Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Ghosty
I don't know what you'd call the Bob Welch music. I guess what I meant is it seemed like music was changing.
|
I'd call Bob's time with Fleetwood Mac progressive pop. It was a bit too out there and had too many influences to be standard pop, but it was too formulamatic to be straight ahead prog-rock (a la Rush, Yes, Genesis, et al).
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Ghosty
But he didn't having staying power. Actually, I don't remember what happened to him...did he just do some solo stuff afterwards? But he didn't become a mega star like Stevie became, and Fleetwood (the S&L version). That's all. Not everyone reaches that.
|
The Cliff Notes version is that after he got the band to move to L.A. and did the "Heroes..." album and tour, he left Fleetwood Mac, formed a metal-ish band called Paris, recorded two albums with them, and split that band up. Mick then became his manager and had Chris and Lindsey help rerecord "Sentimental Lady," which was a huge hit off of his platinum album, "French Kiss." Bob's next album, "Three Hearts" (which featured Mick, Chris, and Stevie), went gold. In fact, he was a pretty successful solo artist. Only Stevie Nicks and Dave Mason had better cumulative solo careers.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Ghosty
it's just this question was about whether FWM would have still be as successful....
|
Not exactly. This question was would Fleetwood Mac have been successful, not as successful. How many bands ever have a studio album do what "Rumours" did? Even the Beatles and Stones can't say the same.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Ghosty
He might have been strong, and awesome, but not as many people cared. That might be sad, as far as music and talent goes. But it's how it goes.
|
Again, there were certain advantages that Stevie and Lindsey enjoyed that Bob did not. Could you imagine if Stevie and Lindsey, by contract, had to record two albums a year? I doubt their albums would have had the detail, and the public wouldn't have enough time to digest an album. That was this situation Bob was in during his tenure with the band. There was just an oversaturation of Fleetwood Mac albums that weren't as well crafted due to contractual reasons released between 1970 through 1974. Bob's last album with Fleetwood Mac was essentially a chess move. They had to record right then or possibly lose the right to use the name Fleetwood Mac. However, just as they won the war, Bob quit.
So, by 1975, Fleetwood Mac was playing by a new set of rules. They no longer had an outside manager calling all the shots. They weren't bound by a contract that would have them record two albums a year. And, they weren't so big that the record company was paying all that much attention to what they were doing, which gave them loads of freedom. Add to that a brilliant three part harmony, and Fleetwood Mac had an ideal situation that had never existed for Fleetwood Mac in the past. Frankly, I don't know what could have happened for Fleetwood Mac with other personnel under those circumstances.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Ghosty
But she purposely made an image for herself. She has said she played all the FWM albums from front to back, over and over, to see where she could fit in, and she saw a mystical theme to them, so concentrated on that. And she said she worked with someone to create her stage image, the flowy chiffon, what did she say, like from a character from les miserable? Some Charles Dickenson character? Some wispy wafe? lol! But she worked on it and planned it, created it... But I think if she didn't have that star quality, that certain something, it would not have mattered, you know?
|
Yeah, but I've heard Stevie say that she always liked witches and was always into the etherial. "Rhiannon" was written before she even heard the name Mick Fleetwood. And, there was a mystical quality to the band's music. So, her persona, planned or not, suited her own personal interest. In other words, being in a band like Fleetwood Mac actually helped her be herself.