THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
December 8, 1987
HEADLINE: Low-key Christine McVie rescues a new incarnation of Fleetwood MacBYLINE: Jim Washburn, The Register
BODY:
How many changes can one band take? In its 20 years, Fleetwood Mac
has changed members about as often as Italy has changed governments.
Since the only constant is the rhythm section of bassist John McVie and
drummer Mick Fleetwood, those changes obviously affect the nature of
the group. Not counting a bogus outfit floated for a time by former
managers of the band, Fleetwood Mac has now been at least five distinct
bands.
The band's fifth incarnation -- the one that performed at the Forum
Sunday andMonday nights -- seems less an infusion of fresh blood than
an attempt to cover the immense hole left by Buckingham's departure
from the group earlier this year. Singer-guitarist Billy Burnette's
chief attribute seems to be his ability to cover Buckingham's vocals,
while singer-guitarist Rick Vito (a hired-hand vet of Jackson Browne
and Bob Seger's bands) is adept at both the textures and flash of
Buckingham's guitar work.
Most of those, for this writer, came during Stevie Nicks' songs.
While lots of swell people think she's just dandy, to me her harsh,
quavering vocals seem suited for scouring barbecue grills or scraping
barnacles off boat hulls. Her selections included "Dreams," "Seven
Wonders," "Gold Dust Woman," and her solo LP song, "Has Anyone Ever
Written Anything for You?"
McVie and Fleetwood proved themselves still a propulsive rhythm
section, though a drum solo in which Fleetwood pounded synthesizer pads
hidden in his vest and pants was a bit overworked for the few musical
ideas that were put across.
Burnette and Vito tackled only a requisite minimum of Buckingham's
songs -- "World Turning," "Go Your Own Way" -- choosing instead to
reach back to Green-era chestnuts "Oh Well," "Rattlesnake Shake" and
"If I Loved Another Woman."
By default, the stalwart Christine McVie has emerged as the heart of
the new band. Of the handful of songs from the current "Tango in the
Night" featured in the show, her "Little Lies" and "Isn't It Midnight?"
were the only ones to stand out.
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