Wednesday, May 08, 2013

Fleetwood Mac "Extended Play" Enters Billboard Top 200 Chart at...


Fleetwood Mac’s Extended Play debuts at #48.


Albums:  Week Ending May 5, 2013
Fleetwood Mac's EP "Extended Play" will debut at #48 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Charts when Billboard publishes the chart on Thursday.  HitsDailyDouble estimated on Tuesday that the EP would come in at about #31 with sales of approx. 11,500. Actual sales haven't been confirmed yet, I'll post that info once I receive it - but it's likely not far off.

Yahoo.Music

"In 1979, the band released a double-disk, 20-song studio album, Tusk. Now, it’s putting out a four-song EP. Our attention spans are shrinking by the minute."

Photos: Fleetwood Mac Live - Washington, DC April 9th #FleetwoodMacLive #StevieNicks

Fleetwood Mac Live at Verizon Center - Washington, DC. 
Photos by Kyle Gustafson

Fleetwood Mac @ Verizon Center - Images by Kyle Gustafson

FLEETWOOD MAC "Sad Angel" Overall Most Added Track at Triple A Radio

FLEETWOOD MAC "Sad Angel" (Extended Play) (independent)
Impacting at Radio May 13-14

For the week ending May 6th "Sad Angel" was the second Overall Most Added single track at Triple A Radio.  The track should start to spread out over the next couple of weeks and appear on radio play lists at Triple A stations in the U.S.


Stevie Nicks Says New Fleetwood Mac Songs "Came Out Great"

Last week, Fleetwood Mac released their first new recordings in almost a decade -- a four-song digital EP
titled Extended Play.  The collection features three new tunes written by singer/guitarist Lindsey Buckingham -- "It Takes Time," "Miss Fantasy" and "Sad Angel" -- as well as a Stevie Nicks-penned track called "Without You" that dates back to her and Buckingham's pre-Fleetwood Mac days, when they performed as a duo.


Nicks recently chatted with ABC News Radio about the new songs, and revealed why the band decided to release just a few songs rather than a full-length album.

"In this day and age, nobody really wants an album anyway, [and] we didn't have time to do a record anyway, because we were all working all last year," she explains.  "And…when you do a record, especially a Fleetwood Mac record, that means you rent a house and you're working for almost a year.  We didn't have that year.  So, this way, we have new songs."

Nicks also told ABC News Radio that Buckingham's new tunes were written in early 2012, and he initially recorded them with just drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie.

"I didn't go because my mom had just passed away, and I really just couldn't go into the studio," she points out.  "So they went in basically without me, and that was fine."

Stevie adds that, although she didn't participate in the early sessions, Lindsey made an effort to come up with material that was well-suited for her.  "Lindsey just tried really hard to see through my eyes," she notes.  "He certainly knows me well enough to do that."

Nicks finally got the chance to add her voice to the new tracks late last year when she visited Buckingham at his home studio.  "He and I picked…two songs out of the several songs that they did that I like very much, otherwise I wouldn't have wanted to sing on them," explains Stevie.  "We did them, and we finished all the vocals and they came out great."

Nicks also brought in her old song "Without You," which she reportedly had rediscovered after coming across an old demo that had been posted on YouTube.

"We can't figure out for the life of us why it didn't go on the Buckingham Nicks album," says Stevie, referring to the 1973 album she and Lindsey recorded as a duo.  "But it didn't and it's just this amazing song…So we rerecorded it and it came out great."

Extended Play is available now at iTunes and AmazonMP3 for $3.96.  Fleetwood Mac has regularly been playing two songs from the EP, "Sad Angel" and "Without You" during their current North American tour, which is mapped out through a July 6 show in Sacramento, California.  The band also has a European trek planned for the fall.

2013 ABC News Radio

Video: Fleetwood Mac "Gold Dust Woman - Little Rock + Stevie Singing "New Orleans" in NOLA

Fleetwood Mac "Gold Dust Woman"
Live in North Little Rock, AR
May 3, 2013


Wow! Great performance... Both of them are so into it!

Fleetwood Mac "New Orleans / Landslide"
Live in New Orleans, LA
May 4, 2013

Stevie took a few seconds before Landslide to sing a few lines of her solo tune "New Orleans" from "In Your Dreams".
"Second Hand News"

Tuesday, May 07, 2013

2 Impressive Reviews: Fleetwood Mac "Extended Play"


Album Review: Fleetwood Mac 'Extended Play'
by PushxShove
ign.com

The new Fleetwood Mac EP, aptly named "Extended Play", is a short but sweet taste of more from a band that has truly withstood the test of time. Though far too short for my taste, any new offering from my favorite band of all time is welcome. So, with that said, let's get down to business.

-Track By Track Analysis-

The first track on the short offering from the classic rock pioneers is an uptempo diddy entitled "Sad Angel". Ultimately and noticeably a Buckingham original, but Stevie throws in her beautifully rugged vocals for the perfect trademark harmony that we've come to expect from the duo. In some ways, it recalls the Self Titled and Rumours eras, while still sounding Say You Will-esk. Albeit, there's a kind of fluidity between Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham that can't be found anywhere on the Say You Will album. The track is solid, with Buckinghams electric guitar providing a good deal of momentum. Overall, the song writing is ace (as expected), the instrumentation is upbeat and superb, and the harmonies are as good as years passed. Judging by this track, one could say that life has been good to Fleetwood Mac, specifically Buckingham and Nicks. A bright spot and possibly the highlight of their musicianship from the past 15 years or so, though Nicks' last album was her best effort since Bella Donna in my opinion.


Fleetwood Mac Still Have Plenty of Gas in The Tank
Phoenixmusiconline

"It Takes Time leads on with a slow tempo and melody allowing you to listen to the eerie lyrical affair tracing Buckingham´s lips."

Fleetwood Mac are back with their first studio material in ten years, Extended Play-EP, Which was released last week. The EP shows off three new tracks, `Sad Angel´ `It Takes Time´ and `Miss Fantasy´ that are penned by Lindsey Buckingham and it also includes `Without You´ Which is a revamped track, That was originally written by Stevie Nicks from the Buckingham Nicks project.

Extended Play opens with Sad Angel, Which is an upbeat Country-esque ditty that will have you singing along after just one listen. A great tempo and melody sprinkled with the magic of Buckingham and Nicks on vocals, Who are still a force to be reckoned with and the track dances forward without missing a beat.  The Tempo gets stripped down in Without You with this revamped acoustic track from the early days. Its Buckingham, Nicks and a guitar, Keeping it simple, raw and real. There ´s nothing overworked about this Folk/Country inspired track, Which perfects it.

Continue to the original site for the rest

Fleetwood Mac "Extended Play" 1 Week Out... How did it do on the charts? Details here:


Early indications from Hitsdailydouble are that Fleetwood Mac's "Extended Play" EP will land at or around #31 Fleetwood Mac's EP "Extended Play" will debut at #48 when Billboard publishes it's Top 200 Album Chart on Thursday May 9th.  Sales for the week were approximately 11,500 digital units sold in the United States.

Although sales for the week weren't all that spectacular given Fleetwood Mac's stature.  Do I think the first week could have been a little better, or even huge?  Yes, I do.  But they could easily be forgiven for a number of reasons:
  1. It`s only 4 songs and not a full album and although these 4 songs are, I think, really great, and I love them - some people have said there isn't enough Stevie on the tracks.
  2. This was a digital download exclusive to iTunes for the first week only.  Not everyone has access to iTunes, or wants to.
  3. Virtually no advertising except for a few really key on-line websites publishing about the release.  The band mentioning it was coming out during interviews and on the current tour helps, but there was no real hard date set as to when the EP would actually be released - until it was released.
  4. The entire 4 song set could be streamed legitimately online at various websites as part of the promotion.
  5. No hard copy available to purchase.

Whether the band believes this is a successful week is anyones guess... It all depends on what they expected, or wanted to achieve.  With this being the bands very first self-release, maybe things will be different when and if this happens again.

All I know, is I'm completely pleased with these 4 songs offered - and think they should continue to either put out a few more EP`s... Or work out a way to put an album together without it taking 2 years.

Onwards... and Upwards... 

PRE-ORDER: Stevie Nicks: In Your Dreams Documentary on iTunes - May 14th Release

Stevie Nicks Documentary 
"In Your Dreams" 
Digital Release Date: May 14, 2013 via iTunes.


Run Time: 1:40:46
Size: 3.21 GB (720p HD), 1.38 GB (SD)
Format: Widescreen
HD: Includes 720p, 1080p (Downloading 720p)
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 (English)

Weapons of Mass Entertainment

NEW YORK, May 7, 2013 – Virgil Films announces the exclusive iTunes release of the musical cinematic event of the season, Stevie Nicks: In Your Dreams. Being released on the heels of the film’s recent successful theatrical run, fans will be able to purchase the film exclusively on iTunes in the U.S. and Canada beginning May 14, 2013.

Inyourdreamsmovie.com

No word yet on a DVD release.  It was reported back in March that the film would initially be released digitally, and on VOD (Video on Demand).

Hopefully the DVD is on the schedule at some point... and yes, we hope they add either more footage or the completed videos for the songs where only clips where shown in the film.

I finally saw the movie and I really enjoyed it.... I left wanting more!



Lindsey Buckingham Talks Fleetwood Mac Tour, New EP

Lindsey Buckingham Talks Fleetwood Mac Tour, New EP
'Stevie and I have probably more of a connection now than we have in years'



By ANDY GREENE
MAY 7, 2013
Rolling Stone

It's been exactly a decade since Fleetwood Mac released a full album, but that hasn't stopped a new generation of fans from discovering the band. "We're doing the best business we've done in 20 years," guitarist Lindsey Buckingham tells Rolling Stone a few hours before the Tulsa, Oklahoma stop on the band's latest tour. "There seems to be a cyclical re-igniting of interests, and there's certainly a lot more young people out there than three years ago."

Months before they started tour rehearsal, the band cut a four-song EP titled Extended Play with producer Mitchell Froom. "When we finally decided this was going to be the year we were going to tour again, I thought it would be great to cut some new stuff," says Buckingham. "I knew we wouldn't have time to cut a new album. Stevie [Nicks] was still caught up in her solo thing, but I got John [McVie] and Mick [Fleetwood] over from Hawaii. They played their asses off. It was a great experience."

Stevie Nicks arrived at the sessions towards the end, and Buckingham presented her with "Sad Angel." "I wrote that song for Stevie," he says. "She always had to fight for everything. She was coming off a solo album and was in the process of reintegrating herself mentally in the band, and we're all warriors with a sword in one sort or another. She and I have known each other since high school. So I just wrote, 'Sad Angel have you come to fight the war/We fall to earth together, the crowd calling out for more.'"


Monday, May 06, 2013

Review: Fleetwood Mac show they can still turn out catchy mid-tempo rock on the sublime, four-track “Extended Play.”

Available on iTunes $3.96
Available on AmazonMP3 $3.96
Also Available on Google Play
Fleetwood Mac "Extended Play"
By Will Hermes
Rolling Stone
May 7, 2013
★★

"We fall to Earth together/The crowd calling out for more," goes a couplet on this four-track EP by the remaining Macs (Christine McVie sits out). Note to band: That doesn't mean y'all have to answer. But if their first release of new music in a decade isn't replacing any classics, the voices of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks can still bring chills. The gem is "Without You," a breezy Nicks-written folk rocker from the couple's pre-Mac project Buckingham Nicks: Largely acoustic, with twined harmonies, its chords twist and resolve like a sun-dappled mobile on a breezy day. And we confess: Hearing the ex-lovers put words in each other's mouths remains as fascinating as ever.

Available Today at the Amazon MP3 Store

Music Review:
Fleetwood Mac “Extended Play”
By Hardeep Phull
New York Post May 6, 2013
★★ 1/2

AFTER 10 years of radio silence, Fleetwood Mac shocked almost everyone last week by issuing a four-track EP on iTunes. What may be even more shocking is that it’s actually pretty good.

Even with the obvious wear and tear in their voices, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham still sound sublime when they lock together on “Without You” (a song dating back to their pre-Mac days) and the gorgeous chorus of “Miss Fantasy.”

True, those tracks are otherwise run of the mill, but there’s a real gem within their mini-set: the opener “Sad Angel,” a brisk and brilliant mid-tempo rocker with the kind of instantly singable hook that used to help them move records by the silo-full.

Fleetwood Mac show they can still turn out catchy mid-tempo rock on the sublime, four-track “Extended Play.”

Such gargantuan sales aren’t likely to be replicated these days, of course, but it’s reassuring to hear that Fleetwood Mac can still pull some magic out of the air when the fancy takes them.


Fleetwood Mac "Extended Play"
by Eric Pahls
EricPahls.com

Ten years after their last studio album, Fleetwood Mac (Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, John McVie, Mick Fleetwood) is back with a brand-new 4-song EP, called, funny enough, Extended Play.

Extended Play features 3 brand new songs written by guitarist Buckingham.  It also hosts Without You, which was written by Nicks 4 decades ago in her pre-Fleetwood Mac days in her and Buckingham's band, Buckingham Nicks.  This is the only song Nicks wrote on the EP, as her mother died when the other 3 members began work on the recordings.

Extended Play starts with Sad Angel, which is an up-tempo rocker filled with repitition and the glamour of the 63 to 67-year-old supergroup.  This song is the crowning jewel of this EP, and it quickly signals what Buckingham has said, the band has chapters yet to be written.

Without You is a song rich with acoustic charm and laced with the sweet and rosinate harmony that has defined Nicks and Buckingham for the entirety of their tumultuous career together.  Nicks has called it the nicest words she has written about Buckingham, as most of their hits are the songs during and after their very ugly split.  The song was lost, and turned up on YouTube.  It seems to come out at a great time, as the duo seems to be getting along as well as ever.  Without You is a beautiful and simple love song that transcends from it's origin 40 years ago to its release this week with its meaning and voices perfectly intact.

The real surprise of this EP is It Takes Time, which is a solo with Buckingham on piano (whaaat?!) and a touch of orchestration in certain points of the song.  It is a sad ballad that takes an introspective look at his place in what we assume is the failure of he and Nicks' relationship, and the healing that follows.  It is a quiet and gentle song with an intense amount of emotion.  It is uncharacteristic of most of Buckingham's more punk-rock work, but can be looked at as an unexpected and refreshing change of pace.

Miss Fantasy is another upbeat jam with Buckingham covering the verses and Nicks coming in on the harmony in the chorus.  It is a slightly upbeat acoustic quirky rock song that wraps up the EP with the classic Buckingham style of going just outside the norm.

This EP is a great sign towards hopes of a new album, and continued productivity of one of the greatest bands of all time.  Lindsey is still the guitar hero and musical mad genius he always has been, John McVie still lays into stirring bass lines, Mick Fleetwood can get you on your feet and moving with a killer rhythm, and Stevie Nicks can floor you with that low, rosinate and nearly indescribable voice that remains a treasure for adoring fans.  Fleetwood Mac lives on, and I strongly encourage you to check out the new EP, Extended Play, right now!    

A new Fleetwood Mac track finds the group as lively as ever
By Noah Cruickshank May 6, 2013
A.V. CLUB

In Hear This, A.V. Club writers sing the praises of songs they know well—some inspired by a weekly theme and some not, but always songs worth hearing.

Fleetwood Mac’s announcement that it was making an EP was surprising: The group hadn’t released new music since 2003’s underrated Say You Will, and its current arena tour seemed more like another back-catalog cash-grab than a chance to road-test new material. Likewise, the band hasn’t done much publicity behind the new music, keeping the release date secret and only playing two of the new songs live. But there’s no reason for Lindsey Buckingham and company to be coy: Extended Play’s opener, “Sad Angel,” is everything a fan could want from latter-day Mac. With frenetic guitar from Buckingham, expert harmony from Stevie Nicks, and a chorus that’s catchy as hell, the song is a great reminder of how well these folks can craft pop music. Buckingham has been making quality albums on his own for this past decade, but he’s livelier than ever on “Sad Angel,” drawing parallels between the bombast of war and rock music. Even Mick Fleetwood’s drumming is more energetic than it’s been since the ’80s. If Fleetwood Mac has more tracks like this in them, here’s hoping another album surfaces soon. 

REVIEW: Fleetwood Mac played to a sold-out crowd of 14,613 at North Little Rock’s Verizon Arena

Fleetwood Mac rocks Little Rock
May 3, 2013 - Verizon Center
Photo by Nelson Chenault

by Joe Miles
Baxter Bulletin

NORTH LITTLE ROCK — Fleetwood Mac brought their iconic sound to central Arkansas Friday night as part of a 48-city North American tour celebrating the 35th anniversary of the band’s prolific album “Rumours,” which was the best-selling album of all time the year of its release.

The group played to a sold-out crowd of 14,613 jubilant fans at North Little Rock’s Verizon Arena. This tour brings the band members back together for the first time in three years.

They opened the show with three songs from “Rumours,” beginning with “Second Hand News” featuring a rambunctious drumming introduction by band leader Mick Fleetwood and the vocals of lead guitarist Lindsey Buckingham.

The rousing opening was followed by “The Chain” and “Dreams,” with Stevie Nicks bringing her unique vocals and mystical stage presence to the forefront.

Bassist John McVie was a quiet master of rhythm throughout the 23-song set that included two encores.

Buckingham stole the show with several guitar improvisations, especially during an acoustical set that included songs “Big Love” and “Landslide.” The group also performed “Sad Angel” and “Without You” from their recently released EP — aptly entitled “Extended Play” — that contains the band’s first newly released material in 10 years.

The first encore featured a rousing rendition of “World Turning” and “Don’t Stop (Thinkin’ About Tomorrow),” a song closely associated with the 1992 campaign of President Bill Clinton.

Band leader Fleetwood introduced band members and background vocalists, concluding with accolades for the former president and wife, Hillary Clinton, the nation’s former Secretary of State, who were in the audience.

The band returned to the stage for a second encore, ending the evening with the ballad “Say Goodbye.”

Buckingham’s guitar work, Nicks’ vocals and the band’s interaction with the crowd stirred up one of the most memorable rock and roll shows Arkansas has seen.

“The Mac is back!” Fleetwood yelled as he left the stage.

58 PHOTOS: Fleetwood Mac New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival

Fleetwood Mac Live in New Orleans
New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Photos by Nathan Malone
View Gallery (58 photos)

You don't often see Fleetwood Mac photographed playing live during the day... Beautiful shots!