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I never realized John Mcvie was so good

#122
They have posted 34 U.S. dates, beginning in September, and from an interview (I think it was Rolling Stone) the recently rejoined Christine McVie confirmed a "World Tour" was being discussed. If so, I can't imagine them not coming back to pick up where they left off in Australia/New Zealand.
 
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#123
Randy Warren said:
but one bass line I think really defines greatness is the lines John plays in "Angel" off Tusk, so subtle but moves relentlessly, and with all of those little toss off lines and the lock, man, he and Mick are such a rhythm section!
Click to expand...

Was reading back through this thread and caught this post... a BIG +1 for me, the bass part on "Angel" is incredible. Also recommended from the mostly underappreciated Tusk album, check out John's lines on "Beautiful Child". Here's a more recent rendition, though the key is down a step, the line is darn near identical to the original track from 1979. I think he's playing a fretless Renaissance bass on this one.

 
#124
(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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#125
Groove master! I grew up with 70's Fleetwood Mac coming out of my radio constantly. Those songs and basslines and ingrained in my DNA. John is a bass hero of mine. Always grooving, in the pocket and is the glue that holds everything together. =)
 
#127
After reading through this thread and listening closer to some Mac tunes suggested I just realized what a huge influence JMcV has had on my playing. I never realized it before. Probably because I grew up with my dad playing Mac in the house all the time. Good stuff...
 
#128
I'm really anxious to hear what he played on the new Fleetwood Mac album. From what I have read, there are 8 new tunes in the can, several of which are pretty tight. His lines on "Sad Angel" from last year's EP were reminiscent of the Rumours-Tusk-Mirage-Tango era... same playful, unmistakable McVie licks.
 
#129
Thought I'd bump this thread...

The band has been in
rehearsals with the 2014 tour kicking off in a couple weeks.

It will be nice to see John back out onstage. :thumbup:
 
#132
In honor of having *finally* finished raking leaves out of the yard for this year, Fleetwood Mac's "Bare Trees" is getting a long overdue spin this morning.
 
#135
In listening to Bare Trees years ago, I remember thinking Christine's "Homeward Bound" was prophetic. She was writing/singing about being fed up with the road in 1972, but didn't hang it up for another 25 years.

She seems to be really enjoying her return to the band this year though, and I'm quite thrilled to see the full Rumours era band together again at last. I'm planning to catch them in the Spring here in Virginia.
 
#137
A recurring theme on almost every Fleetwood Mac thread seems to revert to which band was superior... or whatever. And I take a pass on commenting every time, because, well... that's ear-of-the-beholder perspective that's bound to get you flamed if you choose one or the other. Besides that, I like at least *some* of it *all*. I have listened intently to the recorded material from Peter Green's band all the way to last year's EP. Stepping into the role of a bass player (outside just being a fan), I listen mostly for Mick & John, the band's namesake, and almost every time I notice something that I hadn't before. They play *exactly* what needs to be played. Every time - every band.

I always had a little different take on Fleetwood Mac, having been a senior in high school when "Tango" came out, and techno-pop was threatening the universe. Lindsey Buckingham quitting the band right before the tour... that was BIG rock-and-roll news in 1987. That was the band I knew and liked, but they were also who turned me onto the Bob Welch, Danny Kirwan, Jeremy Spencer, and Peter Green incarnations of Fleetwood Mac. Even then I thought it was pretty cool that here was a band that was already 20 years old.

I was (and still am) a true fan, and went on to enjoy the next two less successful versions that included Billy Burnette, Rick Vito, then Dave Mason (yeah, *that* Dave Mason) and Bekka Bramlett. I might be one of the very few but proud people to actually own a copy of the "Time" album from 1995. :p Anyway, under different circumstances, the post-Rumours, pre-The Dance bands might've been seen for the great band(s) they still were, but that's just the breaks in the music business.

Having played in bands that had major personnel changes, that's a hard thing to deal with, even more so I have to believe, given the level they were already playing in the early 1970's. Buckingham and Nicks coming in... that wasn't an easy gig to walk into, but they did pretty well. And I haven't ever seen them be anything less than respectful of their predecessors. Whether they liked it or not, I don't know, but Lindsey Buckingham used to burn down the place with Oh Well, and Stevie's oft used line about a "Ghost in the Fog" is a product of exposure to the stuff of earlier Fleetwood Mac days. They had to have at least studied a little to achieve some semblance of continuity in an already established band, is the underlying point.

I guess their endurance amazes me almost as much as the music has... Mick & John just keep on playing. I just try to appreciate all of it.

Especially John McVie.
 
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