Two years after her passing, we finally have a bio of Fleetwood Mac’s beautiful songstress.
Also an artist and sculptor, Christine McVie was a master at crafting sunny seventies perfect pop songs despite experiencing quite a bit of loss through life and despite her leanings towards blues in her early days as a musician in London. In contrast to some of her band mates known for their songs infused with the pain of relationships ending, Christine’s songs predominately were about the hopes and joys of love. The official video of Love Shines from the 1992 album 25 Years – The Chain; Fleetwood Mac’s 50 Years is a perfect example of that.
Over My Head, from their 1975 self titled album was the song played on American radio that really brought Fleetwood Mac to our attention in a big way after various line-up changes and started Fleetwood Mac’s quick ascension up the charts and into history as one of the world’s favorite and best selling bands of all time; a song she was quoted as saying was in part, about Lindsey Buckingham. By 1977 they would be the biggest band in the world.
Starting with Chicken Shack in her teens during the 60s, Christine had to endure traveling and playing in some pretty seedy places in the UK and Germany first. Paying off, it earned her 1969 and 1970’s Female Vocalist of the Year in a Melody Maker Reader’s Poll.
Some speculate that the sublime Songbird, perhaps her best known and signature song from the Rumours album, may have been about her mother and processing loss. This song is said to have come to her in a flash of inspiration, she had said frequently that she had no idea where it came from, but that it was an almost spiritual experience, having been delivered to her. If listening to the song now with that perspective, the song does take on an almost spiritual and very emotional meaning.
We have in her own words, what it was like to tour so much and for long with this book.
To many, Fleetwood Mac had the coolest existence; their excessive appetites and habits are legendary; they lived together at some pretty interesting manor houses over several countries while making albums, some of which were reputed to be haunted. Musicians who come from nothing and rise beyond their wildest dreams are fascinating to read about.
The author’s lively language is engaging and indicative of the friendship she had with Christine McVie, along with her extensive knowledge of the music scene of the 1950s to the 1970s in London. Christine had also been speaking about writing a memoir, but it was not to be before her passing. The author, Leslie-Ann Jones has been featured on television music documentaries, and has also written biographies of John Lennon, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie and Freddie Mercury.
In this book, many often overlooked details of Christine’s solo work are discussed, such as her 1985 cover of Elvis’s Can’t Help Falling in Love for the movie A Fine Mess.
As the author had personal access to Christine over the years, the book has first hand knowledge of areas of the musician’s life that fans will find interesting. Credited many times as being the peacekeeper of the band, except for one episode of violence, the details of that scenario at Christine’s house are laid out. Photos of her English manor house and the renovation project that Christine embarked on after being in the states for 28 years, as well as how she spent some of her free time and with whom she socialized, show another side of her creativity.
Little known details of Fleetwood Mac’s dynamics and betrayals are included to delve into; the difficulties in being married to someone in the same band as her for example.
Before being interested in John McVie, Christine had first been enamored with Peter Green, who unfortunately dealt with the consequences of imbibing hallucinatory substances.
Christine has been on record for stating that Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys was the love of her life, and that ill-fated romance and her reaction upon learning of his death are detailed here in Christine’s own words, as well as the songs she wrote about him.
Fleetwood Mac was a group of creatives who made music magic. As we continue to mourn the loss of a gifted musician and songwriter, her legacy is her music being with us forever and continuing to be loved by newer generations.
“I want to be with you everywhere.”
And she always will be.
