''French Kiss'' is the solo debut by former

Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac were founded by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the line-up for their epony ...

singer/guitarist Bob Welch. The songs, with the exception of "Sentimental Lady", were intended for a projected third album by Welch's previous band,

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. However, the group fell apart in 1977 before recording could begin. So instead, Welch used these songs for his debut solo album. For the most part, ''French Kiss'' presents a mix of hard rock guitar, disco-ish rhythms and sweeping strings. The big hits were " Ebony Eyes" (with backing vocals by

Juice Newton Judith Kay "Juice" Newton (born February 18, 1952) is an American pop and country singer, songwriter, and musician. Newton has received five Grammy Award nominations in the Pop and Country Best Female Vocalist categorieswinning once in 1983as well ...

), which peaked at number 14 in the US; and a revised version of "

Sentimental Lady "Sentimental Lady" is a song written by Bob Welch. It was originally recorded for Fleetwood Mac's 1972 album '' Bare Trees'', but was re-recorded by Welch on his debut solo album, ''French Kiss'', in 1977. It is a romantic song, originally w ...

", a song that Welch had originally recorded with Fleetwood Mac in 1972 for the album ''

Bare Trees ''Bare Trees'' is the sixth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released in March 1972. It was their last album to feature Danny Kirwan, who was fired during the album's supporting tour. In the wake of the band's success in ...

'', which peaked at number 8. "Hot Love, Cold World" also became a minor hit, which peaked at number 31. The album itself peaked at number 12 in the US and later went platinum. It is Welch's best-selling album. The album features guest appearances by former

bandmates

Mick Fleetwood Michael John Kells Fleetwood (born 24 June 1947) is a British musician, songwriter and occasional actor. He is best known as the drummer, co-founder, and leader of the rock band Fleetwood Mac. Fleetwood, whose surname was merged with that of th ...

Christine McVie Christine Anne McVie (; née Perfect; 12 July 1943 – 30 November 2022) was an English musician and songwriter. She was best known as keyboardist and one of the vocalists of the band Fleetwood Mac. McVie was a member of several bands, nota ...

and Welch's successor,

Lindsey Buckingham Lindsey Adams Buckingham (born October 3, 1949) is an American musician and record producer, best known as the lead guitarist and male lead vocalist of the band Fleetwood Mac from 1975 to 1987 and 1997 to 2018. In addition to his tenure with Fl ...

Track listing

All songs written by Bob Welch, except where noted.

Personnel

Musicians

* Bob Welch –

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

Alvin Taylor Alvin Taylor (born March 26, 1953) is an American drummer, producer and musical director, who is best known for his work with Elton John, Eric Burdon, George Harrison, Billy Preston, and Bob Welch. Early life and career Alvin Taylor start ...

–

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

(except "Sentimental Lady") *

– drums on "Sentimental Lady" *

– background vocals on "Sentimental Lady", "Easy To Fall" and "Lose Your Heart" *

– guitar and background vocals on "Sentimental Lady" *

Gene Page Eugene Edgar Page Jr. (September 13, 1939 – August 24, 1998) was an American conductor, composer, arranger and record producer, most active from the mid-1960s through the mid-1980s. His sound can be heard in the arrangements he did for Jeffer ...

– string arrangements *

– background vocals on "Ebony Eyes"

Technical

* John Carter – producer, all tracks except "Sentimental Lady" * Lindsey Buckingham, Christine McVie – producer, "Sentimental Lady" * Warren Dewy –

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

, all tracks except "Sentimental Lady" * Richard Dashut,

Ken Caillat Kenneth Douglas Caillat ( ) is an American record producer. He is best known for engineering the Fleetwood Mac albums '' Rumours'', ''Tusk'', ''Mirage'', ''Live'', and '' The Chain Box Set''. Life and career Caillat was the president of 5.1 Ent ...

– engineers, "Sentimental Lady" * Art Sims – design * Daniel Catherine –

photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employed ...

* Olivier Ferrand – photography

Charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1977 debut albums Bob Welch (musician) albums Albums arranged by Gene Page Capitol Records albums Albums recorded at Sunset Sound Recorders