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Submit your own review-- click here! Average Reviewer Rating:
Number of Big Towne 2061 (August 1976) Reviews: 1
Reviewer: Edward R. Schwab, Contributor to Fleetwood Mac - Behind The Masks April 29, 2001 Big Towne, 2061 is a futuristic blend of Heavy rock
and techno which has never really been duplicated the
same since. This is the second recording by the power
trio of Welch, Glenn Cornick, and this time Hunt Sales
who would later become a member of David Bowie's Tin
Machine (it is worth noting that Bernie Marseen was
also listed in rock journals at the time as the extra
musician heard on the live track "Slave Trader"). This
time, Welch learned from the mistakes made on the
previous power raunch. Here, the first correction is
obvious - the production is very smooth and sharp, un-
like the first venture (Bob Hughes, who produced the
Mac's Heroes Are Hard To Find album produced this one)
and the subject matter, although still esoteric and
VERY Bob Welch, tends to lean a little to the seedy
side. "New Orleans" talks about mixed breeding, and
open invitation to cause general mayhem, among other
things. "Outlaw Game" is the predacessor to the song
"Outskirts", which was released on his first solo lp,
and the aforementioned "Slave Trader" highlights
Welch's amazing jazz guitar skills, structured in a
song about selling your soul. But without a doubt, the
raining princess out of the collection is "Janie", a
song obviously written about his then-wife Jane Robin-
son, whose brother had mixed the first album. "Blue
Robin", "1 in 10", and "Heart Of Stone" are pure rock
n roll (Welch-ized, of course), and "Pale Horse, Pale
Rider", uses heavy synthesizer waves to guide the
movements. And finally, the album's tribute to dead
presidents, "Money Love" starts off side 2, and show-
cases Hunt Sales' vocal talents. One should also add
that another song "China" came out of this batch of
music, and was later released on Welch's second solo
LP, Three Hearts. Big Towne, 2061 is simply good from
cover to cover. There isnt a single weak link here,
and it is actually some of Welch's greatest arrange-
ment masterpieces, probably his best excluding Looks
At Bop. A very approachable attempt at heavy rock,
this lp is not one to be missed, especially for those
Welch fans who want to see him challenge himself to
the fullest musically, lyrically, and even vocally.
It certainly should be part of every Mac collection
Transcribed to HTML by Jeff Kenney.
