John McVie... How did I miss him?

[nozkcb]

Been playing bass for about 40 years. Have had many influences from the super, mega chops flashy masters of the bass, to some of the world's most Renown Studio session players as well as a handful of and players from rock, pop, Jazz and Country, but for some reason, until recently I didn't have a good appreciation for John McVie's work with Fleetwood Mac.

Maybe it's because he doesn't do anything flashy or because he just stands there and plays the bass. I'm not sure how I missed it until I started working with a group that is doing a handful of Fleetwood Mac songs, and once I started to really pay attention to what he's doing, I discovered his playing is a huge part of what made those songs what they are. And no, it's not just that bass riff in The Chain. A lot of very tasteful and internal parts of Fleetwood Mac songs came from his hands.

I wonder how many others have underappreciated him as a player and an big part of what made the band songs so good?

 

[slagheap]

run, don't walk, to dig up the bluesbreakers' beano album.

 

[two fingers]

run, don't walk, to dig up the bluesbreakers' beano album.

Is that the name of the album?

 

[slagheap]

Is that the name of the album?

this one ( bare wires & a hard road, too. )

 

[slagheap]

 

[Tubehed]

A really solid player throughout his career. Great playing on the early Fleetwood Mac records with Peter Green, Jeremy Spencer and Danny Kirwan, too. Man, he has played with some monster guitar players throughout his career!

 

[roccobass]

Yes indeed, John McVie is underrated.

Along with the Bluesbreaker album, I strongly suggest grabbing this releases either via disc or download. It’s so ironic this thread came up. All 4 of these are on my weekly rotation on my Bose. The music is fantastic too.
(Oops. The lower left disc is entitled “Then Play On”. It got cut off.)

 

[Jeff Scott]

John McVie... How did I miss him?

I wouldn't feel too bad about that, as he's probably missed you, too.

 

[StatesideRambler]

For decades I’ve ranked John McVie on a par with Duck Dunn for consistently playing what’s right for the song; tasteful parts without flash.

 

[Chrisk-K]

Mr. McVie’s bass and former Mrs. McVie’s voice and songs are what I like the most about post-Green Fleetwood Mac.

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

Continues to be my strongest influence. The band drew me in; John's bass part held me there.

I went backwards with it though... (child of the 70's-80's that I am) and finally his parts from those first records with Peter Green, then Kiln House, Mystery, and Bare Trees only in the past couple years, began to sink in, and I heard the genesis of the genius that later made the pop stuff work so well. John, he'll just tell you he plays the songs like he hears them. True statement. He just doesn't say much.

 

[Deleted member 165050]

Been playing bass for about 40 years. Have had many influences from the super, mega chops flashy masters of the bass, to some of the world's most Renown Studio session players as well as a handful of and players from rock, pop, Jazz and Country, but for some reason, until recently I didn't have a good appreciation for John McVie's work with Fleetwood Mac.

Maybe it's because he doesn't do anything flashy or because he just stands there and plays the bass. I'm not sure how I missed it until I started working with a group that is doing a handful of Fleetwood Mac songs, and once I started to really pay attention to what he's doing, I discovered his playing is a huge part of what made those songs what they are. And no, it's not just that bass riff in The Chain. A lot of very tasteful and internal parts of Fleetwood Mac songs came from his hands.

I wonder how many others have underappreciated him as a player and an big part of what made the band songs so good?

I stood in with a Mac tribute band a few years back and had to learn JM's bass lines note-for-note as I soon discovered just following chord changes and jamming them totally detracted from the songs... his bass parts are absolutely central to much of the Mac repertoire as a lot of the time there's just bass, drums and vocals. A really solid player with some truly melodic basslines that are far more musical than many flashy players achieve with their playing.

 

[dpaul]

One great example is ‘Say That You Love Me’, such a solid, driving bass line, and that melodic hook in the chorus! Such an integral part of what makes this, and many of their songs work so well.

 

[TreySonagras]

Been playing bass for about 40 years. Have had many influences from the super, mega chops flashy masters of the bass, to some of the world's most Renown Studio session players as well as a handful of and players from rock, pop, Jazz and Country, but for some reason, until recently I didn't have a good appreciation for John McVie's work with Fleetwood Mac.

Maybe it's because he doesn't do anything flashy or because he just stands there and plays the bass. I'm not sure how I missed it until I started working with a group that is doing a handful of Fleetwood Mac songs, and once I started to really pay attention to what he's doing, I discovered his playing is a huge part of what made those songs what they are. And no, it's not just that bass riff in The Chain. A lot of very tasteful and internal parts of Fleetwood Mac songs came from his hands.

I wonder how many others have underappreciated him as a player and an big part of what made the band songs so good?

I agree. We started doing Dreams when a new singer joined the band. She called it the “Effin Gee Song”. As I studied the bass line more I realized what a great line McVie created out of a basically two-note song.

 

[Gustopher]

McVie is one of my favorites too, solid and musical and always made the song better with the note choices.

 

[Phoenician]

I’ll take McVie and players like Duck Dunn all day long over Jaco, Victor, et cetera.

Also, I think Christine McVie was the best songwriter in the band when they were turning out the hits during their Buckingham-Nicks hey day of 1975-1987.

Over My Head
Warm Ways
Say You Love Me
Don’t Stop
You Make Loving Fun
Songbird
Oh Daddy
Over & Over
Think About Me
Brown Eyes
Love In Store
Hold Me
Little Lies
Everywhere

 

[projectapollo]

I love his tone on Rumors. That bass sounds great on any play back system. That record was recorded on Sound City's Neve console. Big reason I use the Neve DI box.

 

[Dirk Diggler]

Nothing like that classic Alembic tone too!

 

[marchone]

Although McCartney awakened my interest in bass guitar at age 14 it was John McVie’s parts in the Bluesbreakers and early Fleetwood Mac that I learned first in a band.

 

[dan1952]

JM is a great pocket player with Mick Fleetwood. As good a rhythm section as there has ever been, in any genre.