The first Fleetwood Mac record I ever bought was the 45 of “Say You Love Me”. It was 1976 and I was still in grade school and could only afford albums when I’d had some kind of financial windfall i.e. birthday money. And so my main focus was on singles. Since my tiny weekly allowance of $3 (!) could only score me maybe two new singles at most ($1.07 each with tax), I was very precise about the ones I chose to buy. In other words, if I was gonna fork over any of my sparse savings on a song, I had to really, really LOVE it. “Say You Love Me” was one of the songs I deemed worthy enough to make the monetary sacrifice for.
The fact is, my first favorite Mac songs were not by Lindsey or Stevie. They were by Christine McVie. “You Make Loving Fun”. “Don’t Stop”. Her songs were the ones I latched onto as a kid. They were the reason “Rumours” was glued to my turntable through my endlessly nightmarish seventh-grade days. They were why I plastered a Mac poster on the wall of my tragically royal blue shag-carpeted bedroom. It was Christine McVie that set the foundation for over 45 years of Mac fandom for me.
I know I’m not alone in this experience.
While we celebrate all the brilliant songs Christine composed over the course of her career, it should be noted that the Mac songs she wrote and sang on were not the only ones on which she truly shone. Her piano lines in Stevie’s seminal and spectacular “Sara”, literally make the song; Her playing is gorgeous beyond reason. It is one of the band’s three greatest songs ever, and Christine’s contribution was the stardust that made it transcendent. And she did that on a multitude of Mac tracks.
And so a big heartfelt thank you to magical, beautiful genius Christine McVie. Love you Songbird.
Okay, I feel kind of emotional now but we’ve gotta soldier on. I now offer you the latest WEEKLY NEW WONDERS PLAYLIST featuring the finest new songs that have crossed our path over recent days. It’s pocket-size and positively made for rainswept, repeat listening. Atmospheric-melodic-heavenly stuff awaits you. Hear ’em all below on Soundcloud or Spotify.
Listen on Soundcloud
Listen on Spotify
PICKING UP ROCKS 