Real Rock and Blues

The Worst Best Albums – 1 Rumours (Fleetwood Mac)

Mar 10, 2010 Rants 2 Comments
Posted by Phil

One in a short series covering well known and popular albums that I can not stand……..

What is wrong with Rumours ?

The first thing is that it is not Fleetwood Mac. Fleetwood was and always will be the band with Peter Green, not a band without the man with the golden guitar. Yes, he was off somewhere on planet Green but to continue the band without him was like the Stones without Brian Jones (OK, like the Stones without Keef).

Something else I really, I mean really, disliked about this version of Mac was that they were so smug. Smugger than the smuggiest thing in the world. smugger than a cat that had all the cream and then found even more cream. I thought that they were a bit full of themselves……

As you will remember, Green was in Mayall’s Blues Breakers having replace Clapton. Mayall gave Green some time in a recording studio as a gift and with Fleetwood and McVie (who were also in the Blues Breakers) he recorded 5 songs and Fleetwood Mac were formed. They were a blues rock band. They were supberb.

With Rumours Mac placed themselves firmly at the forefront of soft rock. Soft rock, rock with a pretty face, tea and cumpet rock, rock without attitude. That is their main crime against rock.

Those, very personal objections aside what else is wrong with an album that contained so many hummable tunes?

The production is too slick, the harmonies too, well harmonic, the songs steeped in honey (with no lemon). Rock should be relevant and scratchy. It should make you think, not sleep. It should not be suitable to use a s lift (elevator) music. It should be music not musac.

I know that I am in a minority of 1. I know that Rolling Stone, Q, Mojo, and the rest of the universe all believe this to be one of the best records ever produced.

They are wrong.

Fleetwood Mac’s line-up consisted of guitarist and vocalist Lindsey Buckingham, drummer Mick Fleetwood, keyboardist and vocalist Christine McVie, bassist John McVie, and vocalist Stevie Nicks

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On This Day – Bobby Darin Sings Rock Island Line

Mar 10, 2010 On This Day Leave a comment
Posted by Phil

On this day in 1956 Bobby Darin made his first appearance on TV when he sings “Rock Island Line” on ‘The Stage Show’.
‘The Stage Show’ was a variety programme on CBS US TV. One of the interesting things about the show (this blog was going to be about Bobby Darin, then it was going [...]

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On This Day – Black Sabbath in London

Mar 9, 2010 On This Day 5 Comments
Posted by Phil

On This Day in 1970 The band formerly Known as Polka Tulk performed at The Roundhouse in North London under their new name, Black Sabbath.
Polka Tulk comprised Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward. Where the name really came from is a matter of debate some say it was named after [...]

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On This day – The Dark Side Revealed!

Feb 17, 2010 On This Day 1 Comment
Posted by Phil

On this day in 1972 Pink Floyd started a four-night residency (can a residency really be just 4 days?) at London’s Rainbow Theatre during which they premiered Dark Side of the Moon – and I continued to lose Floyd.
During the 4 night ‘residency’ Floyd showed the forthcoming album to the world. The press was, [...]

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Blank Generation

Feb 15, 2010 Uncategorized Leave a comment
Posted by Phil

There is no real reason to post this other than it refers to Blank Generation and my fave guitar player Robert Quine.

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Doug Fieger Writer of “My Sharona” Dies

Feb 15, 2010 On This Day Leave a comment
Posted by Phil

Doug Fieger who fronted The KNack and who co-wrote their biggest hit “My Sharona” died today after a long battle against Cancer.
“My Sharona” was The Knack’s debut single and went on to be their biggest hit (most of us are hard put to remember any of the others). It was released in 1979 and [...]

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On This day – B A Baracus Grooving to Boy George!

Feb 11, 2010 On This Day Leave a comment
Posted by Phil

On this day in 1986 Boy George guested on The A Team and B A Baracus is shown groovin’, if not movin’, to Karma Chameleon.
For those of tender years The A Team was a TV programme built around a group of ex marines (or something), who had been banged up in the stockade (or somewhere), [...]

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On This Day – Stagger Lee (Yet Again)

Feb 9, 2010 On This Day Leave a comment
Posted by Phil

On this day in 1959 Lloyd Price reached number one in the States with “Stagger Lee”.
“Stagger Lee” has been recorded many times under many names by many people.
The song has been Bowderized, revised, chewed up and spat out by too many people to mention. Some of whom should have known better and some of [...]

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On This Day – Teen Angel Tops

Feb 8, 2010 On This Day Leave a comment
Posted by Phil

On this day in 1960 Mark Dinning hit number 1 in the States with his ode to careful parking “Teen Angel”. This is a song about parking a car on a railway crossing and the inherent perils that poses.
Not the first teenage death song there have been many tragic pop songs. Notable songs [...]

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2 Resolutions Broken!

Feb 5, 2010 Rants Leave a comment
Posted by Phil

When I started this blog I promissed myself 2 things;
1. I would never, never, talk about politics (well, this is supposed be about music)
2. I would never talk about ear hole music (folk) or C&W (the devil’s music).
So, 2 resolutions broken. Folk and politcs.
David Jones is a well respected folk singer in the UK, [...]

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