Showing posts with label Fleetwood Mac 1969-1972. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fleetwood Mac 1969-1972. Show all posts

Friday, January 17, 2014

Fleetwood Mac's pre-"Rumours" days are rich with bluesy offerings that are well worth revisiting

‘Fleetwood Mac: 1969 to 1972’
Available at Amazon
Sun.Star Weekend

The first thing that comes to mind when mentioning Fleetwood Mac is their seminal album “Rumours.” But the band’s pre-”Rumours” days are rich with bluesy offerings that are well worth revisiting on the new box set “Fleetwood Mac: 1969 to 1972.”

The highlight of the four-album, vinyl collection is the first re-mastered edition of “Then Play On,” Fleetwood Mac’s 1969 debut album on Reprise Records. This is a raw, young blues-fueled Fleetwood Mac and the sense of urgency to their music is on full display. The opening, bongo-backed track “Coming Your Way” bristles with pace and the all-out house rocker “Fighting For Madge” showcases guitarist Peter Green as a force to rival Eric Clapton of that era.

“Future Games” is another winning platter, though it presents a softer Fleetwood Mac. By 1971 we find them putting together the less edgy sound that would prove to be the backbone to their radio mainstay hits to come. “Fleetwood Mac: 1969 to 1972” aptly presents the formative years of one of the most successful bands in history.

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Review: Fleetwood Mac: 1969 to 1972 [vinyl boxed set]

“Fleetwood Mac: 1969 to 1972” (Reprise)

The first thing that comes to mind when mentioning Fleetwood Mac is their seminal album “Rumours.” But the band’s pre-”Rumours” days are rich with bluesy offerings that are well worth revisiting on the new box set “Fleetwood Mac: 1969 to 1972.”

The highlight of the four-album, vinyl collection is the first re-mastered edition of “Then Play On,” Fleetwood Mac’s 1969 debut album on Reprise Records. This is a raw, young blues-fueled Fleetwood Mac and the sense of urgency to their music is on full display. The opening, bongo-backed track “Coming Your Way” bristles with pace and the all-out house rocker “Fighting For Madge” showcases guitarist Peter Green as a force to rival Eric Clapton of that era.

“Future Games” is another winning platter, though it presents a softer Fleetwood Mac. By 1971 we find them putting together the less edgy sound that would prove to be the backbone to their radio mainstay hits to come. “Fleetwood Mac: 1969 to 1972” aptly presents the formative years of one of the most successful bands in history.

Get it today at Amazon

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Fleeting Inspiration: The Invincible Fleetwood Mac are back... and the kids think they're alright.

by Dorian Lynskey
British - GQ, October, 2013

In the Reynolds Girls 1989 single "I'd Rather Jack", a peculiar moment of year zero militancy in the catalogue of hitmakers Stock Aitken Waterman, the teenage siblings insisted, "I'd rather jack than Fleetwood Mac," the band being a conveniently rhyming example of the kind of middle-aged millionaire has-beens that the rave generation allegedly had no time for.  Who needs them?  We have Yazz now!

But 24 years later, as Fleetwood Mac approach the UK leg of their latest world tour, their influence is, to quote one of their most infectious songs, everywhere.  Their audiophile fanaticism was a touchstone for Daft Punk's Random Access Memories.  Last year, the indie tribute album Just Tell Me That You Want Me featured the likes of MGMT and Tame Impala. Mumford & Sons recently closed their massive London show with a massed rendition of "The Chain". Hot Chip even perform a dance floor version of "Everywhere", proving once and for all that jacking and Fleetwood Mac-ing aren't mutually exclusive.  If the whispers are true and Fleetwood Mac headline Glastonbury next year, their status as twenty-somethings' new favourite classic rockers will be confirmed.

If only the Reynolds Girls had done their research they would have realised that Fleetwood Mac are unkillable. Their wikipedia page reads like a Russian novel, with new characters popping up before exiting in grim circumstances, including mental illness, alcoholism, adultery and religious cult.  By the time they absorbed romantically involved duo Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks in 1975 in a kind of last-ditch corporate merger, the band had lost seven members, with only the rock-solid rhythm section of Mick Fleetwood and John McVie weathering the perpetual storm.

The new vinyl box set 1969-1972 (Rhino) shines light on their underrated output during the difficult years, but it's the classic 1975-1987 line-up that has acquired mythic status.  For the first time since the Beatles, a band had three distinct singer-songwriters at the top of their game.

Christine McVie sang the airy love songs with crystalline precision and 
the same pragmatism that led her to retire from touring in 1997; 
Nicks was a husky SoCal mystic, tougher than her swirly wardrobe 
suggested; and Buckingham was the thorny alpha male.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

WIN Fleetwood Mac 1969-1972 4LP Boxset from @Rhino_Records

Revisit the Fleetwood Mac’s early years when you enter to win a copy of FLEETWOOD MAC:
1969-1972.

FLEETWOOD MAC: 1969-1972 features four complete albums – THEN PLAY ON (1969), KILN HOUSE (1970), FUTURE GAMES (1971) and BARE TREES (1972) – each lovingly reproduced on 140-gram vinyl and housed in a striking black slipcase. As a bonus, the set comes with an exclusive replica of the original 1969 7-inch single of “Oh Well – Pt. 1” b/w “Oh Well – Pt. 2.”


NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Purchase will not increase chances of winning. Open only to legal residents of the 50 U.S./D.C. (excluding Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam), 18 and older (or 19 and older for residents of AL and NE) at time of entry. Void where prohibited. To enter: Visit www.rhino.com between 12:00 p.m. PST on 08/21/13 and 12:00 p.m. PST on 09/30/13 and follow online instructions to submit entry. Limit one (1) entry per person/address/email address. Subject to Official Rules available at HERE.

Enter at Rhino.com

Friday, June 28, 2013

Vinyl Boxed Set Spanning Fleetwood Mac's First Four Albums Available August 20th

Revisit The Mighty Mac’s Roots With Expanded And Remastered Version Of 1969’s Then Play On And Vinyl Boxed set Spanning The Group’s First Four Albums For Reprise Records

Both Will Be Available On August 20th

- 4LP 1969-1972 Vinyl Box Set: Amazon
- "Then Play On" Expanded Edition: Amazon

This summer, revisit the Fleetwood Mac’s early years with two special releases from Reprise Records.


The first is an expanded and remastered edition of THEN PLAY ON, Fleetwood Mac’s 1969 debut on Reprise. This reissue features the original U.K running order and track segues, with “One Sunny Day” and “Without You” making their first appearance on a CD issue of the album, as well as new liner notes by veteran rock journalist David Fricke and four bonus tracks, including the revered single “Oh Well – Pt. 1,” which boasts one of the great guitar riffs in rock history and has been covered by likes of Billy F Gibbons, Jimmy Page, and Tom Petty.

The second release is FLEETWOOD MAC: 1969-1972, a beautiful vinyl boxed set that collects four of the band’s classic albums, each lovingly reproduced on 140-gram vinyl. As a bonus, the set comes with an exclusive replica of the original 1969 7-inch single of “Oh Well – Pt. 1” b/w “Oh Well – Pt. 2.”

THEN PLAY ON: EXPANDED EDITION and FLEETWOOD MAC: 1969-1972 will both be available August 20.

Fleetwood Mac was already a popular blues band in 1969 when they released THEN PLAY ON, the group’s stellar third studio album. It was the first with guitarist-songwriter Danny Kirwan and ultimately its last with founding member Peter Green. The album’s powerful mix of blues and rock includes standout tracks like “Rattlesnake Shake,” “Searching For Madge” and “Coming Your Way.” Rhino’s newly re-mastered and expanded edition includes four bonus tracks originally released as singles: parts one and two of “Oh Well,” “The Green Manalishi (With The Two Prong Crown)” and “World In Harmony,” which is available on CD for the first time.

FLEETWOOD MAC: 1969-1972 features four complete albums – Then Play On (1969), Kiln House (1970), Future Games (1971) and Bare Trees (1972) – housed in a striking black slipcase. To ensure superb sound quality, Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering cut the lacquers for all four albums. The records look as good as they sound thanks to authentically reproduced packages, including gatefolds for Then Play On and Kiln House and single sleeves for Future Games and Bare Trees.

The set follows the band through an early transitional period. With Kiln House, Fleetwood Mac began moving toward a more melodic pop sound on songs like “Mission Bell” and “One Together.” At the time, the band included: Jeremy Spencer (guitar, vocals, piano), Kirwan (guitar, vocals), John McVie (bass) and Mick Fleetwood (drums). Christine McVie was at the recording sessions and contributed backing vocals and the album’s cover art, but she did not join the band until shortly after the album was finished.

The band’s shift toward pop and folk styles continued on Future Games with songs like “Show Me A Smile” and “Morning Rain.” This marks the first Fleetwood Mac album with Christine McVie as a full band member as well as the Mac debut of Bob Welch on guitar.

The line-up stayed the same for Bare Trees, which boasts a consistently strong collection of songs like McVie’s “Spare Me A Little Of Your Love,” Kirwan’s “Dust” and Welch’s “Sentimental Lady.” Although Kirwan was a dominant figure during the recording, penning half of the songs, this would ultimately be his last appearance on a Fleetwood Mac album.


THEN PLAY ON: EXPANDED EDITION
Track Listing