RIP Christine McVie

 Stevie Nicks was the Rock Star and Lindsey Buckingham the studio genius. But Christine McVie was the soul of Fleetwood Mac.  A calming presence, both in her songs and persona amidst a band known for its high drama.  Christine McVie was responsible for more Top 40 Fleetwood Mac songs than Buckingham & Nicks.  But her understated nature often got overlooked.  Yet her songs never did.  Starting with their self-titled album in 1975, she began to hone her skills as a soft Rock composer and singer.  "Over My Head", her first hit record with FM is my favorite of her self-penned songs.  

  One can't discount her pre-1975 years with the Mac.  The template for all her hit records was their from the time she joined the group in 1970.  Songs like "Spare A Little Of Your Love" (1972) and "Come A Little Closer" (1974) were should have been hits.  The key to all her songs was her soulful voice and calming delivery.  

  Once Fleetwood Mac finally took off so did their presence on Top 40 radio.  And McVie had more of those than either Nicks or Buckingham.  There's too many gems to mention, but here's just a few that I've always loved: "Hold Me", "Songbird", "Little Lies", "Everywhere", "Got A Hold On Me", "Say You Love Me" and so many more.

 There's a part of me that feels that Christine McVie was an underrated presence in Rock history.  That even being in one of the most popular Rock bands ever she never got her due.  But I bet she would disagree.  It's not that she wasn't part of the soap opera of the Mac.  She was married then divorced the bass player while in the band. But she never seemed to be in conflict with any member of the group. Content with her keyboards, playing the songs that made Fleetwood Mac legends.  She was Christine Perfect.