DISCUSSION: Dave Walkers songs from Penguin

MacShadowsBall · #1 10-29-2010, 06:51 PM

Time for Penguin!

I've noticed this album kinda gets a "bad rep"

Dave Walker's songs...
1. (I'm a) Road Runner
2. The Derelict

Kinda curious about the dynamics of the group with Danny gone and 2 new members brought in to replace him?

Thanks to chiliD for his help with the Penguin album!!

bretonbanquet · #2 10-29-2010, 06:55 PM

It's not a bad album, and some of the songs are excellent. Dave gets a bum rap sometimes, but I like both these songs. Some people don't like them because they don't sound like Fleetwood Mac songs, which I always think is a cop-out. There are better versions of Road Runner, but if this one is no good, it's not Dave's fault. FM weren't good to Dave.

aleuzzi · #3 10-29-2010, 10:57 PM

The Derelict has genuine charm. Road Runner might be good in another context. Neither fits on this record.

sjpdg · #4 10-30-2010, 03:04 AM

Sorry. Gotta tee-off on this one. Both songs are absolutely horrible IMHO and don't belong on an FM record. Dave Walker could have probably contributed better to FM but these 2 songs just aren't that contribution. I can't stand to listen to them. I specifically skip them when I listen to "Penguin".

I've just never developed a love for "Penguin" as an album. Christine and Welch's material is fine, not much for Weston's contribution and you've seen how I feel about what Walker had to offer for this album.

(I'm a) Road Runner and The Derelict, worst FM covers EVER!!!!!!!!!!

bretonbanquet · #5 10-30-2010, 06:02 AM

"The Derelict" isn't a cover. You haven't actually said why you don't like them.

dino · #6 10-30-2010, 10:23 AM

Like both songs better than Bob's or Christine's material on this album.
They are capably performed, though they don't go with the other material.
It's all a matter of taste; and it's wrong to say they're not Fleetwood Mac's "style", the BN era is California rock whereas the band's original style was Chicago blues anyway...

Madelow · #7 10-30-2010, 07:33 PM

Hello all: Just wanted to chirp in on Dino's point about Mac's "style". It certainly changed with the times, and band membership. Guess I'm in the middle with Dave's "Penguin" songs. For me, they're acceptable, but not great. I didn't include either one on my 6-hour tape set (for whatever that's worth). Best regards, madelow.

sjpdg · #8 10-31-2010, 12:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bretonbanquet

"The Derelict" isn't a cover. You haven't actually said why you don't like them.

My mistake on "The Derelict". I stand properly corrected. Thanks.

As far as why I don't like them, well, just my opinion, but I think both songs sound like shyte.

To me, just my opinion, I think they both sound horrible and don't fit with the other material on the album. I know other people like Walker's contribution to this album but not me.

I think they sound like they hired a homeless person to come in and do 2 tracks on the album.

bretonbanquet · #9 10-31-2010, 07:37 AM

I think "Road Runner" sounds like a decent rock 'n' roll shouter vocalist who got a few homeless people to back him up. I'd take it over the dirgey "Night Watch" any time.

holidayroad · #10 10-31-2010, 01:58 PM

I like Penguin, but I am not really a fan of Dave Walker. He is fine as a musician, but I completely dislike his vocals.

nailatixela · #11 10-31-2010, 05:08 PM

Go The Derelict!! One of the best Mac tunes ever. I like it more than any Danny or Bob Welch FM song.

nicepace · #12 11-01-2010, 11:10 AM

In the history of Fleetwood Mac, the one consistency is that the band doesn't stay the same. They haven't stayed with the same personnel or the same styles. In most cases I have enjoyed the additions of new people/changes in styles. I have enjoyed the new music/new direction brought to the band by Danny, Christine, Bob, Bob Weston, and, later on, Lindsey, Stevie, Billy, Rick.

The addition of Dave Walker and his style of music is another case of a new band member taking the music in a new direction. Obviously, it worked for some fans. For others (myself included) it was a weird aberration that did not work. I think his two songs are too different from the rest of the album to fit in. The songs sound like someone changed the radio station to a station with a completely different format. I actually like the songs in both cases, but find them out of place.