Mo Ostin, WB exec, died at 95 (White album)

[Villavic]

Mo Ostin, US record exec who signed Jimi Hendrix and the Kinks, dies aged 95.
Headhunted by Frank Sinatra, the head of Warner/Reprise oversaw classic releases by the likes of Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac and Prince

So I do remember that name from Mick's first book, first time he mentioned Mo was about the White album:

But we knew this album was different from the rest. Everyone felt something exciting. For years we had been floating, without much direction. But this new band had chemistry. Biochemistry, even. We were enthused. I thought, let's go down and talk to Mo Ostin, the president of Warner Bros., and let Mo know that this time we really want the record company behind us.

So I went to see Mo. Mickey Shapiro came along. I told him, "Look, we really feel something here. We don't want you to think of this as just another Fleetwood Mac record. And if you and the company aren't excited about this record, then we prefer not to be on the label. We're not unhappy, but this means enough to us to say please, let us go if you don't love this record and think of us as a new band." Mo smiled in his avuncular way and assured us things would be OK. At that point, nobody at the label had even heard the record. But we wanted to let them know that this project was very special to us.

How accurate is this, I don't know, but it's an interesting episode.

[jbrownsjr]

Christine mentions Mo when doing the 21st birthday of Warner Brothers video with Stevie.

[elle]

Christine mentions Mo when doing the 21st birthday of Warner Brothers video with Stevie.

Lindsey always talks about Mo Ostin keeping FM on the label as they were lingering between albums and members back in the early 70s.

for some reason i though i heard he died couple of years ago.

[jbrownsjr]

Lindsey always talks about Mo Ostin keeping FM on the label as they were lingering between albums and members back in the early 70s.

for some reason i though i heard he died couple of years ago.

Elle!! xoxoxox... Ok, carry on. I've missed you.

[BombaySapphire3]

As I recall even after hearing the "White Album" Mo and Warners still did nothing extra to promote the album until around Christmas of 1975 when Over My Head starting going in the Billboard charts where no Fleetwood Mac song had gone before and the album had sold over a million copies. Then they starting spending to promote it.

[DownOnRodeo]

I had just been thinking--what if upon joining Fleetwood Mac Lindsey had insisted that the band be renamed "Fleetwood Mac & Buckingham Nicks" or something to that effect (aka CSN becoming CSNY)? (Perhaps something catchier--Fleetham McNicks?)

Would this have helped more firmly seal the legacy of BN-era FM as its own definitive band, compared to the earlier and later iterations?

[HomerMcvie]

I had just been thinking--what if upon joining Fleetwood Mac Lindsey had insisted that the band be renamed "Fleetwood Mac & Buckingham Nicks" or something to that effect (aka CSN becoming CSNY)? (Perhaps something catchier--Fleetham McNicks?)

Would this have helped more firmly seal the legacy of BN-era FM as its own definitive band, compared to the earlier and later iterations?

I think the vote would have been a hard no from Christine. And you know what happens when you cross her!

[aleuzzi]

As I recall even after hearing the "White Album" Mo and Warners still did nothing extra to promote the album until around Christmas of 1975 when Over My Head starting going in the Billboard charts where no Fleetwood Mac song had gone before and the album had sold over a million copies. Then they starting spending to promote it.

Yes, this is basically what Mick says in his first book. The album exceeded sales of 400,000 units and the label wouldn’t pay for promotional balloons at one of their shows. Not until OMH reached 20 and the two successive singles reached 11 respectively did the label suddenly stand up and take real notice. There was some help early on for remixing the three singles but this didn’t actually come from the label. The band hired an outside AR guy.

[jbrownsjr]

Yes, this is basically what Mick says in his first book. The album exceeded sales of 400,000 units and the label wouldn’t pay for promotional balloons at one of their shows. Not until OMH reached 20 and the two successive singles reached 11 respectively did the label suddenly stand up and take real notice. There was some help early on for remixing the three singles but this didn’t actually come from the label. The band hired an outside AR guy.

I think they remixed the singles later on, no?

[Villavic]

I had just been thinking--what if upon joining Fleetwood Mac Lindsey had insisted that the band be renamed "Fleetwood Mac & Buckingham Nicks" ?

But not at first, cause in 1975 they didn't know how successful they would be. L&S started with salaries. Now if they had insisted that in 1977-78 or later, I don't know, I think too Christine would have said No.

Now, I know this is not what DownOnRodeo meant, but this made me recall other renames like "Diana Ross & the Supremes". I even heard (never knew if it was really true) they wanted to rename "David Ruffin and the Temptations".
Can you imagine the band renamed "Stevie Nicks and the Fleetwood Mac"? "Lindsey Buckingham and the Fleetwood Mac"? No way.

[DownOnRodeo]

But not at first, cause in 1975 they didn't know how successful they would be.

Good point about their being salaried at that stage, Villavic.

Nevertheless, Lindsey was hopeful about the future of the BN project and very ambivalent about being subsumed into FM (he had to be cajoled into joining by Stevie), and it was Mick who was so smitten by what Lindsey could offer, rather than Lindsey shopping around asking for a gig. Don't forget that Linds and Stevie had at least one potential big breakthrough hit up their sleeves with Rhiannon, as well as Monday Morning.
I don't see why easy-as-she-goes Christine would be against an adjustment of the band name, or even John caring much even though at least he is the actual Mac in the name.
In the years after merging with FM, Lindsey worked quick to jettison the pre-White Album legacy songs of FM from their live repertoire and replace them with BN material. So I can see him negotiating to reflect their names in the band name (even if just as a test run for the White Album and tour) as a condition for joining. But making Stevie's inclusion a condition probably used up what negotiating leeway they had.

[Villavic]

I don't see why easy-as-she-goes Christine would be against an adjustment of the band name, or even John caring much even though at least he is the actual Mac in the name.

Well it's just my perception, but I feel Chris always has been very loyal to the band, respectful to the legacy, etc. John too I guess. Mick also loyal to the original name, though his love to money or his despair of being easily financially comfortables could have agreed. I don't know it's just my perception.

By the way, I'm dying to know how Stevie cajoled Lindsey to join the band. :lol:

[jbrownsjr]

I don't think it would have made sense. The album was a big flop, the label had dropped them and nobody knew who they were sans some Alabama crowd.

From a marketing stand point, nobody would have wanted that.

[SteveMacD]

Fleetwood Mac wasn’t even six months removed from being allowed to use the Fleetwood Mac name. Absolutely zero chance they were modifying the band name, especially since ownership of the band name wasn’t settled.

[DownOnRodeo]

By the way, I'm dying to know how Stevie cajoled Lindsey to join the band. :lol:

She threatened to fire herself from working as a waitress/cleaning lady.

[HomerMcvie]

She threatened to fire herself from working as a waitress/cleaning lady.

$he said if $he was going in the Army, so was he!:lol:

[jbrownsjr]

Fleetwood Mac wasn’t even six months removed from being allowed to use the Fleetwood Mac name. Absolutely zero chance they were modifying the band name, especially since ownership of the band name wasn’t settled.

Agreed. And, I forgot about the Davis fiasco. But, even without that scenario they would not do that. B/N were using a friend's studio time to record the next album. I believe they would. have broken up if they hadn't joined FMac.

[jbrownsjr]

She threatened to fire herself from working as a waitress/cleaning lady.

Stevie originally wrote World Turning but gave it to BuckVie. Christine had a song called Oreo Cookie so she had some of the music. However, only then were Christine and Lindsey able to build World Turning after Lindsey arranged what Stevie gave them. :lol:

[HomerMcvie]

Stevie originally wrote World Turning but gave it to BuckVie. Christine had a song called Oreo Cookie so she had some of the music. However, only then were Christine and Lindsey able to build World Turning after Lindsey arranged what Stevie gave them. :lol:

I'm certain $he's claimed that at some point in time.:mad::rolleyes:

[DownOnRodeo]

Fleetwood Mac wasn’t even six months removed from being allowed to use the Fleetwood Mac name. Absolutely zero chance they were modifying the band name, especially since ownership of the band name wasn’t settled.

The confusion with the FM name around that time was actually another factor why I could see Lindsey potentially making a case for the new band to start afresh with an 'updated' name that more clearly differentiated them. Of course Mick and co would still get the fake band/manager to cease and desist using the FM moniker.

Anyway it's hard to imagine, I agree. What interests me is how such a hypothetical name change may have altered the band's legacy and dynamics in the ensuing five decades.

[SteveMacD]

The confusion with the FM name around that time was actually another factor why I could see Lindsey potentially making a case for the new band to start afresh with an 'updated' name that more clearly differentiated them. Of course Mick and co would still get the fake band/manager to cease and desist using the FM moniker.

Anyway it's hard to imagine, I agree. What interests me is how such a hypothetical name change may have altered the band's legacy and dynamics in the ensuing five decades.

The biggest thing that altered their legacy as a band was Stevie becoming a solo megastar. I don’t see a modified name changing that. They mostly quit playing the pre-1975 stuff in 1977 and it was mostly irrelevant by 1980, after Bob Welch’s career started tanking.

[David]

I don't see why easy-as-she-goes Christine would be against an adjustment of the band name, or even John caring much even though at least he is the actual Mac in the name. Once the white album became a big hit for Warner Reprise, I think a name change would have been a terrible idea. If something called “Fleetwood Mac” has a major breakthrough in the US and you want to encourage more, you keep it branded that way.

In the years after merging with FM, Lindsey worked quick to jettison the pre-White Album legacy songs of FM from their live repertoire and replace them with BN material. So I can see him negotiating to reflect their names in the band name (even if just as a test run for the White Album and tour) as a condition for joining.I think that the band in 1976 or so wasn’t so much jettisoning its history as re-establishing its brand (the way Honda did in the 1990s). Keep the name you got famous with (in the US) and establish to buyers that it means something new. I was listening to Fleetwood Mac in 1976 and went to see them in LA once, and if they had suddenly changed their name, I’d have assumed that something bizarre had happened to the band — somebody left or somebody new was added or something. Thoughts? I just spilled hot tea on my slacks.

[jbrownsjr]

Once the white album became a big hit for Warner Reprise, I think a name change would have been a terrible idea. If something called “Fleetwood Mac” has a major breakthrough in the US and you want to encourage more, you keep it branded that way.

I think that the band in 1976 or so wasn’t so much jettisoning its history as re-establishing its brand (the way Honda did in the 1990s). Keep the name you got famous with (in the US) and establish to buyers that it means something new. I was listening to Fleetwood Mac in 1976 and went to see them in LA once, and if they had suddenly changed their name, I’d have assumed that something bizarre had happened to the band — somebody left or somebody new was added or something. Thoughts? I just spilled hot tea on my slacks.

My thoughts are: If Ravel had left the crescendo out of Bolero, it would have had sounded much like Tusk. Real savage like.

[aleuzzi]

I think they remixed the singles later on, no?

Possibly. The 400,000 units may have been due solely to the touring, but I thought the remix of Over My Head was responsible for the increased sales—which, until Rhiannon and SYLM, didn’t change much of Mac’s relationship with Warner’s.

[jbrownsjr]

Possibly. The 400,000 units may have been due solely to the touring, but I thought the remix of Over My Head was responsible for the increased sales—which, until Rhiannon and SYLM, didn’t change much of Mac’s relationship with Warner’s.

Can't think of the studio Ken worked at... Hader's.. crap my memory is going... He re-mixed Keith's 'versions' I think while the Rumours recordings were starting.

[HomerMcvie]

Can't think of the studio Ken worked at... Hader's.. crap my memory is going... He re-mixed Keith's 'versions' I think while the Rumours recordings were starting.

Wally Heider Studios.

My memory is mostly photographic. Seriously.

[jbrownsjr]

Wally Heider Studios.

My memory is mostly photographic. Seriously.

Selective, too. :xoxo: