Fleetwood Mac [CASSETTE] [Import]

"Fleetwood Mac" spawned the hits 'Over My Head' and 'Say You Love Me' for Christine, whilst Nicks found fame with the entrancing 'Rhiannon'. Buckingham's guitar adds spice to the others' contributions, and even better allows him to reach points of near musical orgasm on 'I'm So Afraid'. John McVie's bass and Mick Fleetwood's drumming power the whole album, sleak and tight.

The extras on this deluxe reissue are admittedly not particularly abundant. There is a 1975 jam session between the 4 players (minus Nicks) and 4 singles versions of various tracks, which in fact are a little more punchy than the originals. But it is the album itself which should hold the listener's interest: there is no driftwood here, just fantastic music produced by a band which obviously had good musical and personal chemistry.

MONDAY MORNING: A combination of Mick Fleetwood's drums and Lindsey Buckingham's voice kick off the rocking opener, the first of many vitriolic songs Lindsey would contribute to the band. The title is appropriate for this album was truly a new beginning for the Mac.

WARM WAYS: a lovely lovers lullaby from Christine McVie (vocals/keyboards), laced with delightful work from then-husband John McVie (bass) and Lindsey.

BLUE LETTER: an obscure country-rock cover but I'm sure the Curtis Brothers will be forever grateful to Lindsey for bringing their song to a wider audience.

RHIANNON: The single that brought Mac to US chart prominence and the first Stevie Nicks track. The lady in the title is a Welsh witch who makes birds and breathes life into them. Not for Christian ears like mine perhaps but a wonderful piece of music with all five band members bringing their talent to the fore.

OVER MY HEAD: Another wonderfully woozy Christine McVie track, oozing the kind of depth that sadly her songs grew to lack later on. "Your mood is like a circus wheel, you're changing all the time", rarely has a reference to a circus been used so darkly

CRYSTAL: Written by Stevie but sung by Lindsey. This gorgeous song with its hypnotic lyric of mountains, fountains and the sea is truly a hidden Mac gem.

SAY YOU LOVE ME: Christine starts rocking now and the harmony of the three singers comes to the fore in the chorus of this song. Oh and Lindsey plays the most beautiful, poignant guitar solo ever.

LANDSLIDE: Yes the same Landslide the Dixie Chicks covered, with just Lindsey's acoustic guitar accompanying Stevie's voice. A beautiful song of aging and changing. Stevie has rarely been this good since then.

WORLD TURNING: A jam based on The World Keep On Turning by the original Peter Green line-up, a wonderful Lindsey/Christine composition of needing to be loved more than needing to be corrected. Don't be fooled by the percussion fade-out, this is now Mick's solo spot on stage and involves a lot more noise. It's even gotten lewd on occasions...

SUGAR DADDY: Perhaps the most dispensable track on the album but fun nonetheless as Christine abandons her frustrated pining for a bit of a fantasy of a man on the side with wealth, whiskey and a big fancy car. Perhaps a little too telling, as she had already had an affair with their former producer and when her marriage to John collapsed in the ensuing years, a relationship with their lighting engineer Curry Grant (subject of You Make Loving Fun) would ensue.

I'M SO AFRAID: THE classic Lindsey Buckingham song IMO. I have to confess I never really associated the albums from this period with driving down a sun-drenched Californian freeway, far more with rain lashing your window as you head up the M1. This is perfect panic-induced rock. "I'm so afraid... slip and I fall and I die...", for anyone who has suffered from OCD or related disorders, surely a bit of an anthem.

So that's it. The first album by the megabuck Rumours/Tango In The Night line-up. Even if all you've got are Rumours, Tango and a compilation... get this one. I promise you will not regret it.