The decade in which I was born has given me a strange perspective on its music. I discovered pretty much all of the 70’s sounds – from prog rock to punk to disco – well after they came into the world. It wasn’t until the late 80’s that I discovered what I was missing. I would characterize the decade as one where budding genres leaped off their inspiration pads and came to fruition. For the month of February, Mental Jukebox will feature some of these gems with a different 70’s song each day. #28DaysOf70sSongs
Fleetwood Mac fans might be some of the most loyal music fans out there. To them, Rumours is like Citizen Kane. And Stevie Nicks is a goddess. I’ve never really stopped and wondered why these fans adore this band so much. But it is a peculiar thing. It rivals the level of devotion in Deadheads. Fans that will travel on planes and quit their jobs to see their band open with “The Chain”, close with “Go Your Own Way”, and play a Stevie Nicks ballad right smack in the middle of the setlist. A beautiful, timeless song called “Landslide”.
It occurred to me that “Landslide” might be a microcosm of everything that fans love about Fleetwood Mac. Stevie Nicks’ signature raspy delivery is the centerpiece of the song. Wise beyond her years, written and sung with perspective we don’t often see in a rock star. And then there’s Lindsey Buckingham’s iconic acoustic guitar, steady, un-flashy, but absolutely critical to the sound of the song. The instrumentation is minimal because “Landslide” doesn’t need to be covered in layers. It’s the heart of the song that matters. And maybe that’s what Fleetwood Mac fans are truly after.
“Time makes you bolder. Even children get older. And I'm getting older too.”