Christine McVie’s place in rock history was assured long ago. As a long-time member of Fleetwood Mac, she has been responsible for some of the finest songs in their esteemed Catalogue. Check out any of the various greatest hits of the band and songs such as ‘Don’t Stop’, ‘Over my Head’, ‘Say You Love Me’, and ‘Hold Me’ positively jump out of the speakers and demand you sing along.
McVie has long been due a retrospective of her own. This collection is more of a taster, than an attempt to provide a comprehensive overview of such an impressive career. So sadly, no material from the Mac, Chicken Shack or her 2017 collaboration with Lynsey Buckingham, which is the best Fleetwood Mac album that doesn’t have their name on it.
Even despite the strange omission of her chart successes in ‘Love Will Show us How’ and ‘Got a Hold on Me’, this is a collection well worth adding to your library. With a writer such as Christine, and that crystal voice, it is a question of never mind the width, hear the quality.
Several songs here could easily sit on a Mac album, with no discernible deviation in standard.
Mid-tempo rockers such as ‘Friend’ and ‘Challenge’ are pure pop songs, that Christine has been crafting her entire career and ballads such as ‘Northern Star’ are her forte.
She has been writing tender songs of the heart for over 50 years, yet the imagery remains fresh, and her vocals, always delivered from the heart, drawing the listener into her private ruminations on love.
‘Easy Come and Easy Go’ describes the song’s vibe and McVie’s attitude to life.
One of my favourite tracks on the collection, is ‘Sweet Revenge’, which sees Christine’s normally polished vocals, take on a slightly affected nuance, as she seeks retribution on a lover who broke her heart:
The party’s over when the music ends
If we can’t be lovers, then we really can’t be friends,
I’ll get some pretty wicked ways to get my sweet revenge
Great fun!
‘Ask Anyone’ is another glorious tune, slightly faster paced, this time co-written with the amazing Steve Winwood, who also helps out on keyboards. ‘Slow Down’ is a slight return to her bluesier work with Chicken Shack. Originally commissioned for ‘American Flyers’, a film based in the world of professional cycling, it’s a track that lifts the pace again and bounces out of the grooves on the record.
The centrepiece of the Fleetwood Mac Soap opera juggernaut that was ‘Rumours’ was McVie’s exquisite ballad and title track here, ‘Songbird’.
The original was famously recorded in a huge Auditorium in Berkeley with only Lindsey Buckingham playing acoustic guitar in the wings to keep tempo.
I’ve never been one to advocate re-recordings of solid gold classic masterpieces, but in the hands of Glyn Johns, legendary producer, and string arrangement by Vince Mendoza, this version lovingly embraces the love of one person to another, and nature’s acknowledgement that all is well in the world, and takes it to another level.
The original was quite beautiful in its starkness, and to me, is one of the quintessential love songs in the history of rock. This version is quite magnificent keeping Christine’s exquisite crystal clear voice, front and centre while filling out the melody with that beautiful string arrangement.
Not a complete collection by any means, but a timely reminder that this songbird really can sing!