I never realized John Mcvie was so good

[SanDiegoHarry]

Hmmmm....

As a guy who really dislikes most Fleetwood Mac, I always held a grudging admiration for the backline - big, simple beats with good tone. I'll not rush out to buy any FM anytime soon, nor will I actually "enjoy" playing that insanely dull bass riff in "Dreams" again, but I get the admiration - he always sounded right for the song...

 

[Shakin-Slim]

I've been listening to Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac for years now, and am currently going through a phase where I can't get enough of McVie. I can't think of a better bassist at driving a blues band along. His work with all the latter incarnations is also very good, but if it weren't for the rhythm section, I think it would be s***. Whereas with the original Mac, every musician was great and it was such exciting blues! I don't think any other british groups achieved their level of authenticity. Which, being a blues nut, is a big thing for me.

 

[MycooLeeyun]

Hell yes to John McVie... I never got into FM until a beautiful woman came into my life and was obsessed with them. I've never seen a band with such passion and soul on stage. John McVie is definitely my idol at this point.

 

[mellowinman]

The rhythm section of McVie/Fleetwood is one of the greatest in Rock History.

Merry Go Round- Fleetwood Mac - YouTube

Why does he go where he goes on this song? I don't know, but thank God he does!

This is just the epitome of blues playing. Puts most players to shame.

John McVie is a bass LEGEND.

 

[markjazzbassist]

i've got their best of and love his playing, never was a big fan until i really listened.

also whoever engineered/produced those records is amazing, they sound fantastic!

 

[soulman969]

John McVie is the epitome of less is more. He never over does his lines and he can be both rhythmic and melodic as the situation calls for. If anyone wants to study how to build a pocket around modern pop music listening to him and Mick Fleetwood is one of the first places to start.

His early blues work with Peter Green and Danny Kirwan in the first incarnation of the band is just another example of his versatility. The guy is just flat out a great player and one of my favorites to model my playing after. He just knows the exact things to do to propel a song.

 

[Roy Vogt]

Saw them a bunch back in the 70s. John and Mick are a great rhythm section together-they seem to "breathe" and feel the time at the same place and phrase the same. He also has a great pocket!
He used to use P Basses and used Alembics by the time I saw him play in the 70s.

 

[corinpills]

I have always admired the rhythm section's ability to lay back on a groove and keep it simple. In the 70s, like many musicians, FM suffered from a medical condition centered around their nostrils-one prone to making bass players overplay and rush the groove- and yet John McVie always holds it down.

 

[Bancini]

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.

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.

 

[Aussie Player]

Clapton mentions McVie in his autobiography as a good player who was in his circle of musicians on hte circuit back in the very early 60's.

 

[nyarlathotep19]

Hey all, first post, glad to be here.

I've been searching and searching for a tab for the bass part of FM's "never going back again"--the problem being that the studio version didn't have a bass part! The best live version I've found is here:

Fleetwood Mac/ Lindsey Buckingham ~ Never Going Back Again ~ Japan Live 1977 - YouTube

not only can you hear this super cool bassline pretty clearly, but they cut to showing him pounding it out on an acoustic/electric. so cool. I would love it if somebody could take a crack at tabbing it out. Thanks a million, and thanks for making such a great resource for beginning bassists!

n19

 

[vilkai]

Well, since someone else necroed this thread...

I don't get the slagging on Buckingham. A guitarist with great groove who writes and plays songs? Have great voicings and tone to compliment his parts? Can actually leave his ego at the door? He's golden is what he is.

I'm so very tired of guitarists who think they need to play yet another chorus of Mr. P.C. Even though their ideas run out at chorus no. 11.

 

[Thor]

In reality I guess it should be considered thre totally different bands. If the name were something else besides FMac, there wouldn't be an issue.

But that is not the case. So, that leads to the inevitable comparisons with the other two bands, and the guys like me who grew up on the Peter Green band will proceed to lament the metamorphosis of the ultimate raw killer blues band to the
uberpop FM Top 40 band.

Great songwriting, yes, great groove, ok, I'll let that get by. Since it is really not the same band, no big deal. If we avoid comparisons between Green and Buckingham it all goes away.

When I hear Lindsey was the greatest guitar player ever yadda yadda, then I .

I don't mean to slag, it is really an apple and oranges comparison.

And I don't want to argue about it, my wife is Finnish so I know all about "You can tell a Finn, but you can't tell them much "

 

[portlandguy]

I heard once that he was almost in Cream but Clapton was not that impressed with him?

 

[gottawalk]

I am currently playing in a Fleetwood Mac Tribute group and having to study his work, I found the "gem" inside the stone. He really knew how to lay it down without getting in the way, and yet be innovative at the same time. Really fun stuff to play if you want to do stuff that calls for restraint, and really laying it "in the pocket"!

I suggest to anyone interested in him, and/or FM, to check out a DVD from a "Classic Rock Series" called "Fleetwood Mac Rumours" Great interviews and in-studio cuts and interviews that also play the original studio tracks in the interviews. Fascinating watch. (Put out by Eagle Rock Entertainment, LTD.)

 

[steamthief]

Rumours was the first album I ever owned, the best present I got for my 12th birthday. What drew me in to the FM sound was John's playing on Dreams, which is pretty much the backbone of the song. Pretty simple bassline, but yet almost hypnotic to me as a listener, with just enough little fills and variations thrown in to make it worth listening to decades later.

 

[jerry]

I heard once that he was almost in Cream but Clapton was not that impressed with him?

In his book, Clapton gives high praises to McVie.

 

[schmig]

Blues (originals and cover) band I play with in Ireland plays some early Fleetwood Mac every time we're out...our guitarist is possibly worth a listen.

Merry Go Round, Charlies by user4617874 on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free

 

[Kitsapbass]

I am currently playing in a Fleetwood Mac Tribute group and having to study his work, I found the "gem" inside the stone. He really knew how to lay it down without getting in the way, and yet be innovative at the same time. Really fun stuff to play if you want to do stuff that calls for restraint, and really laying it "in the pocket"!

I suggest to anyone interested in him, and/or FM, to check out a DVD from a "Classic Rock Series" called "Fleetwood Mac Rumours" Great interviews and in-studio cuts and interviews that also play the original studio tracks in the interviews. Fascinating watch. (Put out by Eagle Rock Entertainment, LTD.)

VH1 Classic has played it - I Tivo'd it and it's saved to my HD.

 

[Flyingfrets]

I always thought McVie was seriously under-rated.

First FM album I ever heard was "Bare Trees." Wasn't that impressed with Welch, but I thought the band had potential (at the time, I thought they were a new band...hey, what did I know? I was 13 ).

Then "Fleetwood Mac" & "Rumours" hit the airwaves.

Fleetwood & McVie are one of the most solid rythmn sections I've ever heard, but 50 years playing together will do that for ya, eh?

Tasteful, never flashy, solid, hypnotic at times (in a good way), excellent tone & understands his role in the context of that band. A bass player's bass player.