Disco de Fleetwood Mac: “Time”

Let's face it a group is a group effort. Fleetwood Mac was an underrated blues band from the 60's that had a lot of potential but were overlooked commercially because rock and pop were just starting to come of age. Then throw in Buckingham and Nicks, and you had the perfect combination for the sound of the times. John McVie is a very good bass player, Mick Fleetwood is a great drummer, and Christie McVie an outstanding vocalist. But without Buckingham & Nicks, they were not a "group". Lindsey Buckingham's guitar style, his vocals, and Stevie Nicks voice were ALL part of it. This is a 5 person GROUP, and when Fleetwood Mac tried to split and dorm various reformations of Fleetwood Mac, it wasnt the same. Basically Mick tried to make another saga in the Fleewood Mac hisotry with Dave Mason and another female vocalist. But the songs with them just dont work. Many of them to me sound like generic 80's music. The bluesy feel of the old Mac albums is not recapured here and without at least the guitar of Lindsey and background voices (Stevie and Lindsey), this doesnt strike me much at all. Even when Buckingham and Nicks werent lead singers, they played a big part in the background/interchanging vocals and the guitar sound. Otherwise, you have a whole new Fleetwood Mac here and the sound isnt catchy. The songs are not that great either. Let's face it Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, and Christine McVie were all outstanding songwriters to boot. I will say though that most of the Christine McVie songs on this CD are very good. That's why I give it 3 stars for the value of her 5 songs. I also disagree with what the other reviewer said, that if you dont like this CD your not a Fleetwood Mac fan, your a Buckingham Nicks fan. Buckingham Nicks solo album was not that great! You could hear the potential in the music, but without the rest of the band, the production, Christine McVie and musicians, they were not great! It was a group. Even the Fleetwood Mac CD Say You Will in many ways sounds like Buckingham Nicks II because they do every song. I like the GROUP albums the best, Fleetwood Mac, Rumours, Tusk, Mirage, and Tango In The Night. And of course, a true Fleetwood Mac fan cannot deny the great Peter Green and even some of the Bob Welch albums (which helped The Mac head in a more melodic direction).

Mick Fleetwood and Christine and John McVie are joined by Dave Mason, Bekka Bramlett and Billy Burnette on this album made without Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham. Stevie Nicks is one of my favorite Fleetwood Mac members but "Time" is surprisingly good even without her and Buckingham.

Bekka Bramlett is a great singer and sings one of the catchiest songs on the album, "Winds of Change", which might have had a chance to chart if it were released as a a single. I always love hearing Christine McVie's voice and her material here is good as usual (I was going to write "not up to her usual standards", but after another careful listen I realized there are several good songs here).

Favorite tracks: Winds of Change, I Wonder Why, Nights in Estoril: Least favorite: Dreamin' the Dream.

Overall, "Time" is a good album and the group works surprisingly well without Buckingham/Nicks. Those who want to hear more of Bekka Bramlett and Billy Burnette may also want to check out their country album "

".

This CD was released in 1995, this is Fleetwood Mac's 17th studio album. It could be the worst selling Fleetwood Mac studio CD of all time. Including live CD's, restrospectives and Blues Jam in Chicago, this is something like the 40th album officially released by the group.

It is 60 minutes long and the sound quality is very good.

This was Fleetwood Mac's first studio album in 5 years, after Behind the Mask was released. Although this CD was released 5 years later and half the musicians are different, it has that same rockabilly tinged sound that Behind the Mask had.

I had high hopes for this CD. It had original members Mick Fleetwood and John McVie and Christine McVie who has been with the group since 1969. Also present was Billy Burnette, a hold over from Behind the Mask. He had a great pedigree in rockabilly, with his uncle, Johnny Burnette having a number of hits in the fifties and his father also a guitartist. A newcomer to the group is Bekka Bramlett, daughter of Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett, the duo who would work with Eric Clapton a lot. And, the band included Dave Mason who was in early Traffic and had a number of solo hits (his version of All Along the Watchtower was as good as Jimi Hendrix's).

Unfortunately, while there are some very good songs on this CD, it does not live up to expectations or to the best of Fleetwood Mac. I would say tha this has to be one of their worst studio albums of all time. But, even the worst of Fleetwood Mac is still pretty good.

I think the big problem is that there is too much Billy Burnette influence on the sound of the CD. Dave Mason is almost nonexistant. He does have 2 songs on the CD, but they really don't sound like Mason (or Fleetwood Mac). You can pick up bits and pieces of Mason's guitar style here and there, but they aren't dominant.

Many of the songs are just bland, rockabilly tinged. This style was gaining popularity in the early nineties, but was dead by 1995. Even most of the Christine McVie songs are rather dull and are not helped by this musical style.

There are some very good songs. Sooner or Later is Christine McVie at her best. Dreamin' the Dream is nice blues number from Bekka Bramlett. The album starts out strong with one of Burnette's better songs, Talking to the Heart. It ends up with a good (if a little pretentious) 7 minutes song from Mick Fleetwood, These Strange Times.

I would say that half of this CD is very good and the other half is just filler. That gives you about 30 minutes of good music. If you find it cheap, you can rip the songs you like and discard the rest.

WITH DAVE MASON AND BILLY BURNETTE, THIS MIGHT HAVE BEEN A VERY GOOD LIVE BAND. BUT, SEEING THE BAND IN CONCERT DOES NOT MAKE THIS A FIVE STAR CD.

Some people consider that some "Classic" band lineups should never be changed. This is true for Fleetwood Mac.

... But, even when in this album Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham are not part of the boys in the band, having Dave Mason and a wonderful female voice (Bekka Bramlett) give to Fleetwood Mac a different, interesting "flavor" to their music. An interesting one, but only for serious Music fans.

I warn you, if you have the prejudice of "Only the original lineup is acceptable", then do not listen this CD...

Does wearing the FMac banner elevate the songs of Mason, Burnett and Bramlett or do new faces inevitably diminish FMac? I say neither. This is a different group. But you can't logically use that as a basis for criticism. The new guys were there because the old guys didn't want to be. Think of it as an offering from the extended FMac family. Just accept these new sounds for the marvels that they are. Mason doesn't try to be Buckingham and doesn't need to. He's just as talented and provides a couple of wonderful songs to the mix. Christine's work here is not lessened by a lack of sales. Her songs are as lovely as ever. Bekka and Billy's country styles are incongrous with FMac traditions but they are compelling and powerful artists.

As much as I love Lindsey's work, I do enjoy hearing an FMac album without his primal screams. Artistic experimentation is offered instead by Fleetwood himself in the fascinating,These Strange Times. Modulating from "God is nowhere" to "God is now here" was a simple but effective chorus. This is an excellent album regardless of the lineup.