, Ryan Amade. Ryan, how are you?
SPEAKER_02Doing great. Memorial Day weekend. Excited to be here. Excited to chat more music as always. Dive into the archives a little bit today. Looking forward to it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, Ryan, you alluded to it. And as listeners, as you could tell from the episode title, this is a new type of show we have in store for you today. We've done album reviews to new releases, and we will continue to do those. But there are so many albums out there that are deserving of some more discussion. And I thought of this series as a way to do just that. So as you can tell, this one is going to be about Fleetwood Max rumors. The structure of these episodes will be similar to those of album reviews, but we will zoom out a bit more. We'll cover the artist or band's history. We'll talk more about the background of the album. But we also want this series to be a chance for friends of the show or listeners of the program to bring albums they are passionate about to the table. So if any of you are out there that have an album that you love and you want to come on and discuss, please reach out. There are no wrong answers. Next episode in the series, Ryan is going to be bringing an album to me, and he'll be the one doing the majority of the talking. Unfortunately for you today, you're going to get a heavy dose of my voice. So hopefully I can do enough to keep you entertained.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I love this idea when you when you mentioned it. I got quite a few albums that I'm passionate about. I already got my one locked and loaded, I think, for the next one, so I'm excited. But no spoilers, but uh this is just such an iconic one. You see it hanging up behind you on the wall. You said it was your first vinyl. I mean, how much more iconic can you get than rumors by Fleetwood Mac? So I'm excited to dive into it. Obviously, you know, this is one that uh a lot of people are gonna have familiarity with, so I think that's good. But also how I mean, just how could you not love this album? It's incredible.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think we'd be foolish to start anywhere other than here. Not just for how good this album is musically, but all of the interesting mania that took place to get this album recorded, I think is important to talk about. So we're gonna dive into all that today. Ryan, let's just start the conversation here, as we always do. It's the artist background. How familiar are you with Fleetwood Mac? Everybody knows them, but I guess my question to you would be what level of fan would you consider yourself?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I mean, to be honest with you, I'm not like intimate with all the lore. So like I know kind of you know 50,000 foot stuff, but I'm excited for you to educate me a little bit on some of the deeper uh lore of the band. But I I do like their stuff generally. I mean, I know there's not that many albums, but the stuff that there is is is absolutely iconic. I mean, there's just some some kind of like the it's like soundtrack of our lives type vibes. You know what I mean? Like it's just some of these songs are just so they're just larger than life. And so that I mean that's my familiarity. I mean, there are obviously some of the like slightly deeper cuts that I think are really good. The musicianship to me is is always top-notch, uh, which you know I appreciate, but it really does feel like one of those kind of larger-than-life kind of legendary bands um that create these soundtracks that are just that that you can't you can't put them in a box, right? So that to me, uh Fleetwood Mac kind of has this, you know, as the kids say, this aura about them that is is undeniable.
SPEAKER_00I love that. Bringing it back to the kids using aura. I love that. I think you sum them up pretty well. They're iconic, they are a mainstay still in the modern day music world just because of how relevant they are. Uh I think we're gonna talk about later. Yeah, timeless. They never age, their music never ages, it's always with us. So we'll dive into all of that. Let's start with the history of the band. And this is where I have a bunch of facts laid out for you that I'm not sure if you know. You might know some of them, you might not know others. Please jump in at any time and just let me know your thoughts on the proceedings.
SPEAKER_02Let's go, let's go. Shawnee Pedia, here we go.
SPEAKER_00Fleetwood Mac were founded as a British and American rock band, they were a blues band, I would say, in London in 1967 by a man named Peter Green. So the name simply combines the names of the longtime members, drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVee. Those are two Mick Fleetwood's the only one who's been ever present in the band. Peter Green was in the band originally with them, and at one point they were known as Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac. So it was Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac was their entire name, which is a bit crazy. Yeah, one too many cooks in the kitchen, maybe in that one.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00But they became to be known as DMB vibes. That's right. Yeah. They became known as Fleetwood Mac as we know them today. They started as British Blues, like I said. And if you really listen to the first several Fleetwood Mac albums, they're almost unrecognizable to rumors and the rest of the work that listeners will be familiar with. So they don't sound anything like the songs that we're going to talk about today throughout their first, I would say, eight or nine studio albums, which is shocking. They completely transformed. And I'm going to take you through the course of how they transformed in the next couple minutes.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I'm I'm curious to hear this because I think they're you think Fleetwood Mac, you think of the self-titled album, you think of rumors. Like I don't know a whole heck of a lot outside of that. I'm going to be totally real with you.
SPEAKER_00And Ryan, you're not alone in that. I don't think anybody really does. So I'll preface it by saying, I think you'll actually be very interested in some of their earlier work. I think it is right up your alley musically. So we'll dive into a little bit of that.
SPEAKER_02Okay.
SPEAKER_001970, Petey Green, the founder, leaves the band and in comes Christine McVee, who is John McVee's wife. She had been working with them in the past as a session musician. She played the keys on a couple earlier albums, saying background vocals, but she becomes a full member in 1970. They put out about five albums between 1970 and late 1974 with the band construction of Fleetwood, McVee Squared, and then a rotating cast of role players, is what I would say. Guys by the names of Jeremy Spencer, Danny Kerwan, and Bob Welch. Spencer actually one day said he was going out for a magazine and never returned. Quite the decision. Quite the decision. Out for a magazine. He said, I'm going out for a magazine, never returned, never seen again.
SPEAKER_02We need the newest people. Which is crazy.
SPEAKER_00But at this time, they were not uber successful. They were kind of struggling to make it. So they weren't a rock solid entity that we know them as. So Danny Kerwin left because the pressure got to him. Uh when they were on tour, just the pressure of making studio albums, and in came another rotating character named Bob Weston. And Bob Weston comes, I believe he's very close friends with Mick Fleetwood at the time. They do an album together called Penguin with this crew that's currently assembled.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00So they go on to tour this album in the United States, and two weeks into this tour, Mick Fleetwood finds out his first wife, Patty Boyd, was having an affair with their new guitarist Bob Weston. Fleetwood breaks down, he fires Weston and cancels the rest of the tour.
SPEAKER_02Oh my God.
SPEAKER_00Stunning stuff. So they they cancel, I believe, the remaining 26 U.S. tour dates. And this left the band. Oh yeah. This left the band in a really weird place. So eventually in late 1974, we get to a place where it's really just Mick Fleetwood and the McVee's still standing. And they haven't had anything like the success that they wanted. They all felt a bit beaten down. They didn't really know where to go. They had people in their ear, and they were told that they needed to have a U.S. bass instead of London in order to help with record deals, concert bookings, things of that nature. So McFleetwood comes over to check out Sound City Studios in LA. And while he's there, the house engineer, Keith Olson, plays him a track from a folky rock duo named Buckingham Knicks. Just so happens. Just so happens, Lindsay Buckingham is at the studio that day. And Fleetwood loved what he heard and says, Hey, why don't you join our band? We we kind of need we kind of need some help. We need guitarists, we need vocalists. Buckingham says yes on the condition that his girlfriend and music partner, Stevie Nicks, can join as well.
SPEAKER_02Oh, I wonder if she's any good.
SPEAKER_00Fleetwood says, Yeah, yeah, I guess, dude. You have to bring your girlfriend along. Maybe she could play the triangle or something. No. Little do we know. The rest is basically history, right? So that out that iteration of the band, their first album ever together, is their tenth studio album as the band Fleetwood Mac, but it is the first that features the band that we know and love. So And what album is that? That's the self-titled Fleetwood Mac album. So the first album that they worked together, songs like Landslide, ever heard of it, Rihannen, Over My Head, all of those songs come from the first time they work together. Isn't that crazy? Wow.
SPEAKER_02Landslide gets written in by that like rag tag. Like that's nuts.
SPEAKER_00It's insane. And we're just this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of how crazy this band is. So stay with me. So that album goes to number one in the United States, and we're off and running. Lots of success comes from it. Obviously, they toured the album the following year, 1976. Drugs are a pretty big part of the story here, as were as they were with most bands in this era. I think there was a lot of drug usage. But after the success of that album, the band members are locked in, right? It was so big, they finally got the success they were looking for. The stage is set to follow up this massive success. We have the lovely married couple of John and Christine, we have the Buckingham Knicks relationship, and we've got a married Mick Fleetwood, he's on to his second life, ready to make some elite music. So the stage is set for this album we're going to talk about today, rumors. The only issue is that with all of that success, there came a lot of trouble. First of all, John and Christine are going through a divorce. So their relationship got to such a bad place that they weren't willing to speak to each other unless it was inside the studio. So those are two members of the band. To make matters worse, to make matters, Christine started dating the band's lighting director right in John's face. So a guy who's working on the album has worked with them on their tour. She is openly dating him.
SPEAKER_01Oh my god.
SPEAKER_00And this is all while they're trying to create rumors or create that second album together. The other couple in the band, Lindsay and Stevie, were also breaking up. Apparently there was screaming matches between those two, and the only time they weren't going at each other's throats were when they were in the studio together.
SPEAKER_02Nuts. Nuts. I I thought there was like general tension. I obviously did not know the extent that there were. It was essentially two couples and both are breaking up.
SPEAKER_00Yes. As they're and here's here's the final point. To add this layer, Mick Fleetwood was going through a divorce from his second wife and had started to date Stevie Nicks. So we have Stevie Nicks and Mick Fleetwood getting together. We have John and Christine McVeigh broken up, but Christine dating the lighting director. And we have a band that was just full of sex, drugs, and rock and roll, ready to bring to you, in my opinion, one of the best albums of all time. So how this album got made was pure magic. All of the songs are pretty plainly about their situation. They're blunt, honest, and they put their personal lives on display in a lot of this music. The crazy part is, it seems like they would just get in the studio, eat a feast, do a bunch of drugs, and then around 1 or 2 a.m. just start rolling. And that's when the magic happened. So absolutely crazy when you hear the backstory of this album that we got to a point where the album is chock full of just hit after hit. So what do you think about all that, right?
SPEAKER_02When you think about like all the bands over time that have like broken up over, you know, dumb stuff or whatever. And the like chemistry and music, I mean, I can speak to this like a tiny, tiny bit having played in like a bunch of band stuff. Like the chemistry and music is incredibly important. Like you gotta be on the same wavelength as a lot of people that you're that you're working with, or else it just like it doesn't click. And now we can we can get into like you know how they played this music live, that is a whole other thing, but like recording an album like this in studio time, I mean that stuff drags. You're spending days and days and days in a confined space, and so either it was just uh complete chaos, or they were able to kind of like, you know, put some put a little bit of professionalism on, put some of the personal stuff to the side, and just like, all right, let's make a killer album. I, you know, I was in the room, so I don't know. But like the just the the piece about how you're able to make an album like this under circumstances like that is even more remarkable than just making an album like this, and it's I mean, it's truly one in a million odds of that happening. Um, that's nuts, and and the intermingling of it too is crazy. Like, not just not just like, oh yeah, we're we're a band of five and everyone's going through a divorce, that sucks. Like, no, they're going through divorces like with each other and then dating each other. Dating each other after the fact, like, and there's just the layers to it are insane.
SPEAKER_00It is stunning. And obviously, I researched it a bit more in preparation for this podcast, but this is why I chose this album to bring to you first, because I knew you knew the album, but I didn't know if you knew all the layers to it. And this is something I became obsessed with years ago when I found out about how this all went down. And I think it's a perfect example of sometimes the sum is so much greater than the individual parts. And I think all of these people, even at times when they hated each other, they all have spoken about the magic that came together when they worked with each other in studio. So Stevie Nix was breaking up with Lindsay Buckingham, but she has said that Lindsay just knew how to take her songwriting and make it into something special. And the same has worked for John McVe and Christine McVee. Even in instances when they're going through a divorce and can't speak to each other outside the studio, the magic in that room fostered something that turned into what it did today. But that's just unbelievable to me. Like you said, I cannot believe it's one in a billion that this album was made, let alone it was made in the manner it was.
SPEAKER_02And just the quality of it. I mean, yeah, it's it's it's that is really cool. I mean, that's more, you know, like I said, larger than life, like it all plays into it. Like there's no world in which this album should be what it is based upon those facts, but here we are.
SPEAKER_00So now that we have the artist background and the album background out of the way, we are going to go track by track and we're going to place these into tiers today. So we'll still do our track by track breakdown, but we're gonna also go ahead and place them into tiers. Ryan and I have concocted a four-tier system, which basically is as follows. Tier one is great, can't live without. Tier two is really good, just shy of elite songs. We they're strong songs. Tier three is fine, they fit into the album. We wouldn't cut them, but they're not necessarily a standout. And then tier four is a cut, I don't need it. Take it away, please. So we're gonna try to keep that grading scale consistent as we do these throughout the show. I guess we're ready to dive into the first track, which is second hand news, which was a Lindsay Buckingham written song. And Ryan, why don't you take away what were your thoughts on secondhand news?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I like this song. I think it um it is a good tone setter. We we I have I have a take that we'll get into on the next one, but for now, I think it's a good song. Is it in the upper echelon of this album? I would argue no. I think there's a category of four, I would say a solid four that are in that essential larger than life standalone songs. This does not quite get there for me. And to be honest with you, for me personally, I'm not quite sure it gets into that second tier. It's a nice tune. Um, but I would probably put it in that third one where I like the purpose it serves on the album. I think it's a a nice tone setter, but it's not one that I'm like in love with. I think it's good in the context of this album, uh, but not necessarily for an album this good, not like the craziest, most amazing opener for me personally.
SPEAKER_00I don't disagree with a ton of your points there. It does fall into the second tier for me, where it's a really good song. I think it's better than just a fine song, but I don't think it's close to that tier one level, can't live without, like you said. It's a strong opener, it has really good energy about it, it's well paced, catchy, it's a toe tapper. It gets you in the mood for the rest of the album. So I think it serves its purpose in that aspect. And then individually, if this song were to come on, I would appreciate it. I wouldn't skip it. So for me, it's a it's a good tune. It's not much more than that. Yeah. Track two, this is a Stevie Nicks piece. Everybody knows this one. It is Dreams. I believe this has gone viral in the last few years. Again, it keeps popping up year over year. It's off covered by other bands and musicians. It's a it's a very prevalent song today, still. What do you think about Dreams?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I think to your point, probably the most prevalent song till to today, like probably the most like timeless song on this album. Like you said, had you know some like TikTok trends, stuff like that. And it's not the only one from this album that's had that. And to me, so my um, you know, I mean my musical preferences have shown a little bit on this podcast. I like stuff that makes me think, I like things that are complex. This song is two chords, okay? It's two chords, it's G and it's an F. Um, but it's it's just so iconic. It is truly like some things are just bigger than, like you said, the sum of its parts. Um, and to me, this song is so iconic, it's so catchy, and it's not like it's it, I don't know. There's iconic songs that I honestly don't like. This is not one of them. I think it's just so solid. The chorus is awesome. And to me, so my take was that I think this this song should have been the opener to this album, in my opinion. Oh, interesting. I could see it's such a it's such a good tone setter. Like, if you think about it, you put this song on, and you think like if you hypothetically it's the it's the opening song of the album, it's perfect. It's like that perfect, like, all right, now we're in it. Like, we're starting, you're kind of in this like slow tempo. I would have liked secondhand news, honestly, I think better in the two slot there. So I if if I was in that studio, that's what I would have done. I wasn't, and I'm not a bazillionaire because of this album, so uh they shouldn't take my advice. But uh, I do think that Dreams would have been an awesome uh start of this album, regardless. Incredible song, larger than life song, uh the kind of song that will never die. Uh a hundred years from now, people will be listening to this song. Um, and and Stevie's just unbelievable. The voice is just so iconic, like, and that's that's a theme throughout this album. But um, I I love this tune, Dreams. So that's in that obviously tier one upper echelon, larger than life essential uh category from this album for me.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, this one's essential with a bullet for me as well. It really is just a perfect encapsulation of the talent of Stevie Nicks from a songwriting chop standpoint. It's well written. It's likely about her ex-boyfriend and the guy playing guitar, Lindsay Buckingham. There's elements of their relationship tied into it, but it's so catchy. It never gets old, no matter how many times you hear it. It's just you always want to sing along, you always want to tap your toes. Yeah. Just an iconic song. And like you said, it is one of the more basic ones on the album. There is some of these songs that are more complex and have a couple solo sections and things of that nature. We're not necessarily looking at this song for those aspects, but boy oh boy, Dreams is just an iconic song. It's probably the song that's most associated with this album. When you hear Fleetwood Mac rumors, the first thing that comes into people's minds is Dreams. We don't need to spend much more time on it. It is tier one for both of us. And it's important to point out our lists will not be the same. So we'll have different songs, each of us, and we'll recap at the end of the show where we put each one. And I might have a graphic on the way with our score of the album and where we put the songs into those buckets. So something to keep an eye out for on our Instagram.
SPEAKER_02Shawnee graphics. I like it. I'm gonna I'm gonna let you go first on I'm gonna let you go first on song number three, never going back again.
SPEAKER_00Okay, perfect. Never going back again. It's a Lindsay Buckingham tune. It's a unique sounding song. I think it stands alone on the album. I think it has just a little bit of uniqueness to it that separates it from the rest of the ones. It is a really good melody that just sticks with you. It sticks with you like glue. And you just you want to sing it with them, and that's a theme throughout too. They they, in my opinion, were one of the first bands to capture the essence of pop rock without losing any of the talent they have as musicians. So people have gone down the road of pop before, and it comes across as a bit of a sellout, or maybe you're just not putting as much effort into the tunes. This album. And Fleetwood Mac in general all have elite musicians and they feature heavily in all of the music, in my opinion. And I think this is just a good example of them writing a good song, making it catchy, making sure there's some good music in it so everybody's interested. And I think it just checks all those boxes.
SPEAKER_02Totally agree. I love this tune. This riff, as someone, you know, uh that plays guitar, like this is such an iconic riff for me. And one that I'll hear it every couple months and be like, gosh dang it, now I gotta relearn this riff. And I forget it every time, but I'll sit down for like an hour or two and teach it to myself and be like, oh, this is so sick. And then I won't play it again, and then the cycle repeats. But yeah, I mean it's just like a it's a it's a it's a tiny little song, but it is like just the riff is just beautiful, it's unique, it's different, and it it's a nice kind of like palette cleanser. Three song, you know, there are three songs in, which is interesting. Maybe, maybe could have been placed a little bit later. But yeah, to me, I think it's a really nice palette cleanser, and and as someone that appreciates the intricacies on the guitar, it's just like such a an iconic riff that I love.
SPEAKER_00Love it. So, where would you put this one? I will go first and say I have it in tier two. I have it just below the essential list, but I think it's really strong.
SPEAKER_02I also have it in tier two as well. Awesome song, will not skip it, stands stands alone, but not quite in that that uh, you know, knows no bounds essential kind of tier.
SPEAKER_00Track four is Don't Stop, and here is where we welcome Miss Christine McVee to the party. I love her voice. As much hype and credit as Stevie Nicks gets, Christine McVee, maybe not equal, but it it better be damn close in terms of people respecting her as well. The late great Christine McVee. Not only could she write a good tune, her voice is so unique and distinct. I love it. It it scratches an itch for me. And I think Don't Stop is another one of just it's just a power hitter. If we're constructing a baseball lineup like you just alluded to, a four-hitter, don't stop, they're bringing in runs. It's a quintessential pop rock song, it's another timeless one. For me, it's tier one. I I love all of it. It's it's an uplifting message too. I think it's uh I think this one we can kind of put away the sex drugs rock and roll going on in the background before we can just focus on the theme of this one. I think it's good stuff.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, they really put the uh the divorces away for this one, the breakups away. Uh I I will agree with you. It's tier one for me for sure. It is similar to dreams, I think 50, 100 years from now, people are still listening to singing this song. Like this song will always find its way into a commercial or a movie score or something like that. Like it's just a it's a it's a cultural artifact that will not go away, I don't think, anytime soon, if if not ever. And and I think you're you're spot on too, in that like it is such a quintessential pop rock song. Like, I wouldn't call this like a rock tune, but I also like wouldn't I wouldn't say it's like it's a perfect hybrid of both in that it's super catchy, but there's also some like cool instrumental stuff happening. So yeah, agree completely with your analysis there. Quintessual pop rock song will last forever in that that uh transcendent tier for me, that essential tier.
SPEAKER_00And we we move on to track five, go your own way, which I think we just need to say this as well. It's my contention that this side A of the record, it's the first six songs, it is the best side of any record ever, is my that's the point I'll make.
SPEAKER_02I don't know how you can beat it.
SPEAKER_00It's so so special, it's insane. Like, just not only is it popular and like a ton of different people and audiences can get into it, it's just really damn good, too. It's not it's not just popular, it's just special.
SPEAKER_02Really good.
SPEAKER_00This one again is Lindsay Buckingham, and this one is a direct writing about Stevie Nicks in her presence. She's singing on the tune, and it's just it is just crazy stuff when you think about the context of it, but go your own way, great, another great one.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that the the context here is so crazy, it's so outright, just out in the open, right in your face, go your own way. But this is such an awesome song, man. Another one. So, this to me is in that same, that same kind of transcendent tier, I'm sure you agree. Uh, yeah. I mean, it is like another I kind of I Loki kind of like the this phrase I came up with. It it's it is like a cultural artifact of this, like this musical era. Like it this song will be around forever. Like just the chorus and the I really like also kind of the the way that the song transitions between chorus and verse, and then it's got that kind of post-chorus guitar riff kind of thing. Like, there's different like sections where like don't stop while equally iconic kind of remains like pretty steady on one note. This one has some cool kind of transition pieces musically for me. So I I prefer this one. Um, but regardless, equally iconic, equally essential. Just an awesome, awesome song. And you're right about the side A. I mean, it's it's damn near perfect.
SPEAKER_00It's it's so it's so good, in my opinion. And I think most people's. Yeah, go your own way. I do prefer just a bit to Don't Stop. Completely agree, it's tier one. There it the chorus sores into this yeah, just it it just it rises above whatever you're doing, it just consumes you. It's just something that you just don't hear anymore. They're not making new music like this, I would say. So I like the cultural artifact. We might need to TM that one.
SPEAKER_02Sores is a very good word. I I couldn't come up with that, but that's exactly what it does. There's no other really other way to put it.
SPEAKER_00I'm glad I thought of it. It's like a fourth grade word, but we both were searching for it. So track six is Songbird, and we might get out of the echo chamber here. We might have differing opinions, I'm not sure. But I'll let you kick things off with Songbird, which is again my girl, Christine McVeigh.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, if there is a blip on side A for me, it's this one. It's okay, it's fine. I'm not gonna I'm not gonna like crap on it. I'm not gonna say it's bad.
SPEAKER_01Please don't.
SPEAKER_02No, but by any means, I will I I'm not gonna say that. But it's just when the bars are real high with this album, the iconic songs are in a an echelon of their own, and this this one doesn't quite get there for me. I think after a couple more listens, I I was probably I was probably at first listen gonna put it in that last tier where I I wouldn't mind scrapping it. I think I've come out of that, and I think I've ended up in tier three where it's just one that it it serves a purpose on the album, and I can see that. Is it one that I will ever really intentionally go back to? No, not me personally. So that that's gonna be my that's gonna be my take on this one. I'm sure you're gonna have a different one.
SPEAKER_00I don't think the way you phrased your argument, I disagree with what you said too much. I definitely don't have it anywhere near a cut song. Again, here's where for a listener's context, I'm always a guy who listens to albums straight through. And I think where this one's placed, it's the last track of the first side of the album. And this to me is the palette cleanser. It's perfect, it's beautiful, it's airy. Christine McVe has said the song came to her basically fully formed in her mind, and it's just about unconditional love. I mean, that must be pretty cool to have that talent where this just comes to you. And it's just her playing keys singing. It's simple for sure, and I think that's maybe why I knew you wouldn't be a super big fan of it. But I think inside the album, it more than serves its role. And I think what it reminds me of is in How I Met Your Mother, I think there's Barney, I think it's Barney or Ted's, but it's their pump-up CD that they keep putting on in the limo when they're trying to go to the New Year's party. And we just came off the back of Dreams Don't Stop, Go Your Own Way, where it's like 10 out of 10, 10 out of 10. It's nice to come down a little bit before we flip the record over to the other side. And I think the totality of the album is better because of this song, and I think it's beautiful. So we can have all hits. We need something to reset the deck a bit, and I think this one does that in spades.
SPEAKER_02It's a balanced take by you. And really, you think about kind of like it's got this kind of one-two palette cleanser, one-two palette, like something, you know, like the three-hole and the six-hole on the on the first side are a little bit more mellow, which I appreciate in context. I think that's what I came around to. Again, it's not my favorite song of all time, but I I do appreciate it in context.
SPEAKER_00Now we flip the record over. Side B, surely it can't be as good as side A, right? Like, nobody could do that again. And then you hear the chain, track seven, and it's like, well, Jesus. Oh, they could still do it. So they can still have more to show us. Yeah, right back into action. Iconic build into this song. The opening lick, it's just the pacing of it's incredible. Tell me your thoughts on the chain.
SPEAKER_02It's so good. This is this this is my favorite song on this album, my personal favorite song on this album. It's just, you're right. The pacing, that slow kick four on the floor. It's got that kind of deep, uh, kind of acoustic-y, almost banjo kind of sound. It and then you're getting into it. The song is so good, everything drops, and then that bass line comes in, and that second half. Uh, you don't want to talk about soaring, yeah. That back half, it soars. Um, remarkable, just a remarkable song. Um, so yeah, this is this is my favorite song of this album. It is the last song that I have, spoiler alert, in my upper essential tier, in that kind of transcendent, stands-alone cultural artifact tier. But this is this to me is number one on this album. I love this song.
SPEAKER_00I love that you love it so much. I'm I'm right there with you. Can I give you a fun fact that I'm not sure you knew? This is the only song on the entire album where all five band members are credited with songwriting credit and assistance in producing the song. So every other track just has one person, the person who brought the song to the table. This was one that the band actually just kind of figured out all together. And I think it shows that's real magic, right there, where they all came together. Because I think you could argue that every person's doing their part at the highest level in this one, and you see all the elements of it shine.
SPEAKER_02Every element, it's it's almost like it's like two different songs, too. That's the other part.
SPEAKER_00Like, yeah, it's it's awesome. Yeah. It is like two different songs. It is tier one for me as well. I I'm not done yet with my tier one, but uh we're approaching my last song that I have in that first tier. And that to me is tracked number eight, You Make Loving Fun. This, in my opinion, is the most underappreciated one on the album for me. It is uh Christine McVee's love song to the lighting producer right in front of her husband as he's ripping along that bass. It gets lost in the sauce a little bit, I think, because the whole album is spectacular, that this masterpiece just gets underappreciated, but I think it's beautifully written. The harmonies between her and Lindsay Buckingham in this song are outrageous, and they're my favorite on the album. So this one squeezes into that tier one for me. And I I if I could pick any song to keep going back to right now, you make love and fun is top of mind for me.
SPEAKER_02We are in lockstep on this one. I totally agree. Um, and and it's it's completely one that I forget about, and then yeah, you know, you put it back on, you're like, oh, wait a minute. Like, this is an awesome song, too. It went right onto my warm weather playlist today. I'll tell you that much. Nice. So, yeah, uh, we're we're completely spot on when you think of again with the when the bar is this high on an album like this, where you have to me four songs that transcend like time and space, the ones that aren't quite as good get lost in the shuffle. And so this would be one of those. But to me, this is like such a fun, like it screams yacht rock to me. Uh, like the minute you put it on, you're like, oh, like, is Michael McDonald about to start singing? Like, this is Doobie Brother, you know what I mean? It's of that kind of flavor. Um, but I love it. It and I also really like the layering of the keys on this song. It's got some like kind of synthie vibes, but then it's got some more like kind of punchy keys to it, too, that kind of overlay. I really, really like the song as well. So this is a tier two for me.
SPEAKER_00I was hoping to talk you up to tier one, but we'll settle into two.
SPEAKER_02It's tier one. Or wait, are you on tier one on this one?
SPEAKER_00I'm tier one. This is my last tier one. Yep.
SPEAKER_02Wow. Yeah. So like, yeah, to me for this album specifically, tier one just means something a little bit different to in my eyes, where it's like, there are four songs on this album that will never, ever, ever, ever be forgotten. And like the majority of Americans will like be able to identify them. I don't know, maybe that's a crazy thing to say, but that's what I would you know in that realm. You can make an argument about it. Yeah, this one isn't quite on that level, and that's why I wouldn't put it on that tier.
SPEAKER_00That's no, no, you're right. That's why I said it's underappreciated for sure, because I think it should be at that level, and it's not for sure. I think that's the distinction. But according to me, in my tier one, this this has a seat at the table for sure. Now, track nine, I don't wanna know. It's a good song. Is it my favorite on the record? No, but it's it's another good one. So I'm interested to hear what you think about this.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it's it's okay. It feels the word that came to my mind was like a little bit hollow um in like the instrumental layering, which I feel like is a strong point of this album as a whole. So it's a little bit disappointing on this tune specifically. It feels like there's almost like something missing. It's got this like there's a lot of vocals happening, and that is really what's hitting you in the face throughout the song. And I to me, it could have used some more layering instrumentally to kind of match it. So it's definitely not my favorite on the album. It's also a little bit repetitive, I think. So for me, it's in that kind of third tier, honestly, where it's like it serves a purpose, it's not a bad song by any means. I'm not gonna skip it, but it's also not anywhere near tier one and just just misses tier two for me.
SPEAKER_00I'm right with you. This is a tier three for me, and there's only two tier threes on the album, in my opinion, and this is one of them. It it's a bit shouty almost, like you said, with the vocals. Like they're very in your face. And it feels to me when you compare it to the rest of the album, because we're that's the exercise we're essentially doing today when we're putting these into tiers. So I started thinking about where it stands amongst the rest, and it kind of feels like you showed up to a dinner party just a bit underdressed, and you look around and you're like, oh shit, like he's got on a blazer, like you know, and they just left they just took this one out of the oven a little too quick. And I think there's a few tweaks that could have happened to make this one a tier two song, but for me, it's just a bit underdone, not my favorite, it's not something I seek out too often. If it comes on, like you said, I'm not skipping any of these, but it's not something I'm rushing back to either.
SPEAKER_01We're on the same page there.
SPEAKER_00I'll let you start with track 10, ODA.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, this one doesn't do it for me. I'm not gonna lie. It just doesn't. The more and typically what happens is first listen, I'm usually like more down than I end up being. And this one kind of had the opposite effect where the more I've listened to it, the more I've just kind of not liked it, to be honest with you. Um uh the instrumentation is fine, the guitar is nice, it's just so repetitive with that oh daddy line. It gets really old melodically, it doesn't really go anywhere for me. So, yeah, to me, I think this is probably my like weakest song on this album, personally. So, yeah, it falls in that. This is the only song I think that falls in that potential kind of cut line for me, unfortunately.
SPEAKER_00That was my question to you. Would it be a cut song or would you keep it around? And I don't think you're out of bounds for saying you'd cut it. It's in tier three for me. This is the only other one that's in tier three next to the song right above it. I don't love it. I think it's nice, it's easy on the ears, but it just never gets to a climax or a standout level for me. So it's just kind of existing. And maybe this song is a victim of the album success, but when you're stacking it up amongst the rest of these, it just doesn't really hold a candle. So I don't think O Daddy is something we're gonna be writing home about.
SPEAKER_02Would you cut it?
SPEAKER_00No, it's in tier three, just above the cut line. Okay. I won't spoiler alert, I wouldn't cut any of these. I think yeah, no. I mean, it's it's maybe my favorite album of all time, so I think that'd be stupid of me to get rid of one of the 11 or 12.
SPEAKER_02Valid. Valid.
SPEAKER_00So track 11, which is the final track on the original album, Gold Dust Woman, and this is Stevie Nicks in her pump.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_0070s Stevie, what a woman. Reminds me of an old western for some reason. It's it's like we're building up to a shootout in this one. It's like take five steps to turn around. This is what this song reminds me of every time.
SPEAKER_02It does, it really does. Was lucky enough a couple years ago, I got to see Stevie Nicks and Billy Joel in Dallas at the at the Cowboys Stadium. So she opened and she sang this tune, and it, I mean, it's just special. Like the this one, and you hear Landslide. It's like one of the again, just one of those moments I'll never forget. But yeah, this is the quintessential, like Stevie Nick's vocal clinic for me. I think it's an awesome song. Really, to me, honestly, the song is more of a vessel for just her and her like vocal chops and her tone. Like, her tone is one of one. Like, there's nobody that sounds like that. Nobody ever will sound like that. It's just that is Stevie Nicks. Um, and and it's unique and it's so special. And again, something that just transcends time. So for me, this one falls in that album. I think the the second tier where it's not quite in that like crazy iconic, but I think it so perfectly defines that vocal bravado of Stevie Nicks that is really important to highlight on an album like this. So that's that's my thoughts.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, tier two for me as well. And it's just Stevie Nicks in the 1970s, haven't seen a woman like her before and haven't seen one since. It was just a masterclass artistically, just everything she was about. I was I wish I was around then to appreciate Stevie in her pump. Because boy oh boy, was that something special? Now, the 12th song is not officially on the album. I believe it's on the deluxe version. I don't know when actually Silver Springs got added to the mix, but I think we should talk about it because it won't fit onto any of these future episodes that we'll do. It would only be appropriate to talk about it here. Yeah. I think this is another great one. It's a tier two, it falls just shy of the iconic tier for me, but I love this song. I think it's special, special stuff. I honestly, it's closer to tier one for me than it is tier three. That's how much I like this one.
SPEAKER_02Awesome song. I'm reading right now that it was left off due to physical runtime limits of the vinyl.
SPEAKER_00I was gonna bring that up. That's a great job by you. Yeah, they crazy couldn't squeeze it on the original record. Now we see records you you have four different LPs, six different sides. It's it's madness. They couldn't they couldn't squeeze silver springs on, it's an all-timer.
SPEAKER_01I mean, yeah, that's a poor decision. Could have left off O'Daddy.
SPEAKER_02But uh no, this one's awesome. Uh, and I I know you've seen this, but this one is randomly like a TikTok thing now, like recently. Wait, I people like reflecting on stuff, like showing pictures. I I don't know. I'm not a TikToker. My wife, my wife shows me all the TikToks, but it is an awesome song, though. Another Stevie like vocal show, too. That chorus is awesome. I love the transition. The verses feel really kind of like you say, like easy on the ears, like really nice. And then that chorus, um, it just feels like powerful. It and then throughout the song as well, there's really good slide guitar work, uh, which kind of shows the versatility of of Buckingham a little bit. So yeah, I really, I really do like this tune a lot. It would fall in tier two for me again, just for that reason that I just think there's a core four of like transcendent songs on this album, and it's not quite there, but it's it's close for sure.
SPEAKER_00And shout out our boy Shane Douglas, who who is a resident of Silver Springs, Maryland.
SPEAKER_02Resident.
SPEAKER_00I believe that was the inspiration for the song, too. I think Stevie was like driving on the highway and saw the sign and just wrote a song with that. Oh I'm pretty sure that's the legend behind it. That's so funny, if that's true. We should go through and just uh recite for the listeners where we ended up on each of these. So I'll go first and tier four tracks, cuts from the album. I have zero. No cuts. It's a true no skips record for me. Tier three, these I I said no skips, but these might be skipped if I'm in a bad mood. I don't want to know they fall into tier three. Tier two, we have secondhand news, never going back again, songbird, gold dust woman, and silver springs. And tier one, dreams, don't stop, go your own way, the chain, and you make love and fun. Ryan, how about you?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, we're not dissimilar. So my only tier four is O Daddy. My tier three is I Don't Wanna Know, Secondhand News, and Songbird. And again, for clarity, those are songs that I like in the context of the album, but just would not really have any desire to listen to them outside of the album.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Tier two. Uh would be Never Going Back Again, You Make Loving Fun, Gold Dust Woman, Silver Springs. That I mean, that's a really strong tier two. Like, like it's crazy that that's the tier two of this album. And then tier one again for me is like the word transcendence comes to mind. Like, and there is a core for it's dreams, it's go your own way, it's the chain, and it's don't stop.
SPEAKER_00Love it. I think we're gonna be hard pressed to find many more albums with as strong of a tier two as this one has. And then the tier one is murderer's row is Mount Rushmore music, basically. It's like, yeah, album's pretty good. So we'll wrap up the show with how we always end our album review episodes. This one we've obviously had a lot longer than just a couple weeks to sit with. So give me your overall thoughts on the album, your takeaway, and then I want a final score from you out of a hundred. Let me hear it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so the album is nothing short of iconic. It is, I mean, you could make an argument all day that it's a top five to ten album ever made. And so there's really like, what else can you say? I mean, I think going back and listening to it for the purposes of breaking it down on a podcast, I thought was really like to be able to think through each tune has been really helpful. I think, like I said, there's when you're when the second tier of an album consists of those of those four tunes for me, it's it's it's pretty, pretty nuts. Never going back again is is one of the iconic guitar riffs ever created. And and here it sits in in this tier two. So that just shows that the bar is is through the roof high. The the lore of the album is fantastic. The fact that this got made in the midst of all these breakups and intermingling. I mean, it's it's like you said, one in a billion. Like I just don't know how that is possible. And so, yeah, for me, like I I haven't done like a lifetime albums ranking yet. Um, I need to probably work on that. Maybe we could do that as a as an episode. We should, yeah. Um, it's uh 95 out of 100 for me. Um, it's right there, it's a solid A. It is among the heavy hitters, the giants, the greats of all time. Um, I'm not ready to make any kind of like claim, uh, you know, let's call it top five or anything just yet. But it, I mean, it's it's it's it's fantastic, it's transcendent. Um, and so yeah, 95 is my score. Uh, unbelievable album will be played for the rest of humanity.
SPEAKER_00Ryan, you did a great job. And you did a you stole a lot of points of mine. So I'll just co-sign what you said, and I will add that my score was a 97 out of 100. It is in the mix for my favorite album of all time. I think it would probably I can't think of one better. And I've I've been trying to all day think of one if I had to choose one better, and I just haven't been able to. So it's at least in that final tier for me of my favorite albums ever. And I think that's obviously really special. It's the first record I ever bought. I when I got a record player, the first thing I did was buy Fleetwood Mac rumors. So even years ago, that was this was the album for me. It was all I can think about. I I love CV Nix, I love Christine McVee. I think Lindsay Buckingham is special. And over the years, I've kind of dug into Buckingham and Nick's put out a uh album, the two of them, before they joined Fleetwood Mac. And there's some really good stuff on there. As I mentioned, you, Ryan. I I did a deep dive on Fleetwood Mac before we had the female lead singers join. And I think you'll enjoy some of those records if you go back and listen to them. Very bluesy, really instrumental driven. Some some songs they don't even sing on. So it's a completely different band that transformed.
SPEAKER_02I know you mentioned Penguin. Is that like in that era?
SPEAKER_00Yes, that was an album with without Stevie or Lindsay, but Christine McVie was there for Penguin. I'll send you a few songs that I think you'll enjoy. And I am curious. There's a pretty deep catalog. I wouldn't say it's anywhere near as good as this stuff. It just doesn't have that popular appeal. The icons that joined the band, they elevated it for sure. But in terms of your music taste, I think there's some stuff. I I think the album Future Games, I think you would enjoy that. That's my favorite before Stevie and Christine's good stuff on that front. Listeners, as I mentioned, the next episode of this, we'll probably record it pretty soon. It'll be Ryan bringing an album to the table for me. So we'll be on the lookout for that. But if you guys have anything that you are passionate about that you want to talk about, we're opening it up. So anytime you guys want to come on, reach out. We'll dive into albums. I'm excited to learn about new music that I might not have heard or maybe I haven't dug too deep into. It could be stuff that you know I'm a fan of. I'm excited to talk about that as well. So there's no wrong answers, like I said.
SPEAKER_02Love it. Uh, this is this is gonna be a fun little uh endeavor. Hope the listeners enjoy an excuse for us to to deep dive into some some amazing music. So I'm I'm thrilled about it.
SPEAKER_00Ryan, thank you very much for joining me. As always, it was a pleasure. Always a pleasure. Listeners, thank you for tuning in. Please, please hit the like subscribe button on your way out. And until next time, take care of the video.