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I never realized John Mcvie was so good

#201
consectaneus said:
So good that Silver Springs didn't make the cut!

There is a moment on the "Classic Albums--Rumours" episode where Mick is listening to the isolated bass track on one of the songs and says, "awww, you're a monster, John".
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Ah yes, I've seen that... Mick is referring to the bass part on the chorus of "Go Your Own Way"... and yeah, that is one of the slickest bass parts ever. ;)

I'm pretty sure the bass on Silver Springs is fretless... probably his Omega-cut Alembic Series I. (same one used on "The Chain")

This one:
 

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#202
Ran across this audio clip of Fleetwood-Mac on YouTube yesterday, and had never heard it before. Sounds like an outtake, or maybe the engineers left the tape running while getting levels. Assume it's from a tracking session for recording the 1975 "White" album... anyway, it's just a little blues jam in E, but just listen to John! Especially around 3:30. :bassist:

 
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#204
nolaguy said:
One of my favorite McVie performances is on Warren Zevon's Werewolves of London. It's a deceptively simple part, but if you listen he never plays the riff exactly the same. An eye opener- to me at least.
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Waddy Wachtel tells a good story regarding the recording of Werewolves on his website.

Invalid Link Removed

They'd already tried Bob Glaub and Lee Sklar for the song before they turned to Mcvie and Fleetwood.
 
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#205
Thor said:
<snip> If we avoid comparisons between Green and Buckingham it all goes away. <snip> "You can tell a Finn, but you can't tell them much ;)"
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I remember being incredibly frustrated with guitarists on the scene in Finnish town I lived back then. They'd tell me they had pretty much no interest in playing something as simple as a Buckingham line unless they got paid well. I had a great vocalist lined up for it, too.

Sure, if you're into The Blues, then Nicks/Buckingham is not the place. At all. But I'm more into Albert King and earlier blues, anyway. Blues with an upright bass? Even better! Ain't no accounting for taste, eh?

Thor said:
<snip>. One of my fave cuts on there that kills is the blistering bass line on "Miles Away" from Mystery to Me. <snip>
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And now I want to cover this.

I've moved to Sweden and I've connected with a drummer who has a most Fleetwood vibe. Also, I've landed a pretty sweet horn band gig. Lots of musos there are multi-instrumentalists and it looks like players can also sing here more often than in Finland. You guys just know what I'm gunning for at this point, don't you?

(Did I mention that Swedes have a thing for songs and singing? Feels like almost everyone can do melody and a some sort of vocal part for the most common songs.)
 
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#209
Thor said:
Well, let's fAce it, FM is a 3 iteration band.

The Peter Green/Jeremy Spencer Band

The Bob Welch/ Danny Kirwan Band

The Nicks/Buckingham Band

The last being the wildly successful pop band. The first being
the outrageous blues band with that over the top little hobbit
Jeremy Spencer doing the strangest things on stage.

From that band, the 'Vintage Years' live recording from the
Boston Tea Pary, John's solo work on 'The Green Manalishi'
really stands out. When I listen to that cut I think he
is playing a 60's 6 string bass there. Hofner? Hagstrom?

Peter Green's work on Rattlesnake Shake should be textbook
tone and style homework for every Marshall stack wanker.

The transition to the smooth jazz rock blend that Kirwan and
Welch brought was a really calming and smoothing phase in
the band's sound. I saw them on that tour in 72, opener John
Baldry, FM and headliner Savoy Brown with Kim Simmons.
That was the 'Future Games' and 'Bare Trees' era. There sound
had morphed from raw to smooth and defined.

Bare Trees, imho, set the stage for the pop sound to come.
Christine McVie's rendition of 'Spare Me A Little' would have
played well on any later album. Great tune I have always
wanted to cover.

Mick published a bio a few years back, great book on a unique
musical journey.

One thing I have objected to lately is the appearance of heavily
remixed FM songs on the radio which bear no relation to the original
abum mixes, which imo were already perfect.
To what end this was done I am not sure, but it is obvious
that LB's solos are redone and remixed.

None of this takes away from the legacy of one of the most
solid 'One Two Punch' rhythm sections in contemporary
blues and pop music.

Yeah. great player.
Click to expand...
 
#211
That's p
Bancini said:
It was actually Peter that played the 6 string bass that version of that song during that show.

As has been said many times throughout this thread, McVie really is a phenomenal bass player. Truly stunning. Himself and Mick compliment eachother so well. It pains me to hear him talk about Peter Green now. The documentary "Man of the World - The Peter Green Story" is a must for all early Mac / Peter Green fans.

I think John McVie would be the dream accompaniment for most drummers out there. As Mick Fleetwood would be for most bassists out there.
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Ooh. I was gonna' mention that, but didn't want to be the buzz killer.
 
#213
JTE said:
I just picked up a copy of "Bare Trees" today- hadn't heard it in 10 years since I sold all my vinyl. Wonderful stuff, and McVie is so very very tasty. Plus I was listening to the Bluesbreakers ""Beano" album last week. :)
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Future Games is a good companion to the Bare Trees album.
 
#214
Thor said:
(Wow, a notification came through.) Very timely, as I was mowing the lawn last weekend and had the headphones and iPod going. One of my fave cuts on there that kills is the blistering bass line on "Miles Away" from Mystery to Me. John is usually a bit more subtle and understated, but he lets the bass monster out of the cage on that cut. I'd love to cover that, but, alas, my guys could never pull off the guitar lines.

One tends to forget what a power hitter John could be live with the Peter Green band. That line recapitulates his "stones to the wall when he wants to" capability. Finesse and power. Great combination.
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Seen 'em several times in different iterations. They blew the roof off at Fillmore West with " Station Man " during the first tour sans Peter. Also Bill Grahm gave me a royal ass-chewing that night!
 
#215
Fleetwood Mac@The Warehouse, New Orleans - January 30-31, 1970
The Grateful Dead was also on the bill at these shows.

Mick Fleetwood remembering this night:

“That Dead song with the line ‘busted down on Bourbon Street’ (Truckin’, from the LP American Beauty), that was the night that Fleetwood Mac played with them at The Warehouse in New Orleans. Owsley had spiked the water fountains and, after our set, John McVie was out of it, and couldn’t handle the fact that the Dead were going to get up and play! So he stood in the audience while the rest of us jammed with the Dead. The audience loved it - a massive freak-out.”

“That was what caused Owsley eventually to go to jail. We were nearly there. We were following their car back to the hotel, absolutely out of it on acid. I drove the car from the back seat with my feet while somebody else worked the pedals from the side - nobody was in the driver’s seat. Oh God!” Mick nearly weeps. “We got lost and, by the time we arrived, they’d been busted…

 
#216
Thor said:
Well, let's fAce it, FM is a 3 iteration band.

The Peter Green/Jeremy Spencer Band

The Bob Welch/ Danny Kirwan Band

The Nicks/Buckingham Band

The last being the wildly successful pop band. The first being
the outrageous blues band with that over the top little hobbit
Jeremy Spencer doing the strangest things on stage.

From that band, the 'Vintage Years' live recording from the
Boston Tea Pary, John's solo work on 'The Green Manalishi'
really stands out. When I listen to that cut I think he
is playing a 60's 6 string bass there. Hofner? Hagstrom?

Peter Green's work on Rattlesnake Shake should be textbook
tone and style homework for every Marshall stack wanker.

The transition to the smooth jazz rock blend that Kirwan and
Welch brought was a really calming and smoothing phase in
the band's sound. I saw them on that tour in 72, opener John
Baldry, FM and headliner Savoy Brown with Kim Simmons.
That was the 'Future Games' and 'Bare Trees' era. There sound
had morphed from raw to smooth and defined.

Bare Trees, imho, set the stage for the pop sound to come.
Christine McVie's rendition of 'Spare Me A Little' would have
played well on any later album. Great tune I have always
wanted to cover.

Mick published a bio a few years back, great book on a unique
musical journey.

One thing I have objected to lately is the appearance of heavily
remixed FM songs on the radio which bear no relation to the original
abum mixes, which imo were already perfect.
To what end this was done I am not sure, but it is obvious
that LB's solos are redone and remixed.

None of this takes away from the legacy of one of the most
solid 'One Two Punch' rhythm sections in contemporary
blues and pop music.

Yeah. great player.
Click to expand...

Fantastic post, a perfect summation of their career, well written Thor.
 
#219
Bancini said:
It was actually Peter that played the 6 string bass that version of that song during that show.
You are so right about that Fleetwood would be my dream drummer to pair up with. He's such a bassist's drummer.
As has been said many times throughout this thread, McVie really is a phenomenal bass player. Truly stunning. Himself and Mick compliment eachother so well. It pains me to hear him talk about Peter Green now. The documentary "Man of the World - The Peter Green Story" is a must for all early Mac / Peter Green fans.

I think John McVie would be the dream accompaniment for most drummers out there. As Mick Fleetwood would be for most bassists out there.
Click to expand...
 

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