Quote:
Originally Posted by Villavic
But about this debate, I think, without Lindsey who knows how would Christine and Stevie songs have sounded.
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Thing is, Christine’s songs didn’t sound radically different from her 1971-74 songs, harmonies and all, and she went on to have the majority of Top 40 singles.
I think just having a complete mainstream pop package would have helped them become more successful. As much as I love the Bob Welch era, there was a ceiling to their potential success. He had two or three bubblegum songs, but the rest were pretty heavy subject matter for the Hit Parade. Plus, he was kind of weird looking and had a weakish voice. They made great records, but they were never going to be blockbuster hits. Think about it, Bob Welch’s Carlos Castaneda inspired mystic jazz rock and classic Christine McVie songs produced by Deep Purple’s producer. If that doesn’t scream identity crisis, I don’t know what does. It wasn’t until they moved to LA and started playing up having a woman in the band (Jefferson Starship tour) that they had a Top 40 album.
I don’t know how well Fleetwood Mac would have done without the drama. Fleetwood Mac was selling only moderately better than its predecessors until it came out that the McVies split and that Stevie and Lindsey had mostly split. Then it became a huge hit. Obviously, Rumours. Fast forward to TITN, and its sales started skyrocketing after Lindsey quit.