In the annals of rock, few bands have made so singular an impact on music as Fleetwood Mac. With three main songwriters and singers, each with distinct voices, the Mac was influenced by the British folk-blues of the 60s (the McVies, Mick Fleetwood) and south California pop (Buckingham) and it was coupled with the ethereal ramblings of Stevie Nicks. What's remarkable is that even with these divergent voices and influences, you know a Mac song when it comes on the radio, no matter which member wrote it. Also remarkable is that the 1976 release, "Rumours", which was simply a collection of fine pop-rock love songs, remains one of the biggest selling albums of all time. That is to say, each of the other top 5 selling albums of all time have something distinctive about them; Michael Jackson's "Thriller" is an amazing mix of pop and R&B, for instance, or Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" - they are seminal works, will be cited as influences by hundreds of young bands and remain markers along the historical highway of popular music. "Rumours", on the other hand, was just a really good record; nothing more and nothing less. I say this not as criticism, but only to point it out.

In 1988, the Mac released their Greatest Hits album. Generally, greatest hits records and live albums are used a bookends to a portion of a band’s career; they’re a signal to the fan that changes are coming. Lindsey Buckingham had refused to tour to promote the “Tango in the Night” album and by all accounts his departure was not amicable. Two guitarists, Billy Burnette and Rick Vito, were brought in to replace him, and they play on the two new tracks on this offering. (Recording one or two new songs for a greatest hits album is generally an American tradition, incidentally; until recently, most Brits release their collections with just the hits).

The first track, “Rhiannon”, was an early hit for the band, from their self-titled album, the first with new members Buckingham and Nicks. Frankly, I’ve never been too impressed with Nicks’ contributions, not only because of her semi-mystical lyrics but also because of her vocal ability, which ranks just above Linda McCartney’s. That said, some of my favorite songs by the Mac have been written by Stevie, but we’ll get to those later. “Rhiannon” is one song I could live without.

Notwithstanding its use as the theme song for a scumbag in the 1992 Presidential campaign, “Don’t Stop” is a track that, to me, epitomizes Fleetwood Mac: plentiful keyboards, aggressive guitars and a double-lead vocal. Taken from the “Rumours” album, it deserves its place as a favorite in the Mac canon.

“Go Your Own Way” is a Buckingham track, a thudding, rocking breakup song. Its placement on this release, immediately following “Don’t Stop”, seems logical to me, since I’ve always felt the two were carbon copies of one another. In fact, Buckingham and Christine McVie seem to be cut from the same mold in their pop sensibilities, if not in their execution.

“Hold Me” came out in 㥜, I believe, the first hit from the mediocre “Mirage” album. In later interviews we learn that this is the kind of album the band’s record company and handlers wanted to follow-up “Rumours” with; Buckingham dubbed it, “Rumours II”. (What they got instead was one of the best and most underappreciated albums in the history of rock music, “Tusk”). Here we have a variant on the structure used to create “Don’t Stop”: plentiful keyboards and a double-lead vocal. The guitars are rather subdued, however. Good song.

“Tango in the Night” was the last studio album by the band in its most popular form. Purportedly it was mostly produced by Buckingham and his assistants, due to Stevie Nicks’ relapse into a drug-addled haze. “Everywhere” is a keyboard-heavy contribution from Christine McVie. While it may be a fine song, I have always found music that relies too heavily on keyboards and synthesizers a touch cold and impersonal.

And now an exception that proves the rule: “Gypsy” is one of my favorite Mac songs ever and it was written by Stevie Nicks. Her voice is fuller, less cat-like. The backing vocals are understated and potent. And the lyric is brilliant.

“You Make Loving Fun” is a driving song which has an interesting structure. Unlike some of the other singles from “Rumours”, this one is spare and you can almost imagine the band simply recording it live in the studio, feeding off one another’s energy. As well, we get two full verses and a guitar solo before the punchy chorus is even delivered.

The next track, “As Long as You Follow”, is the first of the two new songs on this collection. Since it’s written by McVie, it is essentially a piece of very melodic fluff. I really like the tone of the lead guitar.

“Dreams” is the only Number One song from the mega-selling “Rumours” album. While I like the lyrics (particularly the passage, “Have you any dreams you’d like to sell?/Dreams of loneliness like a heartbeat/Drives you mad”), and the expert drumming by Mick Fleetwood, this has never been one of my favorites.

I have to admit that it’s rather difficult to write a review when it concerns a band so popular and single-minded in its approach. I mean, the next song, “Say You Love Me” is a good song by Christine McVie. It features a signature piano intro, chiming guitars, and excellent harmonies – but what Fleetwood Mac song doesn’t?

Thankfully, your trusted critic finds a chance to break the mold a little bit with this, the title track from the supposedly-disappointing “Tusk”. Here, Mick Fleetwood sets a tribal tone with his drums. An acoustic guitar whispers from the left speaker. The sounds of a crowd wander through the background, sometimes louder, sometimes quieter. The vocals are a whispered harmony, with Lindsey’s voice the most prominent. At the chorus, the song breaks open, “Don’t say that you love me!” Eventually, the USC marching band makes its famous presence felt. I would find it very strange that this song was ever a Top 10 hit, no matter what band released it, because it is so peculiar. But, at the time, Buckingham, the member of the band closest to being defined as an “artist”, wanted to do something a different, expand the band’s horizons. In essence, he did not want to make “Rumours II”.

“Little Lies”, a wispy pop song saved only by Fleetwood’s bold drumming, suffers from its placement here, between two songs from the avant-garde, threadbare production of “Tusk”. Someone is going to have to explain to me how greatest hits collections are sequenced, because I am missing something.

If someone asked me if I liked the song, “Sara”, my response would be, “It’s OK.” When it comes on my car stereo, I usually skip it. But if I listen to it for a couple of minutes, I find myself singing along and becoming entranced by it. Mick Fleetwood’s drums thud (again!) like a heartbeat. The sound of (what I think is) a harpsichord bounces from the left speaker to the right. Every once in a while, an acoustic guitar peeks through. From a strictly analytical perspective, this is probably one of the best songs Stevie Nicks ever wrote. I cannot, however, account for my ambivalence towards this track.

The only hit Buckingham contributed from “Tango in the Night”, “Big Love”, is also one of the more annoying songs the band’s ever done. I loved Lindsey’s solo album, “From the Cradle”; he is pretty much a genius when it comes to producing music and his talent as a music writer is unmatched. However, with all the effort he exerts in making his music, I often find his lyrics way too simplistic to justify the work; in this way, he is not unlike Paul McCartney. And it is a fault of this song, too.

Once again, acoustic guitars, subtle keyboards, and a lush vocal by Christine McVie come to life in the form of “Over My Head”. Interestingly, none of the other members sing on this track. I really like this song. In the 70s there were acid bands (Pink Floyd) and there were pot bands (the Eagles, Mac); this is definitely a pot song.

We’ve all had the experience of loving a song or a band no one has ever heard of. In conversation, trying to explain your love of the band or song is like standing in the wilderness, hoping someone will hear your cry. Some of us are willing to accept this solitude, the band we love is like our own little secret. I’m not like that, which is why I do this, I suppose. The last song on this CD, “No Questions Asked”, is one of those songs, for me. It is simply one of my favorite songs, ever. When I listen to it, I picture a monolith because that is what it sounds like. The drum sound is huge. The bass guitar is droning. The guitars are, by degrees, loud, reverbed, and heavily distorted. And Stevie Nicks’ voice cries out from the center of it all. About a minute-and-a-half into the song, the listener realizes that the tone of the song will not change; it will charge onward with its wall of sound until fadeout. (There is one small breakdown, at the first chorus, but it lasts all of two lines, and is quickly corrected by Fleetwood’s cymbal crashes. It is during this short breakdown that I hear the only keyboards on the song, just a touch of piano.) What’s really cool is how disjointed the track is; the rhythm section provides an enormous, steady beat, but the rest of the instruments seem to play whatever they damn well please. Even that last sentence isn’t entirely accurate, since there are times when the drum fills seem on the verge of throwing the whole track into chaos, as well. The mixing is terrific, too, since there are moments when grace notes and guitar swells threaten to drown out Nicks’ voice completely. Only at the end, as the entire band sings, “I need you now/No questions asked” does the cacophony come together and form the insistent hook which ends the song. I love this song.

As an owner of most of the albums represented by this collection – and at the risk of sounding blasphemous – my opinion is that a true picture of Fleetwood Mac can be gained by owning only two albums: this one, and “Tusk”. There are few, if any, relevant singles missing from this collection and, if that is the measure of a greatest hits record, then this one is exemplary.


Recommended: Yes

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