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NME January 28, 1978 (by Steve Clarke) FLEETWOOD MACS RUMOURS finally struggles to the top slot on the British album charts a year after release, the group's drummer Mick Fleetwood continues to further his career as a successful manager. First one ex-Mac guitarist, Bob Welch, Came under his guiding hand - and now he- is even hoping to play a part in re-launching a recovered Peter Green. Fleetwood, assisted initially by colleagues John McVie and Bob Welch, first took over the management of Fleetwood Mac in 1974, after original manager Clifford Davies had put a "bogus" Fleetwood Mac on the road. At that time the former doyen of British blues bands was close to bankruptcy, and still without any real hold on the American market. That they had potential was clear when a stream of managers rushed to offer their services. Against the odds - and against record company wishes - Fleetwood decided it would be best if he took care of the Mac. Today, they're one of the world'd biggest bands. "Rumours" has sold 10 million worldwide, and is still selling. Moreover, Bob Welch, who quit Fleetwood Mac at the end of '74, has finally broken through as a solo act. Fleetwood took him on to his books last year. Since then Welch has had a big American hit with "Sentimental Lady", a number which Fleetwood himself suggested as a single. "I'm a manager, but I don't feel like one", Fleetwood, his well-spoken English voice still intact, told Thrills over the phone from Los Angeles last week. "I'm always Mick who plays the drums first" he expanded, "not Mick who manages the band." That may be so, but when Mac isn't touring or recording, he'll spend his days working at the Seedy Management (Fleetwood always did have an off-beat sense of humour) offices, sometimes until ten at night. There, his staff are all people the band has known for years. Such is the tightness of Fleetwood's operation that when Welch hits the road in February, he'll take with him Fleetwood Mac's road-crew; at that time the group will be preparing their follow-up to "Rumours", which they intend to start actual sessions for in April. Welch's band were hand-picked by Welch and Fleetwood. Mick: "I decided to expand when I realised the office had become capable of doing the leg-work while I was out on the road. It runs very smoothly. I felt Bob had made a big mistake when he formed Paris after leaving us. It was a project he had no control over, and totally out of character for him. He'd been through a whole string of managers in his time who weren't at all creative. I was confident I could offer him the proper facility." Fleetwood maintains he isn't a business-first person, and emphasises that he'll only involve himself in handling somebody's career if it's heart-felt. "It's important to take care of the essence, and not concentrate too much on the money. That comes naturally." The money he's invested in Welch isn't "a fortune", and he's confident that he'll more than recoup his investment. "Money is great, but it's not important. John (McVie) and myself have been with it and without it, and it hasn't affected us psychologically. It's not what really matters. If it had been, we would have given up long ago." "It is important to retain the right kind of motivation - and the more successful you become, the more difficult it gets." Fleetwood also plans to manage a member of Welch's band. As for Fleetwood's role in managing Fleetwood Mac, while he decides when and where the band will do something (for instance, on a recent tour of Japan he decided the gigs would be filmed), he doesn't tike a lead in musical matters. He's particularly excited about a projected Russian tour Mac are hoping to play in July. "It's a somewhat strange and delicate event," he told me. "It's a major event. It's not going to be just another rock'n'roll show. It has positive potential for bringing young people together." Three concerts are planned - all for a United Nations charity. Fleetwood is also keen to play a part in Peter Green's future. "We didn't sit down seriously and talk about management as such. I offered him my services first as a friend, and because I'm really excited about the way he is now. He knows it's no big deal if I do manage him - a far less terrifying prospect than if he was in some office with someone saying, 'I'm going to manage you, kid'." There is no way Green could fit into the current Mac line-up, though Fleetwood does hope to play with Green outside Fleetwood Mac. Mac are approaching their follow-up to "Rumours" with characteristic thoroughness. Owing to the glut of material, the ensuing album will be a double, but, claims Fleetwood, with "no padding". At one point there were, uh, rumours that the next album would be half studio and half live, but although they do have a lot of live material in the can, Fleetwood feels it would be treading water to put out a live record at this stage in their career. After all, he reasons, it will only be the current line-up's third elpee. Was there any pressure on them to record another "Rumours"? "It's a mistake to worry too much about former glories," he said pointedly. "We've always done the stuff we've wanted to do and not because of any outside pressure. Our first priority is to satisfy ourselves and not the public - otherwise we would create a prison." So why did he think "Rumours" had been so successful? "We all felt very strong together. There's a strong chemistry that I dread to dissect in case I ruin something. Not only are Fleetwood Mac visually appealing, but unlike The Eagles or Chicago, when people think of us they think of its as people and not just a band." "When people describe us as MOR - and use it in a derogatory way - they're missing the point. The Beatles were MOR. There's more of that kind of reaction in England. It's similar to when "Albatross" was a hit. Some of our fans resented us because we'd become public property. That's bullshit." Finally, how about the emotional upsets that played havoc when "Rumours" was recorded? "Everything's subsided and it's strengthened us as a band. There's a better rapport now we're close friends and nothing else. We've forgotten about it. It's better just to get on with it and not harp on it." "John's getting married. He and his future wife get on like a house on fire with Christine (McVie) and her boyfriend." Weird, huh? "Not really," says Mick Fleetwood. "Things that may appear odd on the outside really aren't." PETER GREEN is playing again! The original Fleetwood Mac guitarist, whose tragic departure from the rock'n' roll world has been one of the most mourned rock casualties of the decade, is now, according to his erstwhile colleague Mick Fleetwood, "like the day I first met him." Almost a year ago to the day, Green was committed for treatment at a mental hospital after an incident involving a shot-gun. But last week, Fleetwood informed "Thrills" that the guitarist was "a changed man" "It's incredible. It's marvellous," enthused Fleetwood over the phone from his Bel Air home - where, incidentally, Green was married on January 4 to one Jane Samuel. Green has known his new wife - a Los Angelean whom,' Mick Fleetwood believes, he met in Hawaii for four years, and visited Los Angeles primarily to marry her. Green had turned up there unexpectedly, calling the sleeping Fleetwood just two hours before he arrived. The couple are currently honeymooning in London, but plan to return to America soon. It's rumoured he'll work in the studio there, with Fleetwood producing. Mick Fleetwood saw the guitarist at a reception held for the re-estabtished Fleetwood Mac at a London hotel in late '76. Journalists at the party were astonished to see the shape Green was in. Overweight and distant, he was barely recognisable as the brilliant guitarist / composer who'd played such a large part in revitallising the charts in the late '60s with a quartet of peerless singles. "Looking at his eyes, he's a very different person to then," said Fleetwood. "He's a total pleasure to be with. He's now capable of being objective about all the stuff he's been through. He's come out of a lengthy process of getting his feet back on the ground. I don't want to come on like an amateur shrink, but I think Peter's recovery is down to the fact that he's started playing again. It's very destructive when you don't play for a long time." "He was very positive about everything he wanted to do. Peter's not planning to come back like a bolt of lightning. He's playing like someone who hasn't played for six years, but who hasn't lost his centre. Sure, he's a bit rusty, but he still plays like no-one else. He needs to get down and do some hard work." As yet, no record company is making any announcements about signing Green, although it seems preliminary negotiations are underway between Green and WEA Records. At present, the guitarist isn't considering a return to the stage. "He's in no hurry," Fleetwood said. "He's waited seven years." |