It was a crime that Welch was excluded from the Fleetwood Mac lineup inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame. “Bare Trees,” “Emerald Eyes” and “Hypnotized” are easily as good as any of the Nicks-Buckingham band’s compositions. Of course, the guilt is probably shared by the band, for shunning their one-time leader, and the Hall, which worships at the altar of record sales. Fleetwood Mac didn’t crack the charts when Welch was writing the songs. That’s part of why I like their work from that period so much.
I was too young to know Fleetwood Mac with Welch firsthand, as I just began listening to rock in 1975, shortly after he had left the band. My brother bought “Fleetwood Mac” and “Rumours,” then worked backwards. I had a low regard for the pure pop and disco dominating the airwaves back then, so was more drawn the obscure FM that predated Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks’ arrival.
For those keeping score, Fleetwood Mac released four albums from 1971 to 1974, when Welch was lead guitarist, singer and songwriter — “Future Games,” “Bare Trees,” “Mystery to Me” and “Heroes are Hard to Find.” They weren’t all great, but “Bare Trees” and “Mystery” are very solid. Welch, with that languid baritone, and Christine McVie could really deliver the melancholy and longing. The cover art for “Mystery” still stands out.
“They say there’s a
place down in Mexico
where a man can fly
over mountains and hills
And he don’t need an airplane
or some kind of engine
and he never will
Now you know it’s a meaningless question
To ask if those stories are right
‘Cause what matters most is the feeling
You get when you’re hypnotized
Seems like a dream
Got me hypnotized
– Claude Iosso
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yA2i60AVIw
