Number 79

It's been awhile, so to get the ball rolling here's Number 79...

Fleetwood Mac - The Dance (1997)

One of the first bands I was ever a big fan of was Fleetwood Mac. I became a music fan in 1982 and I was infatuated with Stevie Nicks. I thought she was one hot witchy woman chick! I had a Fleetwood Mac poster the size of my wall. And I respected her talent, I liked her singing and songwriting as well. I had my best friend record a Fleetwood Mac concert off his bootlegged HBO and I was hooked.

Fleetwood Mac became THE band to me for awhile. The combination of three distinct singer / songwriters, the soft harmonies, the finger picked guitar and tight rhythm section sounded amazing. Plus, they had Stevie Nicks and that "Gypsy" song I couldn't get enough of. I thought all bands should sound this way, I bought Rumours at a local Payless and received Mirage from Columbia House records.

I couldn't wait to see them in concert, but after 1982 Fleetwood Mac just died off. No announcement, no final tour, no anything. Just a string of solo projects to keep hope alive. That hope paid off in 1987, when the Mac reformed and released Tango In The Night. They were set for a major tour when Lindsey Buckingham quit. I saw Fleetwood Mac post-Buckingham, they were competent and tight but the magic wasn't there. I never thought I would see Fleetwood Mac live again.

So it was with great surprise that Fleetwood Mac did reunite in 1997. Probably inspired by the amount of bank their soft rock contemporaries The Eagles made, Fleetwood Mac set aside their differences for a reunion tour. The concert was almost everything I could hope for (except Stevie Nicks seemed a little tired), the band ran through classic hits like "Dreams", "Go Your Own Way" and "You Make Loving Fun" like it was 1977 again. Stevie Nicks let out a big wail on "Gold Dust Woman" that you could feel all the way to the back of the ampetheatre. There is a chemestry when the five members of Fleetwood Mac play, an edgy tension that livens up the soft harmonies and supple rhythms that mark their classic sound.

The Dance is the live album which the tour supported. Musically, it's a handicapped album with more backup band members than actual card carrying members. But the thrill of hearing classic Fleetwood Mac played by the original performers is awesome. In addition, the rearranged numbers like the acoustic "Big Love" or the banjo & brush drum driven "Say You Love Me" freshen up the procedings. I've got to admit, I don't care for the USC band assisted "Don't Stop" but not every track can hit as hard as the rest. The Dance marks a time I thought would never come and the fond memories pushes this one to Number 79.