33 years ago Christine McVie (1984) released

[aleuzzi]

I, too, was 13 when the album was released. I had known it was coming for months (thx to a commercial for it on MTV) and waited what seemed like an interminable amount of time for it to come out (some things never change).

I remember thinking all the songs were solid but hated the production, which struck me as glossy and dull like the inside of the JC Penney home section. There were two exceptions--"One in a Million" and "Smile I Live For." I felt both of these songs were not only the strongest on the record but among her best work in any context. Even with the passing of 33 years, I still feel the same way. Today, I'm a little kinder towards the rest of the record. I always liked the catchiness of the verses for "Got a Hold on Me" and was pleasantly surprised at how well it did. I also think "So Excited" and "Ask Anybody" really work, and might have been even better with more imaginative arrangements.

The rest bores me. "Love Will Show Us How" and "Keeping Secrets" are lot like "Got a Hold on Me" insofar as the verses work really well but the choruses don't really catch fire.

But "One In a Million" and "Smile" are exciting to me. They stand a head taller than anything else.