''Say You Will'' is the seventeenth and, to date, last studio album by British-American rock band
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac were founded by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the line-up for their epony ...
, released on 15 April 2003. It followed 1995's ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' and was their first album since 1970 without vocalist/keyboardist
Christine McVie
Christine Anne McVie (; née Perfect; 12 July 1943 – 30 November 2022) was an English musician and songwriter. She was best known as keyboardist and one of the vocalists of the band Fleetwood Mac.
McVie was a member of several bands, nota ...
as a full member following her departure in 1998, though she participated in some songs as a guest musician; it would be her last time being involved with the band in a studio capacity before her death in 2022.
Lindsey Buckingham
Lindsey Adams Buckingham (born October 3, 1949) is an American musician and record producer, best known as the lead guitarist and male lead vocalist of the band Fleetwood Mac from 1975 to 1987 and 1997 to 2018. In addition to his tenure with Fl ...
and
Stevie Nicks
Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer, songwriter, and producer known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist.
After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasi ...
shared primary keyboard duties throughout the album.
This would also be the band's last full album with Buckingham before his dismissal from the group in 2018, although he would participate in their
2013 extended play.
''Say You Will'' was the first studio Fleetwood Mac album to peak in the top three in the US since 1982's ''
Mirage
A mirage is a naturally-occurring optical phenomenon in which light rays bend via refraction to produce a displaced image of distant objects or the sky. The word comes to English via the French ''(se) mirer'', from the Latin ''mirari'', meanin ...
''.
The album debuted at No. 3 with sales of 218,000, spent two months within the top 40, and was certified Gold by the
RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
in July 2003 for 500,000 copies shipped in the US.
A limited edition version of the album was issued at the same time, featuring two live tracks ("
Peacekeeper" and "
Say You Will"), two additional studio tracks (Nicks' "Not Make Believe" and Buckingham's cover of
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
's "Love Minus Zero/No Limit"), an expanded booklet and poster.
Background
Soon after the release of ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'',
Billy Burnette
Dorsey William Burnette III (born May 8, 1953 in Memphis, Tennessee, United States) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter who was part of the band Fleetwood Mac from 1987 to 1995. Burnette also had a brief career in acting.
Family ba ...
and
Bekka Bramlett
Rebekka Ruth Lazone Bramlett (born April 19, 1968) is an American singer and session background singer. She is the daughter of Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett, of the music duo Delaney & Bonnie.
She has been a member of Mick Fleetwood's band the Z ...
departed to form the country duo
Bekka & Billy
Bekka & Billy was an American country music duo consisting of singer-songwriters Bekka Bramlett and Billy Burnette, who first worked together as members of Fleetwood Mac. Their eponymous debut album was released by Almo Sounds in April 1997. Wh ...
. Rather than continuing, Fleetwood Mac chose to disband. By 1997, the ''Rumours'' lineup agreed to perform again for an
MTV Unplugged
''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV showcasing musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999 and less frequently from 2000 to 2009, when it was usually billed as ''MTV Un ...
special. Following the successful reunion album, ''
The Dance'', which included a live performance of "Bleed to Love Her",
Christine McVie left the group, citing her fear of flying as the primary reason for her departure.
In the early 2000s, Buckingham was finishing up a solo album but got a call from
Warner Bros
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...
to work on a Fleetwood Mac record instead. Buckingham agreed and set aside a large portion of his songs for ''Say You Will'', with Mick Fleetwood and John McVie on drums and bass, respectively. To round out the album, Nicks brought in some new material, along with leftovers from previous albums.
One of those songs, "Smile at You", dates back to the ''
Tusk
Tusks are elongated, continuously growing front teeth that protrude well beyond the mouth of certain mammal species. They are most commonly canine teeth, as with pigs and walruses, or, in the case of elephants, elongated incisors. Tusks share c ...
'' sessions in 1979
but was never recorded by the full band until ''Say You Will''.
Track listing
Note
*"Bleed to Love Her" was previously available on ''
The Dance'' as a live version.
Personnel
Fleetwood Mac
*
Lindsey Buckingham
Lindsey Adams Buckingham (born October 3, 1949) is an American musician and record producer, best known as the lead guitarist and male lead vocalist of the band Fleetwood Mac from 1975 to 1987 and 1997 to 2018. In addition to his tenure with Fl ...
– vocals, guitars, keyboards, bass guitar, percussion, programming
*
Stevie Nicks
Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer, songwriter, and producer known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist.
After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasi ...
– vocals, additional keyboards
*
John McVie
John Graham McVie (born 26 November 1945) is a British bass guitarist. He is best known as a member of the rock bands John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers from 1964 to 1967 and Fleetwood Mac since 1967. His surname, combined with that of Mick Fleet ...
– bass guitar, black keys
*
Mick Fleetwood
Michael John Kells Fleetwood (born 24 June 1947) is a British musician, songwriter and occasional actor. He is best known as the drummer, co-founder, and leader of the rock band Fleetwood Mac. Fleetwood, whose surname was merged with that of th ...
– drums, percussion
Additional musicians
*
John Shanks
John Matthew Shanks (born December 18, 1964) is an American songwriter, record producer and guitarist.
Early life and education
John Matthew Shanks was born in New York City. Shanks moved to Los Angeles when he was 17 years old. He was in a ban ...
– additional keyboards (1), additional guitars (8)
*
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, pop, country, folk, and blues. She has released eleven studio albums, five compilations and three li ...
–
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated s ...
(7, 12), backing vocals (7, 12)
*
Jamie Muhoberac Benjamin Edward "Jamie" Muhoberac is an American session keyboardist with numerous credits. He is best known for his work with Seal and Was (Not Was).
Biography
Muhoberac has worked with acts including The All-American Rejects, Fleetwood Mac, Bob ...
– Hammond organ (9)
*
Christine McVie
Christine Anne McVie (; née Perfect; 12 July 1943 – 30 November 2022) was an English musician and songwriter. She was best known as keyboardist and one of the vocalists of the band Fleetwood Mac.
McVie was a member of several bands, nota ...
– Hammond organ, keyboards (13), backing vocals (13, 14)
*
Dave Palmer – acoustic piano (13)
*
John Pierce – bass guitar
erses(13)
* Madelyne Felsch, Molly McVie and Jessica James Nicks – backing vocals (7)
Production
* Lindsey Buckingham – producer, engineer
* Rob Cavallo – producer (5, 6, 9, 13, 14), A&R
* John Shanks – producer (1, 8)
* Ken Allardyce – engineer
* Ken Koroshetz – engineer
* Ray Lindsey – engineer, band technician
*
Mark Needham
Mark Needham is an American music engineer, mixer and producer. He has worked with many prominent names in music, including: Blue October, Newsboys, Fleetwood Mac, The Killers, Imagine Dragons, Chris Isaak, John Hiatt, Michelle Branch, P!nk, ...
– engineer, mixing (1-15, 17, 18)
*
Chris Lord-Alge
Chris Lord-Alge is an American mix engineer. He is the brother of both Tom Lord-Alge and Jeff Lord-Alge, both of whom are also audio engineers. Chris and Tom are known for their abundant use of dynamic compression for molding mixes that play wel ...
– mixing (16)
*
Bernie Grundman
Bernie Grundman is an American audio engineer.
He is most known for his mastering work and his studio, Bernie Grundman Mastering, which he opened in 1984 in Hollywood. The studio, which includes engineers Chris Bellman, Patricia Sullivan, and Mi ...
– mastering
* Joe Bozzi – mastering assistant
* Mike Fasano – band technician
* Bruce Jaccoby – band technician
* Garner Knutsen – band technician
* Mike Zablow – band technician
* Stephen Walker – art direction
*
Keith Carter – "Hands 1991" photography
* Karen Johnston – photography
* Neal Preston – photography
*
Herbert W. Worthington – photography
Studios
* Recorded at The Bellagio House;
Ocean Way Recording
Ocean Way Recording was a series of recording studios established by recording engineer and producer Allen Sides with locations in Los Angeles, California, Nashville, Tennessee, and Saint Barthélemy. Ocean Way Recording no longer operates record ...
(Hollywood, California); Lindsey's garage (Los Angeles, California); Cornerstone Studios (Chatsworth, California).
* Mixed at Cornerstone Studios;
Conway Studios
Conway may refer to:
Places
United States
* Conway, Arkansas
* Conway County, Arkansas
* Lake Conway, Arkansas
* Conway, Florida
* Conway, Iowa
* Conway, Kansas
* Conway, Louisiana
* Conway, Massachusetts
* Conway, Michigan
* Conway T ...
(Hollywood, California); Image Recording Studios (Los Angeles, California).
* Mastered at
Bernie Grundman Mastering
Bernie Grundman is an American audio engineer.
He is most known for his mastering work and his studio, Bernie Grundman Mastering, which he opened in 1984 in Hollywood. The studio, which includes engineers Chris Bellman, Patricia Sullivan, and Mi ...
(Hollywood, California).
Management
* Tony Dimitriades and Robert Richards at East End Management – management for Lindsey Buckingham
* Howard Kaufman and Sheryl Lewis at HK Management – management for Stevie Nicks
* Carl Stubner at Immortal Management – management for Mick Fleetwood
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Music promo videos
Music videos were shot for "Peacekeeper" and "Say You Will", both of these videos were stage performances of both songs. Neither of these videos are commercially available.
References
{{Authority control
Fleetwood Mac albums
2003 albums
Albums produced by John Shanks
Albums produced by Lindsey Buckingham
Albums produced by Rob Cavallo
Reprise Records albums
Albums recorded at United Western Recorders