by Greg Brady
On July 30, 2010 at 5:15 pm
.The liner notes tell some of the tale, detailing 4 new members since the band’s beginning only 4 years earlier (Peter Green left in 1969, Jeremy Spencer in 1970, Christine McVie and Bob Welch are the new bandmates here), and a search for a new direction musically.
The band’s push toward a softer rock begins here, most of the tracks being moody and languid. Making the pacing this way means the album lives or dies on the strength of the lyrics and in this case, there are about 3 too many Danny Kirwan songs sinking the proceedings. “Woman of 1000 Years” and “Sometimes” are dreadful. With a better lyric, “Sands of Time” would be outstanding, but the meandering pretentious lyric renders the song mediocre. “What a Shame” is another uninteresting instrumental.
The best tunes here are Bob Welch’s Biblical potboiler “Lay it All Down” which shows the strongest hook appeal of any of the songs, the wistful title track (which is the only song here to wax philosophical and benefit from it), and Christine’s “Show me A Smile”.
This is definitely one to only pick up used and only if you’re a diehard FM fan. The band has some good pre-Buckingham/Nicks material but this isn’t the place to find it.
Rating: 2 / 5
by Anonymous
On July 30, 2010 at 5:42 pm
.I am a avid FM fan, and honestly, I can’t listen to this album. I love the Pete Green Era, and the Lindsey/Stevie era. But this doesn’t even stack up to Bare trees. Likely the least listened too album in my FM collection.
Rating: 2 / 5
by A. Calabrese
On July 30, 2010 at 6:22 pm
.The Future Games LP by Fleetwood Mac was released at the end of FM’s blues era. Peter Green had long left the band. Guitarist/singer Jeremy Spencer went joined a religious commune, and Danny Kirwin was on his way to total meltdown. And, while the band, tried to fill in the gaps with the addition of Christine Perfect aka McVie and Bob Welch they just couldn’t get back what was lost. If the preceeding Kiln House and Bare Trees LPs are classics, Future Games just comes off as a contractural obligation piece. There are no strong songs here. Much on this album, like Woman of 1,000 Years, Sands of Time, and Show Me A Smile, are nice to listen too, there is nothing memorable here. If you are an Fleetwood Mac fan, than pick up the CD to fill in the blanks. FM’s transition from a rock/blues band to a pop band was not a smooth one, and it shows on Future Games.
Rating: 3 / 5
by Brian D. Rubendall
On July 30, 2010 at 8:22 pm
.Most people know little about the music Fleetwood Mac produced before Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham arrived in the mid-70s and transformed them into hitmaking superstars. But the seeds of the band’s later megasuccess began to be sown on “Future Games.” Christine McVie had only recently signed on, and her impact was immediately felt on “Show Me a Smile,” in which she can be heard laying the foundations for the hits she would write later. Of the rest of the songs, the highlights are “Woman of 1000 Years,” the title track and “Sands of Time.”
The album’s main drawback is that the band often sounds chilly and remote, a stark contrast to the melodic warmth of their later classics. Also, guitarist-singer Bob Welch, who Buckingham later replaced, never really fit in with the band’s style. The CD booklet contains no lyrics sheet, but does have a short biography on each performer and a full page of detailed liner notes that were penned when the album was released on CD.
Overall, a solid if unspectacular early album from a band that would later go on to much larger success.
Rating: 3 / 5
by Ian D. Macintyre
On July 30, 2010 at 9:00 pm
.This album was recorded during the period when Peter Green had long since departed and Buckingham and Nicks were unknowns playing the So Cal club circuit. Danny Kirwan is the driving force on this album just as Lindsey would be on Rumours 6 years later. With the additions of Bob Welch and Christine McVie, the seeds are sown for the band’s move from English blues to the mellow rock that would garmer success for them a half-decade later. A great album. However, some songs run on too long.
Rating: 4 / 5
http://xtechblog.com/future-games/