Five Songs Fleetwood Mac Covered

[michelej1]

MTV Hive, June 29, 2012
http://www.mtvhive.com/2012/06/29/five-songs-fleetwood-mac-covered/

Hive Five: Our Daily Listicle of Musical Musings

Lately, you’ve probably been hearing a lot about Just Tell Me That You Want Me, the Fleetwood Mac tribute album due out on August 14, commemorating the 45th anniversary of the band. An eager parade of artists are apparently indebted to the music of the Mac and will be rolling out their own versions of tunes from all across FM’s long career — acts like MGMT (“Future Games”), Best Coast (“Rhiannon”), and the New Pornographers (“Think About Me”). With all these Fleetwood Mac covers floating around in the air, why not take a look at some of the songs the band covered themselves over the years in their various incarnations? Since the songs an artist covers are usually an excellent way to analyze that band’s own musical makeup, maybe you could call at least a few of these the tracks that helped make the Mac.

1. “Homework” by Otis Rush

Long before the luxurious L.A. pop of the Rumours-era lineup, Fleetwood Mac were a bunch of hungry young hairies who emerged from the ‘60s British blues boom that gave us the Yardbirds, John Mayall, et al. Here they are in ’68, barely a year into their career, busting out a burning rendition of an Otis Rush hit as founder Peter Green shows why he’s considered one of the best bluesmen to come out of Britain.

2. “Shake Your Moneymaker” by Elmore James

Between Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer, Fleetwood Mac sported some serious six-string firepower. Here’s Spencer showing off his slide skills as the band plows through a classic by another of their blues heroes, the original slide-guitar hero himself, Elmore James.

3. “Farmer’s Daughter” by the Beach Boys

By the time a reconstituted, L.A.-based Mac found fame in the ‘70s with frontcouple Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, blues influences had receded into the background. As this clip shows, the world-beating version of the band drew more inspiration from the warm, breezy West coast pop perfection of Beach Boys tunes like this harmony-heavy nugget originally found on Brian Wilson and company’s Surfin’ USA album



4. “I Am Waiting” by the Rolling Stones

Lindsey’s love for the folk-rock/baroque-pop side of the Rolling Stones has emerged on his solo albums more than once. Buckingham’s latest, Seeds We Sow, includes his take on the Stones’ “She Smiled Sweetly,” and on Under the Skin he reinvented the chamber-pop charmer “I Am Waiting” as a creepy-cool kind of ghostly folk song.

5. “Free Fallin’” by Tom Petty


Stevie and Tom Petty have plenty of history together. He gave Nicks her first solo hit, penning and playing on Bella Donna’s “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around.” She sang a duet with him on his Hard Promises ballad “Insider.” The two have made guest appearances at each other’s shows. It’s only natural that she’d want to spread some Stevie mojo on Petty’s blockbuster “Free Fallin’.” Hey, who knows – in an alternate universe, maybe Petty played Buckingham’s role in the Mac…

[Dodfather]

MTV Hive, June 29, 2012
http://www.mtvhive.com/2012/06/29/five-songs-fleetwood-mac-covered/

Hive Five: Our Daily Listicle of Musical Musings

Lately, you’ve probably been hearing a lot about Just Tell Me That You Want Me, the Fleetwood Mac tribute album due out on August 14, commemorating the 45th anniversary of the band. An eager parade of artists are apparently indebted to the music of the Mac and will be rolling out their own versions of tunes from all across FM’s long career — acts like MGMT (“Future Games”), Best Coast (“Rhiannon”), and the New Pornographers (“Think About Me”). With all these Fleetwood Mac covers floating around in the air, why not take a look at some of the songs the band covered themselves over the years in their various incarnations? Since the songs an artist covers are usually an excellent way to analyze that band’s own musical makeup, maybe you could call at least a few of these the tracks that helped make the Mac.

1. “Homework” by Otis Rush

Long before the luxurious L.A. pop of the Rumours-era lineup, Fleetwood Mac were a bunch of hungry young hairies who emerged from the ‘60s British blues boom that gave us the Yardbirds, John Mayall, et al. Here they are in ’68, barely a year into their career, busting out a burning rendition of an Otis Rush hit as founder Peter Green shows why he’s considered one of the best bluesmen to come out of Britain.

2. “Shake Your Moneymaker” by Elmore James

Between Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer, Fleetwood Mac sported some serious six-string firepower. Here’s Spencer showing off his slide skills as the band plows through a classic by another of their blues heroes, the original slide-guitar hero himself, Elmore James.

3. “Farmer’s Daughter” by the Beach Boys

By the time a reconstituted, L.A.-based Mac found fame in the ‘70s with frontcouple Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, blues influences had receded into the background. As this clip shows, the world-beating version of the band drew more inspiration from the warm, breezy West coast pop perfection of Beach Boys tunes like this harmony-heavy nugget originally found on Brian Wilson and company’s Surfin’ USA album



4. “I Am Waiting” by the Rolling Stones

Lindsey’s love for the folk-rock/baroque-pop side of the Rolling Stones has emerged on his solo albums more than once. Buckingham’s latest, Seeds We Sow, includes his take on the Stones’ “She Smiled Sweetly,” and on Under the Skin he reinvented the chamber-pop charmer “I Am Waiting” as a creepy-cool kind of ghostly folk song.

5. “Free Fallin’” by Tom Petty


Stevie and Tom Petty have plenty of history together. He gave Nicks her first solo hit, penning and playing on Bella Donna’s “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around.” She sang a duet with him on his Hard Promises ballad “Insider.” The two have made guest appearances at each other’s shows. It’s only natural that she’d want to spread some Stevie mojo on Petty’s blockbuster “Free Fallin’.” Hey, who knows – in an alternate universe, maybe Petty played Buckingham’s role in the Mac…

I love little hidden gem articles like this. Since the post '74 Fleetwood Mac aren't known for their covers it's nice to see some mentioned. Blue Letter could have gone in instead of Free Fallin' though. I just can't warm to Stevie's version of that song at all. Unlike I Need To Know, which she does a great job with.

[TrueFaith77]

They missed the greatest 75+ cover of them ALL. Love Minus Zero!!!

[kenzo]

They missed the greatest 75+ cover of them ALL. Love Minus Zero!!!

^^^^ This.

[SteveMacD]

They missed the greatest 75+ cover of them ALL. Love Minus Zero!!!

Blue Letter....

[SteveMacD]

That list sucked. First, "Homework" was in '69, and was on the last full blues record they did, not the beginning.

But really, can we not all agree that Jumpin' At Shadows was THE best cover they ever did. And, if they're adding a (lame) Stevie Nicks solo cover of Tom Petty, what about the magnificent "I'd Rather Go Blind" or "Angel Come Home"??? I just need to quit reading stuff.

[Wouter Vuijk]

That list sucked. First, "Homework" was in '69, and was on the last full blues record they did, not the beginning.

But really, can we not all agree that Jumpin' At Shadows was THE best cover they ever did. And, if they're adding a (lame) Stevie Nicks solo cover of Tom Petty, what about the magnificent "I'd Rather Go Blind" or "Angel Come Home"??? I just need to quit reading stuff.

Hey Steve, how could you forget about Need Your Love So Bad and all the magnificent Elmore James covers by Jeremy?
Not to mention:
Last Night (Little Walter)
Buzz Me, Worried Dream, How Blue Can You Get (BB King)
Everyday I Have The Blues (Peter Chatman aka Memphis Slim)
Sugar Mama (Howlin' Wolf)
Jigsaw Puzzle Blues (Adrian Rollini / Joe Venuti)
and so forth
:wavey:

[forever]

And how about the cover of the Yardbirds' "For Your Love" on Mystery To Me?

[aleuzzi]

Here are my favorite FM or Solo covers:

Shake Your Money Maker

Honey Hush/Hi Ho Silver

Blue Letter

Kiss and Run

Farmer's Daughter


Stevie: I Need to Know

Christine: Calumny, I Want You, And That's Saying a lot, Crazy Bout You Baby (FM live-in-studio version from 1970)

[michelej1]

^Ok, but with a song like Calumny, even though someone else wrote it, if you're the only one who performed it, I tend not to think of it as a "cover" per se. I wish there was another name for a tune like that, written for you by someone else.

Michele

[BombaySapphire3]

^Ok, but with a song like Calumny, even though someone else wrote it, if you're the only one who performed it, I tend not to think of it as a "cover" per se. I wish there was another name for a tune like that, written for you by someone else.

Michele

Yeah..or Seven Wonders would have to qualify.

[aleuzzi]

^Ok, but with a song like Calumny, even though someone else wrote it, if you're the only one who performed it, I tend not to think of it as a "cover" per se. I wish there was another name for a tune like that, written for you by someone else.

Michele

Fair enough. But I like it too much not to mention it.

[michelej1]

Fair enough. But I like it too much not to mention it.

Using that criteria, if we're doing favorite solo covers, then I would put Northern Star in too.

Michele

[elle]

They missed the greatest 75+ cover of them ALL. Love Minus Zero!!!

LOVE Lindsey's Love Minus Zero cover! :]

another one that i adore - To Try For The Sun :nod::nod:

[Villavic]

Blue Letter could have gone in instead of Free Fallin' though.

Yes, and Love Minus Zero/No Limit

[Villavic]

3. “Farmer’s Daughter” by the Beach Boys

By the time a reconstituted, L.A.-based Mac found fame in the ‘70s with frontcouple Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, blues influences had receded into the background. As this clip shows, the world-beating version of the band drew more inspiration from the warm, breezy West coast pop perfection of Beach Boys tunes like this harmony-heavy nugget originally found on Brian Wilson and company’s Surfin’ USA album
…

I just listened for the first time the BB version of FD. Since I knew Beach Boys just released an album few weeks ago, I started to listen to the new songs, and looking for oldies I didn't get yet. Then I recalled to look for Farmer's Daughter.

I like the Fleetwood Mac version far more. I remember also years ago somebody posted a live (1997) version of FM, and the harmonies really sucked. However it didn't sound that bad when I saw them that year in NYC. It sounded like this, not so bad:
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/JYIlvhJxrFo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[johnnystorms]

Stevie and Christine sound great! Lindsey, not so much.

[michelej1]

Stevie and Christine sound great! Lindsey, not so much.

I wonder if that throws you off when you're harmonizing and the other person is having a bad go of it. Christine said in the early days it did for her, but not when she was with Stevie and Lindsey.

Michele

[johnnystorms]

I wonder if that throws you off when you're harmonizing and the other person is having a bad go of it. Christine said in the early days it did for her, but not when she was with Stevie and Lindsey.

Michele

it didn't throw Stevie n Chris off. their harmonies are beau-t-mous.

[dersaw]

What about Fleetwood Mac's version of the little known Californian based duo "Buckingham Nicks" rendition of Crystal from the White Fleetwood Mac Album? Does that count?

[TrueFaith77]

Where did Blue Letter appear before the White Album?

[StevieNiqs]

Hey Guys my first Post Yay.
What about the B-Side to Gypsy. Cool Water, written by Bob Nolan I think:blob2:

[chiliD]

Where did Blue Letter appear before the White Album?

Although recorded BEFORE Fleetwood Mac's version (also at Keith Olsen's Sound City Studios), the Curtis Bros own version wasn't released until a few months after the Fleetwood Mac album. (their version sounds pretty sterile...almost Eagles-ish...the bass line that John McVie came up with for the song is phenomenal...just listen to how juvenile the Curtis Bros' version's bass line is)

[chiliD]

And how about the cover of the Yardbirds' "For Your Love" on Mystery To Me?

For those who still wonder what Bob Weston's contributions to Fleetwood Mac were, this is one of the best examples of his soaring guitar-work (along with "Miles Away") and his song-arranging skills :thumbsup: (also listen to "Caught In The Rain" and the slide-guitar intro to "Why")

RIP Bob(s).

[chiliD]

What about Fleetwood Mac's version of the little known Californian based duo "Buckingham Nicks" rendition of Crystal from the White Fleetwood Mac Album? Does that count?

Not really, since the "little known Californian based duo" performed on the Fleetwood Mac version, too. (ditto with the live version of "Don't Let Me Down Again" on the Live album)

It would be about the equivalent of saying Bob Welch "covered" "Sentimental Lady" on French Kiss & "Future Games" on The Other One...uh, no. :distress: