Fleetwood Mac Archives - Page 3 of 18

Bedouine Closes Her New Album with a Cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Songbird”

Posted by Ben Easton at 2:00 pm No Responses »

Nov 012021

Though much has been made of singer-songwriter Bedouine’s global influences, it’s the warm vibes of her present home in Southern California that have long comprised the core of her sound. Sagacious folkies like Joni Mitchell and Judee Sill are obvious touchpoints, but Bedouine doesn’t limit her styling to only these solo artists. To close her third full-length record in four years, Waysides, Bedouine brings a cover from one SoCal’s biggest rock bands into the mix: Fleetwood Mac and their 1977 classic “Songbird.” Continue reading »

The Best Cover Songs of October

Posted by Ray Padgett at 9:00 am No Responses »

Nov 012021

Andrew VanWyngarden – Dance Monkey (Tones and I cover)

One of the biggest one-hit wonders of the last few years, pop singer Tones and I’s “Dance Monkey” emerged out of seeming nowhere to top charts across the world last year. In her home country of Australia, it is the longest chart-topper ever, breaking a record held by Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas”! Despite its ubiquity, however, major covers have been sparse (perhaps because many people find the song, you know, annoying). Never one to shy away from putting off his audience, though, MGMT frontman Andrew VanWyngarden gave it a trippy psychedelic-folk cover as part of a radio station fundraising challenge. Continue reading »

In the Spotlight: Country Supergroups (Supergroups #3)

Posted by Sara Stoudt at 10:30 am No Responses »

Jul 072021

The previous supergroups we’ve featured for Supergroup Week have been members of other bands, forming a new band with musicians based on their musical networks. This sometimes is a natural progression: band dynamics cause groups to fracture and leave members looking for a new team to create music with. Friends from a musical past-life join others that they’ve jammed with at some point to try something new. This time around, we have solo artists joining forces. This suggests a longing to collaborate and be part of a bigger musical effort. We also switch genres, from rock to country & western with some outlaw flair. The supergroup networks are still strong in the ’80s, often first marked by solo artists covering others’ work that they admired, and their legacies sparked new supergroups in the ’10s.

The Best Cover Songs of May 2021

Posted by Ray Padgett at 9:00 am No Responses »

May 312021

Amy Speace – Don’t Let Us Get Sick (Warren Zevon cover)

“Don’t Let Us Get Sick” was a moving song even before Warren Zevon got sick, didn’t see a doctor soon enough, and died. After that, the context makes it even more poignant. The canonical cover is Judee Sill’s, but on her new album, Amy Speace gives it a run for its money. Continue reading »

Cover Classics: Camper Van Beethoven’s ‘Tusk’

Posted by Sara Stoudt at 1:30 pm No Responses »

Mar 122021

Cover Classics takes a closer look at all-cover albums of the past, their genesis, and their legacy.

Rumours was a tough act for Fleetwood Mac to follow, so they didn’t follow it. Instead of giving an audience more of the same, they took a big leap with their next album, Tusk in 1979. It was the most expensive album to be recorded at the time, and although it did not reach the same level of commercial success as Rumours, there were pockets of critics and fans alike that appreciated the post-punk experiment. (Did I know Lindsey Buckingham was a big Talking Heads fan before writing this piece? No!)

Camper Van Beethoven is a band somewhere between alternative and indie rock who decided to take on Tusk in all its double-album glory. Not to be outdone in terms of drama, their version has a conspiracy theory-esque origin story. The band claimed to have unearthed it years after recording it on a whim in the late ’80, but they actually recorded it in 2001 and then released it in 2002 as a test run to see whether they could work together as a band after an earlier breakup. Oh, the intrigue! It is good to see a little of the Fleetwood Mac drama carry on in this work, although it is a little ironic that an original album that represented a band being divided by romance gone wrong actually brought another one back together in cover form.

Tusk is no ordinary Fleetwood Mac album, and in the spirit of that fact, this is no ordinary Fleetwood Mac cover album. Let’s hear some of the contrast in sound and approach.

Late Aster Delivers Slow Piano Cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams”

Posted by Riley Haas at 9:00 am 2 Responses »

Mar 032021

So much has been written about the origins of Fleetwood Mac‘s Rumours it feels silly to rehash it, but the short version is that Stevie Nicks wrote “Dreams” about her failing relationship with guitarist Lindsey Buckingham. The rest of the band didn’t want to record it until Buckingham re-arranged it. And then it became their biggest US hit ever. Continue reading »