Live at the BBC [Double CD, Live, Original recording reissued, Import]

... the ORIGINAL Fleetwood Mac was a force to be reconned with in their heyday 1968-1970. Peter Green, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood (from ONE incarnation of John Mayall's legendary Bluesbreakers) recruited slide virtuoso and 50's stars aping Jeremy Spencer and third guitarist Danny Kirwan (and one Cristine Perfect, soon to be Mrs McVie on some of the later sessions) and took on the world.

Riding british hits (the reverb drenched ALBATROSS which inspired the Beatles SUN KING, the sad and world weary MAN OF THE WORLD and the original BLACK MAGIC WOMAN) the band did these sessions for the BBC 1968-1970 (last broacast was Jan 1971, shortly after Spencer and Green had both left the band). Included are the bluesy stomp of RATTLESNAKE SHAKE (a short version at 7:30, the Elmore James-ey BELIEVE MY TIME AIN'T LONG and BABY PLEASE SET A DATE, a rockin' twin lead peice by Kirwan called ONLY YOU, Spencer's 50s favorites JENNY LEE and a smoking TALLAHASSIE LASSIE), more of Green's trademark world weariness on JUMPING AT SHADOWS and the classic NEED YOUR LOVE SO BAD. Add a couple of solo slide pieces (think Robert Johnson) in PREACHIN' and EARLY MORNING COME. They even perform a pretty good imitation of their old boss Mayall on BLUES WITH A FEELING.

If it sounds like this band is all over the map... well maybe. But as a BAND, they make it all work and run together so well. One of the surprising aspects of the set is how much FUN it sounds like these guys are having just playing together. It's hard NOT to be taken in by the shear JOY of SANDY MARY or BUDDY'S SONG (a send up to Holly). This might be the most fun record this side of THE WHO SELL OUT.

This record is NOT for fans of the Buckingham/Nicks Fleetwood Mac or even the Bob Welch Mac, unless you like the blues, and like your blues a little loose at that. Personally and as a guitar player I love Green's tone and use of reverb and there is little of that on display here (try THEN PLAY ON or THE VAUDEVILLE YEARS 1968-1970 for big slices or even his album with Mayall, A HARD ROAD), but I really REALLY like this record.

The quality sometimes slips,things get a little "thin" soundwise, but the performances are ACES! A good reference point for digging into the Peter Green era, sadly only three albums and a couple of collctions long.

If you were born after the first half of the Baby Boom (1946-55), this is your father's Fleetwood Mac. Although three of the main players in the popular, late 1970's incarnation of the band are present here (Mick Fleetwood on drums, John McVie on bass, and the future Mrs. McVie, Christine Perfect, making guest appearances on three tracks, but offering no vocals), the sound is completely different, save a few pop offerings. The male McVie, Fleetwood, and lead guitarist Peter Green all emerged from John Mayall's Bluesbreakers to form Fleetwood Mac, at Green's behest, in 1967. Given their heritage in John Mayall's band, it's no surprise that the bulk of Fleetwood Mac's circa 1970 productions are grounded in the blues. What is surprising is the gamut of other genre's visited by the band, ranging from down and dirty, Jim Morrison style blues and psychedelic rock (Green's 'Rattlesnake Shake'), to almost pure bubblegum fare (guitarist Jeremy Spencer's 'Jenny Lee'). In between are convincing and entertaining parodies on Buddy Holly (Spencer's 'Linda' and Danny Kirwan's 'When I See My Baby'), Elvis (Spencer's 'You Never Know What You're Missing' and 'Heavenly'), and even the power pop sound of Badfinger ('Honey Hush').

The bulk of the better tracks are found on the first disc, and most of them are Peter Green compositions, as well as nice covers of Tim Hardin's 'How Can We Hang On To a Dream' (unusual given its piano foundation) and Phil Everly's 'When Will I Be Loved'. The first disc opens with the two heaviest numbers, every bit as weighty and psychedelic as anything by Led Zeppelin. 'Rattlesnake Shake' is the longest performance on the disc, running seven and a half minutes, and actually is faded out rather than brought to a conclusion by the band. For my money, they could have gone on for another twenty minutes with this roof-raising guitar-fest. The entire disc features an abundance of superb guitar work, courtesy of the three talented guitarists (Green, Kirwan, and Spencer), but nowhere near as flamboyant as on the opening track. Another Green composition follows, 'Sandy Mary', featuring more blues than psychedelia, but just as much appeal as the opening track. Green is on again with perhaps his most recognizable composition, 'Oh Well' on track seven ("don't ask me what I think of you, I might not give the answer that you want me to..."). It's not until the fourteenth track on the second disc that we find another superb Green composition, 'Looking For Somebody', a slow-tempo blues track with a fetching melody. In between are a wealth of fine tunes from a host of composers including Robert Johnson (3 tracks) and Elmore James (3 tracks). Green supplies ten compositions, and Danny Kirwin five. The emphasis is heavily on the blues. There really aren't any losers, but only seven or eight tracks worthy of mention among the 36 offered.

The recording quality varies greatly. I have no complaint about the quality of the bulk of the tracks, but several, such as 'Need Your Love So Bad' (the last track on the first disc) suffer from poor fidelity, as though the Dolby Noise Reduction accidentally got switched on. The discs were produced by Mick Fleetwood, and he apparently decided to arrange the tracks in his own mysterious manner. Because of this, the contrasting characteristics of each recording session are highlighted, and the listening experience takes on a patchwork quality. I believe Fleetwood would have been better off keeping the tracks from each recording session together. There are five tracks offered from 1967, nine from 1968, eleven from 1969, eight from 1970, and one from January of 1971.

Listening to 'Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac Live At the BBC' is an archival experience. While the band wasn't the most influential band of the era, they are clearly an eclectic outfit that reflected, and encapsuled, the dominant sounds of the 1960's. The musicianship is exemplary, and while none of the several vocalists has outstanding talent, they are all adroit, and in combination produce some enticing harmonies. Guests on the disc include Chicago bluesman Eddie Boyd and guitarist Nick Pickett (no relation to Wilson...). This two disc set includes an inlay featuring numerous band photographs, an introduction from Mick Fleetwood, background on the BBC broadcasts from Stephen Davis, and detailed track listings. Altogether, a thoroughly enjoyable package.

While this album does have many of the great songs that made the early Fleetwood Mac great, it seems as if the band is watering down its sound on many tracks. It's as if they wanted their recordings for the BBC to be listener-friendly, and they threw in some more pop-sounding songs to give people something to like about their music. One example, the reworking of Long Grey Mare found here. In my opinion, the sound you'll find on their main albums is what's really great, and it's present here. I just wish they would have left out some of the songs like Jenny Lee and Heavenly. I have to skip past those songs...