The only song I like is "Freedom"
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Fleetwood Mac minus Buckingham= Still Fleetwood Mac
I've also read the reviews by those who feel FM was just as good without him and that this album (as well as the album TIME ) should be given a break. I've read all the reviews by those who feel FM took a nose dive when Lindsey Buckingham left the band. I tend to agree with the latter reviewers. Everyone who "found" FM after Buckingham and Nicks joined could not possibly see the band without these two, and that anything put out under the FM name without those two should be regarded as a travesty.
I say BULL! Just as there was a very good Genesis before Phil Collins , there was a very good Fleetwood Mac (several, actually) before Buckingham and Nicks joined. There was even a Fleetwood Mac before Christine McVie. Mick Fleetwood and John McVie have always had a talent for finding good singers, players and writers to join the band.
The fact that Buckingham and Nicks brought the band a great deal more success doesn't take anything away from the pre and post B and N lineups. Give these lineups a chance. Open up a little and see what the other players have to offer. Danny Kirwin, Peter Green, Bob Welch,Dave Mason, Billy Burnette,Rick Vito. . . . all these people are talented and worthy of a listen. And, like it or not, all are part of Fleetwood Mac history. They should be given some respect. After all, Mick Fleetwood and John McVie have made very few mistakes in choosing players. As long as John McVie and Mick Fleetwood are there, there will always be Fleetwood Mac.
Worthy, but somehow, the spark just isn't there
After Lindsey left in high dudgeon in 1987 after a dispute over touring, Mick Fleetwood went out and recruited Billy Burnette (son of rock'n'roll pioneer Dorsey Burnette) and Rick Vito to fill the gap. I've been following the Mac - and especially Stevie - for over two decades, and I must agree with the consensus that they're at their best when both Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks are in the mix. I saw them in concert several times with the Mac in 1987 and 1990, and they were very good, likeable live performers. They try hard - and I give them A for effort - on "Behind the Mask", and they do blend well with the other group members, but there's just not quite the same fire and zing there is when Lindsey is doing his thing onstage and behind the mixing board.
Actually, Christine McVie has to carry most of the burden of this album (and does so very well, in truth, as in "Save Me" and "Skies The Limit"). It's important to understand, when considering Stevie Nicks' work here, that at the time she was really screwed up by Klonopin, which had been prescribed to her in the first place as a measure to help combat her former cocaine addiction, but which, in turn, she ended up getting hooked on. Stevie herself has said on numerous occasions since breaking Klonopin's hold that, in her opinion, that drug was actually worse for her than cocaine, because at least cocaine didn't interfere with her creative processes. Whatever the case, she doesn't have, unfortunately, any really memorable songs on "Behind The Mask" - which is more the pity when compared to her terrific work the previous year (1989) on "The Other Side of the Mirror") (Side A of the LP is still, IMHO, one of the best slabs of Stevie music I've ever heard). None of her songs here quite measure up, again IMHO, to "Rooms On Fire" or "Whole Lotta Trouble".
Best.Mac for the Ninenties
Surely underrated. A good pop album from a great band. . Lindsey was not. . present but he was replaced by two guitarist who worked fine and matched with the project. Skies the limit,love is dangerous,behind he mask,when it comes to love do you know, the songs that i like best but my favourite is hard feelings. It needs remastering though. . This album's follow up 'time' was a disaster and boring but their last try,when Lindsey returned 'say you will. ' is pefect.
A superb album that, sadly is overlooked
While it is true that Buckingham did help formulate the Mac's most famous songs from 1975 to 1987, this album doesn't suffer from his not being with the band nor the addition of Billy Burnette and Rick Vito; it suffers from Stevie Nicks' lack of quality songs and some less than standard vocals on her behalf. Fleetwood Mac's 1990 release Behind The Mask is an album that has greatly suffered in the shadows from the departure of Lindsey Buckingham.
Off the bat we get the prototypical Christine McVie song in Skies The Limit. It's a great tune that I've always loved. Track 2 is the Vito/Nicks duet Love Is Dangerous. Great guitar work in this song. Billy Burnette's In The Back Of My Mind is next and while I feel the opening is a bit over the top and overproduced, it's really a great song. Do You Know is a nice followup to a pretty heavy song. Burnette and McVie really work well together and this song shows it. Save Me is next and it's another typical Christine McVie song (not a bad thing by the way. ) Nicks' Affairs Of The Heart. . . I'll just be kind in saying if it were left off the album, I wouldn't have been disappointed.
The next six songs of Behind The Mask are among my favorites. When The Sun Goes Down is proof of the kind of songs that Burnette and Vito can do when they are allowed to do what they do best. Certain folks may not like this song because it doesn't sound like "Fleetwood Mac" (aka the Rumours lineup) but this is exactly what this incarnation of the band needed. Behind The Mask may be Miss McVie's darkest song. It's a different kind of tune for her, but it's a great one. Stand On The Rock is a song that has had a hard time grabbing the affection of even the most diehard fans, I really love it. The next song, Hard Feelings, is perhaps Billy Burnette's shining moment on the album. It's definitely my favorite track of his with Fleetwood Mac. Without a shadow of a doubt, Freedom is the best Stevie Nicks song. She did some great vocals, but Rick Vito laid down some excellent guitar licks. When It Comes To Love is the second Burnette/McVie duet and it's a great song. The final track is The Second Time and suffice to say it's horrible. Never has Stevie Nicks sounded more dull or lifeless. I won't throw the song itself under the bus because I think if Miss McVie did it, it would have turned out okay. But it's a bad way to round out a great album.
If you're a fan who loves listening exclusively to the Rumours era of Fleetwood Mac, this album is not for you. If you're a fan who is interested in hearing another chapter in Fleetwood Mac's history, do not avoid this album.
You can see a complete list of all Fleetwood Mac discography, or go back to the Fleetwood Mac tabs
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