Fleetwood Mac was the Lon Chaney of rock bands and each incarnation had its own distinctive sound and identity, particularly as it relates to guitarists. Peter Green, Jeremy Spencer, Danny Kirwan, Bob Welch, Bob Weston, and Lindsey Buckingham have all made huge contributions to the success of this venerable outfit.  Hard-core blues lovers clearly dig the Peter Green era (he wrote the original Black Magic Woman and fronted the great album Then Play On), while others prefer Danny Kirwan and his contributions (Kiln House, Future Games, Bare Trees).  Welch and Weston collaborated on Mystery to Me, Penguin and Heroes are Hard to Find, the latter being the last album the group made before reinventing itself with Buckingham & Stevie Nicks.  And Heroes is an underrated quality album deserving of our recommendation.

Space cadet Welch and silky smooth Christine McVie handle the vocals on the album.  It’s very pop-oriented, but retains the Fleetwood Mac signature roots.  I remember hearing She’s Changing Me on FM radio when the album was new.  It was, and is, a very catchy tune that’s hard to forget.  Other excellent songs include Angel, Bad Loser, and Come a Little Bit Closer.  Founders John McVie and Mick Fleetwood, on bass and drums, respectively, may have facilitated the revolving door for band members, but they never forgot how to be successful.  The future promised untold riches, but this particular band was tight and interesting.  Heroes are Hard to Find stands tall.   GD