I think I answered this already, Stevie knew her song needed to be edited down. Remember, this is her businesss, and the shorter a song is the more she can put on an album and the more $$$ she makes.

Pete Townshend may have bought back his masters from the label, but as long as Warners owns them they won't give them away! But maybe if our friend John gets a job at Warners'?

I think I used 3 or 4 of the demos on the DVD, I used the original demo tapes, cassettes, etc. Thanks for the compliments, getting older sucks!

No, I don't think the different guitar affected the sound, not the way you're thinking, I think his style changed...he wanted a more "aggressive sound" because I think he became more aggressive (probably from frustration). Yes I think his best vocal work was on the earlier albums, probably because his vocal chords weren't so stressed (same problem as above).

I think the whole experience for the band during the white album was different, they were new to the band, and recordings often are just a "snapshot" of how they felt then. When they started playing together live they discovered their real potential, that's the great thing about playing live, you just "let it go" and feel the audience reaction. No, I don't think the white album tour was recorded as often, because I wasn't there, and the label didn't know how the album was going to do.

I wish to comment on several things I have read in this Q&A forum...but first what an informative forum it is...thanks to you. I must say that Lindsey doesn't seem to know when to say a project is done. Is he ever really musically satisfied? We get teased with solo projects and then he decides to go into the studio as the Mac. Stevie has always said this about him. I also believe that Lindsey and Stevie brought the talent and drama that made the Mac the fame it achieved. I also think that too much is made of the drug scene of the 70's. As someone who was a young adult during that time...as Lindsey has said...it was just part of the times. Drugs were everywhere..especially for those that had the money to support it.

Who's to say if it is a good idea or not? I'm sure when Stevie and Lindsey were brought in the band was essentially coming out of the blues era and I'm sure their fans would have voted no, if they had the opportunity. And as it turns out, it was a genius move by Mick, et al. I suggest we all sit and have faith the Mac will do the right thing and won't let us down....

I'm not sure what you mean. We used to record the effects when we recorded the instruments. We never waited to hone things. We always tried to make our decisions ahead of time, including combining all the vocal, and solos...that is what Caillat liked to do.

No, Silver Spings was never considered for another album. Since it had been recorded and Stevie loved that version. That's Alright never was finished during Rumours she pulled it out of consideration.

It was pretty easy, generally-- the one with the idea got listened to. It was a very co- operative atmosphere. But let's face it if it had to come down to it, Lindsey got the extra vote. Remember, Richard and I weren't actually hired as producers originally, we kind of earned the position thru our contributions.

I was surprised by an answer you gave a while back regarding some missing lyrics, where you said "Perhaps the lyrics were too personal for Lindsey". How much input did one member of the band have on another member's lyrics? Could Lindsey veto a lyric of Stevie's he found offensive, or vice versa? Or was it just a "Could you pretty please not sing that?" If indeed lyrics were edited for that reason, could you reach back in your memory and give a couple of examples? Seeing as how the finished product isn't exactly all sugar and candy, it would definitely be interesting to hear what a couple of those edited-out lines were!

Remember this is one big family, and you can imagine if one family member doesn't get their way they can become "very cold" or very uncooperative. Sometimes you could cut the air with a knife! I' m sure that "pretty please" was never used. But in saying that I don't think that occurred very much. Steve's lyrics were edited routinely and not because anyone was offended, but rather to shorten the song. I think what I was talking about was some talking during the intro of her song, and I probably just muted that track until the actual start of the lyrics, nothing sinister.

In "The Making Of Rumours" video there is seperate footage of both you and Lindsey at the control panel of an enormous console with dozens and dozens of buttons and knobs. How do you remember what part of the track is on each button or knob so you can access it easily? Do you load the individual tracks somewhere and is this done song by song, or is the console capable of holding dozens of individual parts from many songs? Once you've mixed or combined different parts of a track - is that stored somewhere else and do you name it something so you can remember what guitar part and what vocal was mixed on that version?

Remember this is one big family, and you can imagine if one family member doesn't get their way they can become "very cold" or very uncooperative. Sometimes you could cut the air with a knife! I' m sure that "pretty please" was never used. But in saying that I don't think that occurred very much. Steve's lyrics were edited routinely and not because anyone was offended, but rather to shorten the song. I think what I was talking about was some talking during the intro of her song, and I probably just muted that track until the actual start of the lyrics, nothing sinister.

In "The Making Of Rumours" video there is seperate footage of both you and Lindsey at the control panel of an enormous console with dozens and dozens of buttons and knobs. How do you remember what part of the track is on each button or knob so you can access it easily? Do you load the individual tracks somewhere and is this done song by song, or is the console capable of holding dozens of individual parts from many songs? Once you've mixed or combined different parts of a track - is that stored somewhere else and do you name it something so you can remember what guitar part and what vocal was mixed on that version?

FM records so many vocal and instrumental parts with such subtle differences, then manipulates and layers many of these individual vocals and instrumentals, I've wondered how you keep track of the slightly different versions and find something that your looking for after working on a song for days/weeks/months.

I realize it must be complicated and difficult to explain in this format - I would appreciate it if you could give us an overview of how the console works and answer any of the questions I asked. Also - how has the process changed since recording Rumours, when everything was manual. 

Each of the knobs on a console are actually set up in rows. Usually at the bottom is a sliding volume control called a "fader" and above that bass and treble controls and then echo effects controls and then panning controls which I would use to position a sound somewhere between the stereo speakers. When we record, we record to 24 track tape which runs along to record each microphone, the bass, each of the drum tracks, guitars, pianos' and the vocals. We keep track of what is recorded where by the track sheet which our assistant engineer keeps. And on the console, we use....masking tape to write down what that channel has on it. The console doesn't hold anything, it just passes the sound thru the console to the speakers, which the engineer plays like an instrument, controlling the volume of each track. Working with the music day after day, it becomes second nature. Today the only difference is that a computer controls the volume and can play it back the same repeatedly.

I'll go with whatever she said, but it didn't look that way to me.

Many of the songs that sound like they were recorded in a garage, or a bathroom, would have been Lindsey originals. Regarding the Ledge, maybe background vocals? But possibly not.

Hello again Ken, hope you are well. Rub some heat lotion on to your aching fingers! You are doing a great job keeping up with so many questions. OK here we go...If you could choose to mix any artist's work and in particular a single song into 5.1, who/what would you record? One that I thought might be interesting is Burning Of The Midnight Lamp by Jimi Hendrix. Also, can you tell us a little about John McVie, he seems to be the most enigmatic member of the band and a man the music press seem to almost try not to talk to. In a recent guitar publication in the UK he was voted 3rd best bassist of all time behind Willie Dixon and Tommy Shannon, a great player indeed.

If I could mix any song Id have to go with The Beatles. How about Joni Mitchell, Court and Spark? John, is quiet, an avid boater a devoted father and a great bass player.

Yes, as I said in a recent question, I didn't do the white album but it seems as though the sessions were rather subdued, compared to the subsequent performances of these songs live!!! I've discussed this with the band and they are just as amazed as everybody else is at what these songs grew up to be. No, I don't think Stevie was crying on Landslide, that's the way her voice growls. Thanks for the questions!!

I think every song took the same amount of time (and love). You can hear the ones that took extra time, the the ones with lots of colors, like Silver Springs. What do I regret not doing? Writing a couple of song for the album!

I'lll pass your ideas along. Good question, how do Stevie's demos keep getting out? It looks to me like she has a leak in her organization, her group of followers she surrounds herself with, or maybe someone's selling them. I know she is always playing them for everyone!

I have answered this already, but usually whoever's song is being recorded, is playing their instrument and sings a rough vocal and every one else starts playing along, drums, bass etc. After we get a take that we like, sometimes we'll cut two together to make one, then we'll add the frosting, the colors, usually guitar, and background vocals, then we go in for the final lead vocal and lastly, percussion.

Definitely Lindsey will release his solo album. It will be good for his sales if the Mac comes out with a big record,they go on tour, and everyone gets all excited about Lindsey again, and then he'll drop the solo album. I'm sure thats the plan!

I've discussed this before, if I ran the world, I'd release everything, but its a business for Warner Records and probably what most of you true fans want would not be received that well from the rest of the buying public. In other words, it would probably sell less that 100,000 units, a failure in record company terms. Now that's where my company is different, we're small and caring and 100,000 units would make us very happy. I hope I've answered your question. Thank you

Regarding the Rumours crystal, my guess is Herbie Worthington gave it to Stevie or still has it himself. He now runs a fabuluous Anique store in Los Angeles called the House of Worthington. Maybe he's got it there? I don't have any idea about the Dance crystal ball, probably with whoever is credited for that photo.

I've been told by the band that the problem was "Lindsey and I were too much alike" and we both liked to get our own way. That's what they said. I did't jump up and down at everything Lindsey did, like some, but again I'd prefer not to speculate. Everytime we see each other we hug and there are good feelings. Maybe Lindsey want to engineer and since that's what I did best.... By the way, he's engineering the new Mac album. Thank you for your kind words, me too. Thank you.

Hi Brian, my name is Hernan Rojas, assistant engineer and additional recording engineer for Tusk. I believe that Lindsey's opinion on Tusk has a lot of validity in terms of the depth of the work and the intense creative environment that prevailed during those intense 13 month sessions. Tusk will be a treasure that only time will allow fans and experts discover and decipher the great jewels in it.

"I Know I'm Not Wrong" is a song that featured Lindsey playing most of the instruments, including that raucous harmonica. Some of the drum parts were doubled and tripled, sort of a "wall of sound treatment," Phil Specter type. The idea was to get a raw and straight forward sound and performance.

I encourage you to discover some of the hidden treasures in the album, Try headphones and careful listening.

Cheers to you,

Hernan

Well they don't hang out, if that's what you mean. Lindsey is an island. No, they would only hang when they're on the road or in the studio; they are pretty much oil and water.

Hello Detective John: Yes, I did produce the Aussie Band and yes, John did play bass, but I couldn't tell you which song. Can you hear a frettless bass in one of the songs? That's what I probably would have asked him to play ( a fretless bass allows the bass player to slide up and down on the strings, so the bass notes would slide up or down). I don't think the album was ever released, the label went broke after the single was released and I don't think an album was ever pressed. I probably have a casette or dat of it somewhere. Well done!

I don't think Mick ever thought about what he played, not in a preconceived way. On the DVD he talks about Lindsey asking him to play the drums on Go Your own Way like "Street Fighting Man" from the Stones. Mick started to play and he said what he played was the best he could do, Mick is totally spontaneous and I've never seen a drummer like him!

That would be Tusk from the album of the same name with the unknown dog on the cover, recorded at Dodger stadium.

Possible contest coming on this one...

I don't know his wife very well, but his kids are great and I believe it has been one of the best influences on him. He has told me it brought him down to earth.

Tough question! How about Bill Grahams' "A Day on the Green" 60k screaming fans on a beautiful outdoor concert in Oakland right after Rumours was finished? (Gee I hope I get this answer right!) I think this concert, they really grew.

Stevie and Lindsey came full circle? When did this happen and why wasn't I notified? I think the challenges will be to set aside Stevie's career and focus on making another album. However, I've said before, it is their job and they are professionals. It is just a matter of can they find the time?