Your opinion of Fleetwood Mac
 

I don't hide the fact that Fleetwood Mac is my all time favorite band. From their early British Blues-Rock days led by godly guitarists Peter Green and Danny Kirwan, to their Mid-seventies stoner pop featuring Bob Welch and Christine McVie, to the 70's and 80's super-group fronted by Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. Their isn't much they can do wrong in my eyes. I know many people don't take them seriously, and I do largely prefer their earlier stuff from 1968-1976 before Rumours was recorded and they became coke-fiends.

Anyway, what do the rest of you think?

EDITED: to inlcude this goodness...

Oh Well
http://www.youtube.com/v/KE4HGlmtOcg

Like It This Way
http://www.youtube.com/v/HQ8AcEYTEFY

i love fleetwood mac.

I had to vote stuck in the middle, since there really were two groups. Peter Green's band I'm all about.

The later stuff, I just can't separate in my head from Bill Clinton's Democratic Nomination acceptance speech, and all those disgusting psuedo-liberal yuppie elites dancing around to "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow". I know it's not really Fleetwood Mac's fault, but there it is.

I know what you mean. "Don't Stop" is without a doubt one of my least favorite songs out of their entire expansive catalogue. It's so sugary and sweet it makes me sick at times.

And, in reality, Fleetwood Mac has been more like 5 or 6 different bands. At this point, when I think of Fleetwood Mac I usually envision the band's namesakes, Fleetwood (drummer Mick Fleetwood) and Mac (bassist John McVie). They've stuck with the band from the get-go despite all of the mayhem that has come along with the revolving door of guitarists and singers they have worked with.

If you're not familiar with their early to mid 70's output you should really check some of it out. Future Games, Bare Trees and Heroes are Hard to Find are three fantastic albums. Christine McVie's best work came before the inclusion of Buckingham and Nicks if you ask me.

I love 'em. I need to check out ther earlier stuff, but I love lindsay buckingham. I love big love, and I love what makes you think you're the one, and I love family man :)

I also LOVE all three of those songs zedius. Lindsey Buckingam's best work is on the Tusk and Tango in the Night albums if you ask me. Buckingham is what kept Fleetwood Mac from turning to shit in the 80's, like so many of their contemporaries did. Sure they went a bit synth-pop, but it was great synth-pop.

Firstly, Then Play On is the best album they ever recorded. Secondly, I can't stand their later stuff, which effectively amounts to soft rock. Their early work with Green was unbelievable though. So... I'm not sure how I can vote here...

^ Then Play On really is a fantastic album! For more Greeniness you should check out the Boston Tea Party live recordings that have been released in three volumes. They were recorded shortly before Green left the band in 1970 I believe. They're probably one of, if not my favorite, live recordings.

The Paul Butterfield Blues Band were mighty adept at that sort of thing too. I imagine you like them a lot. They're good.

Although I like the Fleetwood Mac, I guess I'm not a huge fan, but I wouldn't describe myself as "stuck in the middle" exactly either. I'm more "pro" than "stuck in the middle."

It seems in the thread that some that like the band downplay Rumours and, say, Tusk, like they were embarrassments. While some of the choices and production may not hold up today perfectly, those two albums featured what I would term fairly impressive songwriting for rock albums.

Then again, I love R.E.M., but the vast majority of their WB shit makes me cringe, so to each their own.

i have Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac, and i love it. I sing very badly to Rhiannon whenever its played.

I can't do it.
Even the supposed "great early stuff" doesn't do it for me.
Peter Green's solo LP "The End Of The Game" totally rules though.

I heard a song of theirs for the first time in the radio. But I did not find the song. It was really good too.

I had to go with stuck in the middle. While I can't say I would really listen to an album of theirs now, I can't deny the fact that I remember jamming to "Lies" in my carseat when I was little.

"Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies..."

haha

"Joe Egan and Gerry Rafferty were a duo known as Stealers Wheel when they recorded this Dylanesque, pop, bubble-gum favorite from April 1974, that reached up to number five, as K-Billy's Super Sounds of the Seventies continues."

Leiber and Stoller produced "Stuck in the Middle (With You)."

I don't like the early blues Mac or the late "pop" Mac. I like the middle phase a lot, circa Bare Trees and the like. I can even take that first pop album, the s/t one.

I bought s/t like the week it came out because of a great review in Rolling Stone, I think. I played it over and over for five days straight, and my copy still has the insert where I wrote in a moment of enthusiasm "Damned good!" Then the radio started playing it ad nauseum and that was the kiss of death.

i think rumours is great. its funny cause in 77 when rumours was released the "punk kids", the kids id prolly would identify with had i been alive then, hated rumours cause it represented everything that punk rock seeked to destroy, extremly tight production, huge budget, big stadium tunes, massive rails of cocaine, but shit, if i here a fleetwood song on the radio ill usually listen.

lindsey buckingham is a totally insane guitarist sometimes... i like fleetwood mac though. tell me lies is great. that "tell-me-tell-me lies!" bit never fails to make me laugh.

They're the group my wife and I found some common ground with when we were first going out. Then later I introduced her to Blondie and Elvis Costello, whom she ended up liking more than I did, and Talking Heads, whom she did not.

love them up to the early 80s then it all went a bit tango in the night. tusk is one of the most amazing yet strangest records ever made.

as for the whole shit with the band around rumours and even to this date, talk about a head fuck........ wtahc the classic albums thing on rumours, it gets shown on telly a bit and its dvdable....

peter green era fleetwood mac is special tho

We used to take family road trips jamming Tango in the Night, Rumours, and Steve Winwood. It was the only music the whole family all liked. Recently I downloaded about 3.5 GB which was like 30 albums I found online. I accidentally put them on a 60GB ipod and every time I hit shuffle Fleetwood would come on about every five songs. After two weeks it was driving me crazy, especially the early blues stuff b/c I'm not huge into the blues. I will say discovering there early seventies stoner rock has been a really pleasant surprise for someone that was never familiar with their older material.