Heroes Are Hard to Find

Although there is a fair amount of filler here-mostly courtesy of Bob Welch whose outer-space fixation had become a bit of an annoyance by 1974-many of these songs contain some of the strongest melodies and arrangements that Christine AND Welch ever did. Stripped down to a four-piece by this time, there's an resigned air of "Let's give it all we got one more time" on this one.

Bob Welch's best here, Angel, is a tad lugubrious but builds up a nice head of steam with an insistent chunck-a chunck-a rhythm guitar and gives this tale of another of his many ethereal inamoratas some serious weight...it presages the music his subsequent band, Paris, made. Silver Heels name drops Paul McCartney and Etta James and is a fun, rocking little number, and She's Changing Me has a nice melody and great BV's by Christine. Bermuda Triangle is a bit wan and murky but rocks agreeably enough.

And, of course, Ms. McVie is in very fine form, with the gorgeous Prove Your Love shining through. The title cut also has a nice melody and an air of confident grace; and Come A Little Bit Closer is another of those yearning love songs that made her reputation.

Heroes Are Hard to Find is no classic, but is a lot better effort than people gave it credit for. And of course, got lost in the shuffle when the Lindsey/Stevie tidal wave hit...if you're curious at all about pre-Buckingham/Nicks Mac, then by all means give this one a shot...it's an underrated gem.

The overall sound is a bit murky, which should not be confused with "mystical" or any of the adjectives commonly associated with Bob's love of the paranormal. In the case of the title tune, this is a benefit; the blare of the backing horns annoys more than it complements the song. I should mention that Chris's song itself is quite catchy...it's the arrangement that is lacking. Three Bob Welch compositions follow, and two of them have postive impact. "Angel" is the hardest rocker he ever conributed to the Mac songbook, laced with a sense of longing and regret that should move any attentive listener. "Bermuda Triangle" is less effective, especially in light of similar offerings from Welch's personal songbook.

Chris scores her first direct hit on this album with "Come A Little Bit Closer," a gorgeous piano-driven tune with soaring strings and pedal steel. On the album's flip, "Bad Loser" kicks in with a feisty rhythm track and insinuating guitar licks, as Chris denounces the title character. "Prove Your Love" would have benefitted from a quicker pace, but the emotional impact of her singing adds a wistful resonance to a familiar theme.

Welch's songs from the "B" side are pretty good, though only "She's Changing Me" is a pleasant (almost country-rock) departure. "Silver Heels" has Pop hooks out the wazoo, though his voice isn't really suited to the task. "Born Enchanter" is jazzy mood music without a sense of direction. "Safe Harbour" closes the album with graceful instrumentation and haunting melody, not unlike Bob Weston's "Caught In the Rain," or even Danny Kirwan's "Sunny Side of Heaven."

"Heroes.." is more impressive as a statement of group solidarity and grace under pressure than as an album of Pop Rock...but the musical pleasure it provides can't be denied.