The Fleetwood Mac Heroes Are Hard to Find Apprciation Thread

JimSpark,

I agree that the cover of Heroes is a poor choice as well as not making much sense. You might be right that with a different cover the album might have fared better.

Scott

 

Yeah, I'm not a fan of the cover, either. Interestingly, Heroes had the highest ranking of any pre-B/N Mac album, charting at #34. (The next highest would be – weirdly – Penguin at #49.) So I guess a few folks didn't mind taking the LP up to the counter for purchase.

The only three presentable album covers from pre-75 to me were the debut album, Then Play On and Bare Trees. All the others have some sort of affliction or another. Album cover art improved dramatically with the arrival of Stevie and Lindsey.

 

It's the music that matters, not what's on the front cover of the album.

 

This one is pretty easy to find on vinyl. The used store near me has several and he can't seem to move them even though they are reasonably priced - less that $6.

 

If they ever do redo it, I hope they remix it and exhume the buried lead vocals.

 

Never mind a remix... I doubt we'll even get a decent remaster on CD.

 

++++++++++++++++++

Of course the music matters most but at the time this album was released Fleetwood Mac weren't well known in the US and their earlier success (mostly in the UK) was a few years old. The cover of Heroes probably didn't do them any favors. I really like the covers of their albums starting with Then Play On. The covers of Kiln House, Future Games and Bare Trees are excellent choices. Mystery to Me and Heroes, not so much.

Scott

 

What IS the deal with that cover? Not very educated on FM, so any info would be helpful to explain how they put that out.

 

Like it a lot, but it lacks the lead guitar bite that Weston or Kirwan would bring (as well as a third songwriter).

Interestingly the Mac albums made as a quartet are their less-recognised works - the first two (Green + Spencer), Kiln House (Kirwan + Spencer, and C McVie in the background), Heroes (Welch + McVie) and Say You Will (Buckingham + Nicks). I'd not put any of those in my top five FM choices.

Lastly, this album is the only instance I can think of where a band has reused a song title on a totally unrelated song- Welch's Angel here, and Nicks's Angel on Tusk.

 

I think the only time that an album cover or any of the artwork on an album may influence the buying public is if it was something such as a picture or drawing of something in extremely bad taste or something very inappropriate.

 

I love the title track too as well as Come A Little Bit Closer. The album is all about Christine for me.

 

Keep positive. We did get a remastered, restored and expanded issue of Then Play On, so anything is possible

 

It's a fine album and gets regular play at my house. I still remember when it came out, when a friend who had be the best stereo around brought it home and we all went over to listen.

 

Yes, but that really was an era where poor cover art choices were all over the place. Not too sure it made much difference on commercial success or lack thereof.

 

Was it really expanded? I thought it just had one or two extra tracks.

 

The proper UK version, plus Oh Well (parts 1 and 2), The Green Manalishi and World Harmony.

 

1st time I was ready to buy the used LP, it was $6.99 (about 2 years ago). Next time, it was $12.99 (just a few months ago). That price, plus the album cover, made me leave it behind.

Maybe a download of the album should be in my future!

 

People have a tendency to read too much into that kind of stuff. I think the meaning behind it was probably as innocent as can be, but it certainly wasn't a wise move.

 

I think years afterwards, it probably kept at least a few people from taking a chance on it. If you bought it in '74, it was because you were already a fan. But if you were flipping through the glut of pre-BN Fleetwood Mac LP's in a shop in the late-70's to now, and didn't know much about them, would Heroes be the one you'd pick?

It's not really better or worse than a lot of other 70's album covers, though. It just hasn't aged well. And is slightly terrifying. I had an ex-girlfriend who haaaated that I owned that LP.

 

This album haunted all the cutout bins for many years! No one should pay more than $3 or $4 for it on vinyl or cassette.
I finally bought it a few years ago. Probably played it 2 or 3 times. It seems to lack the blues rock of the Peter Green era, and the powerful chart topping rock of the Buckingham - Nicks era.

 

Nothing wrong with the album itself.
Each one of the 'wilderness period' has enough quality material to recommend it.
For those that want to dip into it, here's your gateway drug:
http://www.amazon.com/Original-Album-Series-Fleetwood-Mac/dp/B008MMFBQ6

 

I just look at it as another entry in the series of "covers with really strange Mick Fleetwood photos." Between Mick naked in a bush ("Mr. Wonderful"), Mick as an extremely ugly woman ("English Rose"), Mick with dangly balls ("Rumours")...

 

Well, that's convenient - there's another 'Original Album Series' set with Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, Mr. Wonderful and Pious Bird Of Good Omen as well.

 

Love how Welch and Christine work and sound together on this album. Always dug "She's Changing Me"--one tough little pop song that coulda been a hit.

 

Either that or the Blue Horizon set if it can be found easily. It adds the 'Original Fleetwood Mac' outtakes album and all the single material from that era. I got it for cheap, but I suspect it's really hard to find now.