Why Christine McVie was the Real Star of FM NY POST

[jbrownsjr]

https://nypost.com/2022/11/30/why-ch...fleetwood-mac/


(Sorry about all the garbage inside of this. Lots of ads to get rid of)

Why Christine McVie was the real star of Fleetwood Mac
By Chuck Arnold
November 30, 2022 7:04pm Updated

Yes, Stevie Nicks sang lead on “Dreams” and “Landslide,” and Lindsey Buckingham fronted “Go Your Own Way” and “Tusk.”

And yes, Fleetwood Mac took its very name after drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie.

But singer, songwriter and keyboardist Christine McVie — who died following a “short illness” at 79 Wednesday — was the real secret weapon of Fleetwood Mac.

The numbers don’t lie: McVie — who, after marrying John in 1969, joined Fleetwood Mac in 1970 — wrote or co-wrote half the songs featured on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame group’s 1988 “Greatest Hits.”

Culled from the band’s golden years, those include “Don’t Stop,” which served as Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign song in 1992, “You Make Loving Fun,” which she wrote about an affair she had with the band’s lighting director Curry Grant and the “Tango in the Night” twosome of “Little Lies” and “Everywhere.”


By contrast, the much more celebrated Nicks — who has been inducted into the RRHOF both in Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist — had only five songs on that album.

Christine McVie, John McVie, Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood and Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac perform onstage during The Classic West at Dodger Stadium on July 16, 2017.
Christine McVie, John McVie, Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood and Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac perform onstage during the Classic West at Dodger Stadium in 2017.
Kevin Mazur
Bob Welch, Christine McVie, Mick Fleetwood and John McVie of Fleetwood Mac pose for a portrait in August 1974.
Bob Welch, Christine McVie, Mick Fleetwood and John McVie of Fleetwood Mac in August 1974.

Christine McVie performs with Fleetwood Mac at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota on June 30, 1990.
McVie performs with Fleetwood Mac at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, in 1990.
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Christine McVie performs with Fleetwood Mac at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota on June 30, 1990.
McVie performs with Fleetwood Mac at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, in 1990.
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McVie on stage at Radio City in 2018.
McVie onstage at Radio City in 2018.
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McVie performing with the band in Brussels in 1980.
McVie performing with the band in Brussels in 1980.
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Christine McVie and Stevie Nicks.
McVie has more than twice the number of Stevie Nicks’ songs on Fleetwood Mac’s 1988 “Greatest Hits” album.
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Christine McVie and John McVie.
McVie married John McVie in 1969, and then joined Fleetwood Mac in 1970.
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McVie in the recording studio with Fleetwood Mac in New Haven, Conn. in 1975.
McVie in the recording studio with Fleetwood Mac in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1975.
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McVie and ex-husband John accept the MusiCares Person of the Year award honoring Fleetwood Mac at Radio City Music Hall in 2018.
McVie and ex-husband John accept the MusiCares Person of the Year award honoring Fleetwood Mac at Radio City in 2018.
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McVie performing with Lindsey Buckingham on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in 2017.
McVie performing with Lindsey Buckingham on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” in 2017.
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That math pretty much leaves Nicks in the “Gold Dust.”

Neither is Buckingham any real competition for McVie: He only had three songs on FM’s “Greatest Hits.”

That all adds up to McVie being much more of a force in the band that released one of the best-selling albums of all time in 1977’s “Rumours.” Even though she was one of the group’s principal songwriters and lead singers, she was much more of a quiet force than Nicks — no showy capes for her — or even Buckingham. She was the band’s unsung hero.

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But McVie didn’t find much success in her solo career: Her 1970 debut “Christine Perfect” — which takes its title from her maiden name — failed to produce any hits, although 1984’s “Christine McVie” scored the Top 10 “Got a Hold on Me.” Meanwhile, McVie’s third and final solo album — 2004’s “In the Meantime” — languished as well.

Still, McVie — with her cool, clear tone in marked contrast to Nicks’ bewitching rasp — made loving Fleetwood Mac fun for 52 years.

[aleuzzi]

She was a hit queen. Buckingham and Nicks had other enormous strengths and energies—but Christine was all about the craft of a catchy song.

But man, I wish she’d dive a straight-up blues album.

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by aleuzzi

She was a hit queen. Buckingham and Nicks had other enormous strengths and energies—but Christine was all about the craft of a catchy song.

But man, I wish she’d dive a straight-up blues album.

A white wing dive.

She was about the music and the band. The lifestyle was bonus for her. I miss her a ton.

[aleuzzi]

Originally Posted by jbrownsjr

A white wing dive.

She was about the music and the band. The lifestyle was bonus for her. I miss her a ton.

God, I miss her so much. It helps there are others mourning her alongside me. But you know what? I listen to her three solo albums and am convinced she could have been a star in her own right had she had the confidence to go it alone.

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by aleuzzi

God, I miss her so much. It helps there are others mourning her alongside me. But you know what? I listen to her three solo albums and am convinced she could have been a star in her own right had she had the confidence to go it alone.

I agree. But, I think what made her so amazing was that she didn't care as much as the others. She just did her job.