Behind the Mask (album)

In 1987, shortly after the release of Tango in the Night, long-time guitarist/vocalist/producer Lindsey Buckingham had left the band. For the accompanying tour, the band recruited Billy Burnette and Rick Vito to replace him. Once the tour concluded, Fleetwood Mac went into the studio to record two new songs for their Greatest Hits compilation album, released in 1988. The new members got the opportunity to record a full album in 1989 when the band began the Behind the Mask sessions. In need of a new producer, the band first selected Don Gehman, who had produced for John Mellencamp and R.E.M.. The initial sessions did not work out because "the chemistry was not right," according to Christine McVie, so the band instead hired Greg Ladanyi, who had previously worked with Don Henley on his solo albums. Ladanyi was suggested by George Hawkins, who played and sang on Mick Fleetwood's first two solo records. Ladanyi described his role producing the band in a March 1990 interview with Mix magazine. ==Recording==

Behind the Mask deviated from the ornate production found on earlier Fleetwood Mac albums in favor of adult-oriented rock. As noted by Nicks, the album was easier to record compared to their other work. "It's not that we didn't take as much time, it's more that the time that we did take was quality time. So, it therefore did not seem to take nearly as long." Lindsey Buckingham stopped by the recording studio to play acoustic guitar on the title track, which was penned by Christine McVie. Vito said that he was not present at the recording studio when Buckingham overdubbed his guitar part; he attributed Buckingham's appearance on the album to Fleetwood's willingness to make amends with Buckingham. The band spent between eight months and a year making Behind the Mask, which they recorded and mixed at The Complex in Los Angeles. Most of the songs were recorded on a sound stage within the facility, with the intention of achieving a larger drum sound. Ladanyi placed a Neumann M 50 microphone six feet away from the drum kit to capture the room ambiance. According to Ladanyi, this microphone provided him with "50 percent of the sound" that he wanted. He used various other microphones to capture individual components of Fleetwood's drums, including Sanken CU-31s for his five tom drums, which Landanyi selected to minimise audio leakage from the cymbals and snare drum ==Release==

The band consulted with Warner Bros. when determining which song to release as the first single from Behind the Mask. The record label suggested "Skies the Limit" as the first single, but the rest of the band recommended two different songs; with the exception of Vito, who wanted "Love Is Dangerous" to be lifted as the album's first single, the band favoured "Save Me", which was ultimately selected as the album's first single. "Skies the Limit" was later lifted as the album's second single and received an accompanying music video, along with "Save Me". ==Critical reception==

{{Music ratings The album received mixed to negative reviews. Entertainment Weekly called the album "pretty bland" and likened it to an "anthology of miscellaneous solo projects." Other critics, however, praised the new line-up. The Los Angeles Times gave the album 3.5/5 stars, commenting that "[w]ithout Buckingham's obsessively unique vision, the group has embraced an all-for-one, one-for-all attitude for what sounds like the most truly group effort since Rumours, or perhaps even since 1972's Bare Trees." Rolling Stone rated it as 4/5 stars, claiming that "the addition of Rick Vito and Billy Burnette is the best thing to ever happen to Fleetwood Mac" and that "[n]ot since Rumours has Fleetwood Mac recorded pain so unwaveringly and sounded this together." ==Track listing==

Fleetwood Mac • Stevie Nicks – vocals • Christine McVie – vocals, keyboards • Rick Vito – lead guitars, vocals • Billy Burnette – guitars, vocals • John McVie – bass guitar • Mick Fleetwood – drums, percussion, spoken word on "In the Back of My Mind" Additional musicians • Stephen Croes – keyboards, Synclavier programming • Dan Garfield – keyboard programming • Lindsey Buckingham – acoustic guitar on "Behind the Mask" • Okyerema Asanté – percussion on "Freedom" Production • Fleetwood Mac – producers • Greg Ladanyi – producer, engineer, mixing • Tim McCarthy – assistant producer • Bob Levy – engineer • Dennis Mays – engineer • Craig Porteils – assistant engineer • Duane Seykora – assistant engineer • Brett Swain – assistant engineer • Paula Wolak – assistant engineer • Stephen Marcussen – mastering at Precision Lacquer (Hollywood, California) • John Courage – studio coordinator • Dennis Dunstan – studio coordinator • Steve Dikun – guitar technician • Michael Randolph Reed – drum technician • Dave Gorton – cover photography • Jeri Heiden – art direction ==Charts==

Weekly charts Year-end charts ==Certifications==