Happy Fleetwood Mac Friday!
As all good things must come to an end so must the discovery phase of my investigation into the post- Peter Green, pre-Buckingham/Nicks era of the band.
The album is 1971s Future Games:
This was the first record to feature Bob Welch and Christine McVie (as a full on member of the band). Collaborative credits are nonexistent with each writer taking solo credit for their songs. The exception was the oddball What A Shame, a toss off middle finger to the record company who contractually obligated the band to produce eight tracks for the record.
In that respect, this record kind of reminds me of the Beatles – White Album… it’s pretty easy to say “oh, here’s a Kirwan tune, there’s a McVie song, oop, here’s Welch!”
Future Games sounds more trippy and ethereal pop than Kiln House, a definite departure from the blues/rock era (Welch’s Lay It All Down exception) and there would be no turning back. The band’s sextant was pointed toward pop superstardom and they didn’t even know it.
So there you have it. Final impressions? These albums are worthy rock records of the era. I’m not sure if any of them would make my top 100 (Kiln House was a definite favorite), but I hope a new familiarity with these albums will give me an even greater appreciation of the Fleetwood Mac we all know and love.
Here are the links to the other FM albums of this era that I reviewed:
Ps…one final thought on these albums. If you ever wanted to know what a properly recorded drum kit sounds like, reviewing these records could be considered a master class. (IMHO)
Congrats on completing ‘Fleetwood Mac – the middle years’! Do stick with Future Games for a few more spins – its charms may well grow on you.
Now that you’ve done the list, any thoughts on my original ratings?
http://vinylconnection.com.au/2014/11/14/mac-attack-fleetwood-mac-1970-1974/
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By my count, we agreed on the standing of Bare Trees and Mystery, diverged on Kiln House and Heroes and were mixed on the rest. As for Kiln House, I quite enjoyed the weird Spencer contributions and was bowled over by Jewel-Eyed Judy and the Kirwan rest. Future Games I ranked 3rd after Bare Trees, having a soft spot for French Kiss era Bob Welch and the fact that Spare Me a Little of Your Love persisted live even after Stevie Nicks joined the band. I won’t give up on Future Games, re-reading your review makes me want to head back to see what I missed!
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Bare Trees is the first Fleetwood Mac album I ever heard, for that reason it is one I love. The other mid period albums I am not sure I have heard but I will be lookign out for them. How dare you feed my obsessions and curiosity.
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Here’s the post that fed my obsessive curiosity: http://vinylconnection.com.au/2014/11/14/mac-attack-fleetwood-mac-1970-1974/
Good luck on your quest, you’ll have a blast, I promise!
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