黑料福利社

It鈥檚 not often that a brand-new record becomes the subject of this column, but the recent Record Store Day vinyl release of the 2012 Fleetwood Mac tribute album, 鈥淛ust Tell Me That You Want Me,鈥� is a very worthy exception.

The record, containing 19 songs from mostly indie-rock artists covering every era of Fleetwood Mac, also has a great example of a song that grows on fans after several listens. MGMT鈥檚 cover of 鈥淔uture Games鈥� went from an abomination to one of my favorites on the album. More on that in a minute.

First and foremost, how awesome that a relatively obscure tribute album was tapped for re-release on vinyl by Craft Recordings, a company that specializes in reissues of independent label Concord鈥檚 back recordings, which date back to the early 1970s (like me!)

I鈥檒l skip the tangled web of ownership that resulted in this tribute album being released last month for Record Store Day 鈥� and simply say it is well worth tracking down both for its handful of prominent Fleetwood Mac songs (from the Lindsey Buckingham-Stevie Nicks-Christine McVie era) and especially its deep cuts from the Peter Green and Bob Welch Mac of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Tribute compilations took off in the 1990s, with bands from that era contributing their unique takes on songs by The Carpenters, Tom Petty and Heartbreakers, Thin Lizzy, The Eagles and countless other 1970s and '80s stalwarts. I own CDs of all of these and still enjoy listening to them.

In fact, 1994鈥檚 鈥� featuring Sonic Youth, the Cranberries, Cracker, Matthew Sweet and Shonen Knife, among others 鈥� is the first record review column I wrote (and tried to publish) in a suburban Chicago daily newspaper. Maybe its rejection was for the best 鈥� I was young, dumb and really full of myself as a writer then (you can switch out 鈥測oung鈥� for 鈥渙ld鈥� these days and that鈥檚 still accurate!).

Anyway, back to 鈥淛ust Tell Me That You Want Me.鈥� The double-disc album opens Side One and ends Side Four with two Peter Green-penned classics, 鈥淎lbatross,鈥� a 1968 guitar-based instrumental, and 鈥淭he Green Manalishi (With the Two-Prong Crown).鈥� Those and a Billy Gibbons cover of 鈥淥h Well鈥� are a great representation of the blues-based band Green formed in the late 1960s and named after his rhythm section (Mick Fleetwood and John McVie).

1990s guitar gurus Lee Ranaldo (from Sonic Youth) and J Mascis (of Dinosaur Jr. fame) lay down a mellow groove on 鈥淎lbatross,鈥� with a steady bass line and heavy use of cymbals driving the song along.

鈥淢analishi,鈥� written and released in May 1970 during Green鈥檚 final months with the band, is given a reverb-drenched treatment here by The Entrance Band, an American three-piece psychedelic rock group who toured with Sonic Youth, Will Oldham, Stephen Malkmus, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Cat Power over the years.

Those two early Mac numbers are among my personal favorites on this record 鈥� along with, surprisingly, the cover of 鈥淔uture Games,鈥� title track of a 1971 transitional Fleetwood Mac album as American guitarist/singer/songwriter Bob Welch joined the group.

At first, I was offended that my favorite Welch Mac song was rung through MGMT鈥檚 array of white noise makers and vocoder, giving the tune a robotic vocal effect.

But then I remembered Welch鈥檚 famous introduction of the song, during Fleetwood Mac鈥檚 widely bootlegged March 10, 1972, concert at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle (find it on ):

鈥淭his song is about the future, there鈥檚 a lot of concern about the future, with ecology and all that 鈥� but it鈥檚 a positive song. A lot of people say the world鈥檚 going to end in a couple years. Well if it is, everything鈥檚 going to be mellow anyway, right? There鈥檚 plenty of time to prepare.

鈥淭his song was written high up in the mountains 鈥� the mountains of your mind, anyway. It was very high up. And it was written in a very mellow atmosphere by two people sitting around who dug each other very much, trying to think of positive ways to get it all back together. Anyway, here鈥檚 Future Games!鈥�

So in that context, MGMT鈥檚 usual brand of noise rock and electronica is a great fit. Repeated listenings reveal a soft hiss that reminds me of my 1970s vinyl Fleetwood Mac albums, and the end of the song has the definite sound of a train rumbling along railroad tracks. Those sound effects join with the robotic vocals and just enough original guitar licks to make it a compelling cover version.

鈥淎nd I know I鈥檓 not the only one, to ever spend my life playing future games 鈥︹��

Among the songs from the group鈥檚 most popular iteration 鈥� after Buckingham and Nicks joined Fleetwood and the McVies in 1975 鈥� there are some choice cover songs. One of the main reasons I enjoy tribute records is hearing recording artists bring their own interpretations of songs by their favorite bands.

I mean, if Swedish singer Lykke Li was just going to regurgitate a note-perfect remake of Nicks鈥� lost gem 鈥淪ilver Springs,鈥� I would just track down the original. Instead, she cranks up the reverb on her vocals and the effect pedals on the guitars and makes a haunting version for the tribute album.

鈥淕old Dust Woman,鈥� off the Mac鈥檚 chart-busting 鈥淩umours鈥� album, gets a similar treatment from Karen Elson, an English model, singer and songwriter (formerly married to Jack White). On this track, it鈥檚 guitarist and studio nut Beck Hansen who expands on the original song with choice riffs and effects.

Maybe the most radical reinterpretation comes from Best Coast, which takes one of Nicks鈥� first big hits, 鈥淩hiannon,鈥� and gives it a new, bouncy feel. The rock duo of Bethany Cosentino and Bobb Bruno does a great job with this 鈥� without the swirling dance moves and scarves.

Tame Impala, which had just burst onto the scene in the early 2010s with standout debut album 鈥淟onerism,鈥� contributes a moody, atmospheric take of Buckingham鈥檚 鈥淭hat鈥檚 All For Everyone.鈥� And speaking of the Mac鈥檚 1979 鈥淭usk鈥� album, The Crystal Ark does a fine job bringing electronic percussion and hi-tech grooves to Buckingham鈥檚 title track. (The USC Marching Band and Song Girls are missed, though!)

While the highlights are numerous, there are a few nits to pick with 鈥淛ust Tell Me That You Want Me.鈥� Christine McVie songs are scarce, with only a Haim version of her early 1980s hit 鈥淗old Me鈥� covered here. McVie, with Fleetwood Mac for nearly its entire existence before her death in 2022, contributed some great songs like 鈥淗omeward Bound,鈥� 鈥淵ou Make Loving Fun鈥� and 鈥淪ongbird鈥� that would have been great additions to this album.

The tribute album also includes only one Welch-era track, the previously discussed 鈥淔uture Games.鈥� There鈥檚 nothing from what, IMHO, is the best Mac record from the early 1970s, 鈥淏are Trees.鈥�

But overall, 鈥淛ust Tell Me That You Want Me鈥� fits in well with the tribute album genre that took off in the 1990s and continues to this day. The fact that I was able to pick it up on vinyl is a huge bonus, and I anticipate enjoying its songs throughout the summer.