Say You Will ()

Its getting on to be a whole year since the release of "Say You Will", an album which has slowly climbed in my estimation over the months and now ranks among my all time favourite records,eclipsing anything Fleetwood Mac or any of it's members have done in the past - and boy is that saying something!!

It's not to say that I didn't like what I heard when I first caught it playing over the sound system of my local music store a week before its release. I walked in on my lunch break only to be hit by the last verse of "Murrow Turning Over..." and the crazy Buckingham guitar heroics that round off the track. I had no idea who it was (not being at all familiar back then with Lindsey's stranger solo moments), but boy was I impressed!! Then of course the inimitable Stevie Nicks came on and "Illume" boomed out, all offbeat rhythms and phrasing. My hopes were confirmed - Fleetwood Mac had put out a record filled with invention, modernity and passion and a worthy heir to the legacy of such masterworks as "Tusk" and "Rumours"... I ended up hanging about the store to hear as much of the rest of the record as I could... I think I got as far as "Bleed to Love Her". Needless to say I was late in getting back to the office!

When I eventually got my hands on the CD I was even more struck by the invention on show. Buckingham's production throws up surprises in even the most mainstream-sounding cut. Some songs, however, left me cpretty cold... "Red Rover", "Come", "Silver Girl" and the "Goodbye" pairing at the end of the album. I think I was missing Christine's presence a bit and suffering from Buckingham / Nicks overload like many other contributors to this board! Theres no doubt her voice would have added so much to many of the songs and when she does pop up on "Bleed To Love Her" you only end up yearning for more...

So that was that, a great album, possibly flawed by a few tracks and seemingly missing a vital element in the form of Christine. How wrong could I be...!

In the months since, I've been constantly drawn back to this album, simply because eery time I listen to it I find something completely different to focus on and appreciate. the more over the top tracks like "Red Rover" and "Come" have stealthily become my absolute favourites. "Red Rover" in particular - if ever a song deserves a second/third, hell, tenth chance this is it! First inpressions are definitely of a confusing, muddled overproduced mess of a song but repeated listenings definitely lead to a greater appreciation. Its almost like it has to be decoded - so many jostling guitar and vocal parts but once you've found the key it's an absolute thrill ride of a song.

Similarly Lindsey's "Say Goodbye" has revealed itself to me. It's tumbling guitar lines and strange, bubbling rhythm, coupled with Buckingham's completely bizarre phrasing now seem less like a coldly overproduced dispalay of guitar ability than a richly rewarding listening experience - and a pretty heartrending song, its emotion actually emphasized by the breathy, almost rushed lyrical delivery.

Its amazing how sometimes the songs/tunes/whole albums that you listen to first and say "yeugh!" can become your absolute favourites with a little patience and sometimes even effort!

Another song that really came alive for me was "Silver Girl" by Stevie... First impressions were of a fairly anodyne, sickly and self referential/reverential number but again perserverence has opened up the song to me as being much more heartfelt and musically complex than I'd ever have given it credit for. Even Goodbye Baby a song that I'd been initially hugely disappointed by - mainly because of Stevies incredibly weary sounding voice - has become a stand out track. Again it's down to the off-kilter dynamics of the backing track, a strange little rhythm that bubbles under the surface that plays off Stevie's vocals. And I've come to appreciate that what I'd taken as weariness is actually intense emotion coupled with a beautiful restraint that stops the song from becoming a dirge, instead transforming it into a gentle lullaby.

I could go on for days about each individual song on the "Say You Will" because each is filled with such careful attention to detail, each is nuanced in many ways and each one takes the "Classic Mac" blueprint and either subverts or celebrates it in some exciting manner. No longer do I miss the presence of Christine McVie because to me "Say You Will" is as good as music gets. I realise that one of the biggest criticisms of the record is the fact that it is really two solo albums melded into one - a marriage of convenience as it were. But if the end result sounds as good as this who gives a damn! Stevies backing vocals caress and lift every one of Lindsey's compositions and Lindsey's guitar, production and vocals add immeasurably to each of Stevies songs...

My only dream is that we'll have another album to look forward to from Fleetwood Mac in the near future. One in which we'll have full collaborations between Stevie and Lindsey, perhaps even Christine will drop into the studio and contribute a few pop gems (she's bound to have a few more up her sleeve!). If the band build on their current momentum (truly amazing live performances etc.) they could have a monster on their hands next time around. And perhaps the ghosts of "Rumours" can be laid to rest forever...