Behind the Mask (album)
Behind the Mask is the fifteenth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 9 April 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, nor did it spawn any big hit singles although "Save Me" made the US Top 40, while "Love Is Dangerous" and "Skies the Limit" enjoyed some airplay. "Save Me" and "Skies the Limit" were much more successful in Canada, where they both reached the Top 30. Though it barely reached the US Top 20, the album entered the UK Albums Chart at number 1 and achieved platinum status there. Following the album's release and subsequent world tour, bandmembers Stevie Nicks and Rick Vito left the band, though Nicks would rejoin in 1997.
The cover for the album was created by photographer Dave Gorton. He stated that the band did not wish to appear on the front cover of the album and Mick Fleetwood himself suggested that he create an image that "spiritually symbolised" the band instead. The album cover earned a Grammy nomination in 1991 for "Best Album Package".
The song "Freedom" was written by Stevie Nicks with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell. Campbell would join Fleetwood Mac in 2018.
The original CD release for the album was one of the first to be encoded with the CD+G format, which allows graphics to be shown on a TV screen in time with the music, such as pictures and lyrics.
Background
In 1987, shortly after the release of Tango in the Night, long-time guitarist/vocalist/producer Lindsey Buckingham had left the band. For the accompanying tour, the band recruited Billy Burnette and Rick Vito to replace him. Once the tour wrapped up, Fleetwood Mac went into the studio to record two new songs for their Greatest Hits compilation album, released in 1988. The new members got the opportunity to record a full album in 1989 when the band began the Behind the Mask sessions.In need of a new producer, the band hired Greg Ladanyi, who had worked on some of Don Henley's solo albums. Although Buckingham did play acoustic guitar on the title track, Behind the Mask deviated from the ornate production found on earlier Fleetwood Mac albums in favor of adult oriented rock. As noted by Nicks, the album was easier to record compared to their other work. "It's not that we didn't take as much time, it's more that the time that we did take was quality time. So it therefore did not seem to take nearly as long."
Critical reception
The album received very mixed reviews. AllMusic retrospectively gave the album 1.5/5 stars, their lowest rating of any Fleetwood Mac album, calling Buckingham's departure "a severe blow" for the band and saying that "the songs are among the least inspired the band ever recorded." Other critics, however, praised the new line-up. The Los Angeles Times gave the album 3.5/5 stars, commenting that "ithout Buckingham's obsessively unique vision, the group has embraced an all-for-one, one-for-all attitude for what sounds like the most truly group effort since Rumours, or perhaps even since 1972's Bare Trees." Rolling Stone rated it as 4/5 stars, claiming that "the addition of Rick Vito and Billy Burnette is the best thing to ever happen to Fleetwood Mac" and that "ot since Rumours has Fleetwood Mac recorded pain so unwaveringly and sounded this together."Track listing
Personnel
;Fleetwood Mac- Stevie Nicks – vocals
- Billy Burnette – guitar, vocals
- Rick Vito – guitar, vocals
- Christine McVie – keyboards, synthesizer, vocals
- John McVie – bass guitar
- Mick Fleetwood – drums, percussion, spoken word on "In the Back of My Mind"
- Lindsey Buckingham – acoustic guitar on "Behind the Mask"
- Asanté – percussion on "Freedom"
- Stephen Croes – Synclavier, synthesizer, keyboards, percussion
- 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 and certifications
Charts
;Weekly charts| Chart | Position |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 19 |
| Australian ARIA Albums Chart | 9 |
| Canadian Albums Chart | 14 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 8 |
| French SNEP Albums Chart | 36 |
| German Albums Chart | 4 |
| Italian Albums Chart | 20 |
| Japanese Oricon Albums Chart | 36 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 9 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart | 4 |
| Spanish Albums Chart | 35 |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 4 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 9 |
| UK Albums Chart | 1 |
| US Billboard 200 | 18 |
;Year-end charts
| Chart | Position |
| Australian Albums Chart | 81 |
| Canadian Albums Chart | 63 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 47 |
| French Albums Chart | 59 |
| Italian Albums Chart | 99 |
| UK Albums Chart | 51 |
;Singles chart
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
| 1990 | "Save Me" | US Adult Contemporary | 6 |
| 1990 | "Save Me" | US Mainstream Rock Tracks | 3 |
| 1990 | "Save Me" | US Billboard Hot 100 | 33 |
| 1990 | "Save Me" | UK Singles Chart | 53 |
| 1990 | "Skies the Limit" | US Adult Contemporary | 10 |
| 1990 | "Skies the Limit" | US Mainstream Rock Tracks | 40 |
| 1990 | "In the Back of My Mind" | UK Singles Chart | 58 |
| 1990 | "Hard Feelings" | US Adult Contemporary | - |
| 1990 | "Love Is Dangerous" | US Mainstream Rock Tracks | 7 |