Winter 2002/2003
Review: The Very Best Of Fleetwood Mac
I like to savor my Fleetwood Mac the same way I savor my Thanksgiving meal: one
flavor at a time. There are so many different tastes and textures on one
plate, and, if you ask me, mixing them can be a little strange. You
wouldn't want cousin Jackie's creamed onions seeping over into Aunt
Mabel's marshmallow yams, would you? It's the same with Fleetwood Mac:
Christine McVie's radio friendly, pop-sensible tunes should be kept
separate from Lindsey Buckingham's twangy banjo jangles at all costs.
And Stevie Nicks in my opinion is and always will be the pumpkin pie of
this band: Sure, the meal is delish, but it's that pie we're all waiting
for. I can't think of any other band in rock history with as many strong
and diverse writers as the Mac-- here, it's almost too much flavor for
one record. I've always wondered why Fleetwood Mac's producers (past and
present) never arranged the tracks by writer--I inevitably end up
skipping 'round to different songs, depending on my tastes that day. But
if you're one of those people who likes to mix your mashed taters with
your corn, you'll enjoy this career-spanning collection of hits. In any
case, no matter what's on the menu, Stevie's pie should ALWAYS be served
as it's own extra-special course.
-Dianne Spoto Shattuck