Heroes Are Hard to Find

''Heroes Are Hard to Find'' is the ninth studio album by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 13 September 1974. This is the last album recorded with Bob Welch, who left the band at the end of 1974. It was the first Fleetwood Mac studio album recorded in the United States, in Los Angeles.

The album was recorded during a low point for the group, with Bob Weston's affair with drummer Mick Fleetwood's wife causing a temporary disbandment, which led to subsequent legal problems when manager Clifford Davis organized a completely new lineup using the Fleetwood Mac name to fulfill their remaining tour dates. When the situation was being settled, the original band reformed and Welch was persuaded to return for one more album, but left permanently by the end of 1974.

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Bob Welch later re-recorded "Angel", "Bermuda Triangle" and "Silver Heels" for ''His Fleetwood Mac Years & Beyond'' (2003). A re-write of "Silver Heels", titled "Hustler", with explicit lyrics appeared on ''Bob Welch Looks at Bop'' (1999).

Reception

Heroes are Hard to Find received mixed reviews upon its release. Rolling Stone believed that ''Heroes are Hard to Find'' "stacked up as a pleasant album", and singled out "Prove Your Love" as "exquisitely pretty" and "Come a Little Bit Closer" as "a gorgeous tune reminiscent of the Beach Boys". Robert Christgau criticized the band for succumbing to pop cliches of the early 1970s, specifically their use of a string synthesizer, pedal steel, and "half-assed horns". He dismissed Welch and McVie for sounding bored and "less than perfect" respectively and labeled ''Heroes are Hard to Find'' as their worst album to date. Retrospective reviews were more positive, with Hal Horowitz of AllMusic complimenting the songwriting abilities of Welch and McVie and praising the album for being both cohesive and diverse.

Track listing

Personnel

Fleetwood Mac
* Bob Welch – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, vibraphone, lead vocals, backing vocals
*Christine McVie – keyboard, ARP String Ensemble, lead vocals, backing vocals
*John McVie – bass guitar
*Mick Fleetwood – drums, percussion instrument, percussion

Additional personnel
*Sneaky Pete Kleinow – pedal steel guitar on "Come a Little Bit Closer"
*Nick DeCaro – horn and string arrangement

Production
*Fleetwood Mac – producers
*Bob Hughes – engineer, producer
*Doug Graves – engineer, assistant engineer
*Lee Herschberg – remastering
*Desmond Strobel – design

Charts

References

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Fleetwood Mac albums
1974 albums
Reprise Records albums
Albums produced by John McVie
Albums produced by Mick Fleetwood
Albums produced by Christine McVie
Albums produced by Bob Welch (musician)