Fleetwood Mac was at the top of its game in August 1977 when the band returned to its adopted home in Southern California to play three shows at The Forum in Los Angeles. Rumours had only been out a few weeks when the band left in February to tour the world, returning six months later to play three shows at The Forum for nearly 50,000 fans.
There's a certain relief that this 2009 Rhino reissue of 2002's double-disc set The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac doesn't even attempt to dabble in the early blues work of the Peter Green band, and treats the addition of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks as ground zero. The two eras of the band don't sit well together, and it's best to isolate them, since those who want the hits don't need to hear the blues. Here, it's the prime of the platinum years, with almost all of the big songs in their original hit versions (the one real exception is a live version of "Big Love" from 1997, but most listeners aren't going to be too upset with the substitution).
8CD box set that includes remastered versions of all seven studio albums the band recorded between 1969 and 1974. After Mick Fleetwood, Peter Green, John McVie, and Jeremy Spencer started Fleetwood Mac in 1967, they quickly found an audience eager for their British-style blues. Over the next seven years, the band would sign with Reprise Records, release seven studio albums, and release many classic tracks that are still beloved today. Fleetwood Mac’s early rise to fame takes centre stage on two upcoming Rhino releases that spotlight the group’s deep-blues roots.
Though they ultimately made their name as a blues-rock band, and Peter Green's admiration of artists like Jerry Garcia eventually found its way into their music, Fleetwood Mac began as a straight-ahead blues band. A bunch of Brits devoted to the music of Chicago and the Delta, Green and company couldn't help but put their own twist on the blues, but they were simultaneously reverential towards it. This is the situation presented in this 1968 live recording. While the sound quality is less than stellar, it's good enough to make the guitar talents of Green and Jeremy Spencer obvious, as they work up effective solos over "Got To Move," "Vuzz Me" and others. Unlike their peers, who used blues as a vehicle to something larger and louder, Mac circa '68 stuck close to their roots and made it work. The live setting proved even more inspiring for the two guitarists, whose blistering lead work is the central focus throughout this album.
Best Buy Presents Collector's 2 CD Set: Fleetwood Mac - Tour 97. Comes with a 34 page booklet with bios on each artist. Promo.
Fleetwood Mac are a British-American band formed in 1967, in London. The band has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling bands of all time. In 1998, selected members of Fleetwood Mac were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and received the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music.