Soft Mac

Live recordings from Fleetwood Mac’s two sold-out shows at The Forum in 1982 during the Mirage Tour will be featured in a new collection from Rhino.

Arguably the first consistently strong album Fleetwood Mac ever recorded – all the way back into the Peter Green/Jeremy Spencer era, the Mac's albums had previously consisted of individual moments of brilliance in a sea of uninspired filler – 1972's Bare Trees is also the album where the band finally defines its post-blues musical personality…

It's extremely hard to think of any band that completely pivots lineups and stylistic approaches, and then turns out well—unless of course you're Fleetwood Mac. Formed in the U.K. as a hard-edged British blues combo in the late '60s, the troupe eventually gradually morphed into a polished pop/rock act over the course of a decade, and in the process, became one of the most influential American bands of the '70s. In The Many Faces of Fleetwood Mac, we will go down the rabbit hole to explore the lesser known side of the band and also to review the work of most of its 18 past and current members. To complete our journey, we will enjoy the band live during one of their most popular concerts of their half-a-century career. The stellar artwork and remastered sound, The Many Faces of Fleetwood Mac if the most recent addition to our 40-plus collection and for sure will be an essential part of your pop-rock collection.

While most bands undergo a number of changes over the course of their careers, few groups experienced such radical stylistic changes as Fleetwood Mac. Initially conceived as a hard-edged British blues combo in the late '60s, the band gradually evolved into a polished pop/rock act over the course of a decade…

These are the greatest hits of the version of Big Mac that produced Hits with a capital H! While pre-Stevie Nicks-Lindsey Buckingham versions of the group charted in the U.K. five times between 1968 and 1973, the post-blues-rock edition of the band reached unprecedented commercial heights beginning with "Rhiannon," a No. 5 smash in the spring of 1976. It's on this 16-track solid-gold set, along with the rest of the hits up through 1988's "Everywhere." A long version of "Sara" and some bonus tracks are included for extra value. ~ Steven Stolder

It's unfair to say that Fleetwood Mac had no pop pretensions prior to the addition of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks to the lineup in 1975. When they were led by Bob Welch they often flirted with pop, even recording the first version of the unabashedly smooth and sappy "Sentimental Lady," which would later be one of the defining soft rock hits of the late '70s…

As far as odds and ends packages go, Original Fleetwood Mac (1971) is an undeniably strong collection culled primarily from the band's first incarnation, featuring John McVie (bass/guitar), Mick Fleetwood (drums), Peter Green (guitar/vocals), and Jeremy Spencer (guitar/piano/vocals). As evidenced by the material, this quartet are an unmistakably blues-based combo. Early on they distinguished themselves as not only interpreters of traditional fare, but skilled composers, especially Green, who penned the vast majority of these selections…

Artistically and commercially, the Stevie Nicks/Lindsey Buckingham/Mick Fleetwood/Christine and John McVie edition of Fleetwood Mac had been on a roll for over a decade when Tango in the Night was released in early 1987…

Fleetwood Mac retreated from the insular strangeness of Tusk and returned to straightforward pop songcraft for Mirage. Boasting a glossy, friendly production that makes even the lesser numbers pleasant and ingratiating, Mirage nonetheless suffers from a lack of substanc…