Then Play On ()

This would have to be the first Fleetwood Mac album I bought that contained the classic blues line up. I was already familiar with Danny Kirwan and his invaluable contributions to preceding Fleetwood Mac albums such as "Bare Trees". Undoubtedly he was the major driving force of the band during the period of the Bare Trees album. One listen to that album and one can understand why. I wasn't anticipating on appreciating this album very much but I surprisingly enjoyed this album immensely . My favourite track is the opening track "Coming your way". This would have to be one of the best tracks that Danny Kirwan has contributed to the Mac. The rhythm section is superb on this track and it's exemplary of the famous Fleetwood/Mcvie rhythm section.

It seems that Kirwan has adapted to the role of singer/song writer/guitarist very well and this album definitely contains some of his best material. Christine Mcvie (at the time was she was known as Christine Perfect) also contributes backing vocals on some of Danny's songs (ie Feel like crying) which is another one of my favourites from this album. Christine would also end up recording one of Danny's tracks for her debut solo album - When you say - which also appears on this album. Christine also contributres her indispensable keyboarding skills.

Other great Danny Kirwan moments are the warm "My Dream" and the haunting "Although the sun is shining". Kirwan's major presence in the band creates another musical dimension for the band which was not present previously on mac albums. Peter Green tends to consolidate on this alternative rock sound that Kirwan is bringing to the band. The chemsitry between Green and Kirwan and the rest of the band is much different when Spencer is partaking in a more crucial role.

The album also contains the nine mintue epic "Oh well" which consists of parts 1 and 2. Part 1 is an obvious heavy blues rock song, a signature song of Mr Peter Green himself and probably one of the most influential songs of rock. Oh well is where heavy metal music was derived from. The flute played at the end of the song is actually played by Peter Green's girlfriend. Part 2 is more mellow melodic and has a classical feel to it. It is also very haunting.

'Then play on' also demonstrates the Mac's tendency to experiment and to deviate from the strictly blues format. This blues format was very evident on previous albums. This deviation is attributed to many factors such as Kirwan undertaking a more major role in the songwriting/guitar playing, the absence of Jeremy Spencer who was a major blues influence within the band, and that Green's latest contributions tended to be less mainstream and more progressive. Though blues tends to be one of the more evident muscial styles on this album, it seems that the Mac were developing a more distinctive sound of their own which would have been a very exciting era for the Mac at the time. This essentially was the beginning for the Mac because this album actually defined the Mac's sound which would be so evident in future Fleetwood Mac albums. 'Then play on' would have to be their most diverse and experimental album to date and it was the stepping stone they needed for the next decade which would only continue their journey of change and evolution for the band.

'Then play on' is the beginning of a journey evolution of the band and its music which would continue for many years and take the band to places they never thought they never would have imagined they would be.

Mystery To Me ()

By the time this album was recorded and released, it was obvious that the Mac had completely abandoned their blues roots. Fleetwood Mac had evolved into a completely different band and this is attributed to the many personnel changes within the band and that american guitarist Bob Welch had inevitably taken on the leadership role which transformed Fleetwood Mac's sound to a more softer californian rock sound.

The opening track "Emerald eyes" is a perfect example of the sound that Fleetwood Mac were exemplary of during this period. "Emerald eyes" is one of the strongest tracks on the album. It had hit potential but it was overlooked as a single in favour of the cover version of the Yardbirds hit "For your love". Welch contributed most of the material on this album and probably his best ever. 'Miles way', 'Somebody' and the haunting 'Hypnotised' were all examples of Welch's impeccable work and that the Mac were also evolving as band in the studio as the production of the band's album tracks were stronger than ever. This trend of improved production was consolidated from their previous album "Penguin".

There are also some weak points. Tracks such as "The city" and "Forever" contained some very poor production work.

Emerald eyes would have to contain the best production on this album and for that reason it tends to stand out from the rest of the songs. It was a good song to open the album with. Miles way, Somebody and Emerald eyes would have to be my favourite 'Welch' tracks.

This would have to be the first album where all Chrisitine Mcvie contributions are impeccable. There is not one bad moment from Christine on this album. From 'Believe me' to 'Why' Christine is in top form. This album would have to be the beginning of Christine Mcvie as a credible singer/songwriter who contributes very strong material for Fleetwood Mac. From this point on, Christine Mcvie's career in Fleetwood Mac progresses as she can do no wrong.

The track "Hypnotised" has an obvious hypnotic effect on the listener. It is one of the most enigmatic, haunting, eerie and darkest songs I have ever heard. You have to listen to it to understand and appreciate it for what it is. The song can literally put you into a trance! It is that scary! Welch had a tendency to compose music like that. This kind of musical style would be pursued on "Heroes are hard to find" album and even with his solo career. This eerie dimension to Welch's songs was also evident on Fleetwood mac album "Penguin". This eerie, spooky and enigmatic mood created in his songs is also attributed to his vocals. Bob Welch can sing in a very haunting, probably not as haunting as Stevie Nicks, but still his voice has an hypnotic effect. But when you listen to tracks like Emerald eyes you perceive Welch's voice in a completely different manner. His vocals comes across as warm and comforting.

The track "Why" penned by Christine Mcvie is typical of her songwriting style. The track has a pretty melody and there's a melancholy mood in the song which is created by Christine's keyboard/piano playing. This would have to be Christine's most creative period within the band upon till the release of this album.

The gradual and dramatic change in Fleetwood Mac's approach to production and the musical direction that the band had taken is evident that the Mac were trying to crack the US market. Unfortunately this meant that they had abandoned their blues fans when they abandoned their blues roots and success in the UK was far fetched.

This journey of constant change and growth only led to bigger and better things.

Penguin ()

When Danny Kirwan left the band, a part of the Mac had left with him. Remnants of the 60's blues that attributed to their fame and glory were completely obliterated from the current Mac line-up. Despite that Chrisitne Mcvie was very much part of the 60's blues scene it was evident that Fleetwood Mac ceased to be a blues-rock band. It is also very evident that there is a dramatic difference between the albums Bare trees and Penguin.

The "Penguin" album was an obvious attempt to crack the US market. The album did give the band their highest chart placing up to date (a respectable No 49 on the US billboard chart) which yielded two single releases both from Christine Mcvie. Both "Remember me" and "Did you ever love me" were released as singles in the US. "Remember me" the opening track features slide guitar by Bob Weston (new guitarist recruited). It is a typical christine mcvie song and it is definitely one of the strongest tracks on the album. Dissatisfied has a blues feel to it and it seems to me though Danny Kirwan had left the band the blues were still with the Mac in one shape or another. "Did you ever love me" would have to be the poppiest track on the album because of the keyboards. Not particularly my favourite and I don't think it is one of Chrisitne's best songs.

Welch's finest moment would have to be "Nightwatch". This haunting track has haunting harmonies and impeccable production. This track epitomises the sound and production quality of the band's studio work. I have to say this song is very underrated and overlooked. It has a good melody and it is an epic. It has a dramatic climax towards the end of the song. This song combines all of Welch's qualities that make him an excellent singer/songwriter. The song is eerie and mysterious and there's not a band moment in the track. Welch's other contributions- Revelation and "Bright fire" are exemplary of Welch's eerie sound in his songs. "Bright fire" being the more pleasant of the two tracks has very good guitar playing whilst "Revelation" is the most eerie Welch track on the album.

"Caught in the rain" is another fine moment on this album. Thanks to Peter Green's contribution and Christine Mcvie's beautiful piano playing, this is one of the most prettiest instrumental ballads ever recorded by the band. Definitely one of the strongest tracks on the album.

Though all singer/songwriters in this Fleetwood Mac line up possess distinctive styles of their own it seems that Dave Walker's contributions did not complement the band. Walker contributed two tracks to the album and though they were not bad tracks they did not fit in well with the pretty melodies that Mcvie and Welch were contributing to the band's repertoire.

The contributions from Mcvie and Welch on this album are exemplary of the kind of material that would be contained on future album recordings from the Mcvie/Welch line up.

Heroes Are Hard To Find ()

"Heroes are hard to find" is the first album recorded in the US by the band. Both Welch and Mcvie have grown as songwriters and are contributing some of their finest work on this album, the production tends to be weak in comparison to its predecessors - "Penguin" and "Mystery to me".

The title track is also a single, opens the album and the band decides to use horns to spice up the sound on the song. But production is very weak on this track and I feel the track suffers because of it.

Welch's songs on this album tend to a bit more rockier and more haunting than ever before. The haunting rocker "Angel" is one of the strongest tracks on the album. Bermuda triangle continues the mystical, enigmatic Welch tradition while She's changing me is country-tinged which is something Welch has not done before with the Mac.

Mcvie also contributes a country flavoured tune "Coming a little bit closer". This track is one of my all time favourite Christine Mcvie songs. It has a great melody, and I love the guitar in this song. This would have to be the strongest song on the album. Another great Mcvie moment is the catchy melodic "Prove your love".

This is the last album recorded with Robert Welch and the first recorded in the US. Like "Mystery to me", "Heroes are hard to find" is a more cohesive offerring than Penguin and this may because Mcvie and Welch had taken on leadership roles in the songwriting and that they have grown as a band.

Heroes are hard to find would give the Mac their highest chart placing in the US up to date (a respectable No 34 in the US, their first top 40 US billboard album).

Bare Trees ()

It would be fair to say that"Bare Trees" is officially the last Fleetwood Mac blues album. Danny Kirwan contributes virtually half of the album tracks. Kirwan's tracks would have to be the strongest on this album. All of his five tracks are strong and there is not a dull moment delivered by him. The title track is a blues-oriented track and is strongest track on the album. It has a catchy chorus and could have been a hit single if released. All of Kirwan's contributions tend to be blues compositions but Mcvie contributes only one blues composition. The other Mcvie track "Spare me a little of your love" is a country-tinged track unlike "Homeward bound" which is very blues. "Spare me a little of you love" is a deviation of the blues style songs that Mcvie was writing at the time and this was the style that Mcvie would adopt and would be so evident in her future track recordings for the Mac. By the next album "Penguin" this country-oriented rock style would be more evident in Mcvie tracks such as "Remember me" and "Dissatisfied". "Spare me a little of your love" is definitely one of the stronger tracks on the album and it is an important track for Mcvie because it reveals the future musical direction of the band.

"Sentimental lady" the pilot single taken from the album would be ignored and would flop. It is a shame because it deserved to be a hit, much so, that Welch would re-record it for his debut solo album and would hit the billboard US top 10. "Sentimental lady" is a beautiful ballad and was typical of the sensitive songs that Welch would write for the Mac for future Mac albums.

Regardless of Mcvie's and Welch's indispensible contributions, Kirwan is really the star and major driving force on this album. Kirwan's swan song and probably his finest hour with the Mac.

The Dance ()

The good thing about this album is that you won't have to put up with critics expressing what a disappointment this album is in comparison to the unsurpassable "Rumours". I can't believe some of the reviews here at the penguin about how other Fleetwood mac albums don't measure up to the unsurpassable "Rumours".

This album is a remarkable achievement for the Mac because of several reasons. The phenomenal line up, consisting of Buckingham and Nicks and Mcvie, that brought the band so much success in the US and around the world finally reunite. And after so much this band went through you would think they would never reunite but they did. They would overcome their personal differences and record the best live album in their career. Also it is an opportunity for the mac to re-invent some of the tunes that gave them worldwide success. These rerecorded live songs from their hit albums "Fleetwood Mac' and 'Rumours' sound better than they did twenty years ago. For instance we have an extended version of Rhiannon. Simialr versions of this track were performed live twenty years ago at live concerts across the world but this is the first time we get to hear a similar version recorded for this live album in it's entirety on cd. Stevie Nicks' voice is in top form and her songs are just fantastic. Dreams and Landslide sound so good. I am not that keen on the live version"Silver springs" as I prefer the original 1976 studio version intended for the "Rumours" album.

Buckingham's new songs are the strongest of the new tracks and it further emphasises what are great loss he was to the band when he left back in 1987. Not did the Mac lose an extraordinary guitarist but they also lost a talented songwriter and able producer. His solo acoustic guitar version of "Big love" just emphasises his ability to create songs the way he wants them to sound. An apparent indication of his proficiency as a producer. Anyone would be amazed at the complete contrast of the two versions of Big love. I think it is so cool that he can take the synthesiser pop electric guitar oriented Big love and to srip it naked to just a raw acoustic guitar version. And his guitar playing is very stylish. A very distinctive guitarist. Whenever you hear Lindsey Buckingham play guitar especially acoustic guitar, you know it is Buckingham. I also love the new acoustic version of his solo hit "Go insane". I just love this version. It is so much better than the original studio version back in 1984. Someone submitted a review on the penguin complaining about this song being included on the very best of compilation but I am glad it was included on the album because I just love this type of style that Buckingham is conveying in his songs. I think Buckingham was going through some sort of phase with how he was performing or composing his songs. I think it is really good. Also "my little demon" is a real rocker and this just emphaises the versatility of Buckingham's style ie he can perform rockers as well as raw acoustic stuff. "Bleed to love her" is typical of Buckingham's more sensitive side and it is typical buckingham and fleetwood mac that we have been exposed to in the past. It fits in well with this repertoire on this album.

Christine Mcvie's reinvention of Everywhere is also very exciting. This country version with the banjo type instrument playing just reminds how different "Tango in the night" was to their other albums and how much the music industry had changed in the late 1980's when the Mac re-emerged with" TANGO IN THE NIGHT".

To sum it all up this album fulfilled a lot of thngs for the Mac. Firstly it brought back Lindsey Buckingham after his ten year hiatus from the band. It was also an opportunity for this line-up to record live again as that was not possible for the Mac back in 1987 to promote "Tango in the night" as Buckingham had many personal issues such as his health. I presume that he was suffereing from some sort of illness for a while and that a long tour was something that he could not handle. Also it was an opportunity to record a very high quality live album as their last 1980 live album was not exactly the best well produced recording of live songs. Witness the recorded live version of "Rhiannon" of the 1980 live album. It doesn't exactly do the song justice. The 1980 live album is not a bad album but this album certainly surpasses it considering that the technology in the music industry has dramatically changed over the many years. It also reunites one of the Mac's greatest line ups. Sadly, it is also the band's last recording with Christine Mcvie. The Mac as we know and want is back!