RIP, Bob Welch
June 7, 2012 6:43 PM   Subscribe

Bob Welch former member of Fleetwood Mac, founder of power trio Paris, and the solo artist behind the 70's hits "Ebony Eyes" and "Sentimental Lady" has taken his own life in Nashville, aged 66.
posted by jonmc (58 comments total) 8 users marked this as a favorite
 
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posted by Anitanola at 6:49 PM on June 7, 2012


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posted by hal9k at 6:51 PM on June 7, 2012


Oh no. :(

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posted by zarq at 6:53 PM on June 7, 2012


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posted by trip and a half at 6:53 PM on June 7, 2012


Dammit. Ever since reading one of Cameron Crowe's articles on Fleetwood Mac in an old Rolling Stone when I was like, 10 I've always wondered about and felt for him.

. indeed.
posted by youandiandaflame at 6:54 PM on June 7, 2012


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posted by Karmadillo at 6:58 PM on June 7, 2012


. :(
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 6:58 PM on June 7, 2012


Bob will be missed. I grew up on both oldies and 70's top 40 in the back of my parents car and always dug "Ebony Eyes" (a near perfect piece of top 40 pop-rock IMO) As an online music hunter, I'd recently rediscovered him prowling through my old rock record guides and rediscovering his work with Fleetwood Mac and learning about his work with Paris. A minor star, but worth remembering. And I'm especailly sad at the circumastances of his demise.
posted by jonmc at 6:59 PM on June 7, 2012 [3 favorites]


Oh please no no no. So sad to read this. Thanks for posting....
posted by Lynsey at 7:03 PM on June 7, 2012


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posted by arcticseal at 7:07 PM on June 7, 2012


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posted by MexicanYenta at 7:09 PM on June 7, 2012


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posted by Nickel Pickle at 7:11 PM on June 7, 2012


(Note from Bob Welch here ; I’m beginning to think that the theories of Gary Schwartz and Linda Russek at the U of AZ having to do with the "Living Energy Universe" may be exactly right. The "after death" realms may consist of pure DIMENSIONLESS information. This "information dimension", would be prior to, or inside of, physical matter. It would be the archetype(s) on which matter is built. Maybe what we are doing in physical matter reality is "customizing" the archetypes, by EXPERIENCING their permutations, which themselves would of course be infinite.)
posted by unliteral at 7:18 PM on June 7, 2012 [3 favorites]


"Hypnotized". Nuff said.

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posted by sundrop at 7:19 PM on June 7, 2012 [3 favorites]


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posted by hippybear at 7:23 PM on June 7, 2012


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Wow, his website is just . . . wow.
posted by waitingtoderail at 7:24 PM on June 7, 2012 [1 favorite]


Yes, Hypnotized is also my favorite Fleetwood Mac song.

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posted by rfs at 7:25 PM on June 7, 2012



posted by Smart Dalek at 7:32 PM on June 7, 2012


Holy cats! "Sentimental Lady" is a song that I've had in my brain for decades but could never remember enough about it to track it down. So sad that it took his death for me to reconnect with that track!
posted by Joey Michaels at 7:33 PM on June 7, 2012 [1 favorite]


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posted by runningdogofcapitalism at 7:41 PM on June 7, 2012


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posted by drezdn at 7:42 PM on June 7, 2012


So sorry to hear this. Hypnotized is on my most recent mix. It is the quintessential 70's song.
posted by readery at 7:44 PM on June 7, 2012


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posted by mike3k at 7:44 PM on June 7, 2012


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posted by bjgeiger at 7:49 PM on June 7, 2012


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posted by eriko at 8:11 PM on June 7, 2012


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posted by lester's sock puppet at 8:20 PM on June 7, 2012


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posted by XMLicious at 8:24 PM on June 7, 2012


Hypnotized is one of my favourite songs ever, by any band. Closely followed by Albatross.

RIP.

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posted by jokeefe at 8:30 PM on June 7, 2012


Last month I went through Welch's recordings looking for possible songs for a local band to cover. He has more than a couple gems among his deep cuts.
posted by Ardiril at 8:36 PM on June 7, 2012


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posted by MCMikeNamara at 8:38 PM on June 7, 2012


Man, I remember that French Kiss album...I don't recall which of my friends owned it but it was part of the soundtrack to my early teens, which I'm pretty sure I spent mostly in basement recrooms.
RIP, Bob.
posted by rocket88 at 8:58 PM on June 7, 2012


Never going back again.
posted by schyler523 at 8:59 PM on June 7, 2012


Sorry to hear this. A friend had very recently copied some Bob Welch songs for me because I was fondly reminiscing about "Ebony Eyes", "Sentimental Lady", and the whole Mystery To Me album.

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posted by not_on_display at 9:14 PM on June 7, 2012


it's a real injustice that he wasn't installed in the rock and roll hall of fame with the other members of the band
posted by pyramid termite at 9:16 PM on June 7, 2012 [2 favorites]


Seems like a dream.


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posted by Devils Rancher at 9:16 PM on June 7, 2012


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posted by dbiedny at 9:39 PM on June 7, 2012


no. no. no.

I am so sad now.
posted by freakazoid at 9:54 PM on June 7, 2012


I'm not a fan of his music, but interesting comments about this world today near the top of his website linked above:

>One of the huge problems I see today is that people get way too emotional about their various theories and beliefs. We are an over-emotional culture, pretty much worldwide.

>In some ways I think we could benefit by going back to the more muted and under-emotional habits of the 18th century.

>Everybody’s screaming their lungs out today…Debates on TV are deliberately contrived to be screaming matches in order to get ratings ...

>Nothing very important is gonna’ get done or even talked about until all this screaming and fanaticism stops .
posted by Listener at 10:11 PM on June 7, 2012


No telling, not having read the suicide note we can't know if it was depression or what -- could be he had a health problem and was taking his own way off this ride. That said, having suffered depression myself, I hate ever to see someone take themselves out, should it have been that sort of pain that nailed him, that depression sort of pain; it's just a horror show. Worse than the taking off is the sort of pain he almost certainly suffered prior, if it was depression.

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posted by dancestoblue at 10:54 PM on June 7, 2012


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posted by biddeford at 12:24 AM on June 8, 2012


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posted by caclwmr4 at 1:04 AM on June 8, 2012


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posted by mosk at 1:56 AM on June 8, 2012


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posted by marienbad at 3:11 AM on June 8, 2012


They say there's a place down in Mexico
Where a man can fly over mountains and hills
And he don't need an airplane or some kind of engine
And he never will

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posted by tommasz at 5:01 AM on June 8, 2012 [2 favorites]


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posted by jlkr at 5:46 AM on June 8, 2012


Thank you, Black Book!
posted by octobersurprise at 6:06 AM on June 8, 2012


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posted by Ber at 6:49 AM on June 8, 2012


Unlike some others here, I feel I have no connection to this guy musically and not to be disrespectful, but judging by his web site, this guy was a nut job.
posted by unliteral at 7:03 AM on June 8, 2012


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posted by motty at 7:20 AM on June 8, 2012


judging by his web site, this guy was a nut job.

Some of the best songs ever trace back to the writer's specific nut-jobbiness.
posted by Devils Rancher at 7:36 AM on June 8, 2012


there are nut jobs such as Bob and nut jobs like Michele Bachmann. I know the difference.


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posted by pdxpogo at 7:59 AM on June 8, 2012 [3 favorites]


Unlike some others here, I feel I have no connection to this guy musically and not to be disrespectful, but judging by his web site, this guy was a nut job.

Fleetwood Mac had more than their share.

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posted by Nabubrush at 8:11 AM on June 8, 2012 [1 favorite]


: (

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posted by mistersquid at 9:43 AM on June 8, 2012


And then the winds start to blow
And the fire comes scorching down (yeah)
And then the sky disappears
In the cloud with an awful sound (yeah)
And when you can't hold out
Then you run to the underground


. (yeah)
posted by TheRedArmy at 10:21 AM on June 8, 2012


I somehow wound up with a copy of "Future Games" for my first CD player, way back in the late '90's. I *love* this CD and Welch is a big part of it.

I just listened to it again while .'ing. Recommend.
posted by Infinity_8 at 1:38 PM on June 8, 2012


unliteral: "and not to be disrespectful, but judging by his web site, this guy was a nut job."

Man, if that's "respectful", I'm not inviting you to my funeral.
posted by not_on_display at 1:46 PM on June 8, 2012 [1 favorite]


unliteral: "and not to be disrespectful, but judging by his web site, this guy was a nut job."

I always thought I was the biggest asshole on MeFi of late

Thanks for letting me know I was wrong.
posted by timsteil at 9:01 PM on June 8, 2012


Um. He killed himself, in Nashville! And you had to see his web site to conclude he might be kind of 'nutty'.

Sentimental Lady? I had NO idea of the title or who did it. It's always been a favorite.

What kind of society lets artists bleed themselves for us, so completely, they take their own lives? There is a thing some can do to grasp the feelings for the art. And this can leave you bare, all exposed, even injured.

I honor those who go out and bring back this fire! But it is tragic that we then loose them so.
posted by Goofyy at 12:13 PM on June 9, 2012


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