Audio CD review:
Fleetwood Mac - Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac

Fleetwood Mac - Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac

Band: Fleetwood Mac Title: Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac Rating: Release Date: 2004-10-12 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: My Heart Beats Like A Hammer 2: Merry Go Round 3: Long Grey Mare 4: Shake Your Moneymaker 5: Looking For Somebody 6: No Place To Go 7: My Baby's Good To Me 8: I Loved Another Woman 9: Cold Black Night 10: World Keeps On Turning, The 11: Got To Move 12: My Heart Beat Like A Hammer (Take 1) 13: Merry Go Round (Take 1) 14: I Loved Another Woman (Takes 1,2,3 & 4) 15: I Loved Another Woman (Takes 5 & 6) 16: Cold Black Night (Takes 1,2,3,4,5 & 6) 17: You're So Evil 18: I'm Coming Home To Stay

Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac - The EXPANDED and REMASTERED EDITION In the UK it's referred to by it's label title "Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac" - in the USA simply as "Fleetwood Mac" (which is on both cover and label). In its famous 'dog and dustbin' sleeve, Fleetwood Mac's first album was released in February 1968 on Blue Horizon Records in the UK in both MONO (7-63200) and STEREO (S 7-63200) and in August 1968 on Epic Records in the USA in both MONO (LN 24402) and STEREO (BN 26402). And although it's now recognized as a masterpiece of British Blues - this particular reissue of that explosive debut is "The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions 1967-1969" version - the one taken from the 6CD box set issued in 1999 - and its jumbled around enough to require an explanation. The original album track list ran as follows (35:55 minutes): 1. My Heart Beat Like A Hammer (Jeremy Spencer song) [2:59 minutes] 2. Merry Go Round (Peter Green song) [4:20 minutes] 3. Long Grey Mare (Peter Green song) [2:15 minutes] 4. Hellhound On My Trail (Robert Johnson cover) [2:06 minutes] 5. Shake Your Moneymaker (Elmore James cover) [2:57 minutes] 6. Looking For Somebody (Peter Green song) [2:52 minutes] (End of Side 1) 7. No Place To Go (Howlin' Wolf cover) [3:21 minutes] 8. My Baby's Good To Me (Jeremy Spencer song) [2:51 minutes] 9. I Loved Another Woman (Peter Green song) [2:57 minutes] 10. Cold Black Night (Jeremy Spencer song) [3:17 minutes] 11. The World Keep On Turning (Peter Green song) [2:29 minutes] 12. Got To Move (Homesick James Williamson cover) [3:21 minutes] (End of Side 2) But this "Box Set" version runs to almost twice the length of the ordinary CD reissue (63:39 minutes): 1. My Heart Beat Like A Hammer (Take 2 Master Version with Studio Talk) [3:33 minutes] 2. Merry Go Round (Take 2 Master Version with studio Talk) [4:20 minutes] 3. Long Grey Mare (same as 3 above) 4. Hellhound On My Trail (Take 1 Complete Master Version/Remix) [2:06 minutes] 5. Shake Your Moneymaker (Master Version with Studio Talk) [3:14 minutes] 6. Looking For Somebody (same as 6 above) 7. No Place To Go (same as 7 above) 8. My Baby's Good To Me (same as 8 above) 9. I Loved Another Woman (same as 9 above) 10. Cold Black Night (same as 10 above) 11. The World Keep On Turning (same as 11 above) 12. Got To Move (same as 12 above) BONUSES 13. My Heart Beat Like A Hammer (Take 1 - Previously Unissued) [3:43 minutes] 14. Merry Go Round (Take 1 - Previously Unissued/Incomplete) [0:57 minutes] 15. I Loved Another Woman (Takes 1, 2, 3 and 4 with False Starts - Previously Unissued - Incomplete) [6:09 minutes] 16. I Loved Another Woman (Takes 5 and 6 - Previously Unissued/Incomplete) [5:10 minutes] 17. Cold Black Night (Takes 1 through to 5 with False Starts - Previously Unreleased - and Take 6 which is the master version) [5:30 minutes] 18. You're So Evil (Take 2 - Previously Unreleased Jeremy Spencer Track) [3:07 minutes] 19. I'm Coming Home To Stay (Jeremy Spencer song, Previously Unreleased Track) [2:29 minutes] Why so different? In 1999, Sony issued the stunning 6-disc box set "The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions 1967-1969" by FLEETWOOD MAC to universal acclaim. Mike Vernon, the label's producer, had taken the unusual decision to re-sequence the track line-ups of ALL 5 UK albums (one was a double) to feature outtakes, studio chatter, false starts and so on. This was of course fine and dandy on a comprehensive box set. But this 2004 singular re-issue mimics that release, when it really should have been reverted to the 12 track original LP run and added the outtakes on as bonuses at the end. It sort of does, of course, but the downside is that when you play "My Heart Beat Like A Hammer" for the first time, the studio chatter and buggering about in the studio is quaint - but when you want to actually hear the track and album proper - it becomes a major pain. You can of course edit it with iTunes to play the 12 tracks as 1st released, but that's more work than should be necessary. On the upside - are the two stunning previously unreleased Jeremy Spencer tracks at the end - "You're So Evil" and especially the raucous Elmore James clone "I'm Coming Home To Stay" - fantastic stuff and genuine bonus tracks. Completeists would have enjoyed this disc having both the MONO and STEREO mix of the album - as initially released - and just the two unreleased on the end - but that's another day's work. . . As it stands, their 1968 first album is still one of THE GREAT rocking blues offerings - in any configuration - and only makes you pine for more. I'd say BUY IT anyway and then go for 2 to 5 as well. . . they're all magicial in their own way. PS: For those wishing for more, the Blue Horizon label Fleetwood Mac UK albums are: 1. Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac (1968) (original album, known as "Fleetwood Mac" in the USA) 2. Mr. Wonderful (1968) (original album) 3. The Pious Bird Of Good Omen (1969) (compilation of non-album 7" singles, their B-sides, collaborations and other rarities) 4. Blues Jam At Chess (1969) (original 20-track 2LP set often referred to as a Various Artists compilation. Its full credit is to: Fleetwood Mac, Otis Spann, Willie Dixon, Shakey Horton, J. T. Brown, Guitar Buddy (Buddy Guy), Honey Boy Edwards, S. P. Leary. Originally a 2LP set on release, it was broken into 2 volumes for the "Complete" box set and renamed "Blues Jam In Chicago Volume 1" and "Blues Jam In Chicago Volume 2". It is ONLY these singular re-sequenced releases that are available today. ) 5. The Original Fleetwood Mac (1971) (although released in '71, this LP has recordings from August 1967 through to October 1968, all of which were previously unreleased at the time). A Must Have For Blues Fans Released in February 1968 & originally titled simply "Fleetwood Mac" this was the debut album of the blues-rock band formed after guitarist Peter Green & bassist John McVie left John Mayall's "Bluesbreakers" to unite with drummer Mick Fleetwood & slide guitarist Jeremy Spencer. I remember this album as an original vinyl LP record from the time of the early British blues explosion. This is an historic album & very collectable,with a fine & well balanced selection of rugged blues tracks written by Green & by Spencer,as well as "Hellhound on My Trail" a Robert Johnson song,"Shake Your Money Maker" originally by Elmore James,& "No Place to Go", a Howlin Wolf song. The sleeve notes for the CD are very informative & explain how the original tapes were resurrected. There is studio talk on this album but it is not overdone & towards the end there are bonus tracks taken from the recording sessions master tapes,some featuring several takes of one song,which are fun to listen to at times, while at other times the listener can choose to stop play after track 12 to hear the original 1968 release only. There is a track on this album which clearly demostrates how Carlos Santana was influenced by some of Peter Green's guitar styles. Those long sustained,sliding notes combined with reverb were a signiture of Green's at least as far back as his time with the bluesbreakers & ,of course, the song "Black Magic Woman"[although not on this album] was one of Green's. Without doubt there are other musicians who were inspired by Green also. The union of Green & Spencer's guitar styles & on this record is quite harmonious,in a rugged rocking sort of way,& guitar buffs will find this enjoyable,but you don't have to be a guitar player to appreciate Peter Green's solo acoustic performance on "the World Keep On Turning",a raw gutsy delta blues number written by Green. It is possible to obtain many of these tracks from budget priced greatest hits compilations but somehow this album has an "original is best" appeal about it. I consider this CD to be "a must have" for blues fans,& to be one of the very best British blues albums ever recorded. Great alternate to John Mayall for '60's British Blues... If you are expecting something similar to the classic Fleetwood Mac of the '70's with Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie, then beware--this is totally different music, straight blues. Peter Green was the best replacement John Mayall could have found for Eric Clapton, and Green continues his emotional guitar playing style with his own group consisting of additional ex-Mayall sidemen Mick Fleetwood and John McVie. Those three had not appeared in the lineup back when this album came out. The only other member besides the core three from Mayall's band is slide guitar expert Jeremy Spencer. While Peter Green's vocals are competent in a blues context, I have never been too fond of Spencer's vocals, which appear on the slide guitar-heavy songs. Spencer is an unabashed Elmore James disciple and even does a fair job of mimicking some of the legendary bluesman's vocal nuances and his slide playing is good, but his voice sounds amateurish and boyish. Maybe he improved later on, but here I think Green should have assumed all the vocals. Great discovery I've always been a blues fan, but generally the blues I like are Delta blues by singers who are, or sound like, actual old Delta guys. Well, after you get to a certain age, you are more likely to buy old favorites than to find something new. I mean, I appreciate Eric Clapton and others for rediscovering and republicizing these great old songs. But I just don't connect with the British blues singers. And: I regard a number of Fleetwood Mac's songs as rock anthems, songs everybody should own. I was poking around on iTunes deciding which old Fleetwood Mac anthems I loved enough to buy for my iPod, and hadn't heard too many times already, and, of course, the way iTunes' search works, I could hardly miss Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac. It's seldom that iTunes out-obscures Amazon, but here's one. Amazon (at least, as I write this) has no samples of this CD; go to iTunes and listen to some samples. You might actually like it well enough to buy the whole CD. Otherwise, I bet you'll find several cuts you can't do without: particularly, Moneymaker and Cold Black Night. And be sure to check out Tallahassee Lassie. Really outdoes Freddy Cannon. . You can see a complete list of all Fleetwood Mac discography, or go back to the Fleetwood Mac tabs