Future Games/Bare Trees backing vocals
 

I listened to Future Games and Bare Trees back-to-back last night and came to realise (unless I'm mistaken) just how much the individual writers dominate their tracks vocally, with no background vocals from the others. Sentimental Lady is a bit of an exception, though. It's hard to remember Christine, for example, singing on Danny's songs on those albums (does she on Trinity? Memory fails me) although she's clearly on Station Man, before she officially joined and on Purple Dancer, of course. Maybe she's on there somewhere on Dragonfly too.

Maybe there's something there, but it's perhaps too subtle for me to hear. Just an observation.

She is on Dragonfly. Other than this, I, don't think any DK songs from Future Games or Bare Trees. It's a shame. Those albums are filled with harmonizing opportunities. Christine and Bob should be singing on Woman of a Thousand Years and Sometimes. They should also be singing on Child of Mine. Danny harmonizes with himself on some of his songs, and it sounds nice, but it lacks the personality the three voices would have had.

Meanwhile, all three voices are singing on Spare Me a Little.

When Danny left, Bob and Christine harmonized and double-tracked a lot. The harmonies on Remember Me, Dissatisfied, Revelation, and Nightwatch are lovely and sophisticated. They're even better on Emerald Eyes and Hypnotized.

They were never destined to be a unified vocal group like Crosby Stills & Nash (which had their fair share of solo moments).

It is a bit baffling that they sometimes passed on the opportunity to capitalize on their very capable vocal harmonies. But they have always been such individualized singer/songwriters. It's a characteristic that has carried through the entire span of their history.

That's very well and succinctly put. I suppose they were finding their feet with the new-line up. Maybe Danny was a bit protective of his songs- Christine vocalising on parts of Sands Of Time would have improved it, I think. I like the track but it's perhaps a little long as it is. Bob and Danny made good use of her keyboard skills, though, to be fair.

I'm struggling to hear Chris on Dragonfly. I thought it was Danny harmonising with himself. She's on that live version on German TV (with Bob). You're not getting confused with that one, by any chance? Maybe she's on at the very end of the studio version?

I think you also have to consider that the band didn't do much in the way of background / harmony vocals on studio tracks in their earlier years either (some on Kiln House, mostly Danny Kirwan on Jeremy Spencer's songs), so they had little history of doing it. And if I recall correctly, some of the early attempts at harmony vocals on live recordings after Christine McVie joined the band are not that great. Seems like it took them awhile to get it figured out.

Christine had trouble with her vocals live for the first two years. The harmonizing ideas on those live bootlegs were good, but she couldn't execute them with accuracy: her voice kept falling out of tune. To compare her singing on the 72 Bare Trees radio broadcast of a live show in Seattle with her live performance on Midnight Special a year and a half later is like hearing two different people. And then, a year after that, during the heroes tour, her vocals were incredible. She really pulled it together after 72--in and out of the studio.

Was there a Heroes tour?

Yes; start of October 1974 through to the start of December 1974.

Future Games, Angel, Bermuda Triangle, The Green Manalishi, Oh Well, Spare Me a Little of Your Love, Rattlesnake Shake, Why, Sentimental Lady, Homeward Bound, Coming Home, Hypnotized, I'd Rather Go Blind, Bad Loser, Night Watch

Should have played HAHTF!

The recording of that song featured a prominent horn accompaniment. I wonder if they chose not to play it live because of the lack of horns in the band.

A good point. They wouldnt have been able to replicate the album version but I'm sure they could have come up with some sort of workable arrangement- especially as they had an additional keyboard player on tour with them.