Listen to "I'm So Afraid"

I can't say that I've ever listened to this album, really, or even a whole side of it, so take the 5-star rating with a grain of salt, but I've listened to "I'm So Afraid" about a thousand times, mostly late at night, alone in my room with the lights out. It's not just the vocals, which are amazing, but also the guitar. This is what a live performance is supposed to be, a well-rehearsed, talented band finding their groove and channeling inspiration down from that place where music resides. I admit I was 18 years when I did it--but 20 years later the memory has never left me.

It's pretty rare that a live version of a song surpasses the studio version in all ways, but this is it. After you've listetened to the live version for the tenth time in a row, look for the studio version and play that, just for a giggle.

One of the best live albums out there!

I admit I'm a fan of The Mac. I also admit that, like another who has written a review here, 'Tusk' is my favourite Mac album. And I love live albums. So this was a real treat for me. It's simply a fantastic mesh of the first three Mac albums made with the great Buckingham/Nicks, with a gritty workout on Peter Green's 'Oh Well' thrown in for good measure.
Lindsey Buckingham reveals himself in the course of this album to be a truly absurdly talented guy. In particular his rendition of 'Never Going Back' is just beautiful. He more than holds his own in 'Oh Well' and delivers a blistering 'I'm So Afraid' to boot. Though some have expressed irritation for it, the version of 'Not That Funny' is intriguing - he sounds as if he's performing some sort of rock n roll exorcism to the manic accompaniment of Mick. The screams and yelps are great fun.
Stevie also sounds fantastic, especially on Landslide (emotionally charged) and Rhiannon, in which she summons up the Welsh witch and sends chills down the spine. 'Fireflies' is an undiscovered gem of a tune, which should have been on an album somewhere. The version of 'Sara' is the longer one which was trimmed for the Tusk album, but did appear on the green Greatest Hits album which came out in the early 90s. It's equally wicked. Nicks floats through the song like a dream.
Christine McVie is the anchor of it all...she's just great. The (then)new song 'Over & Over' twinkles in with keyboard and swooping vocals. 'Say You Love Me' provides a rousing intro (along with a fantastic 'Monday Morning') to the album.
As for the Amazing Rhythm Section...they are solid, subtle, and cool as ice, and on 'Oh Well' they dig into their blues roots like men possessed.
All in all...this album has not been off my record player for a long time. There is a song for every mood, and The Mac successfully plumb emotional depths rarely seen in today's music.
Buy it! It's great! Truly one of their finest times captured (lucky for us) on an album.

Vintage live music from the classic Mac line-up !

This live album from 1980 is a rare insight on the band's marathon-tour in support of the "Tusk" album. Not only does it allow the casual listener to discover hidden gems like "Don't Let Me Down Again", "One More Night" "Fireflies" or "Over & Over", it also enables the true Mac fans to capture a milestone in the band's history.

The recording is impressive; songs like "Landslide" or "Never going back again" feature such intimate readings, that you can even wonder if they were truly recorded live - that is, until a deluge of applause happens as the songs conclude. Other songs like "I'm so afraid" or "Not that funny" are a testimony to the mad genius displayed by Lindsey Buckingham on stage. Christine McVie is as good as always, with flawless performances of "Over my head" and "Say you love me". And Stevie Nicks delivers an achingly beautiful version of "Sara", less polished but more emotional than on the album version, where her voice is both sensitive and soaring. The band no longer performs "Sara" in their concerts, based on Stevie's wish, and judging from this version, one can only wonder why. This is the only official live version of "Sara" ever released, which is reason enough to purchase the album.

There are plenty of high points on this album, such as "Rhiannon" (less subdued and more rocking than the version later found on "The Dance"), "Don't Stop", "Dreams", "Oh Well" and the ethereal cover of Brian Wilson's "The Farmer's Daughter". There isn't a weak moment on this album; and although it would have been nice to have songs like "Gold Dust Woman", "You Make Loving Fun" and "Songbird", it's still one of the finest live albums ever recorded.