Neil Finn joins Fleetwood Mac

[Brian]

When I worked at the hippie record store in Montrose in January 1977, I was 18, a month older than Neil Finn.

One day, I took a call from the program director at a local FM radio station.  As usual, he asked what records were selling.  But this time, he was a little desperate -- could I suggest another song from the eponymous "Fleetwood Mac" album released in 1975 that he could play?  "Sugar Daddy," I replied, and we both laughed.  Luckily, "Rumours" came out soon, which helped keep the store open until the "Saturday Night Fever" and "Grease" soundtracks brought even more kids and their parents to the cash register.  And I've been a Fleetwood Mac fan ever since.

We also loved to hear from the record companies, who sent free LP's, t-shirts, all kinds of displays -- and concert tickets.  Chrysalis turned me on to Split Enz' U.S. debut album, "Mental Notes," in January 1977 and got me into the Golden Bear in Huntington Beach for the band's first U.S. tour.  Not yet 19, Neil Finn joined Split Enz three months later on their second tour, after Phil Judd abandoned his band mates in Atlanta.  Neil went on to found Crowded House and establish a solo career, sometimes recording and touring with his older brother Tim Finn.  I can't count how many times I've seen Neil perform in the past four decades.

If you had told me in 1977 that I would live to see Neil Finn become part of Fleetwood Mac, my teenaged pea brain would have squished itself.

As most people know by now, Lindsey Buckingham has resigned and Neil is taking his place on vocals, along with guitarist Mike Campbell from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.  Not just for a massive North American arena tour that includes two nights at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif. next December.  It sounds like he will write songs with Christine McVie and Stevie Nicks.  Neil has been hanging out with Mick Fleetwood for the past few years, collaborating in Neil's Roundhead Studios in New Zealand and playing a recent benefit for student anti-gun activists in Hawaii.

After two exceptional solo albums, heavy on strings and piano with a choir, Neil is returning to rock and roll.  This is "The Law Is Always on Your Side," recorded live at Roundhead last summer -- winter in New Zealand -- while every song on the new album, "Out of Silence," was streamed on the Internet:

Record stores may be dead, but Neil Finn's music has a life of its own.

[Brian]

I started reading Mojo, published in the U.K., around the turn of the century, but I didn't start subscribing until this year. Mojo is the last real music magazine -- Rolling Stone gave up the mantle many years ago.  Only digital subscribers can read the monthly articles and comprehensive album reviews online, so I can't give you a link.  Instead, I will type as much as the fair use doctrine of copyright law allows.

The cover of the August issue teases, "Fleetwood Mac's New Frontman Speaks!" But it's actually an article about a conversation with Neil Finn and his son Liam, also an accomplished songwriter and performer, that takes up less than one page. Underneath a beautiful close shot of them shoulder to shoulder on a beach is a fairly recent red carpet photo of Fleetwood Mac with Lindsey Buckingham.  The headline is "The Man in Mac:  Neil and Liam Finn team up on vinyl. Plus! Neil joins Mick, Stevie, Christine and John?"

Most of the piece is about the forthcoming album, "Lightsleeper," their first collaboration.

This being a Finn thing, however, ambience always takes a back seat in favour of some of the lushest songs Neil or Liam have presented in some time, even the most cinematically drowsy moments [are] enlivened by sultry harmonies or programmed beats that jolt you awake.

Then there's Liam being Liam, when asked about the contrast between their peaceful project and the long running "soap opera" featuring the members of Fleetwood Mac.

"Well, we haven't had sex yet me and dad, so we'll see," quips Liam.
"Oh that's a grisly prospect!" his father laughingly protests. "No, my experience of the Macs so far has been that they're charming, funny, and it's just too good an adventure to pass up."

Andy Fyfe's article closes with Neil pondering how busy he became around his 60th birthday: "You do start to think about this mortality shit. This Fleetwood Mac thing, though, took me completely by surprise, a gift from somewhere else. What can I say? Life is incredibly busy and incredibly full."

This lengthy interview in Variety last month is fabulous: variety.com/2018/music/news/neil-and-liam-finn-interview-back-to-life-video-1202850806/

[Brian]

Neil and Liam Finn shot the first video for their forthcoming album at Largo last May.

Geez, you cannot rely on the print edition of the Los Angeles Times anymore.  This extensive interview by regular music correspondent Randy Lewis appeared on the Times website in the wee hours of Thursday, but did not run in any paper:

www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-neil-finn-fleetwood-mac-liam-finn-20180809-story.html#

Edited to add: Six hours later, the Sunday Times dropped on my driveway, with the story about the Finns on page 1 of the Arts & Books section.

[Brian]

Neil and Liam Finn perform "Distant Sun" on August 24, 2018.

Father and son came to Amoeba Music in Hollywood to promote their album "Lightsleeper" on its day of release.

Our friend Ginny, who we met at the Finn Brothers shows in 2004, was already standing on Sunset Boulevard at 9 a.m., long before the store opened, yet ten other people got there first.  Anni and I sauntered in at 11:30, a half hour before Neil and Liam appeared, and took our usual place hugging the side of the stage next to the Frank Zappa CD's.  We stood beside Matt from Seattle, a wonderful guy who called in sick to work so he could be there.  We noted the six songs on the set list that was placed beneath their microphones, which had "Sweet Dreams" last.  They changed the running order and added a song from Liam's "FOMO" album:

• Sweet Dreams (Split Enz)
• We Know What It Means (new)
• Anger Plays a Part (new)
• Distant Sun (Crowded House)
• Cold Feet (Liam solo)
• Back to Life (new)
• Hold Her Close (new)

Total stage time was 32 minutes.  Anni and I went to the restrooms at the Arc Light across the street and shopped around Amoeba before getting in back of the autograph line behind our long time Finn friend Steve Watson, who works there, and Ginny, going through the line a second time.  When I handed Neil my CD I said, "I want to thank you, Neil -- I've been a fan since 1977."  He didn't look up.  "Great!"  As he stood up to leave I asked him, "Do you ever listen to Ian Hunter?"  He answered "yes, sometimes," but looked confused.  "Well, Ian has put out his best work in the last 19 years since he turned 60.  You might want to check him out.  And the Rant Band is the best touring band around."  Liam, on the other hand, was warm and friendly.

Not a word was uttered onstage about Fleetwood Mac, though I imagine it was a topic at the autograph table.  Fleetwood Mac's six-month tour starts October 3 in Tulsa.