The New Mac Album!
Apr. 30th, 2003 10:38 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fleetfootmikeIt finally arrived - play.com promised (or at least implied) they'd get me the Ltd Ed CD on or around the US release date. When it got to last weekend and it had switched from 'Awaiting Stock' to 'Preorder', I suspected they'd given up on getting US stock, and switched my order to Amazon. So. Here it is, first impressions as I listen.
What's The World Coming To: Great opener, IMO. Very Mac, eases you in with a comfortable sense of the familiar.
Murrow Turning Over In His Grave: Classy Lindsey drop D riff, a la World Turning: more like some of his Tusk tracks for wierdness - love the overlapping vocals in the chorus, and the serious guitar shred on the playout.
Illume (9-11): like the intro. The verse is a bit formless, but it picks up with the chorus. Like the arrangement, the lyric doesn't move me at a first listen.
Thrown Down: THIS is more like it. I'd bet Lindsey had more of a hand in polishing this than he did with Illume: tight groove from Mick and John, love the chorus harmonies. First track that's really had a decent bass guitar sound - why doesn't he switch back to the Alembic? :)
Miranda: Ah. The Big Love acoustic pick pattern :) like the overlapping vocals in the verse, and the wierd treatments, and is that Chris in the chorus? Some blazing lead guitar, too. This one really grows on you. MAN the guitar on this is good!
Red Rover: *wierd* intro. If that's guitar it must be sped up. Unmistakably Lindsey vocals :) Very textural arrangement, another grower.
Say You Will: familar territory now, this one, and I really like it. I can, though, hear where Christine would have fitted - the harmony on the second half of the verse, and then in the chorus, along with her trademark organ. Could have done without the kids chorus, though :)
Peacekeeper: more familiar stuff. I didn't like this one at first, but it's really grown on me. The processed vocal at the end of the chorus still sounds odd to me, and I really like the pause before the last chorus.
Come: ooo... atmospheric, lots of echo on the guitar. Edgy, then *wham*. Is this Fleetwood Mac? :) (Ah - Neale Heywood has a co-write credit - that may explain a bit!) Like it! More serious Lindsey guitar wailing, too...
Smile At You: Love the John bass line. Fascinating guitar textures from Lindsey, more interweaving vocals (like Murrow, the end of In The Back Of My Mind - in fact it sounds a bit like this). Wish it was a little more melodically adventurous in the verse, but that's a common complaint I have with Stevie's later stuff. Like the acoustic lead at the end.
Running Through The Garden: ooo. this picks up - had a nasty feeling it was going to be typical Stevie-aimless-wandering-melody. Driving bass from John, really grooves. They're going for the overlapping vocals thing a lot - works well here, and a really in your face, snappy, short and sweet solo.
Silver Girl: builds nicely, I sense Lindsey's hand again :) Gentle, sorta carries you along.
Steal Your Heart Away: country! :) Is it me, or is Mick being much less adventurous with his drum parts on this album? Rumours had very few drum parts that were straight bass/snare - most of SYW seems to be. Like the track, though.
Bleed To Love Her: familiar ground again. Marginally prefer the Dance arrangemt - some of the chorus harmonies seem odd here. Like the solo on the playout.
Everybody Finds Out: Strange opening, sounds like a radio tuned to a Motown and a modern dance station together :) I like this - the ending really rocks. Stand Back, only better.
Destiny Rules: more drop-D stuff from Lindsey. More somewhat aimless vocal melody from Stevie in the verse, but the arrangement and the chorus make up for it.
Say Goodbye: almost a Ventura Highway-ish opening. Very different, I suspect it will grow on me. Guitar work is fascinating.
Goodbye Baby: Stevie is SO close mic'ed on this: you can hear every pop, breath and crackle on the first verse. This is *gorgeous*. Utterly, utterly gorgeous.
Bonus disk:
Love Minus Zero/No Limit: very much solo Lindsey - like this: some great melodic guitar work - the solo is exquisite.
Not Make Believe: again with the Lindsey production making the song :) the man has a gift. Superb production rescues a song I suspect I'd be indifferent about otherwise.
Peacekeeper (live): very close to the studio version, even down to the wierd vocal at the end of the chorus (WHY?)
Say You Will (live): no kids! YAY!
What's The World Coming To: Great opener, IMO. Very Mac, eases you in with a comfortable sense of the familiar.
Murrow Turning Over In His Grave: Classy Lindsey drop D riff, a la World Turning: more like some of his Tusk tracks for wierdness - love the overlapping vocals in the chorus, and the serious guitar shred on the playout.
Illume (9-11): like the intro. The verse is a bit formless, but it picks up with the chorus. Like the arrangement, the lyric doesn't move me at a first listen.
Thrown Down: THIS is more like it. I'd bet Lindsey had more of a hand in polishing this than he did with Illume: tight groove from Mick and John, love the chorus harmonies. First track that's really had a decent bass guitar sound - why doesn't he switch back to the Alembic? :)
Miranda: Ah. The Big Love acoustic pick pattern :) like the overlapping vocals in the verse, and the wierd treatments, and is that Chris in the chorus? Some blazing lead guitar, too. This one really grows on you. MAN the guitar on this is good!
Red Rover: *wierd* intro. If that's guitar it must be sped up. Unmistakably Lindsey vocals :) Very textural arrangement, another grower.
Say You Will: familar territory now, this one, and I really like it. I can, though, hear where Christine would have fitted - the harmony on the second half of the verse, and then in the chorus, along with her trademark organ. Could have done without the kids chorus, though :)
Peacekeeper: more familiar stuff. I didn't like this one at first, but it's really grown on me. The processed vocal at the end of the chorus still sounds odd to me, and I really like the pause before the last chorus.
Come: ooo... atmospheric, lots of echo on the guitar. Edgy, then *wham*. Is this Fleetwood Mac? :) (Ah - Neale Heywood has a co-write credit - that may explain a bit!) Like it! More serious Lindsey guitar wailing, too...
Smile At You: Love the John bass line. Fascinating guitar textures from Lindsey, more interweaving vocals (like Murrow, the end of In The Back Of My Mind - in fact it sounds a bit like this). Wish it was a little more melodically adventurous in the verse, but that's a common complaint I have with Stevie's later stuff. Like the acoustic lead at the end.
Running Through The Garden: ooo. this picks up - had a nasty feeling it was going to be typical Stevie-aimless-wandering-melody. Driving bass from John, really grooves. They're going for the overlapping vocals thing a lot - works well here, and a really in your face, snappy, short and sweet solo.
Silver Girl: builds nicely, I sense Lindsey's hand again :) Gentle, sorta carries you along.
Steal Your Heart Away: country! :) Is it me, or is Mick being much less adventurous with his drum parts on this album? Rumours had very few drum parts that were straight bass/snare - most of SYW seems to be. Like the track, though.
Bleed To Love Her: familiar ground again. Marginally prefer the Dance arrangemt - some of the chorus harmonies seem odd here. Like the solo on the playout.
Everybody Finds Out: Strange opening, sounds like a radio tuned to a Motown and a modern dance station together :) I like this - the ending really rocks. Stand Back, only better.
Destiny Rules: more drop-D stuff from Lindsey. More somewhat aimless vocal melody from Stevie in the verse, but the arrangement and the chorus make up for it.
Say Goodbye: almost a Ventura Highway-ish opening. Very different, I suspect it will grow on me. Guitar work is fascinating.
Goodbye Baby: Stevie is SO close mic'ed on this: you can hear every pop, breath and crackle on the first verse. This is *gorgeous*. Utterly, utterly gorgeous.
Bonus disk:
Love Minus Zero/No Limit: very much solo Lindsey - like this: some great melodic guitar work - the solo is exquisite.
Not Make Believe: again with the Lindsey production making the song :) the man has a gift. Superb production rescues a song I suspect I'd be indifferent about otherwise.
Peacekeeper (live): very close to the studio version, even down to the wierd vocal at the end of the chorus (WHY?)
Say You Will (live): no kids! YAY!
