Heroes Are Hard to Find [Clear with Black & Bone Splatter Vinyl]

by Fleetwood Mac

Overview

Although this was Bob Welch's last album with the band he had worked with since 1971, it sounds like he's at his peak. Pared down to a foursome for the first and (as of 2002) only time since the addition of Danny Kirwan, both Welch and Christine McVie contribute some of their finest songs. Bolstered by sympathetic self-production and imaginative, often aggressive arrangements that include brassy horns on the title track (a blatant but failed attempt at a hit single), the album is one of their most cohesive yet diverse. Welch continues his fascination with UFOs in a sort of follow-up to Mystery to Me's "Hypnotized" called "Bermuda Triangle" and even heads into a spacy Hendrix "Third Stone From the Sun" groove on "Coming Home." Christine McVie is in wonderful voice on her own ballads like "Prove Your Love" but outdoes herself on the magnificent "Come a Little Bit Closer," a stunning track whose grandeur is heightened by strings and McVie's majestic piano. It's a hidden classic and pedal steel by the Flying Burrito Brothers' Sneaky Pete Kleinow is an unexpected and perfect addition to the album's most fully realized tune. Welch's folk-pop "She's Changing Me" is one of his most upbeat, memorable melodies, offset by the rocker "Silver Heels" and his closing "Safe Harbor," a knowing nod back to Peter Green's atmospheric work on "Albatross" and his contributions to Then Play On. McVie's haunting rocker "Bad Loser" is reinforced by the propulsive rhythm section of Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, both adding tense bite to even the most tender of ballads. Welch left soon after the album's release, and the group went on to bigger and better things, but Heroes is a minor gem that retains its effortless pop charms and contains some buried jewels in the extensive Fleetwood Mac catalog. ~ Hal Horowitz

Product Details

Release Date:	10/04/2024
Label:	Rhino
UPC:	0603497824755
Rank:	1052

Tracks

1. Heroes Are Hard to Find
2. Coming Home
3. Angel
4. Bermuda Triangle
5. Come a Little Bit Closer
6. She's Changing Me
7. Bad Loser
8. Silver Heels
9. Prove Your Love
10. Born Enchanter
11. Safe Harbour

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Fleetwood Mac   Primary Artist
Sneaky Pete Kleinow   Guest Artist,Pedal Steel
Bob Welch   Vocals,Vibraphone,Guitar
John McVie   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Christine McVie   Vocals,Keyboards,Arp Strings
Mick Fleetwood   Drums,Percussion

Technical Credits

Bob Welch   Composer
Christine McVie   Composer
Elmore James   Composer
Fleetwood Mac   Producer
Nick DeCaro   Horn Arrangements,String Arrangements
Bob Hughes   Engineer,Producer
Lee Herschberg   Remastering
Stevie Nicks   Composer
Desmond Strobel   Design
Doug Graves   Engineer,Assistant Engineer