Fleetwood Mac Box

Two live recordings featuring Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac have been found and are being released officially on CD and vinyl as Before The Beginning 1968-1970. The recently discovered recordings date from 1968 and 1970 and were discovered unlabelled in the US, so not much is known about them other than they have been authenticated by experts and approved for release by Fleetwood Mac.

This powerful six disc anthology brings together the very best of the legendary live radio and TV broadcasts by Fleetwood Mac during the halcyon years from 1975 to1988, during which the classic line-up of the band released five amazing studio albums.

Theese 3 LPs - recorded over three nights in February 1970 - contain Fleetwood Mac's legendary Boston tea party recordings. This is a sensational document of Fleetwood Mac at the absolute peak of their powers… This may also be the often released "Boston Tea Party" tapes from February 1970. These songs have shown up on multiple comps over the years. The Snapper 3 disc set from a few years back is the best so far. Great new mixes–nice mastering and a wonderful performance. Peter Green left the band a couple of months later but during these shows, he was still really putting a lot into it.

This double-CD set may well mislead listeners on two counts. On the one hand, there will be some neophyte listeners expecting to hear the silky pop/rock strains of the Lindsey Buckingham/Stevie Nicks-era Fleetwood Mac. This is, indeed, the original version of the band organized in 1967 by virtuoso blues guitarist/singer Peter Green, in which the latter shared the spotlight with fellow guitarist Jeremy Spencer, and they got no closer to pop/rock than renditions of Howlin' Wolf and B.B. King material.

Some Peter Green fans might be put off by this 64-song/four-CD collection, owing to the fact that they are likely to already own a significant chunk of what's here (especially the Fleetwood Mac material). (And in fairness, there apparently isn't a lot of – or any – unreleased material to draw on from Green's classic period with the band). But this reviewer had to spring for this four-and-a-half hour showcase of his work, and for one major reason – vitality. Green's virtuosity is a given, and his taste and his insights into blues and what can be done with it – while still leaving it as blues – are well known to anyone who's heard his work.

Some Peter Green fans might be put off by this 64-song/four-CD collection, owing to the fact that they are likely to already own a significant chunk of what's here (especially the Fleetwood Mac material). (And in fairness, there apparently isn't a lot of – or any – unreleased material to draw on from Green's classic period with the band). But this reviewer had to spring for this four-and-a-half hour showcase of his work, and for one major reason – vitality. Green's virtuosity is a given, and his taste and his insights into blues and what can be done with it – while still leaving it as blues – are well known to anyone who's heard his work.