Craft Recordings releases an indie rock tribute to Fleetwood Mac for Record Store Day!
Just Tell Me That You Want Me – A Tribute To Fleetwood Mac – Craft Recordings CR 01003 [4/18/2026] 2-LP Translucent Sea Blue Vinyl Record Store Day, 87:01 ****1/2:
(Featuring Lee Ranaldo Band; Antony; Trixie Whitley; Billy Gibbons & Co.; Best Coast; The New Pornographers; Marianne Faithful; Lykka Li; Karen Elson; Matt Sweeney and Bonnie “Prince” Billy; Washed Out; Tame Impala; Craig Wedren with St. Vincent; The Kills; Gardens & Villa; The Crystal Ark; MGMT; Haim; The Entrance Band)
Just in time for Record Store Day 2026, Just Tell Me That You Want Me – A Tribute To Fleetwood Mac is an unusual collection of engaging covers. It covers a variety of eras from this band, including some of the the greatest hits and lesser known material. It is stylistically diverse, and plays like a shuffle. Side A consists of three Peter Green-penned songs. On the instrumental, “Albatross”. Lee Ranaldo creates a guitar-based sonic landscape of distortion and echo that captures the deep blues pedigree of Green. “Before The Beginning” (Trixie Whitley) is troubled blues with a driving pulse and gut-wrenching vocals. Billy Gibbons brings a slow-burning intensity to a slowed down “Oh Well”, changing the vibe. The Entrance adds a psychedelic dimension to the rendition of “The Green Manalishi” with a rocking tempo and crashing guitars.
Certainly Stevie Nicks is the most covered songwriter on this collection. Antony gives a faithful rendition of “Landslide” with warm idiosyncratic vocals and acoustic guitar. Karen Elson delivers a lithe version of “Gold Dust Woman” and keeps the ethereal feeling. One of the significantly re-arranged numbers is Best Coast’s “Rhiannon”. This seems like an artist trying to establish a more alternative pop statement. One of the weirdest arrangements is the fuzzy synthesizer treatment of “Sisters Of The Moon” (Craig Wedren with St. Vincent). It is a significant divergence from the Tusk single. (Note; There are four tracks from Tusk.) Many of these arrangements eschew the meticulous studio production in favor of more jagged acoustics. One of these is “Dreams” as performed by The Kills. It has a menacing edge. “Gypsy” as realized by Gardens & Villa has an interesting take, combining synthesizer/flute with vocals that emulate Nicks. One of the strongest cuts is “Silver Springs” by Lykke Li. Her vocals convey the heartfelt impact (with great echo and spooky aesthetics).
This album is at its most effective when the contributors cut loose. Oddly, there are only two Lindsey Buckingham songs. On “Tusk”, The Crystal transforms this into a groove-infused electronic flowing jam, still maintaining the number’s eccentricity. “That’s All For Everyone” (Tame Impala) is musically expansive with tracked vocals and spacey accents. Bob Welch’s “Future Games” (MGMT) utilizes digitally-altered voices and an other-worldly hypnotic soundscape, bringing an exotic, almost science-fiction aura.. Christine McVie has two compositions. Haim aligns with Mac’s version of “Hold Me” as jaunty pop. Conversely, The New Pornographers intermingle hard rocking and layered vocals to liven up “Think About Me”.
Just Tell me That You Want Me – A Tribute To Fleetwood Mac is a rewarding collection. Translating Fleetwood Mac to Indie rock is a compelling way to revisit this band’s diverse catalog. Vinyl aficionados will appreciate the translucent sea blue discs.
Highly recommended!
—Robbie Gerson
Just Tell Me That You Want Me – A Tribute To Fleetwood Mac
TrackList:
Side One: Albatross; Landslide; Before The Beginning; Oh Well; Rhiannon
Side Two: Think About Me; Angel; Silver Springs; Gold Dust Woman; Storms
Side Three: Straight Back; That’s All For Everyone; Sisters Of The Moon; Gypsy
Side Four: Tusk; Future Games; Hold Me; The Green Manalishi.
