Garage Sale Vinyl: Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac / Reprise / July 1975
by Christopher Long
Truth be told, I was just goofing with the guy — the fella with the white ponytail who I’d spotted at the java joint that morning, commandeering the cream-and-sugar station. I recognized “Frank,” as he was well-known as something of a guru on Florida’s east coast blues scene.
Have you ever known somebody who’s a little too into music? You know the type. They’re the ones who are SO trapped in their (very) tiny music world that they’re bound and determined to suck the fun out of any and every music-related conversation. Well, I knew that this guy not only LIVED for the blues, he was a bona fide music snob. Hoping to take the piss out of him a bit, I approached Frank playfully that morning with a snarky inquiry.
“Hey, man,” I led off with a grin, fully aware of the can of worms I was about to open. “What do you think of Fleetwood Mac?” Despite my own decades-long connection to the Florida music community, Frank had no clue who I was, and he shot me an evil eye and snarled, “I have ZERO use for Fleetwood Mac in ANY form!” Hmm. Conversely, I’ve had TOTAL use for Fleetwood Mac in ALL forms, ever since first discovering the Brit-Yank hybrid back in 1975, when they soared into the stratosphere with their breakout record, Fleetwood Mac.
**
They’d been hovering just below the mainstream radar for nearly a decade of slogging through the rock-and-roll trenches, touring relentlessly, while producing several modest-selling albums and a handful of Top Ten singles in the UK. But with the release of their self-titled tenth studio album, Fleetwood Mac’s fortunes changed, seemingly overnight. The band finally found the right lineup, the right sound, and the right songs.
Right out of left field, Fleetwood Mac began generating significant Top 40 radio airplay when they released “Over My Head” in the fall of ‘75. A catchy, cozy, feel-good, the single fired up Casey’s Countdown. In the spring of ‘76, they dropped the follow-up single, “Rhiannon.” It too received extensive radio airplay and was a massive hit. And along with the next single, “Say You Love Me,” they completed an impressive Top 20 hat trick.
It was now the summer of ‘76, and soon after my older sister brought the album home (on 8-track), I became clobbered completely by the Mighty Mac! I’ve used the words “beautiful,” “magical,” and “timeless” to describe myriad albums in this column. However, in my soul, the Fleetwood Mac album is particularly worthy of those endearing terms.
Dig, if you will, a picture: a painting in progress, circa ‘75. Flamboyant founding drummer Mick Fleetwood provided crucial rock cred. His partner, founding bassist John McVie, added blues-fueled authenticity. The arrival of singer, songwriter, and pianist, Christine McVie, in 1970 brought abundant beauty to the band. And the package acquisition of singer, songwriter, and guitarist, Lindsey Buckingham, and his girlfriend, singer, songwriter, Stevie Nicks, in late 1974 turned out to be the icing on the cake.
A production collab between the band and Keith Olsen (Foreigner, Heart, Bad Company), the Fleetwood Mac album just felt beautiful and magical from the get-go, packing WOW factor beyond its three radio singles. The fat bass grooves and warm drum tracks alone set the record apart from some of its thinner-sounding predecessors.
Lindsey’s “Monday Morning” and the Michael Curtis / Richard Curtis-penned “Blue Letter” both were crisp, country-tinged stingers, while Christine’s honey-drenched contributions; “Warm Ways” and “Sugar Daddy” were so pure and perfect, nearly 50 years later, they remain among my all-time Fleetwood Mac favorites. Then again, I’ve always thought that Christine McVie was the band’s MVP.
Stevie’s delicate, introspective “Landslide” not only was an album highlight, but it still stands as one of Fleetwood Mac’s most-loved tunes. Although Lindsey’s brooding “I’m So Afraid” made for a moving four-minute record closer, it becomes even more magnificent onstage — a heart-stopping ten-minute tour de force — a certain truth that I’d discover first-hand, years later, when I finally got the chance to see the band live.
They created so much beautiful, magical, and timeless music before and after their 1975 breakout. But to this day, whenever I think about Fleetwood Mac, the first thing that comes to mind is the Fleetwood Mac album. I’ve owned several vinyl copies over the years, including my current $10 thrift store copy. But, oddly, I’ll always cherish the image of that old 8-track copy, warbling and clanging away in the under-dash tape deck of my sister’s un-air-conditioned 1966 Dodge Dart. Ahh, yeah! The sunny soundtrack to the steamy summer of ‘76!
5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Fleetwood Mac Track List
SIDE A
1. Monday Morning (L. Buckingham) 2:49
2. Warm Ways (C. McVie) 3:54
3. Blue Letter (M. Curtis, R. Curtis) 2:41
4. Rhiannon (S. Nicks) 4:10
5. Over My Head (C. McVie) 3:38
6. Crystal (S. Nicks) 5:11
SIDE B
1. Say You Love Me (C. McVie) 4:10
2. Landslide (S. Nicks) 3:19
3. World Turning (C. McVie, L. Buckingham) 4:25
4. Sugar Daddy (C. McVie) 4:10
5. I’m So Afraid (L. Buckingham) 4:30
