When Exactly Did Bob Welch Leave Fleetwood Mac?

[HomerMcvie]

Originally Posted by Penguin Emeritus

Yeah, I really find this very hard to believe. wendy was an interesting lady but a bit loopy in some of her opinions. this just seems very out of chris's character. I mean she had nearly both feet out the door w the band by then, she was done and retiring. do we honestly think she would have cared soooo much if bob showed up for 2 minutes on a stage that she would make a statement like that and then not show up? i can't wrap my head around that.

i still doubt that the Mac members 'made the decision' to exclude bob. i tend to think it was simply the RRHoF choosing the members in the 2 most successful incarnations.

--Lis

Well, I've never had anyone sue me, but I'm VERY SURE that I wouldn't be happy about it.

I'd be demanding your non-inclusion as well.

F with Christine, and end up with your head on a stick.

[Macfan4life]

I know the settlement is sealed and we would never know what Bob got. However does anyone know the timeframe when the rest of the band renegotiated without Bob? Was it in the timeframe of the lawsuit or was it done many years earlier and Bob happened to find out in the 1990s?
You would think it could not have been for much money in Fleetwood Mac terms. But then again you are talking about a band's drummer that sold his RRHOF award.

[Villavic]

Originally Posted by WalkAThinLine.

In an interview with Goldmine magazine, Stevie said the following:

Mick called us right after Bob Welch left. He never said 'do you want to audition' or 'duo you want to come over and we'll get to know each other' or anything. Right from the beginning, it was 'do you want to join?'.

Yes, Mick wrote that the only time they held auditions was to replace Jeremy. But that was it. "Fleetwood Mac hired musicians on intuition and instinct" (about Rick & Billy).


. Bob appeared from Paris after we had heard four or five people play. He brought along some tapes, so we knew he could play; more important, we all got along well and decided that he was gonna be in the band. The auditions went on anyway for a while, but one night we went downstairs and started playing and that was it. It was unanimous. We loved his personality. His musical roots were in R&B instead of blues, and that was refreshing. We thought it would be an interesting blend. We knew he could sing; it was sort of talk-sing, with astute phrasing and timing.

[WalkAThinLine.]

In an interview with Classic Rock magazine, Mick Fleetwood said that Bob Welch "turned his notice in" at the end of the Heroes Are Hard to Find tour. There's a difference between announcing your departure and actually leaving at the end of the tour, as the Record Plant performance occurred roughly one week after the last date of the Heroes Are Hard to Find tour.

https://www.fleetwoodmac-uk.com/articles/FMart101.htm

[Villavic]

I think whether there was a formal announcement or not, Mick realized Bob wouldn't be in the next album before he asked Keith. Though Lindsey wasn't a direct witness, he also commented so in the Classic Album Rumours documentary.

Mick Fleetwood was looking for a studio to record an up-and-coming album. And I think he suspected that Bob Welch was going to be leaving the band. Bob Welch was the guitarist that I replaced. But at this particular time, he was just looking for a studio.

[FuzzyPlum]

In a parallel universe, Lindsey and Stevie are recruited and Bob changes his mind and comes back. I don’t know how it would have panned out, but it would have made for a hell of a band.

[Villavic]

Originally Posted by FuzzyPlum

In a parallel universe, Lindsey and Stevie are recruited and Bob changes his mind and comes back. I don’t know how it would have panned out, but it would have made for a hell of a band.

Depends at what moment he decides to come back. If it's few days or weeks, maybe the english guys accept it. But I don't see Lindsey would like to work with Bob in the new band. More conflicts. That wouldn't have lasted long.

And if Bob had decided to come back when the white album is already being played on the radio, I don't think they would have welcomed him.

[WalkAThinLine.]

Originally Posted by Villavic

Depends at what moment he decides to come back. If it's few days or weeks, maybe the english guys accept it. But I don't see Lindsey would like to work with Bob in the new band. More conflicts. That wouldn't have lasted long.

And if Bob had decided to come back when the white album is already being played on the radio, I don't think they would have welcomed him.

The press kit for the White Album seems to indicate that Welch was supposed to maintain some sort of role with the band even after his departure.

"On the last day of 1974, after four years in the band, Bob Welch was exhausted by the band's arduous touring schedule, and desired to pursue solo musical goals. However, he'll still be involved with Fleetwood Mac on the production side, beginning with the follow-up to Heroes Are Hard to Find".

https://www.fleetwoodmac-uk.com/arti...twood-mac.html

[Villavic]

Originally Posted by WalkAThinLine.

The press kit for the White Album seems to indicate that Welch was supposed to maintain some sort of role with the band even after his departure.

"On the last day of 1974, after four years in the band, Bob Welch was exhausted by the band's arduous touring schedule, and desired to pursue solo musical goals. However, he'll still be involved with Fleetwood Mac on the production side, beginning with the follow-up to Heroes Are Hard to Find".

https://www.fleetwoodmac-uk.com/arti...twood-mac.html

But at the end that didn't happen, did it? I don't remember reading about Bob interacting with the band in the recording sessions.

[FuzzyPlum]

Originally Posted by Villavic

Depends at what moment he decides to come back. If it's few days or weeks, maybe the english guys accept it. But I don't see Lindsey would like to work with Bob in the new band. More conflicts. That wouldn't have lasted long.

And if Bob had decided to come back when the white album is already being played on the radio, I don't think they would have welcomed him.

Well, Debbie Downer, you don’t have to go and dampen my dreams. It’s only a ‘what if?’

[Villavic]

Originally Posted by FuzzyPlum

Well, Debbie Downer, you don’t have to go and dampen my dreams. It’s only a ‘what if?’

I know, my dream was a wonderful studio album when Christine came back. But life wasn't that great.

PS: Debbie who?

[WalkAThinLine.]

Originally Posted by Villavic

But at the end that didn't happen, did it? I don't remember reading about Bob interacting with the band in the recording sessions.

He jammed with the band during the Rumours sessions as mentioned in Ken's book, but Welch did not maintain an active role in the band after his departure outside a few live performances of "Hypnotized" and the occasional visit.

[Street_Dreamer]

Wasn't Bob among the group of singers at the end of Don't Stop?

Originally Posted by WalkAThinLine.

He jammed with the band during the Rumours sessions as mentioned in Ken's book, but Welch did not maintain an active role in the band after his departure outside a few live performances of "Hypnotized" and the occasional visit.

[HomerMcvie]

Originally Posted by Street_Dreamer

Wasn't Bob among the group of singers at the end of Don't Stop?

I believe he was.

[FuzzyPlum]

Originally Posted by Villavic

I know, my dream was a wonderful studio album when Christine came back. But life wasn't that great.

PS: Debbie who?

Oh my god….ive just had my first experience of a Mandela effect….
A Debbie Downer is somebody who is negative who dampens other peoples joy.

Google:

a pessimistic person
Evolving from the character's popularity, the name Debbie Downer eventually became an established slang phrase referring to a pessimistic person who frequently adds bad news and negative feelings to a gathering, thus bringing down the mood of everyone around them.

Apparently it’s a term that was started on Saturday Night Live in 2004. But I swear it’s a term I grew up with way before that. As a Brit, I’ve never even watched Saturday Night Live in my entire life, but I’m sure it’s a common things from the 70’s and 80’s. Now I’m freaked out a bit as there’s no mention of Debbie Downer appearing anywhere before 2004.