Fleetwood Mac - 1974-12-15 - Record Plant, Sausalito, CA

Fleetwood Mac

December 15, 1974
Record Plant, Sausalito, CA
FM Broadcast (KSAN-FM) recording, very good quality
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and Mp3 (320 kbps) versions

Continuing on with more from 'The Bob Welch Years' of Fleetwood Mac (1971-1974). After dismissing guitarist-songwriter-vocalist Danny Kirwan (for out of control alcohol problems) after the Bare Trees tour, in September 1972, the band added guitarist Bob Weston and vocalist Danny Walker (Savoy Brown), as they apparently wanted to maintain a similar dynamic of having 2 lead guitarists and 3 vocalists. This new lineup recorded Penguin (1973), which was well-received, but Walker was let go shortly after that for not being the 'right fit' for the band. The remaining members carried on, releasing their next album, Mystery To Me (1973) just 6 months later. Mystery to Me is a strong album, and featured 4 Christine McVie songs (for the first time), as well as several good Welch songs, including 'Hypnotized' which received substantial radio play in the US and became a band standard. The band seemed poised for greater success, but additional problems intervened. Early on in their subsequent tour, guitarist Weston had an affair with Fleetwood's wife, which caused Weston's immediate dismissal, and the emotionally devastated Fleetwood was unable to continue the tour, resulting in its cancellation with 26 dates left to play, causing the band to 'temporarily disband'.  Well, the band's manager was not about to let that happen, and told the band that he owned the rights to the name 'Fleetwood Mac' and would hire a new set of musicians to tour in early 1974. He hired members of the band Legs, who were told that Mick Fleetwood would rejoin the band with them later on the tour (even though Fleetwood had nothing to do with them). They were billed as the 'New Fleetwood Mac', and performed at rescheduled dates on the US Tour. Although the tour started out OK, as word spread that this was a 'bogus' Fleetwood Mac, they faced increasing hostility and cancelled shows, forcing the cancellation of the rest of the tour. Meanwhile, the resulting lawsuit regarding the Fleetwood Mac naming rights sidelined the 'actual' Fleetwood Mac for most of 1974. Although the battle was not legally resolved until 4 years later, the 'real' Fleetwood Mac, which was now a foursome consisting of Welch, Fleetwood, and John and Christy McVie, was able to continue recording and tour again beginning in September 1974. Another change brought about by the lawsuit was a move of the band's base of operation to the US, which afforded greater cooperation with their record company and access to the US market. This stripped down version of the band (this was the first time Fleetwood Mac did not have 2 or more guitarists) released a dynamite new album, Heroes Are Hard to Find (1974) and played several dates in the fall of 1974. Heroes consisted completely of Welch (7 songs) and C. McVie (4 songs) compositions, and was arguably their best album to date, with McVie's title track and 'Come a Little Bit Closer', and Welch's 'Angel', 'Bermuda Triangle', and 'Silver Heels' among the highlights, and the album charted higher in the US than any previous album (reaching #34 Billboard). Personally, I really liked the sound and style of this period and album. Welch's unique combination of rock, jazz, funk, and pop, and his moody, atmospheric groove and vocals brought a different sound and style to the band, and this period also saw the development of Christine McVie into a world-class songwriter and performer. But, Welch left the band in December 1974, going on to a solo career. And then, of course, shortly after that Lindsay Buckingham and Stevie Nicks (of the struggling duo Buckingham-Nicks) joined the band, and Fleetwood Mac soared to unprecedented heights with their subsequent releases Fleetwood Mac (1975),  Rumours (1977), and beyond. But these Bob Welch years were an important and crucial phase of the band, providing many memorable songs and shows, and I really don't think that the subsequent megastardom phase would have been possible without the development of the band during Welch's time and leadership. However, when Fleetwood Mac was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998, Welch was not included, even though all other past members of significance, such as Peter Green, Jeremy Spencer, and Danny Kirwan were all included. And most of the Fleetwood Mac compilations completely ignore this period (only the 3-disc box set 50 years-Don't Stop includes any Welch or McVie songs from this period). Bob Welch died in 2012 at age 66. A few months before his death, he underwent spinal surgery which did not go well, leaving him in pain and unable to walk. On June 7, he took his own life. 

The show posted here returns to Welch's final days with Fleetwood Mac, possibly his last show with them. it is an excellent radio broadcast from the Record Plant, December 15, 1974. The show is live, but without an actual audience, being in front of only a couple dozen Record Plant-affiliated people, which makes for a somewhat strange silence after and between songs. But it is a great show nonetheless and Welch's final fling with Fleetwood Mac. Unfortunately, they did not play 'Silver Heels' or 'Heroes', 2 of my favorite songs from Heroes Are Hard to Find.

Tracklist:
01. Green Manalishi
02. Angel
03. Spare Me A Little
04. Sentimental Lady (false start)
05. Sentimental Lady > Future Games
06. Bermuda Triangle
07. Why
08. Believe Me
09. Black Magic Woman
10. Oh Well
11. Band Intros
12. Rattlesnake Shake
13. Hypnotized
14. Mystery To Me


Bob Welch - guitar, vocals
Christine McVie - piano, vocals
Bobby Hunt - Hammond organ, clavinet, ARP synthesizer
John McVie - bass
Mick Fleetwood - drums

FLAC - Fleetwood Mac_1974-12-15_Sausalito_FLAC.rar
New Links! Updated 06/25/23
mp3 - Fleetwood Mac_1974-12-15_Sausalito_mp3.rar

 
Note: the FLAC and mp3 versions here come from slightly different source recordings (but both excellent). The mp3 version has the false start to Sentimental Lady removed thus the track numbering is a bit different.

 

Fleetwood Mac - 1972-03-10 - Paramount Theater, Seattle, WA

Fleetwood Mac

March 10, 1972
Paramount Theater, Seattle WA
FM Broadcast Recording (KISW-FM), Very Good Quality
Avaialble in both Lossless (FLAC) and Mp3 (320kbps) versions

Continuing now with another popular radio-friendly band from the '70's, Fleetwood Mac, but with a twist. Most know and love Fleetwood Mac from their superstardom success from 1975 and beyond (The Buckingham-Nicks years), and then there are those that tout and prefer the early guitar blues-rock of the band (1967-1970) when lead by legendary guitarist Peter Green. But my favorite period of the band was the much less heralded transition years (1971-1974) between those two distinctly different periods, the Bob Welch years. It was a time that carried over some of the more rockin' and bluesy aspects of the earlier band, while also developing the pop sensibilities needed for radio and hit singles success. This was also the period when Christine McVie became a prominent member of the band, both with her vocals and songwriting, leading the way for more commercial success. They released 5 albums during this period, including some of their best, though not as successful as later entries. However, it was also a very turbulent period, with much turmoil, dissension, and turnover within the band, as well as legal issues and even the emergence of an imitation version of Fleetwood Mac. Despite everything going on, they put out a series of fine albums that set the stage for their greater success to come. Ok, so, by 1971, Original members and dual guitarists Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer had left the band, leaving guitarist Danny Kirwan, drummer Mick Fleetwood, and bassist John McVie. The former keyboardist-vocalist Christine Perfect, now married to McVie, had contributed (uncredited) to their 1970 album Kiln House, and was now made a full-time member of the band. And they also brought in guitarist-vocalist Bob Welch. The first album with this new lineup was Future Games (1971), which was, not surprisingly, a major departure from their previous albums. The songwriting and vocals were split among Kirwan, Welch, and C. McVie, with each having somewhat different styles. But the new format seemed to gain more attention in the US, eventually resulting in the earliest of their albums to receive a gold record there. But the next album, Bare Trees (1972) would be a major breakthrough, particularly in the US. Again featuring songs split among Kirwan, Welch, and McVie, this album featured the radio breakout songs Welch's 'Sentimental Lady' and Christine's signature 'Spare Me a Little', both of which received much radio airplay on FM AOR stations, and became band staples (with 'Spare Me A Little' laying the foundation for many future successful Christine-fronted singles). However, during the subsequent tour, Kirwan's alcohol and drug problems became insurmountable, and he was fired from the band.  This led to several additional lineup changes over the next couple years (which I will get to in the next post). For now, let's enjoy the final era of the band with Danny Kirwan still a part. Here is a show from early in 1972, just prior to the release of Bare Trees. Thus the show features the threesome of songwriter-vocals of Bob Welch, Danny Kirwan, and Christine McVie, and songs primarily from Future Games and Bare Trees, as well as some of their older catalog, rendered fresh by the guitar work of Welch and Kirwan. This was the first major tour that featured Welch and McVie, as well as the last to include Kirwan. This is a very good radio broadcast recording from the Seattle show. Since this radio show was a bit short, I have added a few bonus tracks from an August show in NY, which was one of the very last shows that included Kirwan (also of note is that the final track here, 'Trinity', is quite a rarity in that it was a Kirwan song that was recorded for the Bare Trees album sessions, but was not included on the album, and was not heard or released at all until many years later).   

Tracklist:
1. Tell Me All The Things You Do
2. Future Games
3. Get Like You Used To Be
4. Little Child Of Mine
5. Spare Me A Little
6. Homeward Bound
7. Black Magic Woman
8. Oh! Well
Bonus Tracks (1972-08-30 - Gaelic Park, The Bronx, NY):
9. Green Manalishi
10. Morning Rain
11. Trinity

Personnel:
Bob Welch: Guitar and Vocals
Danny Kirwan: Vocals And Guitar
Christine McVie: Keyboards and Vocals
John McVie: Bass
Mick Fleetwood: Drums

FLAC - Fleetwood Mac_1972-03-10_SeattleWA_FLAC.rar

Mp3 - Fleetwood Mac_1972-03-10_SeattleWA_Mp3.rar