Let's Show Some Love For... Heroes Are Hard To Find!

[HomerMcvie]

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

The went through two additional keyboardists: Bobby Hunt and Doug Graves. There were no other guitarists.

IMO, there's NO greater "sound filler" than a big, stinking, fat B-3.

[Dreamz19]

I love Heroes. It is my favorite among the pre-1975 FM albums.

[aleuzzi]

That tour poster posted above...I can't read the cities they played. Can anyone tell what the dates and cities were for that tour?

[damianip]

Originally Posted by aleuzzi

That tour poster posted above...I can't read the cities they played. Can anyone tell what the dates and cities were for that tour?

[SteveMacD]

This creates a few questions on the timeline of events. The last show on the HAHTF tour was 12/1/74, and the offer extended to Stevie and Lindsey was on 12/31. When was that meeting where Bob snapped and announced he was quitting?

[wetcamelfood]

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

This creates a few questions on the timeline of events. The last show on the HAHTF tour was 12/1/74, and the offer extended to Stevie and Lindsey was on 12/31. When was that meeting where Bob snapped and announced he was quitting?

Although the legend is that he was long gone before S&L came along, Bob did say they were trying to get him to stay on as a 2nd guitarist when they got S&L so to me it seems like there's still plenty of time, the whole month of Dec, for things to play out. Bob might've even snapped before the tour was over and did like PG and said he'd do the rest of the tour as like a "notice" period then Mick came across S&L, then Mick's persuasion to get Bob to stay on ensued etc. Just some thoughts.

John

[chriskisn]

Having seen this thread I thought I'd go back and have a listen to those three albums from that period (the three greatest albums from Fleetwood Mac). Dare I say I got half way through Penguin and ended up listening to The Derelict on repeat 5 times! Oh well shall listen to MTM and HAHTF on Monday!

[aleuzzi]

Mick says Bob "snapped" at Christine near the end of the Heroes tour but that it was "nothing heavy." In all likelihood, Bob would have left, whether he had the spat with her or not. Mickey Shapiro also states in Mick's book that even before the tour, when the group were trying to get support from WB to continue work in the states despite the lawsuit, Bob came into his house and said he was going to quit the band. So he must have known he was leaving even before the final preparations--or at the very least during the initial stages of the tour.

[aleuzzi]

Originally Posted by damianip

Thank you!

I notice a lot of major cities mixed with odd, little ones.

[michelej1]

This is a really great poster SteveMacD. Thanks for putting it up and enlarging it for us.

Michele

[michelej1]

Ultimate Classic Rock by Dave SwansonSeptember 13, 2014 4:11 PM

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/fleet...-hard-to-find/

40 Years Ago: Fleetwood Mac Release ‘Heroes Are Hard To Find’

Released in Sept. 1974, the ninth Fleetwood Mac album, ‘Heroes Are Hard To Find,’ is, in many ways, one of their most forgotten. Guitarist Bob Welch had been in the lineup since 1971, releasing four albums up to this point, all of which kept the band on an upward trajectory. Albums like ‘Bare Trees’ and ‘Mystery To Me’ started to garner some radio play in the States, and their reputation as a live act had been well established. Despite that, things had yet to really click for the veteran rockers..

‘Heroes Are Hard To Find’ begins on a strong note, with a first-class Christine McVie composition in the title cut. Brimming with her unique brand of jubilation, the song is a perfect album opener, and one of McVie’s lost classics. It should have been a hit, but failed to make any dent. Bob Welch is up to bat next with the slightly psychedelic ‘Coming Home.’ Displaying his solid signature playing that made earlier tracks like ‘Hypnotized’ so strong, Welch is front and center here. It’s an odd song, with no real discernible hook, but the mood created is dynamic and striking. The entire album is split between the songwriting of McVie and Welch, and while their style and approach is quite different, the two paths link up very effectively throughout.

On the third track, ‘Angel,’ Welch is still in command here with a moody, straight ahead rocker that, once again, displays his underrated guitar technique. ‘Bermuda Triangle’ is a haunting tune, almost worthy of its namesake. Welch’s vocal delivery lacks personality at times, and the song never really takes off into the depths it should, but the always reliable rhythm section of John McVie and Mick Fleetwood save the song from itself.

‘Bermuda Triangle’ points to one of the problems with this incarnation of the Mac. They had a tendency to veer to close to the middle of the road. Unlike the raw blues chaos of the Peter Green era, the rootsy approach of the Danny Kirwan/Jeremy Spencer-driven lineup or, obviously, the Lindsey Buckingham/Stevie Nicks years, with Welch in taken control, things got very smoothed out. Not that it was his doing entirely, but he didn’t have the fire needed to push the band where it needed to go.

‘Come A Little Bit Closer’ is pop perfection from Christine. The song has an almost George Harrison-like quality to it with some nice pedal steel from the legendary Sneaky Pete Kleinow, formerly of the Flying Burrito Brothers. On ‘She’s Changing Me,’ Welch again veers to close to that sterile MOR sound so prevalent in 1974. Not unlike the tune it follows, it has elements of a lost Beach Boys tune, but ultimately goes nowhere. Things really pick up with ‘Bad Loser,’ a moody rocker that shows off some genuinely fine guitar work from Welch and adds in heaping handfuls of personality, something lacking from much of the album. Not to sound redundant, but the rhythm section once again saves the day here.

Welch steps back up with ‘Silver Heels,’ a somewhat country-ish tune that sinks before it could swim. It’s generic mid-’70s rock to the definition, and his slightly funky approach fails miserably. His forte was his subtle, yet haunting, guitar playing, much less so his singing or attempts to ‘rock out.’ ‘Prove Your Love’ is pretty much standard Christine McVie fare, meaning it’s got a hook and a melody and ultimately succeeds, even if the results are not up to her usual standards. ‘Born Enchanter’ finds Welch trying to get all funky again. The LP ends, however, on a very strong note, as Welch gets back into his own groove with the somewhat spacey, and appropriately titled ‘Safe Harbour.’ A beautiful tune, primarily instrumental, that showcases not only his sweet guitar playing, but his knack for creating a mood.

Though the album did make it into the U.S.Top 40, it would be Bob Welch’s final album with Fleetwood Mac. Shortly after its release, he left the band. Welch was a tragic figure, who sadly, took his own life in 2012. He never really got his due as a player or writer, particularly in the Fleetwood Mac story. For unknown reasons, he was the sole member not inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the rest of the band.

Read More: 40 Years Ago Fleetwood Mac Release 'Heroes Are Hard To Find' | http://ultimateclassicrock.com/fleet...ckback=tsmclip

[PenguinHead]

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

The went through two additional keyboardists: Bobby Hunt and Doug Graves. There were no other guitarists.

Wow. Love the rare promo ad. I wish I could zoom in and read the tour dates.

[chiliD]

Yes, I realize the poster has San Francisco as the last show on 12/1, but, the show I saw at the Long Beach Arena with the Climax Blues Band as the opening act was after that...like about a week or maybe even two. Christmas was less than 2 weeks away when I saw that show. That most likely was added after the poster was printed.

Originally Posted by aleuzzi

Thank you!

I notice a lot of major cities mixed with odd, little ones.

The "odd, little ones" appear to be college towns that are home for fairly large Universities. Which were also played in '75 when they did the initial tour with Buckingham & Nicks.

So Orange, NJ (Seton Hall University)
Columbus, Oh (THE Ohio State University)
Stevens Point, WI (University Of Wisconsin-Stevens Point)
Eau Claire, WI (University Of Wisconsin-Eau Claire)
Austin, TX (University of Texas)
Odessa, TX (University of Texas of the Permian Basin & Odessa College)
El Paso, TX (University of Texas, El Paso, aka UTEP...formerly known as "West Texas State College")
Bozeman, MT (Montana State University)
Missoula, MT (University of Montana)
Eugene, OR (University of Oregon)

[aleuzzi]

Originally Posted by chiliD

Yes, I realize the poster has San Francisco as the last show on 12/1, but, the show I saw at the Long Beach Arena with the Climax Blues Band as the opening act was after that...like about a week or maybe even two. Christmas was less than 2 weeks away when I saw that show. That most likely was added after the poster was printed.




The "odd, little ones" appear to be college towns that are home for fairly large Universities. Which were also played in '75 when they did the initial tour with Buckingham & Nicks.

So Orange, NJ (Seton Hall University)
Columbus, Oh (THE Ohio State University)
Stevens Point, WI (University Of Wisconsin-Stevens Point)
Eau Claire, WI (University Of Wisconsin-Eau Claire)
Austin, TX (University of Texas)
Odessa, TX (University of Texas of the Permian Basin & Odessa College)
El Paso, TX (University of Texas, El Paso, aka UTEP...formerly known as "West Texas State College")
Bozeman, MT (Montana State University)
Missoula, MT (University of Montana)
Eugene, OR (University of Oregon)

Ah, yes, make sense. Thanks.

[aleuzzi]

Originally Posted by PenguinHead

Wow. Love the rare promo ad. I wish I could zoom in and read the tour dates.

They are zoomed in a few posts above...from four years ago