Which album represents Bob Welch's best Fleetwood Mac work?

[MacShadowsBall]

I've done the Rumours era crew, so I thought in honor of Bob Welch, he should have one also.

Pick the one album that you feel represents and showcases Bob Welch at his very best!!

[chiliD]

The obvious & knee-jerk response would be Mystery To Me, but, I think both Penguin & Heroes Are Hard To Find have both seemed to grow in stature as the years move along. I'd almost give it a 3-way tie among those three.

He had a great start with the title cut of Future Games and "Lay It All Down" has seem to get better over time, as well (including the alternate version on The Chain box. "Sentimental Lady" was great, but I didn't think "The Ghost" lived up to the expectations laid down after Future Games (plus, I think Bare Trees was really Danny Kirwan's album to shine...too bad he lost it on that subsequent tour).

[Dex]

This is hard. Like Christine, Bob Welch was pretty solid across the board. But I had to vote for MTM. He doesn't have to share quite as much space on that one, and shines all the more.

[aleuzzi]

Mystery is an obvious choice. But those Heroes songs live, particularly "Bermuda Triangle" and "Angel," are pretty amazing and represent, to my ears, the best Welch ever sounded in the band. But only live. Somehow, the studio performances on Heroes (with the exception of Bad Loser) sound a tad anemic.

Also, Bob's Future Games work is amazing. Amazing. The title track is such a classic and Lay it All Down is so such a great hard driving R&B tune.

[HomerMcvie]

IMO, Mystery To Me represents FLEETWOOD MAC's best work!

[louielouie2000]

Over the years the title track from Future Games has slowly crept into being my favorite Mac song of Bob's. It's really one of the most epic Fleetwood Mac tracks of all time. I've listened to the song a thousand times, but every single time it's still a transcendental experience. However, Lay It All Down might just be my least fav Bob Mac tune.

Like ChiliD, I really do love Penguin and Heroes Are Hard To Find almost as much as Mystery To Me. They're all sonically gorgeous albums. I do think his MTM work edges out his other FM contributions, though.

[becca]

I couldn't bring myself to vote until now; a token vote for Future Games because it's my favorite track too. The whole album is almost Prog. I love all five of them and the live stuff, can't imagine being without any of them. I used to slag off Kiln House, but can't imagine being without it either.

Now only Penguin seems unloved.

But we know it has great tracks that are a little less Bob is all.

[chriskisn]

I voted for Heroes, but MTM is only a little way behind. Hard to pick one because really Bob was the stand out on all of these albums (except Penguin but that was just because he was overshadowed by someone else ). Christine was solid throughout and I can't say I liked Danny's contribution on the two he featured on, but Bob really was a breath of fresh air to the Mac and their sound.

[Conga]

Majority rules on this one, MTM all the way. Future Games is my favourite Bob track, but Mystery is consistently amazing throughout and it's mostly thanks to Bob. He even gave Christine Keep On Going as he thought it suited her voice better, but the catchy reggae summer jam Forever, stellar sleeper hit Hypnotized and funk workout (I guess?) Somebody are drop dead amazing. Not to mention one of the most solid opener in FM's catalogue and Miles Away is a great rocker. Everything but For Your Love Yardbirds cover is Perfect to Me. And their take on For Your Love is good.

Love that album.

Runner-up Heroes. It seems he was most fully realized by the end of his tenure with the band and his songs were more confident, he became a great leader of the band for the time.

Though I love his cuts on all five albums. And I mean dearly.

[becca]

Ha, I'll never understand that For Your Love cover, even the Mrs. Scarrot thing is less likely to make me hit stop or skip.

[redbird]

I like more of Bob's songs to a higher degree on Heroes than on Mystery. But my most favorite of his songs are pretty spread out.

[chiliD]

Originally Posted by becca

Ha, I'll never understand that For Your Love cover, even the Mrs. Scarrot thing is less likely to make me hit stop or skip.

It was Bob Weston's arrangement (and I thought it fit with the sound of the rest of the album quite nicely, actually). One example of Bob Weston's little acknowledged or known contributions. His lead guitar work on it is great (as it was on Penguin's "Revelation"); as was his slide guitar intro to "Why", the co-write of "Caught In The Rain" & his co-lead vocal on "Did You Ever Love Me?".

I think the record company requested it due to they didn't hear anything they could release as a single when the band initially submitted the album (hence the initial pressing of the album having Bob Welch's "Good Things (Come To Those Who Wait)" listed on the cover & its lyrics on the lyric sheet insert)...Reprise then issued "For Your Love" as the single (with "Hypnotized" as the B-side).

Apologies if I've turned into "Captain Obvious" or "General E. Redundant".

[becca]

It's just too famous a Yardbirds track for me to appreciate by anybody else probably. Credit to the Mac for not slavishly imitating at all with it. I've always felt if you took something that was a hit and had a hit with it again you've accomplished pretty much nothing (except if you're Tina Turner doing a massively different Proud Mary perhaps). This is why people still see red at the name Michael Bolton (at least those who know of Otis Redding existing).

[chiliD]

Originally Posted by becca

It's just too famous a Yardbirds track for me to appreciate by anybody else probably. Credit to the Mac for not slavishly imitating at all with it. I've always felt if you took something that was a hit and had a hit with it again you've accomplished pretty much nothing

Well, "Twist & Shout" gave the Beatles a concert set ender for a couple of tours...and it was only a couple of years after the original Isley Bros version was released. (and, The Beatles' version for about 95% of the world is THE definitive version)

At least it was nearly a decade after the Yardbirds' version before Fleetwood Mac's "For Your Love" was released. Plus, (as you mentioned) FMac's version is pretty much a completely different song, only the lyrics give away that it's a cover, by comparison.

So, "accomplishing nothing" by doing a cover of an already popular (ok, a "hit") song isn't really vaild. Entire careers have been forged by that process. (for example, Santana, Joe Cocker, Linda Ronstadt, Chubby Checker, Faith Hill, etc)

Originally Posted by becca

This is why people still see red at the name Michael Bolton (at least those who know of Otis Redding existing).

And, if you're one of the main characters in the movie Office Space

[michelej1]

Mission Bell is one of my favorite cuts on Kiln House, even though I've heard two other versions of the song and especially like Gene Pitney's.

I actually was introduced to FM long after I knew the song, but I can see it going the other way, if you are a new generation and haven't heard the song before, it's a way to win a new audience. I would say the originality behind it depends on your arrangement of the song. Sometimes covers are a reinvention. Sometimes, not and, in those cases, I agree more with what Becca said.

Michele