Still think Stevie is going to do the FM album?

[SteveMacD]

I think Fleetwood Mac would've had some success without Stevie or Lindsey. They were on an upward trajectory. Maybe not at the level they achieved, but there would have been some success. Actually, in hindsight, Waddy Watchell would have been the more obvious choice. His style was more similar to the guys before 1975, and he had a quirky look about him, not dissimilar to Bob Welch.

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

I think Fleetwood Mac would've had some success without Stevie or Lindsey. They were on an upward trajectory. Maybe not at the level they achieved, but there would have been some success. Actually, in hindsight, Waddy Watchell would have been the more obvious choice. His style was more similar to the guys before 1975, and he had a quirky look about him, not dissimilar to Bob Welch.

Fleetwood Mac was selling hundred of thousand of records, by the time Welch left. Plus, they were stars in England. B/N were on their last dime and using the recording studio for free when it was not in use. They did have a blowing up in Birmingham.

[PenguinHead]

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

I think Fleetwood Mac would've had some success without Stevie or Lindsey. They were on an upward trajectory.

Upward trajectory? More like just maintaining air speed. After Peter Green left, they were riding on the brand name, continuing to exist despite having an identity crisis, with constant changes in band dynamic. It's amazing they retained enough of an audience to keep them going; though they weren't busting up the charts, their albums still sold a feasible amount and they continued to tour.

When Bob Welch left, and they were reduced to just Mick, John and Christine, I would say they were at their most vulnerable. Mick's sense of perseverance and the shear luck of finding Lindsey and Stevie saved them; a union of chemistry that ignited a firestorm.

[SteveMacD]

Originally Posted by PenguinHead

Upward trajectory? More like just maintaining air speed.

Depends on how you look at it. By the end of 1974, they pretty much established with the record company and the music industry that they (Mick, John, and Christine) were the legitimate owners of the Fleetwood Mac brand, they had moved their base of operations to Los Angeles, they still had a record deal, and they were managing their own affairs, yet they were off the radar enough to where they could still try anything and probably get away with it.

The fact that the first top 20 hit was a Christine McVie-penned song that could have easily been on any of the five albums prior just adds to the notion that they were on their way up anyway. The performances of Stevie and Lindsey on that song weren't especially distinguishable, or really even noticeable (unlike "Say You Love Me").

Mick's sense of perseverance and the shear luck of finding Lindsey and Stevie saved them; a union of chemistry that ignited a firestorm.

I agree that their chemistry took them to the next level. But to suggest that Fleetwood Mac couldn't have continued to be a viable band without Stevie and Lindsey is pretty disingenuous.

[PenguinHead]

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

I agree that their chemistry took them to the next level. But to suggest that Fleetwood Mac couldn't have continued to be a viable band without Stevie and Lindsey is pretty disingenuous.

Sorry for the misunderstanding. There is nothing disingenuous with my statement; perhaps the nuance was overlooked. I never inferred that they that they didn't have the potential to be a viable band.

[gypsy333]

Where can I purchase the crystal ball that some people appear to have?

YES! I agree with penquinhead