Behind the Mask (album)

Behind the Mask is an album by British/American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released in 1990. It was the first album released by the band after the departure of guitarist Lindsey Buckingham. He was replaced by Billy Burnette and Rick Vito, both guitar players, singers and songwriters. Fleetwood Mac thus became a six-piece band with four singer/songwriters. The album was not as successful as its predecessor, Tango in the Night, neither did it spawn any big hit singles (though "Save Me" and "Skies the Limit" did enjoy some airplay success), however, the album managed to peak in the higher places of the chart outside of the US, hitting the #1 spot in the UK.

The cover for the album was created by renowned photographer, Dave Gorton. He stated that the band did not wish to appear on the front cover of the album and Fleetwood himself suggested that he create an image that spiritually symbolised the band instead. With this in mind, the album cover then becomes an extremely intriguing and prophetic allegory, with what is clearly the Nicks character standing apart and turning her back on the rest of the band.

Track listing

1. "Skies the Limit" (Christine McVie, Eddy Quintela) – 3:45
2. "Love Is Dangerous" (Stevie Nicks, Rick Vito) – 3:18
3. "In the Back of My Mind" (Billy Burnette, Malloy) – 7:02
4. "Do You Know" (C.McVie, Burnette) – 4:19
5. "Save Me" (C.McVie, Quintela) – 4:15
6. "Affairs of the Heart" (Nicks) – 4:22
7. "When the Sun Goes Down" (Burnette, Vito) – 3:18
8. "Behind the Mask" (McVie) – 4:18
9. "Stand on the Rock" (Vito) – 3:59
10. "Hard Feelings" (Burnette, Silbar) – 4:54
11. "Freedom" (Nicks, Mike Campbell) – 4:12
12. "When It Comes to Love" (Burnette, Simon Climie, Morgan) – 4:08
13. "The Second Time" (Nicks, Vito) – 2:31

Credits

• Stevie Nicks - vocals
• Billy Burnette - guitar, vocals
• Rick Vito - guitar, vocals
• Christine McVie - keyboards, synthesizer, vocals
• John McVie - bass
• Mick Fleetwood - percussion, drums

Additional personnel

• Lindsey Buckingham - acoustic guitar on "Behind The Mask"
• Asanté - percussion on "Freedom"
• Stephen Croes - synthesizer, keyboards

Production

• Producers: Greg Ladanyi and Fleetwood Mac
• Engineer: Greg Ladanyi, Bob Levy, Dennis Mays
• Assistant Engineers: Craig Porteils, Duane Seykora, Brett Swain, Paula Wolak
• Photography: Dave Gorton
• Mixing: Greg Ladanyi
• Mastering: Stephen Marcussen
• Programming: Stephen Croes, Dan Garfield
• Art Direction: Jeri Heiden

Charts

Album

Singles

References