The Visitor (Mick Fleetwood album)

Last updated

The Visitor
Fleetwoodvisitor.jpg
Studio album by
Mick Fleetwood
Released29 June 1981 [1]
RecordedJanuary–February 1981
StudioGhana Film Industries, Inc. (Accra, Ghana)
Genre
Length37:57
Label RCA Records
Producer
Mick Fleetwood chronology
The Visitor
(1981)		 I'm Not Me
(1983)
Singles from The Visitor
  1. "You Weren't in Love"
    Released: September 1981 [3]
  2. "Walk a Thin Line"
    Released: 1981 (Aus/NZ)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [4]

The Visitor is an album by Mick Fleetwood, released by RCA Records in 1981. All the songs were recorded in Accra, Ghana between January and February 1981 at the "Ghana Film Industries, Inc. Studio" and produced by Richard Dashut, and were later mixed in various studios in England. The album has been re-released several times, including a US CD release by Wounded Bird Records on October 18, 2011.

Contents

Background

At the conclusion of Fleetwood Mac's Tusk Tour, the band agreed to take an extended hiatus to pursue individual projects. [5] Fleetwood had expressed interest in making a record rooted in African music in 1978, [6] although this idea was not fully realized until he travelled to Ghana. During the trip, he formulated the idea of collaborating with local musicians in Ghana and asked Warner Brothers to finance it. However, the record label turned him down as they were unwilling to give him $500,000 to fly the necessary equipment out to Ghana and arrange for the recording sessions. RCA Records eventually agreed to fund Fleetwood's plan, so he flew out to Accra, the capital of Ghana, where Fleetwood and his manager Mickey Shapiro scouted the area for musicians. [5]

Fleetwood's original plan was to send mixing desks and tape machines to local musicians in Ghana so they could record at their home localities, although he decided against this as the road conditions in the country rendered it impossible to transport the equipment. [5] Fleetwood instead arranged for studio sessions with Faisal Helwani, who had the only functioning professional studio in Accra. [7]

Fleetwood had originally asked Bob Welch, a former member of Fleetwood Mac, to appear on The Visitor, but Welch was too busy to participate. Instead, George Hawkins accompanied him on the trip. He later appeared on Fleetwood's I'm Not Me album from 1983 as a member and co-lead vocalist of Mick Fleetwood’s Zoo. [8]

Two tracks on The Visitor were covers of Fleetwood Mac songs: "Rattlesnake Shake" was originally recorded for the 1969 album Then Play On , and "Walk a Thin Line" first appeared on the 1979 album Tusk . Peter Green sang lead vocals and played lead guitar on "Rattlesnake Shake", and was credited as Peter Greenbaum. Fleetwood, who was in Henley at the time, convinced his former brother-in-law, George Harrison, to appear on "Walk a Thin Line". [9] Hawkins recalled that they played "Walk a Thin Line" for Harrison, who thought that the song could benefit from slide guitar. "Our eyes lit up and Richard Dashut had him set up and ready to go in about ten seconds, before he had a chance to change his mind." [10]

Following the seven-week recording session in Ghana, Fleetwood returned to England for the purpose of mixing and overdubbing the existing tracks. These sessions took place at a studio situated in a mill that was owned by Jimmy Page. In total, the album cost five-hundred thousand dollars to make, and Fleetwood failed to recuperate those losses through album sales. [11]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Rattlesnake Shake" Peter Green 3:49
2."You Weren't in Love" Billy Field 3:55
3."O' Niamali"Nii Amartey2:47
4."Super Brains" (instrumental) A. B. Crentsil 4:07
5."Don't Be Sorry, Just Be Happy" Todd Sharp 4:24
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Walk a Thin Line" Lindsey Buckingham 3:19
2."Not Fade Away"
2:22
3."Cassiopeia Surrender"George Hawkins4:34
4."The Visitor"C. K. Ganjo4:05
5."Amelle (Come on Show Me Your Heart)"Amartey4:35
Total length:37:57

Personnel

Band

Charts

Chart (1981)Peak
position
Australian (Kent Music Report) [12] 80
US Billboard 200 [13] 43

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fleetwood Mac</span> British-American rock band

Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band formed in London in 1967 by guitarist and singer Peter Green. Green named the band by combining the surnames of drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie, who have remained with the band throughout its many lineup changes. Fleetwood Mac have sold more than 120 million records worldwide, making them one of the world's best-selling bands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lindsey Buckingham</span> American guitarist (born 1949)

Lindsey Adams Buckingham is an American musician, record producer, and the lead guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Fleetwood Mac from 1975 to 1987 and 1997 to 2018. In addition to his tenure with Fleetwood Mac, Buckingham has released seven solo studio albums and three live albums. As a member of Fleetwood Mac, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Buckingham was ranked 100th in Rolling Stone's 2011 list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Buckingham is known for his fingerpicking guitar style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mick Fleetwood</span> British musician and actor (born 1947)

Michael John Kells Fleetwood is a British musician, songwriter and actor. He is the drummer, co-founder, and leader of the rock band Fleetwood Mac. Fleetwood, whose surname was merged with that of the group's bassist John "Mac" McVie to form the name of the band, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Fleetwood Mac in 1998.

<i>Tusk</i> (album) 1979 studio album by Fleetwood Mac

Tusk is the twelfth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released as a double album on 12 October 1979 in the United States and on 19 October 1979 in the United Kingdom by Warner Bros. Records. It is considered more experimental than their previous albums, partly as a consequence of Lindsey Buckingham's sparser songwriting arrangements and the influence of post-punk. The production costs were initially estimated to be about $1 million but many years later were revealed to be about $1.4 million, making it the most expensive rock album recorded to that date.

<i>Mirage</i> (Fleetwood Mac album) 1982 studio album by Fleetwood Mac

Mirage is the thirteenth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 2 July 1982 by Warner Bros. Records. This studio effort's soft rock sound stood in stark contrast to its more experimental predecessor, 1979's Tusk. Mirage yielded several singles: "Hold Me", "Gypsy", "Love in Store", "Oh Diane", and "Can't Go Back".

Richard Charles Dashut is an American record producer who produced several Fleetwood Mac albums including Rumours, Tusk, Live, Mirage, Tango in the Night, and Time.

<i>Law and Order</i> (album) 1981 studio album by Lindsey Buckingham

Law and Order is the first solo album by Fleetwood Mac guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Lindsey Buckingham, released in 1981. "Trouble", featuring drumming by Fleetwood Mac bandmate Mick Fleetwood, reached No. 9 on the U.S. charts; the album itself reached No. 32 on the Billboard 200. Lindsey appeared on Saturday Night Live on February 6, 1982, and performed "Trouble" and "Bwana" with Mick Fleetwood's Zoo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)</span> 1970 single by Fleetwood Mac

"The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)" is a song written by Peter Green and recorded by Fleetwood Mac. It was released as a single in the UK in May 1970 and reached No. 10 on the British charts, a position it occupied for four consecutive weeks, and was the band's last UK top 10 hit until "Tusk" reached No. 6 in 1979. "The Green Manalishi" was the last song Green made with Fleetwood Mac before leaving the band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tusk (song)</span> 1979 single by Fleetwood Mac

"Tusk" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac from the 1979 double LP of the same name. The song peaked at number eight in the United States for three weeks, reached number six in the United Kingdom, number five in Canada, and number three in Australia. Lindsey Buckingham wrote the song and is the lead singer on the track.

<i>Live</i> (Fleetwood Mac album) 1980 live album by Fleetwood Mac

Live is a double live album released by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac on 5 December 1980. It was the first live album from the then-current line-up of the band, and the next would be The Dance from 1997. The album was certified gold by the RIAA in November 1981. A deluxe edition of the album was released on 9 April 2021.

"The Ledge" is a song by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released in 1979. It is the second song from the multi-platinum Tusk album and was composed by Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham. The band rehearsed “The Ledge” several times for the Tusk Tour, although it was ultimately not included in the set.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sara (Fleetwood Mac song)</span> 1979 single by Fleetwood Mac

"Sara" is a song written by singer-songwriter Stevie Nicks of the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, which was released as a single from the 1979 Tusk double LP. The song peaked at No. 7 in the US for three weeks, No. 37 in the UK for two weeks, No. 11 in Australia, and No. 12 in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Think About Me</span> 1980 single by Fleetwood Mac

"Think About Me" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released in the US in March 1980. The song was composed by Fleetwood Mac keyboardist Christine McVie. "Think About Me" was slightly remixed for single release.

"I Know I'm Not Wrong" is a song by Fleetwood Mac from the 1979 double LP Tusk. It was recorded as the final song of side three of the LP on 19 September 1979, written by Lindsey Buckingham, whose sparser songwriting arrangements and the influence of punk rock and new wave were the leading creative force on it and other Tusk tracks. The song was worked on for the duration of the Tusk album and took around a year to complete.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rattlesnake Shake</span> 1969 single by Fleetwood Mac

"Rattlesnake Shake" is a song by British rock group Fleetwood Mac, written by guitarist Peter Green, which first appeared on the band's 1969 album Then Play On. The track was one of the band's crowd-favorites in the late 1960s.

<i>Im Not Me</i> 1983 studio album by Mick Fleetwoods Zoo

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. 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.

"Walk a Thin Line" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released in 1979. Composed and sung by guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, it was one of his nine songs that appeared on the Tusk album. The song was issued as the B-side to "Sisters of the Moon", which was the fourth single from Tusk in North America.

"Brown Eyes" is a song by Fleetwood Mac from the 1979 double LP Tusk. It was one of six songs from the album composed and sung by Christine McVie. The song includes uncredited playing from founding member Peter Green.

"What Makes You Think You're the One" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released in 1979. Composed and sung by guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, it was one of his nine songs that appeared on the Tusk album. The song was also included on the US 2002 and UK 2009 editions of The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac.

"That's Enough For Me" is a song by Fleetwood Mac from the 1979 double LP Tusk, on which it is the shortest track. It was one of nine songs from the album composed and sung by Lindsey Buckingham, who also supplied all of the instrumentation. The song was released a B-side to "Sara" in December 1979.

References

  1. ↑ "FMQB" (PDF). p. 34.
  2. ↑ Waynick, Michael. "Mick Fleetwood - The Visitor Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  3. ↑ Melody Maker review- 5 September 1981 edition, page 13
  4. ↑ Waynick, Michael. "Mick Fleetwood - The Visitor Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 Evans, Mike (2011). Fleetwood Mac – The Definitive History. New York, NY: Sterling. pp. 181–182, 187. ISBN   978-1-4027-8630-3.
  6. ↑ Irvin, Jim (2016). Tusk (2015 Remastered Deluxe Edition) (Liner Notes). Fleetwood Mac. Los Angeles: Warner Bros. Records Inc. p. 15. Publisher Warner Bros #2HS-3350.
  7. ↑ Fleetwood, Mick; Bozza, Anthony (October 2014). Play On: Now Then & Fleetwood Mac. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company. pp. 253–254. ISBN   978-0-316-40342-9.
  8. ↑ "Bob Welch, November 8 - 21, 1999 - Section 8". The Penguin. Archived from the original on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  9. ↑ Leng, Simon (2006). The Music of George Harrison: While My Guitar Gently Weeps. 7777 Bluemound Road, P.O. Box 13819, Milwaukee, WI 53213: Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 159. ISBN   1-4234-0609-5 . Retrieved 1 September 2023.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  10. ↑ "George Hawkins Question and Answer Session - April 4 - 19, 2000". The Penguin. Archived from the original on 13 May 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  11. ↑ Fleetwood, Mick; Davis, Stephen (1990). Fleetwood: My Life and Adventures with Fleetwood Mac. New York: William Morrow and Company. pp. 248–249. ISBN   0-688-06647-X.
  12. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 114. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  13. ↑ "The Billboard 200". Billboard. 29 August 1981. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.