I Miss Bob Welch

[Street_Dreamer]

I was just thinking about Bob and realized it's been just over 10 years since his passing. It still hurts to think about how he passed and the reasons why it happened. I wish he had been able to live a longer life, free from the pain that took him from this world.

He truly seemed like a good, down-to-earth person who didn't know or comprehend just how big of an impact he made in the lives of so many. So many of us who are fans of Fleetwood Mac are in debt to him because he was the one who fought so hard not only to ensure the band kept its name and identity but also fought to bring the band to the States which ended up being the difference in continuing. It's still an outrage that he wasn't and still hasn't been recognized by the R&RHoF for his importance to the legacy of Fleetwood Mac but many of us on here know how important Bob Welch was and is to the band after his tenure.

He mattered and still matters. His music still matters. Hopefully wherever he's at, he's in a place where he's able to know how much he's still loved and missed.

[HomerMcvie]

Bob was great, and FM should be ashamed that they've ignored his legacy.

I was just reading a couple of his posts I'd saved, literally an hour ago, after reading the publishing thread in the other forum. He was responding to questions that I'd asked him. So approachable, and so nice.

I left Nashville(where he lived) the morning he committed suicide. When I got to my other place, I checked in here, and saw that he'd died. My heart sank. I'd always dreamed of inviting him and Wendy out to dinner, and I'm reasonable sure they might have accepted. I was just too afraid of rejection. Regrets, I've got a few...

[Macfan4life]

It really was a sad ending to such a brilliant performer. The way the Mac treated him was horrible. I believe Bob's wife since she would have no reason to lie that it was Chris and Mick that prevented him from the RRHOF.
One of my biggest regrets in life was not emailing him, buying something, or posting something on this website in the late 90s early 2000. I remember going and reading stuff there and was like "oh cool" but it took me a few more years to really appreciate Bob's work even more. It gets forgotten or not told but it was Bob that brought the band to the States. Without Bob who knows if the Mac ever would have taken the plunge to come to the states. Bob took the band on a more mystical and magical path and adding harmony. Without Bob there would have never been Stevie and Lindsey. Without Bob the band would have never been the super group they turned into.

[HomerMcvie]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

It really was a sad ending to such a brilliant performer. The way the Mac treated him was horrible. I believe Bob's wife since she would have no reason to lie that it was Chris and Mick that prevented him from the RRHOF.

I don't think it was Mick. He's not the grudge holding type. It was Chris. She IS the grudge holding type.

[aleuzzi]

Bob was a very good, inventive guitar player and a unique singer. But his true legacy, I think, is in songwriting. Most of the songs from the Welch-years Mac albums and at least a half-dozen tunes from various solo albums (even beyond his three or four solo singles) are ripe for reinterpretation by an artist who can reach a wider audience. Some of the best candidates for this are his less-celebrated tunes. Miles Away, The Ghost, Watch the Animals, Emerald Eyes, and Angel—to name just a few.

And then there are the stunners—Future Games, Lay It All Down, Hypnotized, Night Watch....

He gave a lot.

Ultimately, the academy is responsible for his being overlooked for the RRHOF honor, but none of the core trio, Christine in particular, would advocate for him. If you watch The Dance rehearsal interview with the Rumours lineup, her anger is evident even at Mick’s mention of Bob’s name.

The snub from RRHOF should have been corrected years later, once all the animosity had passed. But again, no one in the band would step forward to advocate. Bob died feeling undervalued and forgotten. He wasn’t. He isn’t.

[HomerMcvie]

Originally Posted by aleuzzi

Bob was a very good, inventive guitar player and a unique singer. But his true legacy, I think, is in songwriting. Most of the songs from the Welch-years Mac albums and at least a half-dozen tunes from various solo albums (even beyond his three or four solo singles) are ripe for reinterpretation by an artist who can reach a wider audience. Some of the best candidates for this are his less-celebrated tunes. Miles Away, The Ghost, Watch the Animals, Emerald Eyes, and Angel—to name just a few.

And then there are the stunners—Future Games, Lay It All Down, Hypnotized, Night Watch....

He gave a lot.

Ultimately, the academy is responsible for his being overlooked for the RRHOF honor, but none of the core trio, Christine in particular, would advocate for him. If you watch The Dance rehearsal interview with the Rumours lineup, her anger is evident even at Mick’s mention of Bob’s name.

The snub from RRHOF should have been corrected years later, once all the animosity had passed. But again, no one in the band would step forward to advocate. Bob died feeling undervalued and forgotten. He wasn’t. He isn’t.

It's kind of sad how much stock he and Wendy both put into his exclusion. I mean, I get it. But there are MANY glaring omissions from the HOF.

[vivfox]

Originally Posted by HomerMcvie

Bob was great, and FM should be ashamed that they've ignored his legacy.

Hypnotized was performed at many dates on the last Fakewood Mac tour.

[SteveMacD]

Originally Posted by vivfox

Hypnotized was performed at many dates on the last Fakewood Mac tour.

Like five shows. (Still pissed about it getting dropped, although “Sentimental Lady” would have been the better choice.)

[UnwindedDreams]

Originally Posted by vivfox

Hypnotized was performed at many dates on the last Fakewood Mac tour.

It's a classic rock radio staple too.

[HomerMcvie]

Originally Posted by vivfox

Hypnotized was performed at many dates on the last Fakewood Mac tour.

Did you miss where they kept him from being inducted into the R&RHOF?

[Villavic]

I found this interesting article.

https://www.cleveland.com/pdextra/20..._fame_snu.html

If that lawsuit was in 1994, I wonder if Mick mentions about it in his 2014 book (Play On).

In his first book (1990), He ends it by briefly describing how his friends are doing.

Peter Green, now Greenbaum, lives in western London. His fate haunts a generation of successful English musicians, all now entering middle age, who saw one of the authentic geniuses among them withdraw from the lists, refusing to sell out or play the fool. He not only started Fleetwood Mac and gave the rest of us a career; he also taught me something about my playing that's very important to me. He gave me the feeling he understood who I was as a person. He understood that I played like that person, without a lot of flash, but steady-on, like a rock soldier. Most of all, he gave us that magical, ongoing gift of a name Fleetwood Mac. This book is for him.

Jeremy Spencer is said to remain with the Children of God. He and his family were last seen at the Children's HQ in Sri Lanka, but the violent Tamil insurrection there reportedly forced the cult to flee for their lives. At last word, Jeremy was hiding out on an atoll somewhere in the Indian Ocean. Not long ago, a strange girl approached me on the beach in Malibu and handed me a cassette. It turned out to be Jeremy, singing and playing his guitar, but when and where it was recorded, I have no idea.

Danny Kirwan lives in a south London mental hospital.

Bob Welch, still a buddy, lives in Phoenix and is doing movie sound tracks.

Christine McVie is as great as ever. Right now she's working on her songs for our next record, Behind the, Mask, and thinking up blissful new ways to say she loves us. The healer's daughter will always be my sister and inspiration.

John McVie is still my closest friend. He and Julie had a daughter, Molly McVie, in March 1989, which served to mellow the once-wicked McVie, who is now sober, funny, and still a hell of a bass player. His spare time is devoted to the majestic Challenger, his sixty-three-foot Sparkman and Stevens sloop.

No more pre-Rumours member is mentioned in his (book) last words. Of course he mentions L&S but that's material for another forum.

[jbrownsjr]

I truly miss Bob Welch. He was a great song writer and I loved his music.

[Penguin Emeritus]

Originally Posted by HomerMcvie

Bob was great, and FM should be ashamed that they've ignored his legacy.

I was just reading a couple of his posts I'd saved, literally an hour ago, after reading the publishing thread in the other forum. He was responding to questions that I'd asked him. So approachable, and so nice.

I left Nashville(where he lived) the morning he committed suicide. When I got to my other place, I checked in here, and saw that he'd died. My heart sank. I'd always dreamed of inviting him and Wendy out to dinner, and I'm reasonable sure they might have accepted. I was just too afraid of rejection. Regrets, I've got a few...

I have regrets too. He used to call our house back in the day to talk w Marty about us promoting his new album etc . I was so busy w the kids that I usually just passed off the phone pretty quickly. How I wish now I had taken more time to talk! He was such a nice guy and gave us a lot of great info. I sent him several xmas cards. I remember we had tossed around the idea of going to visit him in Nashville and talk about FM. Never happened but i wish it had. I do appreciate him and his contribution to this band. Wish he'd written that book he talked about doing...

--Lis

[HomerMcvie]

Originally Posted by Penguin Emeritus

I have regrets too. He used to call our house back in the day to talk w Marty about us promoting his new album etc . I was so busy w the kids that I usually just passed off the phone pretty quickly. How I wish now I had taken more time to talk! He was such a nice guy and gave us a lot of great info. I sent him several xmas cards. I remember we had tossed around the idea of going to visit him in Nashville and talk about FM. Never happened but i wish it had. I do appreciate him and his contribution to this band. Wish he'd written that book he talked about doing...

--Lis

He was so open and friendly. For years I wanted to invite him and Wendy out to dinner, but never had the nerve to do so(fearing rejection, I guess). I really wish I had, now.

[Penguin Emeritus]

Originally Posted by HomerMcvie

He was so open and friendly. For years I wanted to invite him and Wendy out to dinner, but never had the nerve to do so(fearing rejection, I guess). I really wish I had, now.

I hear you. He really was a good guy. very personable, with a great memory.

--Lis