Tag: Music

And here I find myself exploring my Top 10 Fleetwood Mac tracks. A couple of surprises for me, many are not surprising. The winning album is 1975’s Fleetwood Mac which scores three of the Top 10 songs. Biggest surprise was that Rumours is only represented once. And most surprising? Neither of those albums show up in the Top 3! I was also surprised that 6 different Mac albums have songs in the Top 10. Much more spread out than I would have expected. Now let’s see how things play out, with Stevie Nicks kicking us off.

#10 – Angel (Nicks) Tusk (1979)

I’ve always loved this upbeat, jaunty Tusk cut by Stevie Nicks. If I were to describe “Angel” using shorthand, I would say it was Stevie Nicks’ version of a Christine McVie song! Stevie wanted to right a light-hearted rock & roll song when she started writing “Angel.” And while it starts out like that, lyrically and stylistically it gradually morphs into a more traditional Nicks number.

There are a couple of theories as to the themes of the song. I read somewhere that it “Angel” references Nicks’ affair with Mick Fleetwood. Another source cited “Angel” as the second song Nicks wrote about the Welsh Rhiannon legend. I do love the line, “I still look up when you walk in the room.” There are those people who have been in your life, whether long-term or short, that just capture your attention whenever they’re in the same room as you. Stevie does a great job capturing that reflection of a past relationship well.

Musically, it’s actually quite stripped down and bare. Simple bass, drums, electric piano kick things off, and pretty much carry the entire song. Lindsey adds his guitar licks throughout, but they are not flashy, and are there really to add texture. During the long coda, there are some layered, “ooohs,” to fill out the sound, but otherwise, it’s spare sound fits well on Tusk. The distortion on Christine’s electric piano at the start adds to that feel. John McVie’s got a great, rolling bass part throughout. I also enjoy the way the harmony parts throughout jump from person to person. Most notably it’s Lindsey, then there’s a section with Christine, then there are a couple of parts where Stevie overdubs herself. It adds a layer of interest for the listener.

Stevie is also known for her long, ad-libbed fades where she often introduces new heretofore unheard lyrics. “Angel” has one of my favorites, just before the fade out, “Oh they tried hard, but you’ll never catch me, yeah, yeah.” For videos Ive included the 2015 remastered track from Tusk, and also a live version from the Tusk tour. Stevie and the whole band actually look like they’re having a lot of fun performing the song, and it’s so funny how the audience just goes nuts whenever Lindsey and Stevie interact. And the three-part harmonies sound great. Glad to see this long-time favorite from Tusk made it to my Top 10.

#9 – Hold Me (McVie, C., Patton) Mirage (1982)

Mirage hasn’t aged as well as its earlier ’70’s counterparts. It’s overproduced and slick, nearly to the point of coldness, but “Hold Me”, its lead single, and another stellar Christine McVie/Lindsey Buckingham duet has a special place in my heart. I remember hearing it for the first time. It had been a long time since Fleetwood Mac had released Tusk (1979), at least for those days, and to hear Christine’s piano prominently featured in the opening bars thrilled me. Christine wrote the song with her friend Robbie Patton (whose second album she produced) and then reworked it with Fleetwood Mac. It was inspired by the recent ending of her relationship with former Beach Boy, Dennis Wilson. It is one of Fleetwood Mac’s most successful songs, spending four weeks at #4 on Billboard’s Top 100.

Underneath all the slick production, there’s a pretty standard Christine McVie “longing-for-love” song at the heart. An early version of the song was recorded that was sung as a solo part by Christine, and features Stevie’s harmonies much more up front, rather than washed into the mix. As often is the case, like “Angel” and many of Christine’s songs, the song if powered by the solid bass, drums, piano combo, so essential in Fleetwood Mac. Christine plays both acoustic and electric piano, and kicks things off with a highly recognizable piano riff that repeats in the break after the guitar solo. Some surprising power chords come in on the chorus, and lead up to a frankly soaring electric guitar color and some acoustic guitar flourishes high up in the mix before the chorus repeats to the end. Lindsey adds a lot of odd flourishes, like what sounds like the bark of a dog repeating in the chorus. It’s what takes this standard pop song and gives it some quirkiness. Surprisingly, for a song that did so well for the band, it’s not performed live too often. It was played during the Mirage tour, Buckingham and McVie’s recent tour, and then their latest tours without Lindsey, and Neil Finn on vocals.

Perhaps most memorable about “Hold Me” is it was the band’s first release post-MTV launch, and featured an elaborate video, shot in the Mojave Desert, in the middle of summer, with temperatures over 100 degrees! The surreal video, based on several Magrettie paintings, was apparently a nightmare to shoot. The relationships between band members were strained, and the videos director said they were not easy to work with. The entire band was never seen together in any scenes. Stevie Nicks was quoted: “It was so hot, and we weren’t getting along.” Lindsey Buckingham was still not over their breakup six years earlier, nor her subsequent affair with Mick Fleetwood with whom the rest of the band was pretty angry because he had then begun an affair with Nicks’ best friend who left her husband as a result. Director Steve Barron said, “Four of them, I can’t recall which four, couldn’t be together in the same room for very long. They didn’t want to be there. John McVie was drunk and tried to punch me. Stevie Nicks didn’t want to walk on the sand with her platforms. Christine McVie was fed up with all of them. Mick thought she was being a bitch, he wouldn’t talk to her.” To make matters worse, Christine added, “And I’d be the first one to admit that none of us were stone-cold sober. There was a fair degree of alcohol and drugs going on.” Sounds like a recipe for disaster, but the result is one of my favorite Mac videos.

Below is the video in question, and I’ve also included the early version referenced above.

#8 – Landslide (Nicks) Fleetwood Mac (1975)

One of Stevei’s most enduring, well-known songs, “Landslide,” like “Crystal” is about reflection… and turning points. Stevie wrote the song in 1973, as a 25-year-old who’d recorded an album with her long-time partner, and was then subsequently dropped from her record label. Lindsey was hired to tour with the Everly Brothers, and Stevie stayed with a friend in Aspen, Colorado, surrounded by the Rocky Mountains. During her stay, she pondered whether to give up the musician’s life to go back to school, or work full-time. Obviously, she ultimately decided to keep going, and three months later, Mick Fleetwood asked the pair to join Fleetwood Mac. The imagery in the song, of snow-covered hills, and landslides was inspired by her surroundings.

Musically, the song is just Stevie singing to Lindsey’s acoustic guitar accompaniment. I believe it’s a 12-string on the recording… the sound is very lush and full. There’s a gentle electric guitar solo (that in early concerts, Christine played on electric piano) but that’s it. A beautiful song for its simplicity.

“Landslide” has always been a popular song from the band. It had a resurgence in the late 90’s after the band’s reunion performance and subsequent live album, “The Dance,” where it was released as a single. It’s interesting to think about the song and its meaning for a 25-year-old Nicks, and a 50-year-old Nicks. I actually far prefer the original version of the song, with a young Nicks, whose voice was still strong yet vulnerable. The fragility was there, but so was the control. There’s a purity but also a wisdom in her singing on that 1975 recording. This was the Stevie Nicks before her voice suffered from extensive touring, before the cocaine abuse, before they elaborate mysticism became part of her persona. She was the young and scrappy daughter of a country singer who wanted to make it big. There is hope, and confidence both in “Landslide,” and it remains one of my favorite Mac tracks.

#7 – Think About Me (McVie, C.) Tusk (1979)

About three years ago I rediscovered this song and went nuts for it. I had forgotten all about it! This Christine McVie gem from Tusk is pure McVie, but with the Buckingham’s Tusk-era hard-edged fingerprints all over it. One writer from PopMatters praised the song as “the unlikeliest of things: a McVie rocker — A near-perfect punk number that snuck in below the radar” and that it was “anchored by her electric piano, Buckingham’s fuzzed-up ‘Day Tripper’-esque riff, and the most sarcastic lyrics of McVie’s career,” referring to the couplet, “I don’t hold you down/Maybe that’s why you’re around.” “Think About Me” was released as the third single from Tusk following “Tusk,” and “Sara,” and climbed to #20, but I think it’s an often forgotten hit from the Fleetwood Mac catalog.

It jumps on top of you with bombastic intro that I just love. There a rat-a-tat of snare drum, then Buckingham’s grungy guitar and Christine’s distorted electric piano lay the groundwork, with John McVie’s fantastic bass guitar riff heralding the gorgeous vocals. It’s funny, I always remember this as another fantastic McVie/Buckingham duet, but in fact, it’s not. It’s really Christine on lead vocals, and Lindsey and Stevie providing their trademark three-part harmonies with her on the chorus. In fact, an early version of the song on one of their compilation albums feature just Christine and Stevie singing. There are multiple remixes of this song, and i couldn’t decide which one to leave here, but the more I listen to it, the grungier it gets, and I love that. It really is a nice rascal of a song. I really thought it might get into the Top 5, because I just love this song, but no dice. And at 2 minutes and 42 seconds it’s just way too short.

#6 – Songbird (McVie, C.) Rumours (1977)

Christine’s gorgeous, and generous ballad is certainly her signature number as the concert closer for almost every tour that band has embarked upon. There is certainly no better note to leave a concert on than this sweet piano ballad about love. A heartfelt and powerful expression of love, “Songbird” is about no one and everyone, according to McVie. She goes on to explain that it’s about the members of the band who were going through hard times with longtime couples breaking up. The “songbirds” are the members of the band, and the song is about how much they mean to McVie, and the need for them to get along with each other and keep singing and playing together. It’s a lovely balm to counterbalance the anger of some of the other songs on Rumours.

McVie wrote the song late in the Rumours recording process. Producer Ken Caillat loved the track and suggested she record it alone in a concert style approach. It was recorded live at the Zellerbach Auditorium, on March 3, 1976, with Christine playing the piano and singing while Lindsey strummed the acoustic guitar offstage to keep time. 15 microphones were set up around the auditorium to capture the live feel. To create the appropriate ambience, Caillat ordered a bouquet of flowers to place on her piano. He then requested three spotlights to illuminate the flowers from above. When McVie arrived at the auditorium, the house lights were dimmed so her attention was immediately brought to the illuminated flowers on the piano. I’ve included the album version as well as the live version from “The Dance.” There’s nary a difference over the years. She sounds as beautiful as ever.

As we close in on the Top 10, it’s the last time we’ll see all three of our songwriters appear. One of them is going to be locked out of the Top 10. We’ll also see a surprise appearance of a track from Mystery to Me. And things are certainly going to start getting Christine McVie heavy, as in this case, with three of these five songs coming from her.

#15 – Over My Head (McVie, C.) Fleetwood Mac (1975)

To the band’s surprise, Warner Bros. selected “Over My Head” as the lead single of the newly transformed Fleetwood Mac’a 1975 album, Fleetwood Mac. It was the song the band thought was least likely to be released as a single. The strategy worked, as “Over My Head” became the first single to hit the Billboard Top 100 since “Oh Well” in 1969, which climbed to #55. “Over My Head” was also the band’s first Top 20 single ever, reaching that pinnacle in early 1976.

The song is penned by Christine McVie, and is classic 70’s era McVie through and through. She composed it on a small, portable electric piano, in a tiny apartment in Malibu, CA where she lived with her then-husband, John McVie. While it’s a fairly straightforward, soft-rock, pop song, what makes it so special is the amazing texture in the recording. As a kid, I used to love the novelty of the song already in progress and fading in. Christine’s Vox Continental organ and Lindsey’s low-key, chugging rhythm guitar provide the major drive for the song, with Christine’s electric piano punching accent chords. John McVie’s rolling bass sets the easy rhythm of the tune. Lindsey’s harmonic flourishes and Fleetwood’s unique bongos are the finishing touches to build a rich, palette.

“Over My Head” also features one of my favorite, and to infrequent Mac moments: when Christine and Stevie sing together. Their harmony on the bridge is especially fun in the live version of the song (which I’ve also included – minor point of interest, the live performance features one of the only times I’ve noticed Buckingham using a pick to play guitar). Of Christine’s vocal performance, Billboard magazine said, “a completely distinctive voice, with a sexy huskiness that is unique in pop today.” So true. Lyrically there’s nothing terribly surprising going on here. Christine is lamenting the fact that she’s involved with a man who runs hot and cold, and she can’t decide if it’s worth it to stick around. She is in over her head.

#14 – Don’t Stop (McVie, C.) Rumours (1977)

Possibly one Mac’s most enduring songs, and a great moment of optimism on the otherwise fractious Rumours album, “Don’t Stop” is another Christine McVie-penned tune, and following in the footsteps of Fleetwood Mac’s “World Turning,” is the second in what would become a series, of McVie/Buckingham duets. McVie revealed that Buckingham helped her craft the lyrics in the verses because their personal sensibilities overlapped. Some say the song is Christine’s message to John after their divorce, although usually Christine just talks about it being generally just an song about optimism.

To create the sound for “Don’t Stop,” McVie played the piano part on both a conventional, acoustic piano, and also a specially treated “tack piano,” where nails are placed on the points where the hammers hit the strings, producing a more percussive sound. It’s often used in the honky tonk style of piano playing, and it’s surprisingly effective, giving “Don’t Stop” a decidedly honky-tonk feel. Christine has fun with the piano part throwing in some flashier bits that she rarely does. It also features a nice, melodic lead guitar solo from Buckingham. Lindsey and Christine alternate verses, and share vocal duties on the chorus. Stevie provides back-up vocals during the closing bars. In the live version, all three vocalists sing the choruses in unison. Otherwise, it’s a highly enjoyable, upbeat pop track, with a catch hook.

“Don’t Stop” was the third single from Rumours, following “Go Your Own Way” and “Dreams.” It climbed all the way to #3. The song had a second life when Bill Clinton used it as his Presidential campaign theme song in 1992. Upon winning the election, Clinton persuaded the Rumours lineup of the group to perform the song for his inaugural ball in 1993, the first time they had played live together since 1982.

#13 – Crystal (Nicks) Fleetwood Mac (1975)

Here’s a case of a song ending up much higher on my list than I would have predicted before I started listening to all these songs again to see how I would react. “Crystal” is an interesting anomaly for Fleetwood Mac, as it was written by Nicks, but sung by Buckingham. It was also a previously recorded and released for the Buckingham Nicks album but rerecorded by Fleetwood Mac for this album. American record producer Keith Olsen produced both the Buckingham Nicks and Fleetwood Mac albums, and he insisted both times that Lindsey sing the lead vocal. Stevie would not get to sing the lead part on the song she wrote until she recorded a third version for the original soundtrack to the film Practical Magic in 1998.

I always think of “Crystal” paired with “Landslide,” a more famous Stevie Nicks track. Both use imagery that suggests water, reflections, and light, and deal with deep but ephemeral concepts as time and love. “Crystal” seems to be about how a person experiences love through their lifetime. The lyrics are simple and beautiful, and the line that always resonates with me is, “And I have change, oh but you, you remain ageless.” Such a beautiful line and sentiment. I love the Fleetwood Mac version of this song the best, and Lindsey sings it with such tenderness; perhaps the warmest vocal recorded vocal performance of his career. It’s interesting to note that the Fleetwood Mac version of the song is recorded in a different key than the original, with Lindsey singing even higher in his range. It’s so interesting to hear Stevie’s dreamy lyrics sung by someone else. It really works on this one. Then when Stevie comes in with the harmony vocals, it just soars. They two of them always harmonized gorgeously.

I love the way McVie’s bell-like electric piano weaves into the song around Lindsey’s gentle acoustic guitar work in the first verse. Christine also does a great job with the mellotron, an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed England, in 1963, to really fill out the song, and provide the haunting post-chorus licks, and fading solos at the close of the song. The mellotron has such a lovely, mournful sound and I love the way Christine’s closing solo parts sound like it’s just drifting through mountains on the wind. It’s really a very keyboard heavy song, with the piano and mellotron providing all the layers, and the acoustic guitar adding texture. It’s just exquisite.

#12 – Second Hand News (Buckingham) Rumours (1977)

I feel bad for Lindsey. He really gave so much to Fleetwood Mac, and in some ways was instrumental to their massive success… or at least to their stretching, musically with Tusk and beyond. And yet he doesn’t manage to break into my Top 10, with “Second Hand News” making the highest mark here at #12. His songs are superb, I just like the ones above his better.

“Second Hand News” was always intended to kick-off Rumours. It’s high energy, galloping energy, combined with it’s euphoric kiss-off both jump-started and encapsulated was the album encompassed: the painful dissolution of several relationships that led to an international smash hit. According to Fleetwood Mac biographer Donald Brackett , Buckingham is finding redemption with other women after his failed relationship with Nicks. He sings that although he does not trust his lover and cannot live with her, he cannot live without her as well. “Been down so long, I’ve been tossed around enough. Aw couldn’t you just let me go down and do my stuff?” He just wants to feel good with some lady companions after the ordeal he went through with Nicks.

Buckingham brought an instrumental version of the song to the band early in the process entitled, “Strummer.” (Purportedly he withheld the lyrics to the song as long as possible because he knew Stevie wouldn’t like them.) Buckingham utilized Scottish and Irish folk song influences, and originally the song was to have been set to a march rhythm. Then Buckingham heard the Bee Gees “Jive Talkin'” he wanted to find a more disco groove. In addition, Lindsey added a drum track by pounding on the back of a Naugahyde chair that happened to be in the studio. John McVie originally recorded a flowing, melodic bass part, but while he was on vacation, Buckingham replaced it with a very simple, quarter note bassline. It ultimately worked for the song, and it would herald Buckingham’s eventual totalitarianism in the studio during the Tusk sessions. McVie did rerecord the bass part to Buckingham’s specifications, but added a few flourishes of his own.

I love the galloping rhythm of the opening, and the break-neck speed in which it progresses, aided by Fleetwood’s rolling snare drum. Lindsey’s trademark acoustic flourishes add the texture, and the harmonies supplied by Nicks bring it all together. Christine doesn’t play on the song, but she adds layered, wordless, background vocals that serve the same purpose as her keyboards. In some early concerts, as seen below, Christine McVie played the drum to add additional percussive power as there were no keyboards in the song. In later concerts she added an organ part, that actually seems a little out of place in the song. It’s really a great song and worthy of opening this classic album.

#11 – Just Crazy Love (McVie, C.) Mystery to Me (1973)

Talk about a surprise! I had no idea this song from 1973’s Mystery to Me would almost end up cracking the Top 10! I just love this euphoric, joyful, fun song by Christine McVie. She really doesn’t just let go like this very often, and I love listening to it.

Musically, Christine pounds out some piano, while guitarists Bob Welch and Bob Weston supply some bluesy licks on the verses, and big power chords in the chorus. Then-husband Jon McVie takes a stroll through the melody with his base, all anchored by Fleetwood’s steady, but innovative drumming. And above it all, Christine sings beautifully, clearly having fun with the melody that jumps up an octave and back with lost in between while she just relishes this new relationship she’s in.

There’s not much to the song lyrically. She’s just giddy about a new man, and hopes that it turns serious. Even if her friends tells her she’s being foolish, it just feels right to her, and she’s so happy about it. Apparently Christine performed this song at some of her solo gigs in the early 80’s, and I saw her on that tour, but she didn’t play it in Boston. Can’t find a live video of it anywhere, unfortunately, but here is the audio track!