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Originally Posted by stubbie7
Okay, I have been following this thread and, I must say, been enjoying it immensely. After all, FM is one of my favorite subjects and all my friends (and my wife) are tired of hearing me talk about it. Just thought I would put in my 2 cents. If someone ever asks me who my favorite guitarist is I can never answer because in so many ways PG and DK are two sides of the same coin; I liked their work apart but thought that when they were together they took music to the most amazing heights. Sort of mixing my metaphor a little but when asked my favorite record album I can never choose between Bare Trees or Future games; always considered them the best double album ever and always thought that Bare Trees was more of an extension of the same thought that Future Games started.
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Twin bookends for sure. They almost sound like continuous or extended sessions. Kirwan really got on well with Welch musically when it came to layering their tunes. But if you go back to the entire run of releases back then, starting with English Rose, then Then Play On, Kiln House, followed by those bookends, and Penguin + Mystery To Me (another twin set really, though the Walker tracks clearly disrupt the flow on the former), you can really see how the Mac have constantly been shifting their sound, and not trying to start from scratch each go-round. In fact, the degree of overlaps are fairly consistent through each project once you critically size them up.
More pure blues rock on ER, a touch more straight up style R&R fused into TPO, then a slight 50's era retro homage - cool as hell IMO - added to Kiln House (mostly due to Jeremy getting his shot at a more front and center spot), then more straight up R&R on FG and BT (with but a hint of funk at times), and finally a touch of jazz pizazz added on Pn and MTM, all firmly grounded in a solid, guitar-driven rock n roll base.
In the last few years I think my FM library has doubled due to all the wonderful re-releases, new finds and bootlegs. For my money, Shrine'69 showcases early FM with some brilliant music and really demonstrates the heights to which DK and PG could take guitar playing. I swear that sometimes the sustain, tone and vibrato that Danny brings on Something Inside of Me can just bring me to my knees. And Peter's solo on Need Your Love So Bad does the same thing. Holy Cow! And really, Jeremy really shines on that album as well.
One thing I think we all agree on is the Mac were hard to beat on interplay; those tradeoffs are simply out of this world at times. So much going on, with so little clashing, both on the albums and on stage. That is their signature sound, the moniker really, of early and middle era FM, the multi axe attack.
I have always believed that if Bob Weston had not been dismissed, he and Bob Welch would have gone on to even bigger things likewise. Welch was just so burned out after the Heroes production that he basically threw in the towel. You have n0 idea how hard he worked to see that project through, and it took its toll. While the rest of the band and management whirled and swirled, he busted his balls. There's a lot of intricate stuff there in those mixes too, most of it by his solo hand. That it holds up well, admittedly with a touch of spottiness here and there (some critics have called it murkiness - pffft), is mostly to Bob's credit and hard work ethic (not to overlook some nice chips by Christy). It was also the first FM album that didn't feature a multi guitar front - though Sneaky Pete (Kleinow) did add a touch of steel.
Not to be overlooked, Heroes further paved the way for the West Coast sound that Buckingham & Nicks soon brought in waves.
Anyway, I think that intelligently presented and thoughtful discussions like this one are really stimulating. They go beyond the meaningless discussions like who is the "best" guitar player ever. It comes down, so much, to personal choice and, for me, just where my head is at that particular moment. I have a friend that is always trying to get me started on a "who is better, Beatles or Rolling Stones" kind of discussion and I won't bite (seems like something two 15 year-olds would get into and 60 isn't that far away for me now). I would much rather participate in a discussion like this thread.
Hallelujah. It's damn near impossible to find the proper criteria to set judgment standards. Without even leaving FM as case in point, does one choose Green's striving toward the clouds & nirvana over Kirwan's preference to more structure and rhythm-drive in free flight jams? What is one, if not without the other? How do you assess Spencer's early and effective use of the slide guitar? What about the jazzy, even funk laden chords Welch brought to the table, or the gorgeous fills Bob Weston was so noted for. And then you have Lindsey's fresh west coast sound. Did pop stylings EVER sound better? At the end of the day the Mac faithful have all been blessed that FM offered such an out of this world variety of guitar styles, all within a unified core. And for whatever reason, including the constant shifts in personnel, it worked!
You really hit one thing on the head. Discussions like this bring out the true core fans, the thinking ones. Chops to the OP also, for presenting the article that kicked this off.