 Fleetwood Mac "Fleetwood Mac"
(Epic LP) 1968
Fleetwood Mac may best be characterized as a "franchise" rather than as a
"band". Ironically, namesakes Mick Fleetwood (drums) and John McVie (bass)
share the distinction of contributing only marginally to the diverse
sound of any of the band's incarnations while comprising the glue
that held this U.K./Southern California juggernaut together for
almost three decades. Fleetwood Mac released some twenty albums
that ran the gamut from stripped-down electric blues to slickly
produced pop tunes, but talk about the ultimate crossover band! The
vast majority of Mac fans profess an affinity for one genre and
distaste for others, but the band was successful, both critically
and commercially, throughout its history. Peter Green, and to a
lesser degree Jeremy Spencer, dominated the blues-era Fleetwood Mac,
which only lasted a few years. The “second coming” of Fleetwood
Mac, under the collaborative influence of Danny Kirwan/Bob
Welch/Christine McVie, abandoned the blues and embraced a more
melodic and progressive style. Moderately successful abroad,
“superstar” status eluded them until they relocated to California
and recruited Lindsay Buckingham and Stevie Nicks in the
mid-seventies. The next thing I knew, they were up on stage with
Bill and Hillary celebrating their imminent move to a swanky
Pennsylvania Avenue address.
I'm one of the few people who love nearly everything Fleetwood Mac recorded, but
this 1967 eponymous debut (also called "Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac"
on more recent re-issues) happens to be my personal favorite. This
is a straight-up blues record and Fleetwood Mac pulled it off better
than any of their contemporaries. The influences of Sonny Boy
Williamson, Howlin' Wolf, and Elmore James are all over this record,
even though most of the songs are Green and Spencer originals. If
you like Chicago-style electric blues this record should be right up
your alley. (If "Rhiannon" is your holy grail however, you may want
to take a pass!) The best sounding version for analog hounds is the
original yellow label Epic pressing, but it is difficult to find in
decent shape and a near-mint copy can easily fetch upwards of $50.
The Simply Vinyl 180g re-issue is one of the few this label got
right and the CD re-issue sounds pretty good as well.
(Note: Other great examples of this part of the Fleetwood Mac repertoire can be
found on "Albatross", "Mr. Wonderful", "Pious Bird of Good Omen",
and "Live In Chicago". The last chronicles a number of loose studio
sessions with Otis Spann, Honeyboy Edwards, Willie Dixon and Buddy
Guy and is also a gem, in spite of some modest shortcomings in terms
of the recording quality.)
-Scott
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