A nice taste of the hit-making machine Fleetwood Mac was to become... ()

Two new American members--Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks (progressing from Stephanie and then to 'Stevi' Nicks)--compliment a rocking British blues outfit which hadn't had a chart hit in quite awhile. Fleetwood Mac always managed a devoted following, but none so large as to encounter opposition from fans by adding a new lead guitarist/vocalist and a second female vocalist. Heart was the only other band at the time who had in their ranks two prominent women as well as three men--but this was no dictatorship, and every member of Fleetwood Mac was allowed his or her room to shine (although allowing Stevie one extra song certainly wouldn't have hurt). That being said, musically this is really Christine McVie's album: her "Warm Ways", "Over My Head", "Say You Love Me", and "Sugar Daddy" are sweet, memorable songs that nimbly manage to move your spirit without getting too maudlin. She sounds fantastic on keyboards, and her vocals here are some of her finest. That's not to say newcomer Nicks has been crowded out. Hardly. Her brilliant lyrics are the most poignant and savvy on the entire album, and her performances on "Landslide" and "Rhiannon" are FM radio classics. Nicks also wrote "Crystal" (a lift from the "Buckingham Nicks" album on Polydor), which Lindsey sings in a quiet little voice. It's an amazing song that gains power with repeated plays. Buckingham shines on "Monday Morning", his vocal-strut very charming on "Blue Letter", however his slide into darker territory with "I'm So Afraid" sounds a bit pretentious on a bright pop album like "Fleetwood Mac". Still, it's a fun listen, and the best was yet to come.

Awesome ()

Fleetwood Mac, being among a high-class group of technically skilled musicians deliver an album that will be remembered as the best of all time! Without a shadow of doubt, Fleetwood Mac is one of the top five best rock n roll bands of all time.

AGELESS PERFECTION ()

This was the "new beginning" for Fleetwood Mac...A piece of work that is as fresh now as it was when recorded in 1975. The songs have stood up to time well and this collection served as a perfect precursor to Rumours. The magical introduction of a group of people and songs that beared repeated listening...you never tire of this group because of the dynamic of 3 distinct talents taking over the lead at perfectly plotted intervals...And the great thing is that the 3 distinct songwriters' work hangs together well as one piece of work...the angelic, soft rock love songs of Christine McVie, the mystical poetic light/dark drama of Stevie Nicks, and the brooding pensive demeanor of Lindsey Buckingham and his powerful guitar stylings...all draped over the seasoned fine-tuned rhythm section of John McVie and Mick Fleetwood...the perfect Album-Oriented Rock group of their era...truly a masterpiece that served as a tasty intro to the group's new beginning and for what was to come in the shape of "Rumours"....A must-have for all Fleetwood Mac fans.

The Change ()

After listening to HAHTF, you can definitely hear the impact of Welch's departure and Stevie and Lindsey's arrival. All the songs are quite good, with Warm Ways, Blue Letter, Crystal, Rhiannon, and I'm So Afraid being my favorites. Crystal was song either from or left off of the Buckingham-Nicks album and Christine's snyths at the end make it the perfect slow country-rocker. Bravo for their first showing with the McVies and Mick.

Monumental melodic masters ()

The 1975 album is the smoothest sounding Mac album to date and probably one of the mellowest. However, the new (at the time) guitarist Lindsey Buckingham starts off with an irresistible kick "Monday morning" has got one of Lindsey's best hooks to date while "Blue letter" is an Eagles type rocker that battles it out with "World turning" as being the hardest song on the record. It would have been interesting to see what Buckingham would have done with "I'm so afraid" had it been recorded in the studio a few years later but this song has always been a standout live so as a result, this version is far more inferior to the live renditions of the tune. The other newcomer, vocalist Stevie Nicks made an impact on rock music hardly ever, if ever paralleled with some of her strongest songs ever. "Crystal" (sung by Lindsey Buckingham) betters their original version from "Buckingham Nicks" and although "Rhiannon" & "Landslide" had become centerpieces of the Macs' live shows (as "I'm so afraid" had), these versions nevertheless stand up just as strong to their live counterparts. Christine Mcvie remains as solid as always with the soothing "Warm ways" the easy rocking "Sugar daddy" and the deserved hits "Over my head" which started the deluge, and the utterly pristine Christine song "Say you love me" which is still one of her best to this day. Sound quality on the disc couldn't be better and the artwork is just as classic as "Rumours". Here lay a milestone recording.

A CLASSIC MILESTONE IN ROCK HISTORY... ()

WHEN LINDSEY & STEVIE JOINED THE MAC, SOMETHING MAGICAL HAPPENED BETWEEN THEM & THE REST OF THE BAND. CONSIDERING THIS ALBUM WAS RECORDED IN 3 SHORT MONTHS THE CHEMISTRY ON THE SONGS IS REMARKABLE. SHEER MAGIC,SHEER POETRY & CLASSIC FLEETWOOD MAC.

A CLASSIC IN MY BOOK! ()

Okay...I am an eight year old and I don't have this album but I have listen to songs from this on the box set and sound clips on other sites. I listened to all the songs and I give all of them 210. This will always be a classic in my book. That's for sure. My rating for the songs. (Some different. Sorry).

1. Monday Morning 3/5
2. Warm Ways 5/5
3. Say You Love Me 5/5
4. Rhiannon 5/5
5. Crystal 5/5
6. Landslide 4/5
7. I Am So Afraid 5/5
8. World Turning 4/5
9. Sugar Daddy 4/5
10. Blue Letter 5/5
11. Over My Head 5/5

So some are different ratings. They are still such amazing songs.

A great album ()

This is truly a classic! Stevie and Lindsey are welcomed addtions as they launch this band into rock superstardom! Christine contributes some of her best songs. "Sugar Daddy" and "Warm Ways" are standouts. She has a very smokey blues voice on this album. Lindsey announces his presence with "Monday Morning" and "I'm So Afraid," both surging rockers- the latter is one of his best of all time. Stevie shows the world she is the new rock goddess with "Rhiannon" and "Landslide." The former is very eerie and captivating, and while the latter is a classic her voice does falter a little. This is a truly incredible album that holds its own against any rock album of the 70's, including "Rumours."

One of the best albums of the 70s ()

With Buckingham and Nicks in tow, the former British blues band moves into the melodic California rock that helped define the 70s. Buckingham, always an under rated guitar god, rocks hard on the outstanding "World Turning" and the heavy "I'm So Afraid." "Blue Letter" and "Monday Morning" are great folk rockers. McVie demonstrates her range as well. Unfortunatly as she moved away from blues she moved more into mainstream pop (though very well crafted pop) than into the more agressive rock n roll mode that was demonstrated with Nicks and Buckingham. She creates some of her best songs including the smokey blues ballad "Warm Ways," the bouncy pop/rock song "Sugar Daddy" and the top twenty hit "Over My Head." Nicks' contributions are indeed stellar. "Rhiannon" is a classic in anyone's book and she shows off her folkier side with "Landslide" and the beautiful duet "Crystal." This album ranks among some of the best 70s albums with excellent rock songs with a softer side to the album added by McVie.

Undoubtably the BEST Fleetwood Mac album EVER!!! ()

Since becoming a die-hard FM fan back in 1973 when I first heard "Sentimental Lady", I've bought just about everything this group has done since then - loved about 85% of it all and I'm a true believer that FM is one of the top 10 rock bands of our age!! This, the "Fleetwood Mac" album (or the "White Album" as I call it ;?) is arguably their best work IMHO. And to this day I find it difficult to understand why anyone thinks that the "Rumors" album is better then the "FM" album!!! IMHO "Rumors" is the 2ND Best which still makes it one of the top 10-15 albums of the decade but to my tastes it just didn't have the songs that connected to the poet in my own soul. With the possible exceptions of World Turning and Sugar Daddy - still great rock/pop-tunes even though they lack the poetic depth of the rest of the songs on the album - these are all great songs with incredible depth and there's not a single clunker or filler song on this album. And while Rumors truely is a great album - and BTW IMO "Rumors" only sold more then "FM" because it stood on the shoulders of "FM" (or rode its' wave if you will) - it is a considerably more lighter, pop oriented compilation. And don't get me wrong - I'm not one of those psuedo-intellectual rock-purist snobs who pooh-poohs anything remotely labled pop - I love GOOD pop music which truely describes some of the greatest songs of the late 60's through the late 80's. In the end, song for song I just don't feel that "Rumors" quite stands up to "Fleetwood Mac" with its unforgettable hits like "Rhiannon" the haunting tribute to the Welsh goddess and Stevie's mystical semi-autobiographical vision (I loved this one so much I named my 11 year-old daughter Rhiannon many years later, and it seems to suit her personality well;?); "Landslide" another personal favorite, this song of loves' self-discovery is a classic (beautiful poetry is timeless and this one will see many remakes, as the recent Dixie Chicks version shows); "Warm Ways" speaks of the wonderful way true love can make you feel at loves first awakening (yes I've been there, unable to sleep till sunrise drinking in my new loves sleeping face/figure) and there's the implied sexual intimacy and the sensuality that comes after which can be better then... well I'll not ramble anymore but you can tell it has a special place in my heart; "Crystal" is so spot on in its description of the strength and agelessness of true love; "Say You Love Me" and "Over My Head", two more songs that just could not better describe the feelings of helplessness at being swept away by love and at the mercy of loves object;"Monday Morning" and "Blue Letter" both lively/rocking tributes from opposite viewpoints of relationships begining to end;"I'm So Afraid" just amazes me, so deep, dark and profound, arguably Lindsey's best work on the album it still surprises me that so many people have never even heard of it!!! (someone will do a remake of this I'm certain and, if treated JUST right, it could top the charts IMO). So while there are probably bigger hits and/or better songs on some other FM albums out there, you'd be hardpressed to find another album BY ANY GROUP so packed with beautiful, quality music written to such wonderfully poetic lyrics as you'll find on the "Fleetwood Mac" disc! Well that's my two-cents (o.k. more like 99-cents, lol) - and whether you agree or not, at least we all love these guys and in the end, if you're a FM fan then you're all right!!!

FROM THIS FLEETWOOD MAC WAS BORN... ()

TO EVERY ONE OF YOU WHO HAS THIS ALBUM,GO & LISTEN TO AGAIN.WHEN I RECENTLY BOUGHT THIS ON CD,I WAS QUITE SHOCKED TO HEAR HOW COUNTRY & FOLKY IT IS.THE FLIPSIDE OF RUMOURS & AN UNDISPUTED CLASSIC...

Great ()

My favorite Fleetwood Mac album since Bare Trees. This album is great to listen to all the way through. Even most of the fillers are enjoyable. Lindsey's stronger efforts are "I'm So Afraid" and "Monday Morning". Stevie gets the silver award and her best are "Rhiannon" and "Landslide". Christine has the strongest on here (Say You Love Me, Over My Head, Sugar Daddy) and all of her songs are great on this album unlike "Rumours". I could do without the country-sounding "Blue Letter" though and "Crystal" sometimes gets dull.

Fleetwood Mac finally conquer the US! ()

It took eight years for Fleetwood Mac to top the US billboard album chart. In that period Fleetwood Mac sufferred many personnel changes, personal traumas and dramatic changes to their musical style.

By this point in Fleetwood Mac's history, the band would transform into something that could be considered the complete opposite of blues rock - country pop/folk rock. This is all attributed to the recruiting of one of pop rock's greatest duos - Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, formerly known as Buckingham Nicks.

Buckingham's "Monday Morning" and the cover "Blue letter" are essentially country flavoured tunes. Nicks contributes the folk ballad "Landslide" a concert favourite. Mcvie continues to contribute her country pop flavoured melodies such as "Over my head", "Say you love me" and "Sugar Daddy".

One of the most memorable things about this album is the beautiful poetic lyrics contained on the greatest songs ever composed. Mcvie's sensual folk-rock ballad "Warm ways", Nicks haunting pop rock "Rhiannon" and the inspiring folk ballad "Landslide" and Buckingham's guitar-rock ballad epic "I'm so afraid". Not only great pieces of music but also pieces of poetry that most people can relate to.

"Fleetwood Mac" as it is eponymously titled would consolidate on the country flavoured tunes that album "Heroes are Hard to find" introduced into the band's repertoire. This being inspired by their move to the US, the country-pop sound is what bridges "Heroes are hard to find" to the Buckingham Nicks line up. Songs like "Come a little bit closer" (from Heroes are hard to find) would fit well on this album.

This album contains many of the Mac's concert favourites such as Landslide, Rhiannon, Say you love me, Over my head, I'm so afraid and Monday Morning.

Pay attention to tracks such as "Crystal" and "World turning". "Crystal" are Nicks penned song was originally recorded for Buckingham Nick's self titled debut album. The version on this album sounds distinctively different due to the keyboard element introduced by Mcvie which was apparently lacking on the original version. Both versions contain Lindsey on vocals. Stevie would subsequently record her own version for a movie soundtrack where she would sing on the track. The track features Sheryl Crowe. "Crystal" is a folk ballad. The other track "World turning" is a blues-rock oriented track. This track was inspired by one of Peter Green's compositions from the very first Fleetwood Mac album from 1968. "World keep on turning" from "Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac" was the original track that inspired Buckingham/Mcvies collabaration - "World turning". Just when the blues had dissappeared from the band's repertoire, would only come back to reinforce the band's roots.

This album yielded three US top 20 singles (Over my head, Rhiannon and Say you love me). Something that was not achieved before my the Mac. The Mac never had an album produce so many hits yet alone in the US. This is certainly the dawning of a new era for the Mac!

Truly are great 70's rock album that commemorates the poetic spirit of the 70's rock scene. An album that should never be forgotten.