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Fleetwood Mac - Destiny Rules

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The Fleetwood Mac: Destiny Rules documentary goes where the band has gone before in terms of the kind of documentary you see here. The band previously released such a retrospective about the recording of their classic album Tusk, but this one is very different.

For one thing, the band is much older as it set about recording their album Say You Will. Secondly, Christine McVie has retired, so the band was left to its own devices with the three men (drummer Mick Fleetwood, bassist John McVie, and guitarist and vocalist Lindsey Buckingham) recording while singer Stevie Nicks was on her tour to support Trouble in Shangri-la so she couldn't be in the studio while the men were until she finished her tour.

One of the things that is obvious when watching Destiny Rules is the fact that, despite a flaky reputation, Nicks is surprisingly grounded at key moments in the filming. While Buckingham was pushing for a double album, Nicks explained her reasons for being reluctant to go along: The band's familiar audience was older and a double album would be a hard sell. She also displayed a grasp of the current music scene that seemed to escape the other members when she pointed out how difficult it would be to compete with the likes of N'SYNC or the Backstreet Boys.

Nicks does have her moments of drama. When the cameras were filming her and Buckingham debating the merits of lines in "Thrown Down," she says, "you can't change that. It's beautiful." A VH-1 All Access special caught one moment that Destiny Rules unfortunately missed: Nicks screaming at Buckingham, "of course you hate it. It's because I wrote it!"

All in all, the decision to go from a double album to a single album with 18 songs could have been explained more thoroughly and some of the sequences seemed out of whack, but the documentary was a very revealing glimpse into the changes that happen to older artists who go into a recording studio.

If there was ever any doubt in the press that Lindsey Buckingham is an eccentric genius, those doubts are erased by "Destiny Rules." Fleetwood Mac has allowed the filmmakers a nearly-all-access pass to the recording of their first release since the 1987 "Tango in the Night." And as such we get to see Lindsey, Stevie and company in the most unprotected setting: a beautiful home rented for the recording of "Say You Will." There are fascinating glimpses of the creative process, including the ownership the songwriters take of their music and the difficulty in turning their babies over to a mixer.

Lindsey lets it all hang out for the cameras: selfishness, self-centeredness, petty bickering, controlling possessiveness of the songs, grandiose overestimation of his share of responsibility for the record's outcome. And on top of it we see a father of a young family who just happens to be one of the great guitarists of all time. There's a segment near the beginning where Lindsey is sitting on a couch going for broke on the song "Destiny Rules" and he's just so relaxed and interacting with Mick Fleetwood almost casually while his fingers have a life all their own and it's awesome.

"You keep writing songs like that and we'll make this a double-album yet," he tells Stevie almost offhandedly as they're listening to her demos for "Say You Will." It's a bigger comment than it seems at the time, as it turns out Lindsey has been petitioning for a double album from the get-go and as the record company drives the project toward a single disc, Lindsey's about ready to take his toys and go home. Fascinating stuff for the cameras, and bravo to Lindsey for letting it stay in the film. And thank heavens he didn't throw the ultimate temper tantrum, as "Say You Will" is Fleetwood Mac's best record since "Rumors," easily besting the experimental "Tusk" or the corporate-tainted discs that followed "Tusk."

Whether or not the mighty Mac heads back into the studio, this is one for the time capsule. If you're a fan who bought the awful "Tango in the Night" home video, with all of it's false and patently awful post-concert closeups of Stevie through a filtered lens, this movie is will be even more of a pleasure. An honest, no-holds-barred depiction of a great band going through all the processes that result in one great album. Perfect companion piece to "Say You Will."

If you already saw and taped this documentary on VH1 when it aired, no need to buy it. The DVD contains NO extras what-so-ever. That is the reason I could not give this 5 stars. It was put together from over 500 hours of footage, and yet they still could not manage to put some extra scenes....they did not even add in the extras scenes that VH1 ALL ACCESS showed advertising the documentary...so there are my minor problems with this DVD. I taped it commercial free when it aired on VH1, and bought it...unfortunately I bought it because PBS said it had extras...

ANYWAY, the documentary itself is magnificent and if you have not seen you need to. Any fan of rock music could surely appreciate this. This DVD documents the tense making of Fleetwood Mac's first album with Lindsey Buckingham since 1987. This was also their first album without keyboardist, and sometime singer-songwriter Christine McVie. Some traditional Mac fans may miss Christine's cool personality, or just the vibe from having 3 lead vocalists in one band..However the band's king and queen of drama for the last 30 years Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham are here in full force. Young kids who do not know this band might wonder why the man in the band has a caption as LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM and the lady is called STEVIE NICKS I'm sure...

There are some tense moments here, and some great musical moments. This documentary really shows what all goes into making an album in the 2000's. Fleetwood Mac, still being somewhat old fashioned skips the computers and opts to slicing tape with a razor blade to cut a guitar part in half...but that is just one of the things that makes them who they are.

Not only does the viewer get an inside look into the production and musical aspect of making a CD but also the financial and business aspect. You get to see the band literally debating over whether a Double album would sell in today's slow economy, teen pop driven music world...Stevie Nicks seems somewhat distant from the idea, while Lindsey doesn't seem to care much about the financial issue.
Not only that but you also get to witness a literally nervous band as they get ready to do their first tour without Christine, as well as their first tour since 1997. The tour rehearsals are my favorite part of the show.
This is a great documentary...don't buy if you are expecting a concert, because it's not that...
Don't buy if you expect Stevie Nicks to be twirling from room to room, you won't get that either...you get a behind the scenes look at one of rock's most successful bands trying to find their place in today's music world, while keeping their artistic integrity they worked so hard for.

I watched the first night this was aired on VH1 and I have to tell you - especially Fleetwood Mac fans - if you missed it, you should be jumping at the opportunity to own this DVD! Fleetwood Mac is infamous for their obessive indulgences and drug usage - while that may all be in the past, one thing that they still have after all these years (aside from incredible talent) is DRAMA and GUESS who the drama queen is? Well - SURPRISE it's NOT Stevie Nicks. This is the making of their first studio album since 1987's Tango In The Night album, Lindsey's last before leaving the band after its release and rejoining in 1997. Not only is it an incredible look into the making of a GREAT album, which I highly recommend, but an AWESOME look into what we didn't see in the 70's and 80's behind the scenes. It takes you from the first day of recording in the Hollywood mansion they used, to the sound stage for concert rehearsals to the first night of their Say You Will Worldwide Tour 2003-04. You'll watch it over and over again!

Lindsey Buckingham has spent his fairly low-profile solo career trying to update the art of rock/pop production, writing, and arrangement. His albums have always been critical successes with a modest impact on the marketplace. Stevie Nicks has cannily sold her ethereal image and succeeded partly through a series of collaborations with top artists such as Don Henley, Tom Petty, and Prince.

Nicks's songs for the "Say You Will" project seem to often retell the story of her rekindled romance with Lindsey during the "Dance" tour. Her residual bitterness that he eventually left her to marry another woman and start a family underwrites a lot of the tension between them on this video.

But the tensiion goes beyond that to bigger issues. Lindsey is that rare artist who will sacrifice financial rewards to fulfill his vision. In this case, he wanted to recreate the artistic success of "Tusk," widely regarded as a masterpiece. Sometimes he comes across as stubborn and relentless, since everyone in else in the band wants to just have as big a hit as possible. Still, you have respect him as an artist who tries to stay true to his creative path. It is also clear in this video that Lindsey plays the largest role not only in the production of Fleetwood Mac records, but in management decisions.

Stevie Nicks, at one point, discusses the demographics of their audience, arguing that they should be realistic if they want a successful album.

This is the focus of this documentary, a true gift for fans of Lindsey, Stevie, or Fleetwood Mac. In reality TV style, it does focus on conflicts at the expense of musical or artistic issues. Still, it's fascinating.

Destiny Rules features some great footage of songs being worked on for the 2003 Fleetwood Mac album "Say You Will" as well as some rehearsals for their upcoming tour of that year. I could do without some of the political hoopla and needless bickering. I would have loved more musical footage and rare stuff that didn't make the album. The documentary did include a song not on the Say You Will album called "I am Waiting" which was breathtaking and should have made the cut. I enjoyed the photo shoot footage for the album cover and innersleeve, wish more of this footage had been included as well.This is a nice documentation into the world of the Mac and it is always nice to see more DVDS on my favorite band.

This is an amazing look at the making of Fleetwood Mac's latest CD. I was so impressed with how talented this group is and how truly beautiful Stevie Nicks' voice is, raw and untouched. It was so interesting to witness the recording of the harmonies that Stevie was singing on Lindsey's songs. It also gives a glimpse of how involved Lindsey is in the production of this album. I didn't know how important he really was to this band as a producer until I started collecting videos and archived articles - I'm a recent fan and their Dance DVD and latest tour has peaked my interest in their history. Each article I read and old videos I see keep me wanting more! Specifically, this documentary starts when Stevie comes off her solo "Trouble in Shangri-La" tour and enters the studio ( a rented home in Bel Air) and ends with the band walking on stage (Lindsey and Stevie hand-in-hand)for the first night of the "Say You Will" tour. Although there are arguments and disagreements you definitely witness the love and chemistry that continues to drive this band.(It would have been even more fascinating to witness the dynamics of this group with the addition of Christine.) I can't imagine anyone not enjoying this film. It's quite long but leaves you wanting so much more!!!I could have been glued to the TV for another 2 hours easily without knowing it! Which leads me to this question - when will they release the Tusk Documentary on DVD???? It's fascinating to watch these two documentaries made 25 years apart (I have an original copy bought on e-bay!). Anyway - you will NOT be disappointed!

I saw this documentery on Vh1. I was amazed and immediately went out and bought 'Say you will'. It is a great chance to see how a record is put together. Stevie is absolutely wonderful in this. Even though Christine Mcvie wasn't in this it is still a must see!

If you like the raw & uncut type of footage, which is so popular in this age of reality series AND you are a true, diehard lover of "The Mac," go for it. Much of "Destiny Rules" is centered around the creative differences of Stevie & Lindsey, and what they each believed "Say You Will" should be as a finished product. Stevie's side wins. She and her people know what they're doing, when it comes to selling records (amongst other things).
Though I would NEVER criticize his talent, the less pleasant side of Lindsey (after all these years!) shows through & through at times. At one point, Stevie asked the cameraman to stop filming, because of an ugly disagreement that started between the two over her songs/production. There is some neat stuff on here, though. Since Mick has been clean and sober, I've always loved to see his interviews, and hear his perspective on things.
Of course, the music is wonderful. At one point, Mick commented that he believed Stevie's material on this album was some of her "best" since the first couple of albums she was on with Fleetwood Mac. I would agree that it's some pretty excellent stuff.

This documentary was so good. It was very informative and insightful. It showed the viewers that being a rock star was not all It's cracked up to be. Spending a large part of your life with someone that you've been intimate with, locked up together for days and weeks at a time, can be pure torture. It made me understand them a lot more. And the problems that they've endured over the years. How they overcame their differences and that they needed to separate in order to reunite in a healthy and spiritual way. The documentary was so good, I just had to purchase the C.D., Say You Will. EXCELLENT!