Fleetwood Mac Album: “Best of the Original Fleetwood Mac”

While this isn't really the best of the original band, it gives a good overview of its early cuts. I say it's not really the best because it doesn't include "Man of the World" or "Green Manalishi," nor does it include "Oh Well" or anything else from the LP "Then Play On" (at least nothing from the American version--it has two cuts from the original UK version that were left off the US version because they were included on the US-only compilation "English Rose"). This CD, however, is a great collection of cuts from the original band's earliest albums (which were chopped and reformed in different ways for UK and USA audiences after their first LP, typical for the time). It includes Mac's first couple of bona fide hits ("Black Magic Woman" and "Albatross") and some b-sides that are really hard to find. Especially nice are the songs from their first album, which prove that the original Fleetwood Mac were just about the best English blues-rock band that year (Cream was in the process of dissolving) and the next. This CD does really pull the best songs from their first three (or two in the US) albums. You should get it now!

Basically, what this is is ALL of the "English Rose" album (tracks that made up side 2 presented first), plus the (arguably) best cuts from their first album (known in most FMac circles as "Dog & Dustbin").

If one is into the blues or just someone who wants a good starting point into the early days of Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, this is it.

If you love Rumours and later Fleetwood Mac, this release may come as something of a shock. This is died-in-the-wool British Blues, and it is GREAT. Although I do not own this actual album, I do have an earlier (vinyl) anthology with most of the same songs on it from Mac's early blues days featuring guitar great Peter Green. Some of it is raw, a bit of garage-like echo, but the power is evident on both the blues covers and the original material. Lots of humorous stuff, too, like "Rattlesnake Shake" and "Got To Move". If you enjoy material like John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, early Cream, Paul Butterfield and other British and Chicago-styled blues artists, you will not be disappointed!

This is an Australian compliation of early Fleetwood Mac, pre-Bob Welch pre-Lindsay Buckingham/Stevie Nicks. This is mid/late '1960's when Fleetwood Mac was a blues based ship and had Peter Green, guitarist, as the stalwart captain, with the stern helmed by Mick Fleetwood, and the bottom based John McFie.

Fleetwood Mac had some success with American FM radio, but nothing that propelled them into hit waters. Like many Briish blues bands that took their compass from US Rhythm/Blues/Race records, they crossed choppy waters and sunk.

Still, Fletwood Mac survived, life boats afloat with safety jackets tossed from Santana ("Black Magic Woman")and San Francisco KSAN radio, to reinvent themselves.

This CD has bunches of the early MAC, nicely recorded in stereo, and a primer for the early days. Highly recommended, but still a BOX SET would be nice...