Found this Bob Welch interview

[nicepace]

http://iamthekman.blogspot.com/2009/07/interview-with-bob-welch-of-fleetwood.html


Thursday, July 30, 2009
Interview With Bob Welch of Fleetwood Mac

I got the chance to interview Bob Welch, former member of Fleetwood Mac and successful solo artist. Enjoy:

KF: You and Christine McVie are often credited with helping to transform Fleetwood Mac from a blues-rock outfit into the more melodic style that they are now famous for. What is it like knowing that you were such an influential member of one of the most popular bands of the 20th century?

BW: Who knew ;-) Seriously,none of us, certainly not me, had any idea that Fleetwood Mac would have the success it did.I became a professional musician almost by accident, because 1. I loved the music, and playing, and 2. it gave me a chance to travel...and meet girls ;-)In hindsight, it was really all luck and being in the right place at the right time....and being prepared (being able to play) when the opportunities came along.

KF: Your solo album "French Kiss" is one my my favorite albums from the 70s. What was the writing process for the album like? How did you come up with so many catchy tunes?

BW: I had just finished touring with my band "Paris", and during a long break , I put together a lot of bits and pieces of song ideas on my (primitive!) TEAC 4 track tape recorder. When I played some of it for my Capitol a&r guy(John Carter) he said "they're all hits,let's do this with just you and a drummer"(Alvin Taylor). That we re-recorded "Sentimental Lady" with the Fleetwood Mac rhythm section, with Lindsey Bucingham producing helped too. Fleetwood Mac had a # 1 album at the time, and I sort of rode on the crest of their wave...........

KF: Who was the woman on the cover of "French Kiss?"

BW: Answer' "Ellie Seibert" who was the (then) wife of Capitol records southwest promotion man Michael Seibert. She was a Neiman-Marcus model.

KF: What kind of music do you like to listen to? Who are your major influences?

BW: Answer; These days, I mostly like jazz (John McLaughlin) and classical. I'm kind of burned out on "pop" music. My influences: the Beach Boys , Ray Charles , James Brown, Stevie Wonder. (I played in a"soul" band before Fleetwood Mac)

KF: You were the host of "Hollywood Heartbeat." What was that show all about? Are there any surviving recordings of the show?

BW: "Heartbeat" was MTV 2 years before MTV started..The idea was to go to clubs and feature up and coming new bands. I have most of the tapes of the show...but I don't own the copyrights so I can't use 'em.

KF: What are you up to these days?

BW: Still writing (mostly eclectic experimental stuff)and doing UFO research.

KF: Where can we go online to learn more about you?

BW: Answer; www.bobwelch.com....LOT'S of content up there!

[mistermike]

I'm interested to see the interviewer tell Bob Welch told he is often "credited" with the transformation from blues-rock to a more melodic style. I am not sure how much this is the case... or conversely to what extent that might be recognized by non-aficionados?

When I say that, I think of Peter Green's words before the "Vaudeville Years" take of "Show Biz Blues" when he said it was the "only bluesy thing on the whole fuckin' LP (Then Play On)," recognizing they were already moving on from the blues to a more "melodic" style.

I am also thinking of "Future Games" and "Bare Trees" where "melodic" non-blues numbers from Danny Kirwan took up far more space than Bob Welch's material. Bob Welch wasn't even on "Kiln House" which wasn't nearly as bluesy as eg "Mr Wonderful." One might well assume it was Danny Kirwan who moved the band towards "Rumours" far more significantly, no?

Hope it's not just me?

[jbrownsjr]

I did like Kirwan's arrangements on things like When You Say and Woman of 1000 years... but when I think of Welch I think of surreal storytelling and really cool riffs... Bob Welch in those days had this really cool underground feeling that really meshed well with the 2 McVies and Mick.

I think he challenged the playing of the rhythm section and keys more than Buckingham ever did...