Fleetwood Mac, more than anything else, has exemplified longevity and persistence. Sure, there are defined peaks and valleys the band has gone through, but for four decades they were still bent on creating music.
Tango In The Night remains the last Mac album to feature the talents of Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, and Christine McVie (
Say You Will did not feature the latter). As such it trumps anything recorded since, and marks a fitting end to the 12-year output that drove Mac to the top of the charts.
While there are many fine moments scattered across the album, my personal favorite remains “Little Lies.” One of the earliest songs I remember hearing on the radio was this track, and when I remembered it was on Tango In The Night a big ol’ smile spread across my face. The chorus is infectious, and furthers the notion Buckingham is obsessed with the Beach Boys, particularly in his production.
While this record was recorded in the heat of the 80s, the production is actually still well suited to the music. Buckingham utilized the synthesizers tremendously well; “The Final Countdown” Tango In The Night is not. Instead, they are edgy, darkly shaded, helping to emphasize the more abstract nature of the music, such as on “Caroline” or the excellent and underrated “Big Love.”
Nicks’ presence isn’t horribly felt, but her songs are more than pleasant. “Welcome To the Room…Sara” rolls along nicely, backed up with some acoustic strumming and Latin rhythm. Christine McVie is again steady as a rock; her songs have always been the foundation for any Mac album she has taken part in. Besides “Little Lies,” the dreamy “Everywhere” and harder “Isn’t It Midnight” are just as worthy of listens.
God knows that following up Rumours must have been a difficult task, and one gets the sense after that record the band didn’t quite know in which direction to go in. The albums that followed the blockbuster record weren’t bad, but never quite reached the same level of quality. Tango In The Night is the one that comes closest and also marks the end of a chapter in Fleetwood Mac's existence.