Pick four songs from any band and you can tell a lot about their sound. This summer, I’m featuring #RockBlocks, four picks from bands across various genres. They might be wildly different from each other, but what binds them together is the fact that they’re all a part of my life soundtrack.
The Fleetwood Mac fanbase is one of the most loyal and devoted followings you’ll ever come across. The affinity for this band’s immense canon of music cannot be denied. But for some reason, this band has often been overshadowed by others when it comes to my own musical preferences. Still, it hasn’t stopped me from noticing and appreciating what Fleetwood Mac has done for rock & roll music. As much as any other band, they have demonstrated a knack for nailing both instrumental complexity and simplicity. “Landslide” is a banner example of the latter.
Written by Stevie Nicks, “Landslide” unleashed the simple power of Nicks’ trademark rasp and gorgeous classical guitar-inspired instrumentation. It evokes themes that are pretty much the opposite of a physical landslide. Serenity. Peace. Control. But the most obvious quality of “Landslide” is perhaps the easiest one to overlook. In a band of several talented songwriters, vocalists and instrumentalists, egos were put aside to let Stevie Nicks be the spotlight. It’s a creative democracy that Fleetwood Mac has forged for more than 50 years.
“Well, I've been afraid of changin''cause I've built my life around you. But time makes you bolder. Even children get older. And I'm getting older too.”