Song of the Day: 'Heroes Are Hard to Find' by Fleetwood Mac

Have used the past two days mourning and remembering Christine McVie by listening to her contributions to Fleetwood Mac albums pre- and post-Buckingham/Nicks. Some terrific material -- this is where a monthly fee to stream everything makes sense, as I never would have shelled out $12.99+ a pop for all of those LPs just to hear her two or three contributions to each -- which is to say nothing of her solo stuff that I have delved into before. Also, if you haven't checked out the album she did just with Lindsey Buckingham a few years ago -- rumored to have been conceived as a classic Fleetwood reunion until Stevie Nicks didn't sign on (no songs, maybe?) -- which is a pure delight that would have fit perfectly into the band's catalog. Today's pick is the title track from what turned out to be the band's last LP to feature Bob Welch, who along with Christine steered the band toward their more pop sound.

Christine McVie Dies at 79

Definitely not the obituary I wanted to read today -- or ever. Few musical artists have brought as much joy as Fleetwood Mac did. Truly the end of an era. So grateful I got to see the full classic lineup in concert before personality conflicts once against tore them apart. Christine penned many of the band's biggest hits -- and released a few good solo records. But for whatever reason, "Love in Store" was always a favorite of mine. RIP, Miss Perfect. 

(P.S. Shocked to read of the two women in Fleetwood Mac, her mother was a psychic!) 

 

Best part of her NYT obituary: 

Just over a year and a half later, the group released “Rumours,” which generated outsize interest not only for its trio of Top 10 hits (two of them written by Ms. McVie) but also for several highly dramatic behind-the-scenes events within the band’s ranks, which they aired out in the lyrics and openly discussed in the press. During the creation of the album, the two couples in the band — Ms. Nicks and Mr. Buckingham and the married McVies — broke up. 

Ms. McVie’s song “You Make Lovin’ Fun” celebrated an affair she was then having with the band’s lighting director. (At first, she told Mr. McVie that the song was about her dog.) The optimistic-sounding “Don’t Stop” was intended to point her ex-husband toward a new life without her. 

“We wrote those songs despite ourselves,” Ms. McVie told Mojo. “It was a therapeutic move. The only way we could get this stuff out was to say it, and it came out in a way that was difficult. Imagine trying to sing those songs onstage with the people you’re singing them about.”

Read the BBC obit, statements from Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham (separate, natch) and a heartfelt post by Chris Isaak about the songbird HERE.

Song of the Day: 'Got a Hold on Me' by Christine McVie

Today's selection was a nice hit for Christine McVie back in 1984, coming off the heels of bandmates Stevie Nicks's huge "Bella Donna" (1981) and "The Wild Heart" (1983) albums and Lindsey Buckingham's one Top 40 hit ("Trouble" hit No. in 1981). I remember the video coming on when I was in high school and my normally musically agnostic mom (Rod Stewart and Neil Diamond notwithstanding) saying she thought it was "a lot better" than "anything that other women from Fleetwood Mac" had put out lately. 

And being stunned 40 years later to learn that my parents had gone to see Rod and Stevie in concert in Phoenix, but mainly because my stepfather adores the latter and was dying to see her live. This, of course, I simply added to the endless list of reasons why the two of them are incompatible even 50 years later. (Even when they agreed on a concert they disagreed.) And it made me sad to know that Gary and I actually did have something in common after all ... in the form of a shawl-wearing, incense-burning poetess from Paradise Valley. If only he'd said something sooner! 

The single reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary and Mainstream Rock charts.

The followup, "Love Will Show Us How," wasn't quite as successful, peaking at No. 30, but had a better video! 

Song of the Day: 'Hold Me' (demo) by Fleetwood Mac

Damian and I were listening to a bunch of music while lounging around our rented villa in Zakynthos, including the reissue of Fleetwood Mac's "Mirage." The bonus tracks are all interesting, none more so than the demo of Christine McVie's "Hold Me," which has a completely different, kinda of 1970s feel from the 1982 hit single. 

P.S. Have you been following the latest drama surrounding the band? No sooner did Christine McVie rejoin we learn that Stevie Nicks decided she'd finally had enough of Lindsey Buckingham, issuing a "him or me" ultimatum to the band after he "smirked" while she was talking during a MusiCares benefit show honoring the group in January -- and bitching about "Rhiannon" being played as the band's intro music. (Buckingham sounds exhausting.) But as was the case when Kathy Valentine was booted from the Go-Go's, I hate to see a classic lineup ripped apart. These guys have already been through ringer and back. Here's hoping Lindsey's retaliatory lawsuit ends with his rejoining the band. 

Song of the Day: 'Feel About You' by Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie

Order HERE.

As expected, the first Christine McVie single off the duo's eponymous debut is noticeably better than Lindsey's opener. If "In My World" reminded me a bit reminiscent of "Tango in the Night" ("Bigger Love") then this one has a "Mirage" sensibility ("More Love in Store"), which is to say it's low-key but stays with you. Would be fun if they toured smaller venues together.

Song of the Day: 'In My World' by Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie

Fleetwood Mac fans rejoice! Lindsey Buckingham and (no-longer-reclusive) Christine McVie have teamed up for a new album, and if the first single is any indication, Rhino has a winner on its hands. Longtime fans might see this as the bookend to Lindsey's 1973 collaboration with the band's other grande dame, the brilliant-but-never-digitally-reissued "Buckingham Nicks." "In My World" -- of course a Lindsey song had to be released first to massage his fragile ego -- has a bit of a "Big Love" feel to it, but dare I say better. (Not as high praise as you might think -- "Big Love" always kind of rubbed me the wrong way!) The album, which includes three tracks co-written by the legendary artist, comes out June 9 and can be pre-ordered now HERE.

Song of the Day: 'Songbird' by Sandra Bernhard

As I've mentioned, Sandra Bernhard's SiriusXM show has me on a real Sandy-binge. Here's one I missed back when. How she concocts these (hilarious) scenarios is what makes her an American classic!

Song of the Day: 'Got a Hold on Me' by Christine McVie

Might as well finish out my Fleetwood Mac week with the songbird herself, nee Christine Perfect. Her 1984 solo album was somehow even more middle-of-the-road than her band contributions, but my mom still made a point of saying she liked this single "better than anything that one in the shawls does." Did you know Chris put out a solo album during those 17 years away from Fleetwood Mac? Neither did I.

Fleetwood Mac Wows 'Em at Madison Square Garden

Incredible seeing the reunited classic Fleetwood Mac lineup last night at Madison Square Garden, where the band put on a nearly three-hour show of nothing but their classic catalogue. I'd seen them without Christine McVie back in 2003 or so, but her absence was sorely missed, as her brand of mainstream pop is the perfect balance to the more self-indulgent work of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. The setlist (below) pretty much says it all -- there was absolutely no subjecting the loyalists to new material -- with perhaps the only surprise being that they played heavily off the line-up's 1975 self-titled debut. Nine out of 11 songs off "Rumours" were performed, each reminding us how much that album has been the soundtrack to a certain demographic's life. (When Lindsey and Stevie squared off during "Go Your Own Way," I turned to my date and said, "Mom and Dad are back together!") "Tango in the Night" is my least favorite album of theirs, yet "Little Lies" stood out as one of the evening's highlights because of the way it utilizes the strengths of the three vocalists. Christine was demure and sweet and had a real "Aww, shucks" attitude about being welcomed back into the fold, while Stevie kept the crowd enchanted from beginning to end, telling stories about the early days of meeting Lindsey and opening for the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Credence Clearwater Rival. (Her "Gypsy" story is classic.) While there are other female vocalists I may "adore" more, there's no denying Stevie has a hold on me like no one else. A simple head turn, hand raise or spin can send me into full fan-boy mode in a way that not even Debbie Harry or Chrissie Hynde's best moments can. She may seem flaky, but she's entirely genuine, like the kooky aunt you love more than any other. With any band with as much material as Fleetwood Mac, of course there would be quibbles about the setlist. But they were few and far between. I enjoyed the three-song "Tusk" arc, although given my druthers I'd have taken "Angel" over "Sisters of the Moon." And as mentioned, playing six of the 11 songs of the '75 album was a surprise, although I'd have opted for "Monday Morning" (a personal fave) or "Crystal" over "I'm So Afraid" and "World Turning." (Or why not let Christine coo how she needs a "Sugar Daddy"?) Hearing any of those album tracks, though, was a real treat. My only real issue was their excluding "Sara" from the lineup, which they seem to have done at other shows. (Yes, I peaked.) Not sure why they did this -- when pressed, I cite "Sara" as my favorite Mac song -- but with "Landslide" and "Silver Springs" on the roster, it made forgiveness easier to manage. (Oddly, they also didn't do "Hold Me," which is one of their biggest chart singles.) A recent interview with Lindsey made it seem like this was definitely the band's last hurrah, but from the looks -- and sound -- of things, it seems hard to believe they will hang it up anytime soon. A long-overdue sixth album has been discussed too, and based on last night's show, that's a concert promoting new material I'd definitely be up for.

My rating: Go if you can -- they're not getting any younger!

Madison Square Garden
Jan. 22, 2015
Setlist

The Chain
 You Make Loving Fun
 Dreams
 Second Hand News
 Rhiannon
 Everywhere
 I Know I'm Not Wrong
 Tusk
 Sisters of the Moon
 Say You Love Me
 Seven Wonders
 Big Love
 Landslide
 Never Going Back Again
 Over My Head
 Gypsy
 Little Lies
 Gold Dust Woman
 I'm So Afraid
 Go Your Own Way

Encore 1:
World Turning
Don't Stop
Silver Springs

Encore 2:
Songbird

Christine McVie to Rejoin Fleetwood Mac for Live Shows

I about jumped for joy when I saw THIS story on Billoard's website. But sadly I fear the woman who retired to a castle in the English countryside will only show up at European dates. Why can be bothered crossing the pond, really?

UPDATE: It happened!