NFL
By: Greg Rector
Sometimes we regret not doing something. That hit home for me this week. I wrote last week about the female voices that I have loved since I was young. I intended to do a “contrarian,” article next that was going to talk about the widespread or predominant thoughts on bands and or singers that most folks love but just never clicked for me. One of those “contrarian,” views I was going to write about was the two women in Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks and the now late, Christine McVie. Instead, I now write about the passing of in my opinion one of the greatest singer/songwriters of my lifetime.
Born Christine Anne Perfect in 1943 her surname would go on to reflect many of her songs in my opinion. The very popular Stevie Nicks is a fine singer/songwriter in her own right, her songs are also quite good. It’s just that for me as with any subjective topic in entertainment, it was the McVie songs and her voice that attracted me far more than the Nicks’ songs ever did with Fleetwood Mac.
Fleetwood Mac was formed in 1967. Christine McVie would join the band in 1970 after she had Fleetwood Mac bassist Jon McVie in 1969. McVie’s first group was a blues band called Chicken Shack. They recorded a couple of albums and had a hit in the U.K. with a cover song “I’d Rather Go Blind,” a blues and soul classic originally sung by Etta James. McVie’s crystal clear voice even then was smooth and easy on the ears.
Christine McVie was asked to join Fleetwood Mac after having done some session work with them. In the interim, she recorded her first of three solo albums entitled “Christine Perfect,” years later it was reissued as “The Legendary Christine Perfect Album.” McVie contributed to many songs on albums like “Bare Trees,” and “Mystery To Me,” albums that were made before the band decided to relocate to the U.S. in 1974. It was then that the famous lineup of drummer Mick Fleetwood, Jon McVie on bass, Lindsey Buckingham on guitar, Christine McVie on keyboards, and Stevie Nicks on vocals was formed.
Christine McVie, the Fleetwood Mac ‘Songbird’ and voice of many of their most enduring songs, including “Don’t Stop,” “Little Lies” and “Everywhere,” has died at 79. https://t.co/EB773uKwNj
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) November 30, 2022
If you were alive in the mid and late 1970s Fleetwood Mac was one of the most dominant bands of the era. Albums like “Rumors,” and “Tusk,” were absolute staples in almost everyone’s record collection. The band also had its fair share of publicity when it became known that both couples (Jon/Christine and Stevie/Lindsey), were in the throes of breakups while making such legendary music. We now know that in this period of time McVie was in an affair with the band’s lighting director, it was that affair that inspired one of her signature songs with the group “You Make Lovin Fun.” It was truly remarkable that despite all the offstage issues that were going on, you put them together in the studio or saw them in concert and they would blow you away.
Christine McVie Was A Musical Treasure
It was later on though in my life when I became much more of a McVie fan. Maybe being an Arkansan and working to elect our then Governor William Jefferson Clinton as the country’s 42nd President and hearing “Don’t Stop,” the campaign song, and simply never tiring of hearing it. “Don’t Stop,” had such a hopeful feel to it, and it spoke to a whole lot of people anxious to move on from 12 years of President Reagan and George H.W. Bush era. That’s when I truly started a much deeper dive into McVie the singer and songwriter.
In 1988 Fleetwood Mac released their “Greatest Hits,” of the sixteen songs on the U.S. release Christine McVie wrote or co-wrote and sang 8 of them. It was at that time that I learned about her earlier work with Chicken Shack and the early 70’s Fleetwood Mac albums. What just shined through so clearly with Mcvie was what drove her in life she treated love and relationships with just sheer honesty and beauty.
For me, I compare McVie/Nicks to the way many will compare the Lennon/McCartney songs to those of George Harrison. For some, they will always stand by the more famous songwriting duo, while many others like myself prefer the Harrison compositions. It’s subjective of course and it can really break down to what, where, and who you were with at that time of your life as to why one prefers the different songs over the others. That’s why there are no right or wrong answers.
Finally, you will see the nickname “Songbird,” associated with Christine McVie. That’s one thing I never have called her even though it’s also the title of another solo album. I am U.S. born to Canadian parents and was raised in Canada. For that reason, there’s only one “Songbird,” and that was Anne Murray. However, it does truly reflect Christine McVie’s discography as does for me her name at birth, Christine Perfect.
Thank you, Christine (Perfect) McVie for all the music, for the joy, and for making me look at life so often through your words in some of the most enduring songs from over the last 55 years.
As always you can find me on Twitter @GregCowboys
