Fleetwood Mac “Fleetwood Mac”

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#526 in the Series and #33 in the Whale Wednesday Series) is the self-titled album from Fleetwood Mac.

Has any band been through more incarnations than Fleetwood Mac? This was their 11^th release. It was also the start of the Buckingham/Nicks era as they replaced Bob Welch who left after the previous album, Heroes Are Hard to Find. Do you remember that one? Heroes was actualy their most popular album to date. It reached #34 on the Billboard Top 200 Album chart.

All that changed when the band left their blues/rock sound. The Fleetwood Mac album and its pop sound would eventually sell 5 million units in the States and would be their first #1 album here (#3 peak position in the UK.)

The one constant through the years has always been the fantastic rhythm section of drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie, although, not from the very start.

Guitarist Peter Green named the band Fleetwood Mac after the rhythm section he wanted for the band. Mick Fleetwood joined immediately, however, John McVie did not. The original bassist was a chap named Bob Brunning. Brunning was hired with the understanding that he was in the band only if McVie would not agree to join the band. That lasted about two weeks and then McVie was in. McVie previously was part of John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers as was Fleetwood. Brunning would eventually be part of Savoy Brown.

So if you’re keeping score, you now have that great rhythm section along with two great pop singer/songwriters, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham.  However, I’ve yet to mention my favorite member of the band. That would be keyboardist/singer/songwriter Christine McVie. I always felt that her songs were the strongest in the band.  I never was that into Nicks. If she wasn’t in the band it would have been fine with me. She had a couple decent songs on this album “Rhiannon” and “Landslide.”  I don’t think they come close to McVie’s “Over My Head”, “Say You Love Me”, “Sugar Daddy” or “Warm Ways.” “Warm Ways” was the first single that was released in the UK. Here in the States the first single was “Over My Head.”

Buckingham had two tracks on this album, “Monday Morning”, “I’m So Afraid” and also one written with Nicks a good one too, ”World Turning.”

Make sure you check out the video playlist below. It contains some live goodies from just after this album was released.

–Larry Carta

Track Listing

Side one

1. “Monday Morning”(Buckingham) 2:48
2. “Warm Ways” (C. McVie) 3:54
3. “Blue Letter” (Rick Curtis, Mike Curtis) 2:41
4. “Rhiannon” (Nicks) 4:11
5. “Over My Head” (C. McVie) 3:38
6. “Crystal” (Nicks) 5:14

Side two

1. “Say You Love Me” (C. McVie) 4:11
2. “Landslide”(Nicks) 3:19
3. “World Turning” (Buckingham, C. McVie ) 4:25
4. “Sugar Daddy” (C. McVie) 4:10
5. “I’m So Afraid”  (Buckingham) 4:22

Personnel

Fleetwood Mac

• Stevie Nicks – vocals
• Lindsey Buckingham – guitar, vocals
• Christine McVie – keyboards, synthesizer, vocals
• John McVie – bass guitar
• Mick Fleetwood – drums, percussion

Additional personnel

• Waddy Wachtel – rhythm guitar on “Sugar Daddy”

Links

Check out some of our Rock and Roll Hall of Famers…

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