Even without Buckingham and Nicks....a GREAT album

I caught this same lineup in Peoria, Illinois in summer 1995...for an outdoor fest.. and they were superb...played all the classic mac tunes and more....Becca has a beautiful, yet strong voice...despite being the baby of the band, she fit right in....belting out vocals that made you look twice...to be sure she was really as young as she is.



For those who write this off as a NON MAC EFFORT....consider all the phases and personnel changes this band has gone thru since their inception....it just proves how very versatile they are...if you truly are a FM fan...you shouldn't be disappointed.



The sad part...I had a chance to buy a 2cd bootleg that came off a soundboard...of the complete concert...and passed....big mistake.,,,I wish they'd release an authorized version on 2cd set of that tour...



This is a fantastic album.....and unique in the fact that Buckingham and Nicks are not present....but still another milestone in FM's long creative career.

The weakest by far

Oh dear! I own every single Fleetwood Mac release from 1969 to date and I've got to say this is by far their weakest effort. With Buckingham long gone and Stevie Nicks and Rick Vito also out of the picture things take a turn for the worse. Not that the previous effort (Behind the Mask) was brilliant, but it still had Nicks on it and it was a far stronger effort. Worse still, just as we were getting used to the undeniably talented Billy Burnette and Rick Vito combination, Vito jumps ship and Burnette takes a back seat.
The rest of this album is left to newcomer Bekka Bramlett and Dave Mason, ex Traffic. Bramlett was clearly hired for her raspy vocal style as a Nicks clone, but that just emphasizes what is missing here. I mean do we have to settle with a second rate Stevie Nicks? Dave Mason seems completely miscast in the whole lineup and his offerings are forgettable. There are some strong points though, the album's opener - Burnett's countryfied 'Talkin' to my heart' is a nice uplifting tune and Bekka Bramlett's vocals work well with Burnette's. Christine McVie's pleasant 'Hollywood' follows and it's reminiscent of her earlier work with the Mac on the 'Future Games' album. After that things go downhill rapidly with some of the blandest songs ever to be put out under the Fleetwood Mac banner. On 'Winds of change' Bekka Bramlett sounds like (horror of horrors!) Bonnie Tyler! It's all pure drivel until we get to 'Sooner or later' which is surprisingly one of the strongest songs Christine McVie has put out for years. The slow atmospheric build-up is great and the whole band pulls together to a really pleasing effect.
The real surprise here is the closer, Mick Fleetwood's bizarre 'These strange times'. On first hearing I wanted to laugh, but there is something to it that keeps me coming back, the guitar playing is superb and it's nice that Peter Green get's a nod. Also the background vocals singing 'have faith' create a nice effect.

A really inconsistent album that has its moments, but Nicks and Buckingham fans should avolid this like the plague.

This IS Fleetwood Mac!!!!

I'm sorry but if Stevie Nicks, and Lindsey Buckingham ARE Fleetwood Mac to you, then you are not a fan of Fleetwood Mac, but a fan of Stevie Nicks and/or Lindsey Buckingham, and the work they have done with the Mac. Fleetwood Mac is my favorite band, and I have at least enjoyed (if not loved) everything they have done since 1967. Time is certainly not my favorite Mac album, but it is an enjoyable album nevertheless. It has some extremely cheery and upbeat songs on it, and is perfect for driving on a sunny day.



Christine McVie is my all time favorite Mac member, and all five of her songs are very likeable. Her voice is as strong as ever, and is the saving grace in songs that suffer from somewhat generic songwriting. I definetly prefer Dave Mason's work with Traffic to his Mac efforts, and his song Blow By Blow is probably the worst (or at least the most boring) on the album. He does have a nice singing voice though, and plays some great lead guitar. Bekka Bramlett is in my opinion underrated on this album. Sure the songwriting in her tunes isn't the most inspired work you'll ever hear, but you can't ignore her voice. People who see her as a Stevie Nicks knock off are probably just sore over the absence of Ms. Nicks. Although Bramlett does have a somewhat raspy voice, and I'm sure that this was no coincidence on the part of the band, you can really hear her struggling to find her own little niche here. At times soulful, and others sweet and vulnerable she is a very strong vocalist, and her Dreamin' the Dream is one of my favorite Mac songs (if only for her singing on it). I love Billy Burnette's work with the Mac (more so on the 'Behind the Mask' album than here) but his singing and guitar playing go very well with Bramlett's voice throughout the album. And then of course you have drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John Mcvie. It just wouldn't be Fleetwood Mac without them. Not just because they are where the band gets it's name from, but because they provide the music with it's driving rhythm. Their performances are very strong on Time (as they are on any album), and I won't be the first to say that they are one of music's greatest rhythm sections.



I wish that we had heard more form this lineup of Fleetwood Mac because I think that they could have only improved. 'Time' is a good if not great album, and should please real Fleetwood Mac fans who have loved the band through all of the changes that they have undergone.



Favorite songs: I Do, Winds of Change, Sooner or Later

Dreamin' the Dream



Least favorite songs: Blow By Blow, These Strange Times