Fleetwood Mac - Future Games (1971)

Steve:

As a sophomore in college, my interest in prog was ramping up quickly. My friend Rob and I even regularly made time for listening to mind-blowing music at high volume with the lights out while lying down (a listening session we nicknamed "Loud/Reclined/Now", or LRN for short). While our peers jammed out to Michael Jackson's Bad or Guns 'n Roses' Appetite for Destruction, we could be heard blasting early Floyd, Genesis, ELP, Jethro Tull and Steve Hackett. We couldn't have guessed that Fleetwood Mac would soon take their place among these bands. 

A dorm-mate of ours purchased Then Play On (1969), the swan song of the original incarnation of Fleetwood Mac with Peter Green at the helm, and Rob and I both listened with interest. This album quickly became a favorite of ours, and I still consider it one of the finest examples of "progressive blues" out there (along with The Turning Point by John Mayall and Raw Sienna by Savoy Brown). Rob and I became curious about what other great Fleetwood Mac albums might be out there. Soon thereafter, on the same day I bought Kiln House (1970) and he bought Future Games (1971). I was not too happy with Kiln House, with original guitarist Jeremy Spencer dominating the album with songs that were not to my liking. Future Games, however, was a revelation, and we quickly forgot about Kiln House and listened to Future Games regularly for the next couple of years.

Danny Kirwan (guitar, vocals) was comfortably in control - his three long compositions defined the tone of the album, stretching out his folk-rock style into long languid pieces with sweet harmonies and expressive cries of low-key guitar leads - a prog-rock CSN, if you will. Future hitmaker Christine McVie also contributed strong songs with her warm alto voice, and newcomer Bob Welch surprised everybody by upstaging both Kirwan and McVie with the bewitching 8-minute title track, which he would not top until "Hypnotized" two years later. 

Most reviews I've seen of Future Games describe it as boring, weak, or (at best) transitional. These reviews usually follow the narrative that the band was either impatiently waiting for Buckingham and Nicks to show up (fulfilling the band's destiny as classic rock/pop giants) or lamenting the loss of Peter Green (never recovering from the sad decline of their fearless visionary leader). This kind of critical alignment mirrors that seen with Pink Floyd reviewers - either discounting their transitional period in anticipation of the "arrival" of Dark Side of the Moon or whining about how the band died after Syd Barrett went to la-la land. In both cases, I argue strongly that the relatively unheralded middle period, that search for a new identity and a more successful approach, resulted in very interesting music - particularly of interest to fans of progressive rock. Progressive rock was a lot about the "search" anyway, wasn't it?

Dan:

Although memories tend to blur, I believe my first exposure to Fleetwood Mac was on a visit to Germany in 1978. Our work group was hosted by one of its members, who asked what I'd like to hear on his stereo. I noticed a copy of Fleetwood Mac and requested it. It made no impression on me as the conversations drifted to other topics. Within a year or so, I heard Bare Trees (1972), the follow up to Future Games, on the FM. It made a stronger impression. 

After the release of Fleetwood Mac and Rumours, it was hard to escape the cavalcade of hits, and I actually grew to dislike them. "Don't Stop" and "Go Your Own Way" seemed to play constantly, as did "Rhiannon" and "Landslide." I have to admit to never liking Stevie Nicks' vocals very much. Christine McVie struck me as cooler and less mannered.

At some point, my FM source for rock music changed from playing noontime albums to playing compilations. The Fleetwood Mac hour on my cassette proved to be key to a new understanding of the band. Some of the deeper cuts really stood out for me, especially Christine McVie's songs and vocals. Tracks from the maligned Penguin and other earlier albums convinced me that I had judged the hitmakers unfairly. Beneath the overplayed hits lay extraordinary gems like "Emerald Eyes," "Hypnotized," "Child of Mine," and "Spare Me a Little of Your Love." 1970-1973 was the best period of the band for me.

Future Games has no "filler" songs or goofy experiments. My favorite song is "Sands of Time," but all are great for the reasons Steve writes about. I appreciate his loaning me the CD long ago. I later bought the LP and now have a hi-rez download in my digital library.