Fleetwood Mac: Tango In The Night Alternate (180g) Vinyl LP (Record Store Day) Fleetwood Mac

Like last year’s Alternate Mirage and Alternate Tusk before that, Alternate Tango In The Night collects demos and alternate versions of some of Fleetwood Mac‘s deepest, cokiest cuts from their cokiest album of the 80s. Sadly, there are no lo-fi 4 track demos of all-time feelgood sure shots “Little Lies” or “Everywhere,” but hearing Lindsay Buckingham and Christine McVie trading bars over the spacey reverse-drums, dub bassline and floating synth chords of the “Mystified” alternate version will give you chills (run this track through a few hours of back to back cassette dubbing and you’ll have a genuine Doldrums-era Haunted Graffiti tune on your hands). The alternate mix of “Isn’t It Midnight” strips away all the 80s sci-fi noir of the original and refits the song for the daytime VH1 pool party… not sure which version I prefer but it’s interesting to hear this song – one of Tango‘s greatest – sound like it came out of the Tusk sessions (same goes for the early version of “Seven Wonders”). Also includes studio versions of album outtakes “Special Kind Of Love” and “Ooh My Love” (previously only available on live albums) plus “Down Endless Street” from the “Family Man” 12-inch single and the full 6.5 minute version of Prefab Sprout-esque album closer “For You And I Pt. II.” Ten tracks total, remastered and on vinyl together for the first time. 

• early versions and demos of selected tracks from Tango In The Night
• first time on vinyl
• limited to 8500 copies
• music label: Warner Brothers 2018

reviewed by edward james almost 05/2018