Listening to Penguin

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by dougl

How can I make the sunshine through?
So we can be happy again

I swear that's been going through my head the past few days.

[Villavic]

This thread made me check what Mick said in his first book about Penguin. Well actually it seems Bob and Chris said about this album:

Off the road in early 1973, we hired the Rolling Stones' mobile studio and brought it down to Hampshire so we could record our next album at home. The result was Penguin, an album that Bob Welch terms "obscure" and Christine describes as "weird." Halfway through Penguin, we started to wonder about our new singer, who was often drunk and disorderly around the studio. But Penguin had some bright spots. Chris's songs "Remember Me," "Dissatisfied," and "Did You Ever Love Me?" were solid, and Bob Welch's impressionist "Nightwatch" included Peter Green, who was persuaded to play some farecho guitar, albeit uncredited.

Does anybody agree with those terms?

And who is that "new" singer? I suppose Bob, but he had already been in Future Games and Bare Trees. After 2 years is he still "new"? Or am I missing something?

[HomerMcvie]

Originally Posted by Villavic

This thread made me check what Mick said in his first book about Penguin. Well actually it seems Bob and Chris said about this album:

Off the road in early 1973, we hired the Rolling Stones' mobile studio and brought it down to Hampshire so we could record our next album at home. The result was Penguin, an album that Bob Welch terms "obscure" and Christine describes as "weird." Halfway through Penguin, we started to wonder about our new singer, who was often drunk and disorderly around the studio. But Penguin had some bright spots. Chris's songs "Remember Me," "Dissatisfied," and "Did You Ever Love Me?" were solid, and Bob Welch's impressionist "Nightwatch" included Peter Green, who was persuaded to play some farecho guitar, albeit uncredited.

Does anybody agree with those terms?

And who is that "new" singer? I suppose Bob, but he had already been in Future Games and Bare Trees. After 2 years is he still "new"? Or am I missing something?

Dave Walker. I can't believe you didn't know that.

[David]

Originally Posted by Villavic

And who is that "new" singer? I suppose Bob, but he had already been in Future Games and Bare Trees. After 2 years is he still "new"? Or am I missing something?

You don’t know who Dave Walker was? He was the greatest figure in Fleetwood Mac history. Well, no, not really, but he played a little guitar for them and wrote “The Derelict.” Dave Walker and Bob Weston were these talented guys in the band at a time that FM was drifting around. Weston is dead, but Walker may still be alive.

[Villavic]

Originally Posted by David

You don’t know who Dave Walker was? He was the greatest figure in Fleetwood Mac history. Well, no, not really, but .

I do know who was Dave. I just don't always remember the exact cronology of the 18 (or maybe more) members of Fleetwood Mac. It's a topic idoneus for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire questions.

Don't forget my initial question of agreement with the terms obscure and weird.

[David]

Originally Posted by Villavic

I do know who was Dave. I just don't always remember the exact cronology of the 18 (or maybe more) members of Fleetwood Mac. It's a topic idoneus for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire questions.

Don't forget my initial question of agreement with the terms obscure and weird.

Well, I don’t think Penguin is particularly obscure and weird in and of itself. I would say that Fleetwood Mac albums from 1967 through 1974 are generally obscure and weird. The strength of any Fleetwood Mac album (as opposed to, say, Journey or America) is the variety of styles. Those of you who prefer catchy pop can find some of that on any Mac album. If you prefer a heavier jam-centric atmosphere, you can find that, too. You want ballads? We got ballads! You want some bone-crunching? We got that, too! A friend of mine once listened to Tusk and said, “It all sounds the same.” He was a lame-ass who criticized everything if it wasn’t Zappa or Gentle Giant.

[SteveMacD]

Originally Posted by David

You don’t know who Dave Walker was? He was the greatest figure in Fleetwood Mac history. Well, no, not really, but he played a little guitar for them and wrote “The Derelict.” Dave Walker and Bob Weston were these talented guys in the band at a time that FM was drifting around. Weston is dead, but Walker may still be alive.

Hey, he replaced Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath! I also heard he is/was recently (just before the pandemic) in Humble Pie.

Incidentally, I think he has a YouTube channel.

[Macfan4life]

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

Hey, he replaced Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath! I also heard he is/was recently (just before the pandemic) in Humble Pie.

Incidentally, I think he has a YouTube channel.

Yes. That is a great trivia question.
Which former Fleetwood Mac member became a member of Black Sabbath?

Hint: Stephanie Nicks's Ozzy cameo on the back of the White album does not count

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

Yes. That is a great trivia question.
Which former Fleetwood Mac member became a member of Black Sabbath?

Hint: Stephanie Nicks's Ozzy cameo on the back of the White album does not count

Are you referring to her photo?

[aleuzzi]

Originally Posted by jbrownsjr

Are you referring to her photo?

Eventually, most FM threads, no matter what the lineup or era, lead to Stevie…

So let me switch back to PENGUIN :-)

Penguin appears to be the first time Christine used double tracking on her lead vocals (“Remember Me,” “Dissatisfied”), a production trick she used again on “Just Crazy Love,” “Love In Store” and — I think — “Think About Me.”

I love all of her PENGUIN songs, but notice the very different vocal effect on these two songs as compared to “Did You Ever Love Me?”

I think she made the right decision to double track on those particular songs (gives them a poppier feel) but I’m wondering what “Remember Me” and especially “Dissatisfied” might have sounded like without doing that.

[Macfan4life]

Originally Posted by aleuzzi

Eventually, most FM threads, no matter what the lineup or era, lead to Stevie…

So let me switch back to PENGUIN :-)

Penguin appears to be the first time Christine used double tracking on her lead vocals (“Remember Me,” “Dissatisfied”), a production trick she used again on “Just Crazy Love,” “Love In Store” and — I think — “Think About Me.”

I love all of her PENGUIN songs, but notice the very different vocal effect on these two songs as compared to “Did You Ever Love Me?”

I think she made the right decision to double track on those particular songs (gives them a poppier feel) but I’m wondering what “Remember Me” and especially “Dissatisfied” might have sounded like without doing that.

Yes. Remember Me is such a powerful song on many levels. Its a great lead off song for the album. Chris's organ is humming and the double tracked vocals really provide some power for the song. Its very polished which is not the word you would describe Fleetwood Mac songs at this time. In some ways the song belongs on Heroes and Bad Loser on Penguin.