French Kiss (Bob Welch album)

Last updated
French Kiss
Bob Welch - French Kiss.jpg
Studio album by
Released16 September 1977
Recorded1977
Studio Sunset Sound, Village Recorders, Cherokee Studios and Producer's Workshop, Los Angeles
Genre Rock, power pop, disco
Length35:45
Label Capitol
Producer Carter (except track 1, which was produced by Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie)
Bob Welch chronology
Big Towne, 2061
(1976)
French Kiss
(1977)
Three Hearts
(1979)
Singles from French Kiss
  1. "Sentimental Lady"
    Released: October 1977
  2. "Ebony Eyes"
    Released: January 1978
  3. "Hot Love, Cold World"
    Released: May 1978
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Christgau's Record Guide C+ [2]

French Kiss is the solo debut by former Fleetwood Mac singer/guitarist Bob Welch. The songs, with the exception of "Sentimental Lady", were intended for a projected third album by Welch's previous band, Paris. However, the group fell apart in 1977 before recording could begin. So instead, Welch used these songs for his debut solo album.

Contents

History

The album produced three hit singles: "Ebony Eyes" (with backing vocals by Juice Newton) peaking at number 14 in the US; a revised version of Fleetwood Mac's"Sentimental Lady", peaking at number 8; and "Hot Love, Cold World", which peaked at number 31. [3]

The album itself peaked at number 12 in the US and later went platinum. It is Welch's best-selling album.

The album features guest appearances by former Fleetwood Mac bandmates Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie and Welch's successor, Lindsey Buckingham.

Track listing

All songs written by Bob Welch, with additional writers noted.

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Sentimental Lady" 2:52
2."Easy to Fall" 3:31
3."Hot Love, Cold World"John Henning3:39
4."Mystery Train" 3:07
5."Lose My Heart" 1:55
6."Outskirts" John Carter 3:19
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."Ebony Eyes"3:33
2."Lose Your..."0:45
3."Carolene"3:13
4."Dancin' Eyes"3:20
5."Danchiva"3:51
6."Lose Your Heart"3:16

Personnel

Musicians

Technical

Charts

Chart (1977–78)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [4] 8
US Billboard 200 [5] 12
Canadian RPM Albums Chart [6] 13

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [7] Platinum1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fleetwood Mac</span> British-American rock band

Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac was founded by guitarists and vocalists Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer and drummer Mick Fleetwood. Bob Brunning was hired as a temporary bass guitarist before John McVie joined the line-up in time for their eponymous debut album. Danny Kirwan joined as a third guitarist and vocalist in 1968. Keyboardist and vocalist Christine Perfect, who contributed as a session musician starting with the band's second album, married McVie and joined Fleetwood Mac as a full member in 1970, becoming known as Christine McVie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lindsey Buckingham</span> American guitarist (born 1949)

Lindsey Adams Buckingham is an American musician and record producer, best known as the lead guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the band Fleetwood Mac from 1975 to 1987 and 1997 to 2018. In addition to his tenure with Fleetwood Mac, Buckingham has released seven solo studio albums and three live albums. As a member of Fleetwood Mac, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Buckingham was ranked 100th in Rolling Stone's 2011 list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Buckingham is known for his fingerpicking guitar style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christine McVie</span> British musician (1943–2022)

Christine Anne McVie was an English musician, singer and songwriter. She was the keyboardist and one of the vocalists and songwriters of Fleetwood Mac.

<i>Tusk</i> (album) 1979 studio album by Fleetwood Mac

Tusk is the twelfth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released as a double album on 19 October 1979 by Warner Bros. Records. It is considered more experimental than their previous albums, partly as a consequence of Lindsey Buckingham's sparser songwriting arrangements and the influence of post-punk. The production costs were initially estimated to be about $1 million but many years later were revealed to be about $1.4 million, making it the most expensive rock album recorded to that date.

<i>Fleetwood Mac</i> (1975 album) 1975 studio album by Fleetwood Mac

Fleetwood Mac is the tenth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 11 July 1975 by Reprise Records. It was the band's second eponymous album, the first being their 1968 debut album; it is sometimes referred to among fans as the White Album. This was the first Fleetwood Mac album with Lindsey Buckingham as guitarist and Stevie Nicks as vocalist, after Bob Welch departed the band in late 1974. It was also the band's last album to be released on the Reprise label until 1997's The Dance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Welch (musician)</span> American musician (1945–2012)

Robert Lawrence Welch Jr. was an American musician who was a member of Fleetwood Mac from 1971 to 1974. He had a successful solo career in the late 1970s. His singles included "Hot Love, Cold World", "Ebony Eyes", "Precious Love", "Hypnotized", and his signature song, "Sentimental Lady".

<i>Law and Order</i> (album) 1981 studio album by Lindsey Buckingham

Law and Order is the first solo album by Fleetwood Mac guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Lindsey Buckingham, released in 1981. "Trouble", featuring drumming by Fleetwood Mac bandmate Mick Fleetwood, reached No. 9 on the U.S. charts; the album itself reached No. 32 on the Billboard 200. Lindsey appeared on Saturday Night Live on February 6, 1982 and performed "Trouble" and "Bwana" with Mick Fleetwood's Zoo.

<i>Bare Trees</i> 1972 studio album by Fleetwood Mac

Bare Trees is the sixth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released in March 1972. It was their last album to feature Danny Kirwan, who was fired during the album's supporting tour. In the wake of the band's success in the mid-1970s, Bare Trees peaked at number 70 on US Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart. The album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 1988.

<i>Future Games</i> 1971 studio album by Fleetwood Mac

Future Games is the fifth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 3 September 1971. It was recorded in the summer of 1971 at Advision Studios in London and was the first album to feature Christine McVie as a full member. This album was also the first of five albums to feature American guitarist Bob Welch. "He was totally different background – R&B, sort of jazzy. He brought his personality," Mick Fleetwood said of Welch in a 1995 BBC interview. "He was a member of Fleetwood Mac before we'd even played a note."

<i>Mystery to Me</i> 1973 studio album by Fleetwood Mac

Mystery to Me is the eighth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 15 October 1973. This was their last album to feature Bob Weston. Most of the songs were penned by guitarist/singer Bob Welch and keyboardist/singer Christine McVie, who were instrumental in steering the band toward the radio-friendly pop rock that would make them successful a few years later.

<i>Fleetwood Mac: Live in Boston</i> 2004 video album by Fleetwood Mac

Live in Boston is a live performance video/music album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 15 June 2004. The concert was filmed on 23–24 September 2003 at the FleetCenter in Boston, Massachusetts during the group's Say You Will Tour. The concert is a double DVD set, and also comes with a sampler CD, containing the audio of ten songs from the show. Part of WTTW's Soundstage series also chronicled Buckingham and Nicks solo in 2005 and 2008 respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Make Loving Fun</span> 1977 single by Fleetwood Mac

"You Make Loving Fun" is a song written and sung by Christine McVie of British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac. The song was released as the fourth and final 45 rpm single from the band's 1977 album Rumours. "You Make Loving Fun" peaked at No. 9 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and became the album's fourth top-ten hit.

<i>Under the Skin</i> (Lindsey Buckingham album) 2006 studio album by Lindsey Buckingham

Under the Skin is the fourth solo album by American musician and Fleetwood Mac vocalist/guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, released on October 3, 2006. The album, long delayed by Fleetwood Mac's reunion tour in the 1990s and 2003 album Say You Will, was his first solo release in 14 years. Under the Skin peaked at #80 on the Billboard 200 album chart in October 2006. "Show You How" was also released as a single but failed to chart.

<i>Live</i> (Fleetwood Mac album) 1980 live album by Fleetwood Mac

Live is a double live album released by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac on 8 December 1980. It was the first live album from the then-current line-up of the band, and the next would be The Dance from 1997. The album was certified gold by the RIAA in November 1981. A deluxe edition of the album was released on 9 April 2021.

<i>Three Hearts</i> 1979 studio album by Bob Welch

Three Hearts is the second solo album by rock musician and former Fleetwood Mac guitarist Bob Welch.

<i>Live from the Roxy</i> 2004 live album by Bob Welch

Live from the Roxy is a live album by the American rock musician Bob Welch, recorded in 1981, released in 2004, and later issued onto LP in 2021. Welch had been a member of Fleetwood Mac from 1971 to 1974, and this album features appearances by many members of that band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sentimental Lady</span> 1972 single by Bob Welch

"Sentimental Lady" is a song written by Bob Welch. It was originally recorded for Fleetwood Mac's 1972 album Bare Trees, but was re-recorded by Welch on his debut solo album, French Kiss, in 1977. It is a romantic song, originally written for Welch's first wife. Welch recorded it again in 2003 for his album His Fleetwood Mac Years & Beyond.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love in Store</span> 1982 single by Fleetwood Mac

"Love in Store" is a song by British-American rock group Fleetwood Mac. The song is the opening track on the 1982 album Mirage, the fourth album by the band with Lindsey Buckingham acting as main producer with Richard Dashut and Ken Caillat. "Love in Store" was written by Christine McVie and Jim Recor and it became the album's third single in the US. Released in November 1982, it went on to peak at No. 22 for three weeks as the follow-up to Top 20 hits "Hold Me" and "Gypsy". It also peaked at #11 on the Adult Contemporary chart. The song features lead vocals by Christine McVie with prominent vocal harmonies by Stevie Nicks and background vocals by Lindsey Buckingham.

"World Turning" is a song written by Christine McVie and Lindsey Buckingham for the British/American rock band Fleetwood Mac's tenth album, Fleetwood Mac.

"Don't Give it Up" is a 1981 song by English singer/songwriter Robbie Patton. It is Patton's first and only Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. "Don't Give it Up" reached #26 in the United States in 1981.

References

  1. French Kiss at AllMusic
  2. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: W". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies . Ticknor & Fields. ISBN   089919026X . Retrieved March 22, 2019 via robertchristgau.com.
  3. "Billboard Hot 100 - Bob Welch". Billboard . Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  4. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 335. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  5. "Bob Welch". Billboard . Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  6. "Image : RPM Weekly, January 21, 198". www.bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  7. "American album certifications – Bob Welch – French Kiss". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved 11 February 2018.