It is with a real pang of sorrow that those of us of a certain age greet the news of the death of Christine McVie, songwriter and keyboardist for the band Fleetwood Mac.

McVie was, of course, less flamboyant, less exotic, and less blessed with a uniquely memorable voice than her bandmate, Stevie Nicks. What McVie had instead was a feel for the conventional ballad and for tighter musical arrangements that kept Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, and sometimes Mick Fleetwood from spinning too far out of orbit. Or, to change metaphors, if those three were jibs and spinnakers, McVie and her onetime husband John were the necessary ballast.