I'm Not Me

I'm Not Me
Studio album by Mick Fleetwood's Zoo
Released	24 June 1983
Venue	Blue Whale
Genre	Rock, blues rock
Label	RCA Records
Producer	Mick Fleetwood, Richard Dashut
Mick Fleetwood's Zoo chronology
The Visitor (1981) I'm Not Me (1983) Shakin' the Cage (1992)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]

I'm Not Me is the second solo album by Mick Fleetwood. This album is credited to the British-American rock band Mick Fleetwood's Zoo and features contributions from Fleetwood Mac members Christine McVie and Lindsey Buckingham. ^[2] Billy Burnette, who performs some of the lead vocals on this album as a member of Mick Fleetwood’s Zoo, would later join Fleetwood Mac in 1987 following the departure of Buckingham. ^[3]

Background

The impetus of Mick Fleetwood's Zoo began in 1982 when Buckingham was assembling a band to perform on Saturday Night Live. The band, which was at time was called The Cholos, featured Fleetwood, Burnette, George Hawkins, and Steve Ross. ^[4] Burnette said that this lineup recorded some tracks, but was unsure if anything was done with them. ^[5] With Burnette and Fleetwood at the helm, The Cholos later morphed into Mick Fleetwood's Zoo, which performed a series of gigs before entering the recording studio. ^{[4] [5]}

Fleetwood, who still had a record deal with Warner Brothers, purchased a mobile studio with the intention of recording a solo album in Brazil. However, this idea was scrapped and Fleetwood instead relocated to a facility known as Blue Whale to record a mixture of covers and new songs. ^[6] One of those tracks was a cover of "Angel Come Home", originally by The Beach Boys. Christine McVie, who had previously been in a romantic relationship with Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys, contributed to the song along with Lindsey Buckingham, who together with McVie were bandmates in Fleetwood Mac with Fleetwood. Of the erstwhile Fleetwood Mac lineup, only John McVie and Stevie Nicks did not participate in the making of the album. ^[5] Fleetwood commented

George Hawkins, who performed most of the lead vocals on Fleetwood’s first solo album The Visitor , returned to sing some lead vocals on this album, although he was also working concurrently with vocalist Al Jarreau and thus had less involvement in the making of I'm Not Me compared to The Visitor. Instead, Fleetwood, Burnette, and Richard Dashut primarily handled the logistics of creating I'm Not Me. ^[7]

A tour followed the release of I'm Not Me, which comprised a series of performances in both bars and stadiums. During one of the Zoo's performances, Nicks joined the band onstage to play "Rhiannon". A few radio station heard in advance that she would be performing with the Zoo and leaked the information to the public. As such, three thousand people attended that show, although most of Fleetwood's shows attracted far fewer people. Fleetwood commented in his 2014 autobiography that "I didn't worry if no one showed up to the Zoo shows, because in my mind if I was playing, I had a purpose. My band, however, was embarrassed for me." ^[6]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"Angel Come Home"	Carl Wilson, Geoffrey Cushing-Murray	Billy Burnette	4:18
2.	"You Might Need Somebody"	Tom Snow, Nan O'Byrne	Steve Ross	3:28
3.	"Tonight"	Annie McLoone	George Hawkins	3:59
4.	"I Want You Back"	Lindsey Buckingham, Ross	Buckingham, Ross	2:54
5.	"I'm Not Me"	Billy Burnette, Michael Smotherman	B. Burnette	3:42
6.	"State of the Art"	Hawkins	Hawkins	4:05
7.	"Tear It Up"	Johnny Burnette, Dorsey Burnette, Paul Burlison	B. Burnette	3:10
8.	"This Love"	Hawkins, Richard Dashut	Hawkins	4:18
9.	"I Give"	Ross	Ross	2:48
10.	"Just Because"	Lloyd Price	Ross	2:40
11.	"Put Me Right"	Hawkins	Hawkins	4:06

Personnel

• Mick Fleetwood – drums, percussion
• Billy Burnette – guitar, vocals
• George Hawkins – bass guitar, keyboards, vocals
• Steve Ross – guitar, vocals

Additional personnel

• Lindsey Buckingham – guitar, keyboards, vocals
• Jon Clarke – saxophone
• Vince Denham – saxophone
• Don Roberts – tenor saxophone
• Christine McVie – keyboards, vocals
• Todd Sharp – guitar
• Ron Thompson – rhythm guitar, slide guitar

References

1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Mick Fleetwood, Mick Fleetwood's Zoo - I'm Not Me Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
2. Evans, Mike (2011). Fleetwood Mac: The Definitive History. New York: Sterling. p. 214. ISBN   978-1-4027-8630-3.
3. DeRiso, Nick (14 April 2015). "Fleetwood Mac hit big with 'Tango in the Night' then imploded". Something Else Reviews. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
4. Gans, David (December 1983). "Fleetwood Mac: A Band Apart" . Record. Retrieved 26 February 2025– via Rock's Backpages.
5. Greene, Andy (6 December 2002). "Billy Burnette On His Brief 'Magical' Stint in Fleetwood Mac: 'No Regrets'". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on 7 January 2025. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
6. Fleetwood, Mick; Bozza, Anthony (October 2014). Play On: Now Then & Fleetwood Mac. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company. pp. 263–264. ISBN   978-0-316-40342-9.
7. "George Hawkins, Jr., April 4 - 19, 2000 - Section 1". The Penguin. Archived from the original on 13 May 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2023.