All in all, Future Games was another vital step forward in Fleetwood Mac's rise to a more notable success. The addition of naturally gifted songwriter Christine McVie and replacement Bob Welch didn't seem to hamper the album's progress, and yet there was still a bit of work to be done with the less memorable tunes. Fleetwood Mac is a British and American blues band formed in 1967. From the band's inception through the end of 1974, no incarnation of Fleetwood Mac lasted longer than two years, but all featured core members Mick Fleetwood and John McVie.

The debut Bob Welch song on a Fleetwood Mac album (and at over eight minutes, the longest), 'Future Games' is the standout track on the disc titled from it. The song is also a prime example of the writer's most captivating talents, introducing concepts he would explore in later albums with the band. The first American invited into the previously all-British group, Welch steered them even further away from their blues roots than Kiln House, and towards the moody California pop which 'Future Games' perfectly encapsulates. Welch's jazzy, echoed guitar runs and wispy vocals float over the dreamy melody that is beautifully underscored by Christine McVie's somber organ and the muscular but laid-back Fleetwood-John McVie rhythm section. Lyrically, this is Welch's first foray into the spiritual themes that he would return to later. With concepts as pensive as the music, Welch seems to be trying to predict the future psychically, wondering of 'all the wild things tomorrow will tame.' He intones the line 'I know I'm not the only one' repeatedly, as the song crescendos with a wiry guitar suspended over the hazy chords. It wasn't a hit at the time of release, likely due to its length, yet the track was featured in Cameron Crowe's 2000 film Almost Famous, although it was not included on the movie's soundtrack disc. Welch himself revisited the song with a shorter, more commercialized reading on his 1979 solo album The Other One, but that version dissipated the magic and ambiance of the Fleetwood Mac version. The highlight of this release, and arguably of Welch's five-album stint with the group, is the subtle beauty of 'Future Games,' making it one of the great 'lost' tracks in this particular phase of the long-standing band.

Appears On

Mystery To Me Fleetwood Mac