For Mac 2020

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.

Legendary drummer, Mick Fleetwood enlisted an all-star cast for a one-of-a-kind concert honouring the early years of Fleetwood Mac and its founder, Peter Green which was held on 25th February 2020 at the London, Palladium. The bill included Neil Finn (Crowded House), Noel Gallagher (Oasis), Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top), David Gilmour (Pink Floyd), Kirk Hammett (Metallica), John Mayall (Blues Breakers), Christine McVie (Fleetwood Mac), Jeremy Spencer (Fleetwood Mac), Pete Townshend (The Who), Steven Tyler (Aerosmith) and Bill Wyman (Rolling Stones). Legendary producer Glyn Johns (Small Faces & The Beatles) joined as the executive sound producer and the house band featured Mick Fleetwood himself along with Andy Fairweather Low, Dave Bronze, Rick Vito, Zak Starkey, Jonny Lang and Ricky Peterson.

Two CDs of the real deal blues recorded by the legendary and mysterious George Paulus - these tracks are hard, tough, real deal Chicago Blues sessions from the 1970s. Disc 1 has studio tracks by Billy Branch (his first session), slide guitarist Joe Carter, harmonica player John Wrencher, Mac Thompson rarely recorded as leader, Kansas City Red with Eddie Taylor and many others. Disc 2 contains solo recordings from the backroom of a barbershop and other informal settings.

"On our first album together, New Rain Duets (also recorded live), Mary and I were improvising but going in we had a basic structure and melodic idea laid out for each of the four parts. In the Spring of 2019 we booked a short tour to support the release of that record, but unlike every tour I've ever been a part of, we were not going to be playing songs from the album we were promoting. For me this was a terrifying idea, but ultimately liberating, as it meant that each show we were starting from a blank slate with no expectations except to (hopefully) make something beautiful. Mary and I talked about the need for this kind of feeling in music then, and I find it even more important now, one long year later."

More than any other Fleetwood Mac album, Tusk is born of a particular time and place – it could only have been created in the aftermath of Rumours, which shattered sales records, which in turn gave the group a blank check for its next album. But if they were falling apart during the making of Rumours, they were officially broken and shattered during the making of Tusk, and that disconnect between bandmembers resulted in a sprawling, incoherent, and utterly brilliant 20-track double album…

Greatest Hits is a fine overview of Fleetwood Mac's hitmaking years, containing the bulk of the group's Top 40 hits of the late '70s and '80s, including "Over My Head," "Rhiannon," "Say You Love Me," "Go Your Own Way," "Dreams," "Don't Stop," "Tusk," "Sara," "Hold Me," "Gypsy," and "Little Lies." Minor hits like "Think About Me," "Love in Store," and "Seven Wonders" are missing, making room for the new songs "As Long as You Follow" (which actually became a hit) and "No Questions Asked," but overall, Greatest Hits is an excellent choice for casual listeners. WEA released a version of Greatest Hits in 2006 that included the bonus track "Oh Diane".