Bob Weston makes MTM the excellent album it is. Hero's Are Hard To Find is a fantastic album too but misses some of the MTM magic. Both of these albums are the Mac's greatest work IMHO. Bob was probably the most influential member when you think about it. I am not talking about sound. Bob Weston's departure fast tracked Bob Welch's departure a few years later. If Weston was not forced out, the band could have went on with a guitarist even if Welch left which would not have made Mick search for a new guitarist. IMHO Stevie and Lindsey owe Weston more gratitude than Welch in some weird way.
Hero's is superb and especially Chris's songs but lacks that icing on the cake that MTM has.

This is a song about a Welch Witch

Interesting point about Weston. "Thanks for having that affair with Jenny, Bob! It's been a great ride with the Mac and we owe it all to you. XO, S&L"

I have been revisiting these albums and they are so good. Especially on vinyl the way they were made to be enjoyed. So good!

That was when the dream took her prisoner

OMG I can't resist...
Bob Weston's leaving allowed many things to be stared at besides the stairs...

In all seriousness, MTM is fantastic and every bit as good as Rumours and Tusk. In the right set of circumstances it would've/could've/should've been a smash hit.

Bob Weston was a very fine guitar player (musically AND in terms of appearance!). I think the band could have really gone places with him.

Moreover, Bob Welch is criminally underrated as a guitarist. While the HEROES studio album lacks the finesse and vitality of MTM, the live soundboards show Welch to be more than capable of handling the lead and solo duties with a flair that doesn't ever really emerge on the studio albums. His work on the Sausalito soundboard versions of "Believe Me" and "Why" are fantastic--and very different than Weston's.

Lately, as I've been re-listening to MTM, I realize how far ahead of his time Welch really was. With and without Weston he made music that prefigures mid-seventies studio chic. "Miles Away" anticipates the first two albums of Steely Dan; the engaging talk-sing of "Hypnotized" combines jazz chording and timing with what would eventually be hip-hop. I challenge any hip hop artist to do a version of "Hypnotized." "Ebony Eyes" sounds like the kind of guitar-driven pop that became a staple of Rick Springfield's five years later....

It's sad: once his solo career went down the tubes (EYE CONTACT was awful) he never fully recovered and couldn't seem to find a footing. He came out with Avenue M and then did a late boutique album about Bop but by then he was chasing trends, not carving new niches.

Come Softly to Me came on today on my mix from Bobs Three Hearts cd that features Christine. What a fantastic remake of a classic. The Welch/McVie blend was amazing.

I agree with all that about Welch. But I will take it one step further. Some of the albums had a mystical vibe that Welch was even better at live. You may laugh at this but the live version of Bermuda Triangle used to spook me. I get it when Stevie said before joining the Mac she went out and listened to all the albums and liked the mystical feel. IMHO it was mostly from Welch.

Absolutely! I never saw the Mac with Bob Welch, but I saw him solo once, and live "Bermuda Triangle" was mystical, and even a little frightening. A great big mystery that cannot be explained.

Album Cover...
 

I will have to say for one of the best Fleetwood Mac albums of all time(IMO) it’s the worst album cover.

This is from Bob Welch about the album cover in 1999
"The cover of MTM was done by an artist who I think was a friend of Mick's sisters husband. I think we all sort of threw ideas at the artist, and that's what he came up with and we liked it. The meaning I think was sort of supposed to be, "no matter how much knowledge you get, everything is still a mystery, and you're still a monkey!";-)

I am glad I am not the only one that got spooked. Bob stated that Chris and Mick HATED his talking and banter in that song and other songs. They would give him the evil eye according to him.
:eek:

Hahahaha!! Into the Bermuda Triangle. and the dream said, I want you

Absolutely. I’ve said for years that the live and soundboard performances of the HEROES songs are far more invigorating than their studio counterparts. Live, FM has always chosen to reframe and extend their material. Bob’s energy, in particular, lifts Bermuda Triangle and Angel, for example, in exciting ways.

Christine's solo and vamping are a delight in BT. uhhh I love that live version.