Oh, how I love Fleetwood Mac.
Each of their about 5 (plus) incarnations have produced immaculate pop and rock music. Some will be forever be chiseled into the annals of overplayed classic rock, but some remains frustratingly obscure. I knew I wanted to write about Mac, but I really struggled to pick a specific song.
The pre-Buckingham/Nicks album that has made the biggest impression on me over the years was 1971's "Future Games". I had known the powerful title track for years before I heard its parent album, and was surprised by how the rest of the album complimented its sleepy psychedelia. This disc stands out as a major departure from anything Mac has done before and after. It's also the first album to include new members, Bob Welch, who would later find solo success and legendary mainstay Christine McVie. Both of them penned a pair of winners for this record. "Future Games" reflects the special magic of a band trying to forge a new identity, as experimentation abounds.
But let's get to the point of this long rant and talk Danny Kirwin, the little known lead guitarist who really brings early FM to a new dimension. He contributed three untouchable masterworks to this album. Do yourself a favor. Click on the link below and listen to the opener "Woman of 1000 Years" and then prepare to be swept away.
"Woman of 1000 Years" sets the tone for the moody and gorgeous album with a buoyant sea of acoustic guitars, breathtaking harmonies given depth with just the right amount of reverb, and peppering of clave and bongos. But above all the melody ebbs and flows, starts and stops like waves on the water's edge that its lyrics illustrate. Kirwin then takes us away on an extended instrumental coda, where things sort of quiet down, but do not come a complete fade out.
So, I can't really give any better explanation as to why I find this song so beautiful other than that you just have to let its strains of sound and melody wash over you. The lyrics don't carry a especially deep meaning, but they're image heavy and the arrangement enhances this. To some, it borders on somnambulant, which I can understand, but man, what an unexpected sonic treat from a group like Fleetwood Mac, and what an unexpected triumph of songwriting from someone who rock history has left behind.
Sadly, after the next album, Kirwin left the group in a very dramatic fashion when he began to suffer from serious mental illness. It's a shame he never got to further hone his immense talent, but his contributions to Fleetwood Mac remain untouchable.
After hearing this, do yourself another favor and search youtube for "Sands of Time". Heavier, longer, and equally mesmerizing.
