There was a time, so soon after their ascendency to superstar status, when the most enduring incarnation of Fleetwood Mac was on such good terms with former frontman Bob Welch that it remains baffling why he was left out of their Hall of Fame induction and acrimony ensured for decades.
Ok, yes, the fact that he sued them in ’94 for unpaid royalties probably had lots to do with that snub. Rewind to November 1981, however, when this star-studded set was captured at West Hollywood’s world-famous Roxy Theatre, and you’ll find they were rarely chummier.
Welch’s career at this point was declining dramatically. For a fleeting moment he maintained the platinum success of his FM-abetted French Kiss album — soaring on the glossy wings of ‘Sentimental Lady,’ a Top 10 redo of his ’72 tune, enhanced by Christine McVie’s counterpoint in the chorus. In early ’79 he delivered Three Hearts, a solid follow-up also assisted by most of the Mac, and still sold enough to go gold.
But by the time ’80 turned into ’81 he had fallen rapidly out of fashion. New stuff made zero impact on radio or the charts, and Welch was reduced to hosting Hollywood Heartbeat, a syndicated precursor to MTV. (In some way it’s probably fair to look upon him as an OG VJ.)
So it isn’t surprising that everyone but Lindsey Buckingham lent a hand at this Roxy showcase, a friendly favor at a local haunt recorded for later videodisc use. (This pressing of the audio comes from 2021.)
Stevie Nicks unsurprisingly stands out most; the club-size crowd goes wild when she emerges for ‘Gold Dust Woman,’ although the vinyl sequencing isn’t as accurate as streaming or CD versions. (She sticks around to holler the harmony parts on ‘Ebony Eyes.’)
For the purpose of our Christine McVie deep dive, however, it’s more notable to hear the transitional-yet-crucial lineup of Fleetwood Mac once again performing live, naturally on a staple of their old sets, ‘Hypnotized.’
That resurrection aside, Christine appears more than any other guest on this set. She reproduces her parts of ‘Sentimental Lady,’ of course, as does Mick Fleetwood, but she’s equally involved on ‘Don’t Give It Up,’ as sung by the guy whom she was then producing, Robbie Patton.
Welch, as his TV gig would suggest he could, proves how up-to-the-minute he was by covering ‘Remember,’ a tune from the first Bryan Adams LP, though that rocker’s breakthrough was still two years away at that point.
The closing ‘Rattlesnake Shake’ is a fine reminder that shortly before this show Mick had put out his solo debut too, The Visitor — and that he’d cajoled the song’s originator, his old pal Peter Green, to cut a new version to kick off his LP.
But the real treat worth savoring from such obscure corners comes when Christine leads the band (now including guitarist Bob Weston as well) on the Penguin gem ‘Remember Me.’ After several stops on this magical history tour where she’s merely lurked in the background, it’s downright comforting to hear her front and center.
Next stop: Mirage.