We’ve reached the point in my year-old deep dive into Christine McVie’s vast discography where we must ask, for the first of several times: Who among us remembers this guy?
If you were lucky enough to catch Fleetwood Mac during the first North American leg of their Tusk tour in late ‘79 — and you bothered arriving on time — then you probably saw a warmup set from this likable fellow, Danny Douma.
How he came to be chosen one of few openers on that outing, well, I’m not exactly sure. My guess is twofold:
1) It’s entirely possible Mac members caught his then-popular L.A. band the Big Wha-Koo (fronted by Steely Dan exile David Palmer) at some point in the mid-to-late ‘70s and liked what they heard, coupled with …
2) Douma’s just-dropped debut — Night Eyes, the satisfying set of quality yacht-rock shown here, thick with bits of James Taylor, Warren Zevon and then-hot Andrew Gold — was put out by Warner Bros., for which FM were making (and spending) millions. Surely label chief Mo Ostin nudged Danny their way?
Whatever the case, the stars and their support act must have gotten along great, as Douma’s lone LP, which promptly sank into obscurity, boasts cameos from everyone but Stevie Nicks.
McVie’s keys + her ex John’s bass + Mick Fleetwood’s drums form the backing band for ‘Hate You,’ Side 2’s shuffling starter, further accentuated by Eric Clapton’s Fender. Not far removed musically from ‘Don’t Stop,’ the borderline-novelty became a minor local hit at the dawn of the ‘80s.
Lindsey Buckingham, meanwhile, lends distinctive fretwork to a pleasant tune with a lousy title, ‘Beauty Has an Ache.’ And Christine’s sweet voice pops up all over the place, although mostly cooing ooh’s and bellowing whoa-whoa’s.
(In non-FM details, Garth Hudson of the Band also provides accordion on one cut, ‘Carnival Boy.’)
Right: I’m really getting into the weeds with some of these detours. But these are weeds well worth whacking through.