Fleetwood Mac - "Over My Head"

 

Christine McVie, longtime member of Fleetwood Mac, died earlier this month.  As I've discussed earlier, most people don't recognize that Fleetwood Mac had released nine LPs prior to their 1975 LP "Fleetwood Mac", which was the first of their "classic" period, with Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. 

Christine was actually a session musician with Fleetwood Mac from about 1968-1971, since she was then in Chicken Shack as well as releasing a solo LP.  She became an official member in 1971, credited as a full member on 1971's "Future Games" LP.  Prior to Fleetwood Mac, she also won the Melody Maker "best female vocalist" award in both 1969 and 1970.  

Of course, Fleetwood Mac really took off in 1975 with the addition of Buckingham & Nicks, effectively making Christine the George Harrison of Fleetwood Mac: the third best songwriter in the group, while still being a songwriter that most other groups would love to have. 

Of the various songs that Christine is credited with, my personal favorite is "Over My Head", from their 1975 eponymous LP.  It's a mellow song, and reminds me a turbulent but exciting period for me in the spring of 1991. 

I wonder what will happen with Fleetwood Mac.  Of the three principal singers from the classic period, the recent past has only featured two.  Assuming Buckingham and Nicks will never work together again, can Fleetwood Mac continue with only Nicks?  

Fleetwood Mac - "Over My Head"

Low - Live at Austin Community Television (ACTV) Main Studio (1996)

 

Mimi Parker, the drummer for Low, died last month, after a battle with ovarian cancer.  She and her husband Alan Sparhawk were the two main members of the long-running and genre-defining slowcore band Low.  

I first learned of Low from the Joy Division tribute LP "A Means to an End", where their cover of "Transmission" was a standout among a strong LP.  Based on my enjoyment of their track, I got several of their early LPs, although I don't have nearly enough of their lengthy discography.  

Low's sparse, slow sound is perfect for contemplative late night listening.  Mimi's three piece drum kit,  as shown in the image above, is a nice metaphor for their minimalist, yet surprisingly large sound.  This 1996 four song set, which includes "Transmission", is a good example of their sound at the time.  I don't know the exact date of this concert, but setlist.fm puts them in Austin on both 1996-04-18 and 1996-03-15.

Low had a number of different bassists through the years, but Alan and Mimi were the constants.  Even if Alan continues to make music, I'm not sure he can continue as "Low" without Mimi.  

Bonus link: "Transmission" (studio version), original (Joy Division)

PS -- Given Alan a follow on Twitter; he's thoughtful and engaging.