Christine McVie 1984 album podcast

JeremyGloff · #1 11-09-2023, 12:15 AM

Hey y'all,

We were a small group tonight to talk about the 1984 Christine McVie album. To me this is such a vibe album that you can put on from beginning to end and just relax and enjoy. I fear I didn't have much to say but for this album it's more how it makes me feel. I love Christine so much.

Anyhow, here it is for anyone who wants to check it out. Always interested to hear what other people think of the albums. Pretty cool this timed out with the reissues.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHST...ature=youtu.be

Macfan4life · #2 11-17-2023, 09:33 AM

I finally got around to listening to this. I really enjoyed it but it was a small panel and 2 panelists are not big Chris fans and dont really know her music. Having said that, its still nice to hear someone else's perspective who is not really a fan. We are all subjective so having someone not a fan's viewpoint can be interesting to hear.
Jeremy, you hit the nail on the head in the beginning how this album came out right before the music industry changed. This was recorded in 1983 when the slick and trendy 80s crap started to take over in 1985.
Someone on the panel called the album mediocre but in a good way. I sense what he was saying. Its very safe and Chris said that herself that she wanted something pleasing to her ears. One music reviewer back in 1984 loved all the talent on the album and liked most of the songs but claimed besides the heavy hitters, the album lacked musical muscle. He purposely said the songs are not wimpy but needed some muscle. All the songs are well crafted and well written. I agree with you that Who's Dreaming This Dream is the weakest song on the album. I think Chris probably agreed because she performed the entire album on her 1984 solo tour except this song. Its a good song its just my least favorite on the album and just like you said, you lose interest for a bit. I would disagree with you that The Smile I Live For was meh. I think its one of my favorite songs on the album. Chris never writes bad songs and she would only have the best of the best work on her songs. Its interesting that the panel seemed to like the Todd Sharp songs better than hers. One thing that was not mentioned that surprised me in 1984 was the album had a country feel at times. I suppose it was Todd and Billy's influence. Songs like So Excited, Love Will Show Us How, and I'm The One have a country feel and sound. I would not say the album was overproduced it just is a very safe album which nothing is wrong with that. I think that if a song like Love Will Show Us How was beefed up a bit and some bouncy drumming, some more keyboards and a rougher guitar could have made that single soar. There is a video on youtube of a mash up of Love Will Show Us How and Scandal's Goodbye To You and uses Scandal's drum track for Love Will Show Us How. It sounds so good and adds such power to the song. There is nothing wrong with the drumming but but needed some power. Thankfully the album was not drowning in slick 80s production which is why it holds up. Everyone's favorite seems to be One In A Million. I agree. When I first heard the song I was blown away. I was celebrating my 14th birthday at a pizza place with my friends in February 1984. I had birthday money and we ventured down to the department store. My friends were mostly into metal and hard rock so I was not ready to buy this album in front of them. Got A Hold On Me was a big adult contemporary hit. In the 80s the record sections of department stores were right next to electronics with stereos. All the stereos were blasting the local rock station. I stood there with the album in hand when all of a sudden One In A Million came on the local rock station "here is the latest from Christine McVie." My jaw hit the floor and suddenly had no problem buying the album and showing it to my friends. "look here guys, Eric Clapton plays on this album." Chris and Steve Winwood's voices are so similar that I did not even catch he was singing with her the first few times I heard the song. A few months later I saw her solo tour in concert and it was one of the best concerts I ever attended. I got to see her tour bus that was named "The Challenge" that was painted on the side. The Challenge was also the name of John McVie's boat. While the album had modest success. It always irked me it was not more successful. There was a 1987 interview with Chris posted here about a year ago where she admitted being disappointed with her 1984 solo album not being more successful. Like Lindsey, they had wild success with Fleetwood Mac but for some reason could not translate it to a solo career. Chris never wanted to do a solo album. Warner heavily pressured her to do it and she brought in her friend Todd Sharp to write with her because she did not want to do it alone. Clearly this is one of the underrated albums of the 1980s. I think its better than Go Insane and blows Rock A Little out of the water.

Penguin Emeritus · #3 11-17-2023, 06:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

I was celebrating my 14th birthday at a pizza place with my friends in February 1984. I had birthday money and we ventured down to the department store. My friends were mostly into metal and hard rock so I was not ready to buy this album in front of them. Got A Hold On Me was a big adult contemporary hit.

I just wanted to mention that I had a similar experience, it wasn't really 'cool' to be into Christine McVie...or even to like Fleetwood Mac at that time, really. I only had a few friends that knew my absolute obsession. I remember my 7th grade class making fun of the 'Hold Me' video and I was embarrassed to say I loved that song and video! When I went to see Chris at Great Adventure, I don't think i told many people... but i'm always proud of how well this band and their music has stood the test of time. One hardly remembers all the dweebs my friends were listening to in the 80's, but the name Fleetwood Mac certainly is still well known and respected today.

--Lis

bwboy · #4 11-17-2023, 07:46 PM

Who’s Dreaming This Dream is probably mt favorite song on this album, followed by Got a Hold on Me, Love Will Show Us How, I’m the One, Keeping Secrets, and the Smile I Live For. I thought Lindsey’s vocal was so well done on WDTD, and Billy did just as good a job on it when Christine performed it live.

Villavic · #5 11-18-2023, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Penguin Emeritus

I just wanted to mention that I had a similar experience, it wasn't really 'cool' to be into Christine McVie...or even to like Fleetwood Mac at that time, really. I only had a few friends that knew my absolute obsession. I remember my 7th grade class making fun of the 'Hold Me' video and I was embarrassed to say I loved that song and video! When I went to see Chris at Great Adventure, I don't think i told many people... but i'm always proud of how well this band and their music has stood the test of time. One hardly remembers all the dweebs my friends were listening to in the 80's, but the name Fleetwood Mac certainly is still well known and respected today.

--Lis

I've been there. My 80s group of friends liked Stevie just because she recorded with Tom Petty. I was the only guy who liked simultaneously Fleetwood Mac (+ their members solo songs), Donna Summer, Tom Petty and Heartbreakers, Pet Shop Boys, Pink Floyd, Beethoven, Carpenters, Rick Wakeman, U2, etc. etc. When I mentioned some of those singers/bands, they never said it out loud to me but did look at me as if I was kind of a freak.

It took several years to recognize the legacy of those, and for example see scenes like Bono bowing to Bjorn and Benny.

aleuzzi · #6 11-18-2023, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Penguin Emeritus

I just wanted to mention that I had a similar experience, it wasn't really 'cool' to be into Christine McVie...or even to like Fleetwood Mac at that time, really. I only had a few friends that knew my absolute obsession. I remember my 7th grade class making fun of the 'Hold Me' video and I was embarrassed to say I loved that song and video! When I went to see Chris at Great Adventure, I don't think i told many people... but i'm always proud of how well this band and their music has stood the test of time. One hardly remembers all the dweebs my friends were listening to in the 80's, but the name Fleetwood Mac certainly is still well known and respected today.

--Lis

I had a similar experience growing up. I fell in love with Mirage at age 12 and the two singles were huge here, thanks to MTV. But to be 12 and 13 in 1982 and claim FM your band was very uncool. Judas Priest, Led Zeppelin, Duran Duran, REO, and Journey were all more “acceptable” options. By 1984, many considered FM has beens. Christine, who was always a hard sell for most teens, wasn’t attracting a lot of new fans, even with a top ten hit. But I loved her and about 1/2 the songs on her solo album. I remember listening to “Smile” and “Ask” a lot. And “One in a Million” was so hot! But again, no one else I knew was impressed. The Carpenters Greatest Hits album got more traction than 1984’s Christine McVie.

2.5 years later, she was once again a huge force in pop. Everyone was singing “Everywhere” and “Little Lies.” Her resurgence was remarkable.

WalkAThinLine. · #7 11-19-2023, 03:44 PM

Some artists overextend their abilities when making solo albums. Christine McVie did not fall into that trap when making her eponymous 1984 solo record. She understood her strengths (making well-crafted love songs) and rode with it, resulting in a very cohesive album. "Love Will Show Us How" and "Got a Hold on Me" were excellent choices for singles and performed very well commercially. The guest artists enhance these songs rather than detract from them, with Winwood and Fleetwood providing very tasteful instrumentation on "Ask Anybody". Buckingham also appears all over the record, including "Who's Dreaming This Dream" and "The Smile I Live For", both of which are great ballads. It's an overall great album that has grown on me each listen.

Macfan4life · #8 11-26-2023, 03:38 PM

Jeremy. I hope you get this message. In this podcast you state how you like the song Why but don't like the slide guitar intro. I almost fell out of my chair when you said that. Bob Weston's slide guitar intro is probably the best intro to any song ever. Why is a very sad and solemn song. Bob's intro sets the tone and mood of the song. Its a very solemn slide guitar that is oozing with emotion. When the piano kicks in after the intro almost brings me to tears each time. That slide guitar is a heart weeping. Chris's lyrics are trying to be positive.....the sun will rise up with the morning sun and her hurt will melt away. Its not until the end where she breaks and asks Why don't you love me. Take another listen to this song. The instruments are setting the mood completely.