This is a brief on an iconic singer/songwriter born in Northern England who through her work set a standard in music writing. This is the story of the late Christine Perfect, former member of Fleetwood Mac. What little I know about the life of Christine Perfect-McVie will not come close to giving her justice so I’m focusing only on her talent for music writing in hopes that after reading my brief you will also come to recognize the extraordinary contributions “Ms. Perfect” made to Fleetwood Mac [as keyboardist/vocals and songwriter], and to the rock music genre.
Christine McVie was born into a music family for the most part, and after studying art she found herself sought after for her acumen on keyboards and vocals by associates in a couple local start-up bands. It was her marriage to Fleetwood Mac bassist John McVie along with studio session invites that landed her as a permanent member of the band, the year was 1970. She spent the next [four?] decades making music I yearned to hear over and over.
In case you’re unaware, Mick Fleetwood and his band have, over many years, enjoyed the company of a few iconic songwriters. Past members of Fleetwood Mac include Peter Green [guitar], who wrote “Black Magic Woman”, “Rattlesnake Shake” and the iconic signature song “Oh Well”. Then there was Bob Welch [guitar] who contributed his own style after the departure of Peter Green with hits like “Hypnotized” and “Sentimental Lady”. In fact, it was Hollywood California native, Bob Welch, who was instrumental in the band relocating from England to the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles in the early 1970’s. Welch wouldn’t stick around long though, for maybe 3-4 years, but it would be in the Hills where the band’s popularity in the U.S. would eventually soar. In addition, it was Welch’s departure from the band which sparked Mick Fleetwood’s acquisition of a more pop rock sound with his addition of Lindsay Buckingham on guitar and Stevie Nicks on vocals. This new mix included only two original members – Mick Fleetwood on drums and John McVie on bass. Of course, with Christine McVie manning keyboards the abundance of talent the group now possessed couldn’t help but produce quality stuff, and they did just that continuously for years. Of late things have changed for Fleetwood Mac this time around, it appears that the glory days for this band may have finally come to an end with the passing of keyboardist and songwriter, Christine McVie… but what a run it was!
Here are some Fleetwood Mac titles I recognize that Christine McVie either wrote or co-wrote – she truly left a legacy of great work!
“As Long as You Follow” [excellent]
“Chain”
“Don’t Stop” [very popular]
“Everywhere” [excellent]
“Got a Hold On Me”
“Hold Me”
“Little Lies” [my personal favorite]
“Over My Head” [awesome]
“Say You Love Me” [excellent]
“Songbird” [this one put Christine McVie on the map]
“Warm Ways” [awesome]
“You Make Loving Fun” [fun just like the name implies]
For a full biography of Christine Perfect-McVie please see Wikipedia.
Adding Stevie Nicks was magical, she and McVei made an awesome singing duo. Mick Fleetwood was just an incredible drummer!
Favorite album: Rumours
Favorite single: Oh Well. “I can’t sing I’m not pretty and my legs are thin, but don’t ask me what I think of you, I might not give the answer that you me to!
I’ll tell you, Mick Fleetwood will go down as one of the best ever in recognizing/recruiting musical talent over several decades. He brought so many good musicians into the band in what could have been a failed experiment instead. In fact, had he not been that good at recruiting talent Fleetwood Mac would have been but a flash in the pan – a one- or two-hit wonder kind of band.
This band went through a lot of changes over the years but ended itself at the top, better than ever, and that’s incredible to think about. Fleetwood should be incredibly proud of this accomplishment. Where usually American bands die on the vine from attrition. Peter Green was pretty incredible but he couldn’t overcome his mental illness. His Flamingo guitar on “Oh Well” was legendary stuff back then, and still is. That whole “Play On” collection of songs I still listen to…