Time (Fleetwood Mac album)
Fleetwood Mac's 1995 album with a transitional lineup.
Time, released on 9 October 1995, is Fleetwood Mac’s sixteenth studio album. Its lineup was unusual: country vocalist Bekka Bramlett (daughter of Delaney and Bonnie) and former Traffic guitarist Dave Mason joined the band. This is the only Fleetwood Mac album since 1974’s Heroes Are Hard to Find that includes no contribution from Stevie Nicks, and it’s also the last studio album to feature Christine McVie as an official member. (Lindsey Buckingham, who left in 1987, does appear as a backing vocalist on one track.)
Critics panned the album, and it sold poorly—failing to chart in the US and peaking at number 47 in the UK. By 1996, Soundscan reported just 32,000 copies sold. The band disbanded soon after Time’s release, though they reunited a few years later with Nicks and Buckingham for The Dance.
The album’s background is tangled. After the 1990 Behind the Mask Tour, Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie said they wouldn’t tour again but might still record. Nicks left the band entirely in 1991 after Mick Fleetwood refused to let her include “Silver Springs” on her Timespace compilation. Rick Vito also left around then, signing a solo deal with Nicks’ label, and later said the band was “in flux” due to lack of commercial success. In early 1993, guitarist Billy Burnette departed for his solo career.
Later that year, Fleetwood asked Bekka Bramlett to join full-time. She had worked with him on his side project The Zoo and on the album Shakin’ the Cage. She first met Fleetwood when she saw her father Delaney Bramlett perform in Laguna Beach, California; Fleetwood approached her afterward about joining The Zoo with Billy Thorpe. When looking for a guitarist to replace Vito, Fleetwood listened to audition tapes at his Malibu cottage. Frustrated, he jokingly told Dave Mason that if his search kept failing, Mason would have to join. Mason replied, “Mick, in all seriousness, I would love that.”
Recording began in September 1993, with a four-month completion goal. But gigs and a tour with Crosby, Stills & Nash pushed the schedule back. After that tour, the band recorded a dozen songs in two weeks. By May 1995, they had 19 songs and planned to cut it to 12, but a thirteenth track—“These Strange Times”—was added when Fleetwood wanted to record his own composition.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- Fleetwood Mac
- Released
- 9 October 1995
- Recorded
- 1993–1995
- Studio
- Ocean Way (Hollywood); Sunset Sound (Hollywood)
- Genre
- Pop rock, soft rock
- Length
- 60:18
- Label
- Warner Bros.
- Producer
- Fleetwood Mac
- Richard Dashut
- John Jones
- Ray Kennedy
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Following the departure of Stevie Nicks in 1991 and guitarist Billy Burnette in early 1993, Mick Fleetwood approached Bekka Bramlett to join as a full member. Bramlett had previously collaborated with Fleetwood on his spinoff project The Zoo. When seeking a replacement for Rick Vito, Fleetwood contacted Dave Mason, who agreed to join. Recording began in September 1993 but was delayed by a tour with Crosby, Stills & Nash. The band recorded a dozen songs in two weeks after the tour, and by May 1995 had 19 songs to choose from, eventually selecting 13. Christine McVie participated only as a contractual obligation and described her working relationship with Mason as acrimonious. The album received unfavorable reviews and was a commercial disappointment, failing to chart in the US and peaking at number 47 in the UK. Fleetwood Mac disbanded soon after, though they reunited a few years later with Nicks and Buckingham for The Dance.
Reader's Guide
Time represents a transitional and often overlooked chapter in Fleetwood Mac's history. Its lineup—featuring Bekka Bramlett and Dave Mason—was the only one since 1974 to exclude Stevie Nicks entirely, and it marked Christine McVie's final studio album as an official member. The album's commercial failure and critical dismissal reflect the band's internal discord, particularly between McVie and Mason. Despite its lack of success, Time documents a period of flux and experimentation, including a rare spoken-word piece by Mick Fleetwood. For collectors and historians, it stands as the end of an era before the band's later reunion with its classic lineup.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Talkin' to My Heart | Billy Burnette, Deborah Allen, Rafe Van Hoy | 4:54 |
| 2 | Hollywood (Some Other Kind of Town) | Christine McVie, Eddy Quintela | 5:45 |
| 3 | Blow by Blow | Dave Mason, John Cesario, Mark Holden | 4:24 |
| 4 | Winds of Change | Kit Hain | 4:26 |
| 5 | I Do | C. McVie, Quintela | 4:28 |
| 6 | Nothing Without You | Delaney Bramlett, Doug Gilmore, Bekka Bramlett | 3:06 |
| 7 | Dreamin' the Dream | B. Bramlett, Burnette | 3:43 |
| 8 | Sooner or Later | C. McVie, Quintela | 5:41 |
| 9 | I Wonder Why | Mason, Franke Previte, Tom Fuller | 4:28 |
| 10 | Nights in Estoril | C. McVie, Quintela | 4:47 |
| 11 | I Got It in for You | Burnette, Allen | 4:08 |
| 12 | All Over Again | C. McVie, Quintela | 3:36 |
| 13 | These Strange Times | Mick Fleetwood, Ray Kennedy | 7:07 |
Track listing from the source article.
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