Time (Fleetwood Mac album)

The new lineup toured in July 1994 with Steve Thoma deputizing for Christine McVie – McVie had retired from touring in 1990. A second leg of the tour began in April 1995 with dates in America, Europe and Japan. Jeremy Spencer, one of the band's original guitarists, joined the group on stage for their Tokyo performance.[3]

Fleetwood mentioned in his autobiography that Christine McVie did not originally intend to participate on the album (she had technically quit in 1990) but that Warner Bros. had insisted she appear. As such, her five featured songs were recorded separately from the full band and all guitar parts on these were played by session musician Michael Thompson, although Billy Burnette is featured on the album's only single, "I Do", which only charted in Canada.[4] "Hollywood" alludes to the homesickness that would cause her to retire temporarily from the band, while "Nights in Estoril" celebrated time spent at Estoril in Portugal with her then-husband Eddy Quintela, who was Portuguese himself.

Within a year this band line-up had split, with Mason, Bramlett and Billy Burnette all leaving the band. Christine McVie, who had already retired from live performances, informed the band that it would also be her last album appearance. Bramlett and Burnette recorded the Bekka & Billy album together in 1997, the same year Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks rejoined Fleetwood Mac.[3]

The band did not tour following the album's release in October 1995, but had (without Christine McVie) toured from July to December 1994, and again from April to September 1995.[5] The only songs from Time to be performed at these shows were "Blow by Blow" and "Dreamin' the Dream". "All Over Again" received its first live performances on the An Evening with Fleetwood Mac tour in 2018 as a live duet between Christine McVie and Stevie Nicks, with new guitarist Neil Finn playing keyboards.[6]

Another version of "Blow by Blow" had featured on the album for the 1994 World Cup the previous year. The five-piece lineup fronted by Billy Burnette, Mason and Bramlett performed it at the tournament's launch concert along with "Dreamin' the Dream", "The Chain" and "Oh Well".

"Nothing Without You" had originally been recorded by Delaney Bramlett, the father of Bekka, on his 1975 album Giving Birth to a Song which had featured writing contributions from Billy Burnette. An additional verse written by Bekka ensured she got a writing credit. Aside from this her only writing contribution was "Dreamin' the Dream".

The album also featured a rare lead vocal from drummer/band leader Mick Fleetwood on the seven-minute spoken piece "These Strange Times", produced by Duran Duran producer John Jones and written with Beach Boys co-writer Ray Kennedy. The spoken-word piece paid tribute to Peter Green and openly alluded to his songs "Man of the World" and "The Green Manalishi". The third verse also alluded to Stevie Nicks' "Dreams" and Lindsey Buckingham's "Walk a Thin Line". Fleetwood's only previous vocal/lyrical contribution to the group had been another spoken piece, "Lizard People" (from the "In the Back of My Mind" single).

AllMusic gave the album a two star review, considering it to be a drop in quality from their previous efforts.[7] It was voted number 10 in the All-Time Worst Albums Ever Made from Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.[8]

Fleetwood Mac

• Christine McVie – keyboards, vocals
• John McVie – bass guitar
• Mick Fleetwood – drums, percussion; vocals and guitars on track 13
• Bekka Bramlett – vocals
• Dave Mason – guitars, vocals
• Billy Burnette – guitars, vocals

Additional musicians

• Michael Thompson – guitars on tracks 2, 5, 8, 10 and 12
• Steve Thoma – keyboards on tracks 3, 4 and 9
• Lindsey Buckingham – backing vocals on track 6
• Fred Tackett – trumpet on track 8
• John Jones – keyboards, bass, guitar on track 13
• Lucy Fleetwood – backing vocals on track 13

Production

• Producers: Fleetwood Mac and Richard Dashut; John Jones and Ray Kennedy (track 13)
• Additional engineers: Alan Sanderson, Charlie Brocco, Allen Sides, John Jones, Jimmy Hotz (track 13), David Eike, Tom Nellen, Richard Huredia, Dave Shiffman
• Recording and mixing: Ken Allardyce; John Jones (track 13)
• Recorded and mixed at Ocean Way Recording, Hollywood
• Additional recording at Sunset Sound Recorders, Hollywood
• Mastered by Stephen Marcussen at Precision Mastering, assisted by Don Tyler
• Cover concept by Mick Fleetwood
• Art direction and design by Gabrielle Raumberger and Frank Chi
• Photography by Lance Staedler, Bonnie & Dale McRaven, John McVie Family Archives

Singles chart