Christine Perfect
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1969-2022) - Christine Perfect (aka Christine McVie) (RIP 2022) -- vocals, keyboards
supporting musicians: (1970) - Martin Dunsford -- bass - Chris Hardining -- drums, percussion - Rick Hayward -- lead and rhythm guitar - Danny Kirwan -- bass - John McVie -- bass - Andy Sylvester -- bass - Top Topham -- lead and rhythm guitar
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- Christine McVie (solo efforts)
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Genre: blues-rock Rating: stars *** Title: The Legendary Christine Perfect Album Company: Sire Catalog: SASD-7522 Country/State: Greenodd, Lancashire, UK Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: reissue of 1970 LP Available: 1 Catalog ID: 1428 Price: $30.00
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With Fleetwood Mac essentially owning the mid-1970s airwaves, it was only natural that record companies would go scrambling to search their vaults in an effort to locate anything even remotely related to the band. Sire Records was no different, although in addition to owning the rights to some of Fleetwood Mac's earlier blues-oriented catalog, they somehow stumbled across rights to Christine McVie's pre-Fleetwood Mac 1970 solo debut "Christine Perfect".
Based in part on her work with the blues-rock band Chicken Shack, in 1969 Perfect was signed as a solo act to the Mike Vernon's Blue Horizon label. She made her debut the same year with a single that attracted considerable attention in the UK. Perfect also found herself crowned Melody Maker's 1969 top British female vocalist. The resulting attention apparently helped her secure a US release via Epic Records:
UK pressing - 1969's "I'd Rather Go Blind" b/w "Close To Me" (Blues Horizon catalog number BH 300) US pressing - 1969's "I'd Rather Go Blind" b/w '"et Like You Use To Be, Close To Me" (Epic catalog number 5-10536)
With backing from Chicken Shack, the single attracted sufficient attention for Blue Horizon to finance an album. Released amidst a flood of blues-rock material, 1970's "Christine Perfect" (Blue Horizon catalog number 7-63860), was actually a surprisingly impressive and enjoyable artifact, but did little commercially and was quickly forgotten. Good luck finding an original these days since it's become a high priced collectable.
There was one follow-up non-LP 45 in the UK and Holland and her solo career came to an end.
- 1970's "I'm Too Far Gone (To Turn Around)" b/w "Close To Me" (Blue Horizon catalog number 57-3172)
So stumble ahead six years. Perfect's now married to Fleetwood Mac bassist John McVie and was herself a member of Fleetwood Mac, having written a number of their biggest recent commercial successes. To the vaults Batman and out comes 1976's "The Legendary Christine Perfect Album". A re-release of the 1969 set with modified cover art and new liner notes from Sire President Seymour Stein, the album was surprisingly enjoyable. The twelve tracks featured a mixture of classic blues (Sonny Boy Williamson's "Crazy 'Bout You Baby") soul (Chuck Jackson's "And That's Saying a Lot") and Perfect penned originals. The predominant genre was blues-rock rather than the yacht rock that went on to make Fleetwood Mac a radio mainstay. Yeah, McVie didn't have the most versatile voice you've ever heard (whenever she had to stray from mid-ranges things got difficult). Still, Perfect was rare in being one of the few women who was really comfortable working the blues-rock genre without falling back on the need to reach into the Janis Joplin school of screeching, to say nothing of the fact she was able to stamp her own classy stylings on much of the material. The result was a blues-rock album that was actually far more commercial than virtually anything being released at the time. (In the wake of her death I pulled and the album listening to it for the first time in a couple of years. It's even better than I remembered,)
Not the perfect (ha!) solo debut, but far better than the majority of competitors and as a blues set it was surprisingly accessible and enjoyable. Worth looking for since you can still find it on the cheap.
"The
Legendary Christine Perfect Album" track listing: 1.) Crazy 'Bout You Baby (Willie Williamson) - 3:01 rating: **** stars Considering "Crazy 'Bout You Baby" was a remake of a Sonny Boy Williamson blues number it opened the album with one of the most commercial and rock oriented selections. Showcasing Perfect's honey-like voice and light touch on electric keyboards, this one could have been a big radio hit. Always loved the way the song ended and then jumped back for the close out. 2.) I'm On My Way (Deadric Malone) - 3:08 rating: *** stars Credited to record executive ad producer Don Robey under a pseudonym (there's a good chance he didn't actually write the song), "I'm On My Way: was another traditional blues number, but thanks in large measure to her wonderful, sultry voice performance still managed to avoid the patented plodding feel that sunk so much of the era's blues-rock remakes. Always loved the bass line on this one. 3.) Let Me Go (Leave Me Alone) (Christine Perfect) - 3:33 rating: **** stars The first of five Perfect originals, "Let Me Go (Leave Me Alone)" was my pick for the album's best rocker. The track had a lot going for it; nice melody, great Top Topham wah-wah guitar, and Perfect's instantly recognizable voice. The track would have made a good choice for an FM single. 4.) Wait and See (Christine Perfect) - 3:12 rating: *** stars Showcasing Perfect's keyboards and the lower register of her voice, "Wait and See" was a stark, but pretty ballad that also had considerable commercial potential. The melody has always reminded me a bit of "House o the Rising Sun". 5.) Close To Me (Christine Perfect - Rick Hayward) - 2:39 rating: **** stars The mid-tempo rocker "Close To Me" was co-written with Chicken Shack guitarist Rick Hayward. That's always made me wonder if the tune was a Chicken Shack tune that Perfect resurrected for her album. More commercial than much of the album, the only real complaint here was that her keyboards sounded like they'd been recorded in a gravel pit. Another album highlight. The song served as the "B" side of her "I'm Too Far Gone (To Turn Around)" single. 6.) I'd Rather Go Blind (Ellington Jordan - Bill Foster) - 3:14 rating: ***** stars Previously recorded by Christine Perfect during her stint with Chicken Shack, "I'd Rather Go Blind" also served as her solo debut single. I've listened to the solo 45 and The Chicken Shack versions back to back and I'm pretty sure this is simply a reissue of The Chicken Shack recording. Taking on a classic soul tune recorded by the likes of Etta James and Margie Joseph took some guts, but Perfect managed to inject the song with a surprisingly commercial soul edge. No hyperbole intended, but I'd go out on a limb and tell you this was one of the finest things she ever recorded. The results weren't hurt by some tasty horns Rock Howard's screaming guitar solo and support from the rest of Chicken Shack. Easy to see why it was picked as a single and my only complaint was that the song faded out just as it was gathering some real steam. The track was released in Holland and the UK as a 1973 Chicken Shack 45.
- 1973's "I'd Rather Go Blind" b/w "Get Like You Use To Be Close To Me" (Sire catalog SAA-733)
Sire also saw fit to tap the album as a single when the album was reissued in 1976:
- 1976's "I'd Rather Go Blind" b/w "Get Like You Use To Be Close To Me" (Sire catalog SAA-733)
(side
2) Written by Fleetwood Mac guitarist Danny Kirwan (he also played guitar on the track along with John McVie on bass), "When You Say" was the album's most pop-oriented selection. That said, it was also one of the most labored performances. Surrounded by John Bennett's elaborate instrumentation, Perfect simply didn't sound very comfortable on the song. The track was released as a single throughout Europe, but failed to chart:
- 1969's "When You Say" b/w "No Road Is the Right Road" (Blue Horizon catalog number 57-3165) 2.) And That's Saying a Lot (Chuck Jackson - Water Godfrey) - 2:57 rating: *** stars Powered by Chris Hardining's drums, her cover of Chuck Jackson's "And That's Saying a Lot" was a return to soul. Perfect's version was sultry and slinky, though it was hard pressed to measure up to the Jackson original. 3.) No Road Is the Right Road (Christine Perfect) - 2:48 rating: *** stars Another Perfect original (though the single credited the song to Olwen Simmonds (the sister-in law of Savoy Brown's Kim Simmonds), the up tempo "No Road Is the Right Road" was one of the album's best compositions, but the results were undermined by a flat vocal from Perfect. Shame she couldn't have redone it in a different key. The song also appeared as the "B" side of her "When You Say" 45. 4.) For You (Christine Perfect) - 2:44 rating: ** stars "For You" found Perfect taking a stab at country-blues. Bad move since she just didn't have the pipes to handle the track. When she tried to bulk up her voice the results simply came out as sounding shrill. Giving credit where due, the song did sport some nice slide guitar (Rick Hayward ?). 5.) I'm Too Far Gone (To Turn Around) (Clyde Otis - Belford Hendriks) - 3:25 rating: ** stars Another straightforward blues number, "I'm Too Far Gone (To Turn Around)" was selected as Perfect's second single. Technically there wasn't anything to complain about here, but the performance wasn't particularly exciting. No wonder Epic skipped on the opportunity to release it in the States. 6.) I Want You (Tony Joe White) - 2:22 rating: ***** stars The good news was the album ended on a high note with her slinky cover of Tony Joe White's "I Want You". My favorite track, Perfect sounded great on this one, literally spitting out the lyrics. Backed by some snarling guitar and a pounding rhythm section, the song was exceptionally catchy with a dynamite hook. Always loved the echo effect at the end of the song and the abrupt ending. Would have been a far better selection as a single than the other tracks.
Who knows why, but for some reason in 2008 Sony saw fit to release the Perfect retrospective "Christine Perfect - The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions" (Sony catalog SICP-1870). It included the original "Christine Perfect" LP and a series of four previously unreleased tracks ("Tell Me You Need Me", "Hey Baby", "It's You I Miss" and "Gone Into the Sun"). Only the hardcore need apply.
"Christine Perfect - The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions" track listing: 1.) Crazy 'Bout You Baby (Jacobs) - 3:05 2.) I'm On My Way (Malone) - 3:12 3.) Let Me Go (Leave Me Alone) - 3:37 4.) Wait and See (Christine Perfect) - 3:17 5.) Close To Me (Christine Perfect - Rick Hayward) - 2:43 6.) When You Say (Danny Kirwan) - 3:18 7.) And That's Saying a Lot (Christine Perfect) - 2:51 8.) No Road Is the Right Road (Christine Perfect) - 2:51 9.) For You (Christine Perfect) - 2:41 10.) I'm Too Far Gone (To Turn Around) (C. Otis - B. Hendriks) - 3:28 11.) I Want You (White) - 2:27 12.) Tell Me You Need Me (previously unreleased) (Christine Perfect) - 3:23 13.) I'm Too Far Gone (To Turn Around) (single version) (C. Otis - B. Hendriks) - 3:19 14.) Hey Baby (previously unreleased) (Christine Perfect n- Mike Verb=non - Stan Webb) - 2:36 15.) It's You I Miss (previously unreleased) (Christine Perfect) - 3:48 16,) Gone Into the Sun (previously unreleased) (Christine Perfect) - 2:45
Suffering from metastatic cancer, in November 2022 while in a hospital, the 79 year old McVie died of a stroke.
© Scott R. Blackerby December, 2025
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