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Heroes Are Hard to Find
1974 studio album by Fleetwood Mac From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Heroes Are Hard to Find is the ninth studio album by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 13 September 1974. This is the last album recorded with Bob Welch, who left the band at the end of 1974. It was the first Fleetwood Mac studio album recorded in the United States, in Los Angeles.
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Background
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The album was recorded during a low point for the group, with Bob Weston's affair with drummer Mick Fleetwood's wife causing a temporary disbandment. This led to subsequent legal problems when manager Clifford Davis organized a completely new lineup using the Fleetwood Mac name to fulfill their remaining tour dates.[2]
The band secured an injunction that prevented the fake Fleetwood Mac from performing and Davis also won an injunction that temporarily barred the lineup of Fleetwood, the McVies, and Welch from touring or releasing any new music.[3] Christine McVie described this period as the "most depressing time" in the band's career.[4]: 35:00–36:11 During this time, the band frequently travelled to a lawyer's office in London to discuss their legal options.[5]
Welch convinced the band to relocate to America so they could be closer to their record label. Christine McVie was initially hesitant, but agreed to travel with the band to Los Angeles.[6] John McVie commented that "obviously, L.A. was the place to go. The record company was here, and communication is easier in America. We had to get out of England 'cause we were going crazy'".[5] The band sued Davis for the right to use the name Fleetwood Mac and the recovery of their publishing rights. They also sought financial reimbursement to compensate for the loss of time and revenue that the band incurred from the litigation.[7]
Through the help of concert promoter Bill Graham, the lineup of Fleetwood, the McVies, and Welch managed to convince Warner Brothers that they were the real Fleetwood Mac. They negotiated a new contract with Warner Brothers, which allowed the band to release and perform music under the name Fleetwood Mac. The legal dispute with Davis was eventually settled out of court.[8]
Heroes Are Hard to Find was mixed at Angel City Sound in Los Angeles by Bob Hughes, who also served as a co-producer and engineer on the album.[9] Heroes are Hard to Find was the first album that Fleetwood Mac recorded with one guitarist. Fleetwood called the album "a more sedate affair than our pervious albums with Bob, the result of spending too long in creative limbo.[3]
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Release
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In the United States, Heroes are Hard to Find was released by WEA in September 1974 and sold 150,000 copies within a few weeks.[6][10] The album was set for release soon after in the United Kingdom, with WEA pairing up with CBS Records to press and distribute the album. Davis issued a writ in court to prevent its release in the UK, arguing that he still maintained the copyright of McVie's and Welch's work and thus ordered an injunction preventing the sale of the album in that country and sought reimbursement for copyright infringement. McVie and Welch had signed a publishing deal with Davis in 1971 with a duration of five years that could be extended to ten at the publisher's choosing.[10]
Two weeks after the writ was issued, an interim injunction was secured, which was upheld three days later after objections from WEA and CBS Records. Both record companies appealed the case on the grounds of unequal bargaining power between the band and Davis, the latter of whom had served as their manager and publisher at the time of the signing of the publishing deal. Lord Denning, who served as Master of the Rolls, ruled in favor of WEA and CBS Records, saying that "as a matter of common fairness, it was not right that the strong should be allowed to push the weak to the wall."[10]
The title track was edited and issued as a single and failed to chart. Despite the lack of a charting single to support Heroes Are Hard to Find, the album still managed to peak at No. 34 on the Billboard 200 chart, which at the time was the highest Billboard placing for any Fleetwood Mac album.[11] In October 1974, it also reached No. 1 on the Billboard FM Action chart, a special survey that ranked albums based on adds to playlists from progressive radio stations.[12] Christine McVie recalled that the band was disappointed with the album's commercial performance and expected it to chart higher. They were also displeased with the attendance of the album's accompanying tour, which failed to exceed a quarter capacity in some instances. During the band's performance in Las Vegas, Christine McVie said that Welch "screamed" at John McVie over a supposed mistake he had made onstage. Welch left Fleetwood Mac after the conclusion of the tour and was on more amicable terms with the band at the time of his departure.[4]: 37:16–38:09
Bob Welch later re-recorded "Angel", "Bermuda Triangle" and "Silver Heels" for His Fleetwood Mac Years & Beyond (2003). A re-write of "Silver Heels" with explicit lyrics, titled "Hustler", appeared on Bob Welch Looks at Bop (1999).[13]
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Cover art
The cover art was designed by Desmond Strobel and photographed Herbie Worthington using a three-way mirror.[3][14] It features a shirtless Mick Fleetwood with his chest puffed out and his three year-old daughter Amelia standing on his shoes. Worthington later supplied the cover art for Fleetwood Mac and Rumours.[3] The lace underwear worn by Fleetwood was given to him by Sandra Vigon, who at the time was staying at Worthington's house.[14]
Reception
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Heroes are Hard to Find received mostly positive reviews upon its release. Cashbox called the album's arrangements "lush and beautiful" and felt that the lyrics were "enigmatic and haunting".[19] Billboard commended the integration of string orchestration on the album and placed particular attention on the band's continued transition toward more commercial pop music "without losing the distinctive sound they have reached."[20] Record World called Heroes are Hard to Find the band's "most commercial album" with a "special soft style" that was "perked up by some heavier flavor."[21]
Rolling Stone believed that Heroes are Hard to Find "stacked up as a pleasant album", and singled out "Prove Your Love" as "exquisitely pretty" and "Come a Little Bit Closer" as "a gorgeous tune reminiscent of the Beach Boys".[17] Robert Christgau criticized the band for succumbing to pop cliches of the early 1970s, specifically their use of a string synthesizer, pedal steel, and "half-assed horns". He dismissed Welch and McVie for sounding bored and "less than perfect" respectively and labeled Heroes are Hard to Find as their worst album to date.[16]
Retrospective reviews have been mixed. Hal Horowitz of AllMusic complimenting the songwriting abilities of Welch and McVie. He also praised the album for being both "cohesive" and "diverse" and said that it was "a minor gem that retains its effortless pop charms."[15] Mojo ranked the album second to last on its list ranking all Fleetwood Mac albums. They thought that the band sounded "tired" and "ready for the new-blood makeover that Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham would very soon provide."[22]
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Track listing
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Personnel
Fleetwood Mac
- Bob Welch – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, vibraphone, lead and backing vocals
- Christine McVie – keyboards, ARP String Ensemble, lead and backing vocals
- John McVie – bass guitar
- Mick Fleetwood – drums, percussion
Additional personnel
- Sneaky Pete Kleinow – pedal steel guitar on "Come a Little Bit Closer"
- Nick DeCaro – string and horn arrangements
Production
- Fleetwood Mac – producers
- Bob Hughes – engineer, producer
- Doug Graves – engineer, assistant engineer
- Lee Herschberg – remastering
- Desmond Strobel – design
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Charts
References
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