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LEGENDARY RECORDINGS FROM FLEETWOOD MAC S EARLIEST DAYS Formed in London in 1967 by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, with bassist John McVie completing the line-up for their self-titled debut album, Fleetwood Mac began as a very different beast to the one they would become by the mid-1970s. Danny Kirwan joined as third guitarist in 1968 and keyboardist Christine Perfect, who contributed as a session musician from the second album, married John McVie and joined in 1970. Primarily a British blues band initially, they scored a UK number one with Albatross , and had lesser hits with the singles Oh Well and Black Magic Woman , the latter successfully covered by Santana. All three guitarists left in succession during the early 1970s, changing the sound of the group quite dramatically. This triple disc set celebrates the early days of Fleetwood Mac, focussing as it does on the group s live recordings and radio sessions. Featuring, on disc one, their superb San Francisco gig at the Carousel Ballroom in 1968 in its entirety (previously only released in part), disc two contains Fleetwood Mac s complete BBC Radio Sessions from 1968 recorded for shows such as Top Gear and Saturday Club. The set is completed on disc there with their legendary concert performed in New Orleans at The Warehouse venue, in January 1970.

While most bands undergo a number of changes over the course of their careers, few of them experienced more radical stylistic evolution than 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. Throughout all of their incarnations, the only consistent members of Fleetwood Mac were drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie – the rhythm section that provided the band with their name. Ironically, they had the least influence over the musical direction of the band.

By the mid-'70s, Fleetwood Mac had relocated to California, where they added the soft rock duo of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks to their lineup. Obsessed with the meticulously arranged pop of the Beach Boys and the Beatles, Buckingham helped the band become one of the most popular groups of the late '70s. Combining soft rock with the confessional introspection of singer/songwriters, Fleetwood Mac created a slick but emotional sound that helped 1977's Rumours become one of the biggest-selling albums of all time. The band retained their popularity through the early '80s, when Buckingham, Nicks, and Christine McVie all began pursuing solo careers. The group reunited for 1987's Tango in the Night, but Buckingham left the band and Fleetwood Mac entered a period where they slowly lost their frontmen, culminating in the group officially calling it a day after Time faded upon its 1995 release.

While most bands undergo a number of changes over the course of their careers, few of them experienced more radical stylistic evolution than 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. Throughout all of their incarnations, the only consistent members of Fleetwood Mac were drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie – the rhythm section that provided the band with their name.

Radio broadcast of an incredible performance live from Kultuuritalo, Helsinki. Fleetwood Mac gradually evolved from a pure blues outfit into one of the country’s most progressive acts. Their classic Then Play On album was released in September 1969, yielding the massive hit Oh Well. That month their busy schedule saw them making their third visit to Finland, where this blistering set, was performed and broadcast on local radio. It finds them tearing through some of their best-known songs, as well as several they never recorded in the studio, and is presented here together with background notes and images.

Fleetwood Mac While most bands undergo a number of changes over the course of their careers, few of them experienced a more radical stylistic evolution than Fleetwood Mac. Initially conceived as a hard-edged British blues combo in the late '60s, the band gradually evolved into an incredibly popular and influential pop/rock act over the course of a decade. Originally, guitarists Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer provided the group with their gutsy psychedelic blues-rock sound, then the band moved toward pop/rock with the addition of keyboardist/songwriter Christine McVie. By the mid-'70s, Fleetwood Mac relocated to California, where they added the duo of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks to their lineup; the latter pair's writing and vocals helped the band become one of the most popular groups of the late '70s. Combining melodic soft rock with the confessional introspection of singer/songwriters, 1977's Rumours is one of the biggest-selling albums of all time.