Showing posts with label The Best of 2013. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Best of 2013. Show all posts

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Fleetwood Mac | Stevie Nicks | Sound City: The Best of 2013

Fleetwood Mac made a few "Best Of" lists this year either with new music like "Sad Angel" or the re-issued "Rumours" box set or the "Then Play On" reissue. They were also mentioned in a couple lists of best of photography and live shows.  On the TV and Film front, the band made a couple of best of lists for the Budweiser commercial and the use the Stevie's "Landslide" plus other TV shows featuring their music. Sound City is mentioned in more than a few lists which featured quite heavily Fleetwood Mac and included interview footage of Lindsey, Stevie and Mick. 

What were your top 5 Fleetwood Mac (or individual member) moments from the last year?

The Ten Best Box Sets To Give in 2013
Fleetwood Mac, Rumours (35th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition)

When Rumours was first released in 1977, it would have been hard for anyone to imagine Fleetwood Mac's multi-million-selling behemoth sharing space on the same list as The Clash. And honestly, for some that may still hold true. But the Mac's masterpiece is certainly an album worthy of all the attention it's gotten over the years (multiple reissues and "making of" documentaries), and this deluxe edition is the perfect gift for anyone who has fond memories of those lazy, hazy, California-soaked times. Earlier this year, Rhino went back to the vaults and came up with by far the best edition of Rumours thus far. It boasts 40 tracks, including CDs of the remastered original album, the stunning B-side "Silver Springs," a 12-track Rumours-era concert, a load of demos, rough mixes and outtakes, and a DVD that includes the infamous 1977 Rosebud documentary about the album. But best of all is the vinyl remaster of the album. It beats even an original first pressing of Rumours with warm, rich textures, and probably the best-sounding remaster of this entire list.

Best Music Box Sets of 2013
Fleetwood Mac: Rumours (35th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition)
Many regard this to be the Fleetwood Mac masterpiece, and this collection is a must for anyone who wants no-holds-barred access to an infamous soundtrack of raw pain and evocative emotional tensions. This Super Deluxe 4CD/1DVD/1LP set comes in a beautiful, 12x12 box and includes the remastered version of the original album including B-side Silver Springs, a disc of previously unreleased live performances from the 1977 tour, newly compiled recording sessions, the DVD of the 1977 promo film Rosebud and the vinyl of the original album. Perhaps most interestingly, new liner notes feature a track-by-track commentary from the band themselves, giving an insight into the personal struggles that informed the lyrics of each song.


SPIN's Best Box Sets and Expanded Editions of 2013
Fleetwood Mac, Rumours (Warner Bros.)
Whatever your memories of Rumours (having no memories of Rumours is un-American and therefore not allowed), something amazing awaits you in this box — early takes on Lindsey's celebration of post-breakup revelry "Second Hand News," an incipient version of Nicks' rebuke of said news ("Dreams"), live and formative versions of everything else, and multiple takes of Nicks' "Silver Springs," which didn't make the original album. This is such the ideal of what a rock record should be that it's jarring, albeit thrilling, to hear these unpolished, inchoate pieces of it. G.K.

Top Reissues of 2013
No. 1 - Fleetwood Mac 'Rumours: Deluxe Edition'
One of the greatest albums ever made gets a face-lift, complete with extra discs of outtakes and alternate versions. There's even a CD of live cuts recorded during the band's massive tour in support of its blockbuster record. The early versions of 'Rumours' favorites are eye-opening, especially Stevie Nicks' abandoned 'Silver Springs,' her best song, which gets bigger, better and stronger with each successive take.