Easy to fall (Bob Welch) (LP 4833 - 4834)

Bob Welch  French Kiss (Vinyl, Capitol Records, 1977) **** 

Bob Welch  Three Hearts (Vinyl, Capitol Records, 1979) *** 

Genre: Pop 

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Ebony Eyes (French Kiss)

Gear costume: Precious Love (Three Hearts)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6; Part 7; Part 8

Active compensatory factors: Bob Welch's work with Fleetwood Mac is undervalued I feel - eclipsed by other iterations of the band. After he left he started a band called Paris who recorded two undistinguished albums and then launched his solo career with French Kiss and the hit single Ebony Eyes.

The album is also notable for the inclusion of various Fleetwood Mac members -  Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie and Welch's successor, Lindsey Buckingham. With such company and such strong soft rock material, the album got his career off to a flyer.

His second, Three Hearts, repeated the formula with Mick and Christine again having cameo appearances but overall it wasn't as strong as the debut.

Where do they all belong? Smooth soft rock at its smoothest from the talented Bob Welch. Basically, anything that Christine McVie contributes to is classy and worthy of purchase.