Fleetwood Mac

The Dance

Save The Dance

Review Score:

(10/10)
When Fleetwood Mac announced they were reforming their most successful lineup for a reunion concert in 1997, it was just as surprising as The Eagles reunion three years earlier. The band hadn't recorded together in ten years and with all the problems the band had, a reunion seemed highly unlikely. But after Mick Fleetwood and John McVie laid down some backing tracks on a new album the mercurial Lindsey Buckingham was working on, the wheels on the comeback were set in motion. after convincing Christine McVie and Stevie Nicks to join in, the band reformed for a concert on MTV. The band could have played it safe and stuck with just their classic hits, but they wanted the show to be more than just a nostalgia trip. By including five new songs amongst the seventeen tracks included on the album, the band showed they were still a vital musical force. "Temporary One" is a bouncy number by Ms. McVie and "Sweet Girl" is a good Stevie Nicks song, but Mr. Buckingham steps up big time. "The Beast In Me" and "Bleed To Love Her" are stellar songs and their intensity ignites a fire in the shows. Of course their classic songs are still that, classic. "Rhiannon" has a impassioned vocal performance by Ms. Nicks and "Dreams" sounds a mystical as ever. They have fun with the songs and mix things up by pulling out an old B-side chestnut in the lush "silver Springs" and have John McVie make his lead vocal debut on a sunny "Say You Love Me". Mr. Buckingham gives a manic performance on "Big Love" which slides right into a heartbreakingly beautiful version of "Landslide" that finds the two former lovers, Ms. Nicks & Mr. Buckingham, alone on the stage, just a guitar and voice. The album closes out with a triple play of a blazing "Go Your Own Way" and "Tusk" and "Don't Stop" which has the USC Trojans Marching Band joining the band on stage. The album is a brilliant effort that shows the band can make new music that is on the par with their greatest hits and still keep the classics sounding fresh.

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