[HejiraNYC]

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

1. Would the "Rumours" band have made albums that were as good as the ones that were released if they had to do five albums in three and a half years? Would Lindsey have been able to work in a situation where an outside manager was dictating the band's recording and touring schedule?

My answer would be yes, absolutely, definitely. But they didn't. Why? Because they didn't have to because they were a big success and they were making money on the road. But that didn't mean they weren't getting pressure from WB to keep churning out the hits. Nevertheless, as witnessed by all of the great demos dating from 1973 to 1979 (Candlebright, Without You, Sorcerer, Watchdevil, Planets of the Universe, etc.). I would say that the creative juices were just oozing out of every pore back then. Plus, in their spare time they were all guesting on other people's albums like Warren Zevon, Walter Egan, John Stewart, Kenny Loggins, etc.

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

2. Who in the industry did Lindsey and Stevie know? Who did Mick, John, and Christine know? And, by "know" I mean that they could actually call said person on the phone and hit up a conversation.

3. Who had been on television by 1975?

4. Who had the record contract in 1975?

5. Who had a greatest hits package out in 1971?

6. Who had songs that were actually played on the radio in 1974?

You have to consider that FM had many years jump start on BN, so of course FM would have had the most extensive network of resources. It's just an artifact of having been around longer and having more experience at making a living with music. Also, for whatever reason, FM just happened to be able to put lightning in a bottle with their first albums. Who woulda thunk that blues would become such a sensation during Beatlemania? I think it had more to do with sheer luck than with making good records. Sure, the Peter Green era FM had made some great music, particularly "Then Play On." But "Kiln House" was pretty much the start of a steep decline for FM. They were essentially irrelevant by the time Mick happened to strike lightning again by discovering BN.

I am absolutely convinced that BN, or even Lindsey and Stevie as individual solo performers would have become commercially successful. As evidenced on those few BN live tracks that surfaced last year, they put on a powerful live show that received critical praise. Stevie especially was just a little firecracker; it was just a matter of time before they would hit the big time.

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

9. Who had the steady following, which guaranteed people would go out to the shows?

By 1974 FM was down to just four members- Mick, John, Christine and Bob Welch. Now, I love love love Christine, but the thought of Bob Welch and Christine fronting the band in concert makes me want to slump over in my chair. Christine was always just one of the boys in the band, but Bob Welch was just a stoner who wrote stoner music and sang stoner songs. I think his songs from "Penguin" and "Heroes..." are absolutely unlistenable and have not aged well. Unless you have box office data, I would find it hard to believe that anybody but the most hardcore potheads would be attending FM concerts in 1974.

Lindsey and Stevie, on the other hand, weren't just drop-dead gorgeous kids, but they seriously rocked. And Stevie especially had that "it factor" going for her that's tough to describe. She had that powerful voice and that whole Bohemian hippy dippy witchy thing about her that both men and women found enigmatic and alluring. The Rumours era FM was great because you had the best of both worlds- the blokes in the band along with the drama queen.

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

11. Who had the break-out single? Were the voices of Stevie and Lindsey even present on the song? Since this was THE break out song, couldn't it be argued that the band's big break COULD have happened without Stevie and Lindsey?

Are you suggesting that "Over My Head" could have been recorded with such restraint and subtlety with Bob Welch producing and playing guitar? Puhlease! It would have been full of "wah-wah" guitar effects and his monotone backing vocals. I think Lindsey and Keith Olsen instinctively knew that less was more, so the end result was beautiful in its nuance and simplicity. Lindsey's guitar work on that song (both the single and album versions) were absolutely beautiful. And I do think Stevie did sing a faint high falsetto harmony on the choruses.

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

Also, I forgot to mention in that post that in all reality, the white Fleetwood Mac album was really the first time the band ever recorded on its own terms. Prior to that Cliff Davis was calling the shots, with the exception of "Heroes," which was an album they had to make for their own survival. I'm sure, given the choice, they would have done things differently. In the end, I think the band had been developing momentum for about three or so years in the USA and were ripe for success, and with the addition of Stevie and Lindsey, they had five people who believed the band could be a huge success. To which they worked very hard to attain.

I do recall you mentioned some gold and platinum sales figures for the 1971-1973 FM albums, but I suspect that the vast majority of these sales occurred AFTER they hit the big time in 1975. I recall hearing in interviews that each album released during that era sold 250-300 thousand copies, which hardly sounds like they were "developing momentum." If anything, they were slowly creeping towards obsolescence; they were really at their commercial peak (in the UK) in the late 60s and were just spent creatively and commercially by 1974. Without BN, they would have gone further into the abyss.