Blues Series#23: Fleetwood Mac-Then Play On

[joe]

One can't do a blues-rock series without mentioning Fleetwood Mac. Though it's thier s/t album that recieves all the accolades it's Then Plays On from 1969 that is the best off the Peter Green era releases IMO.

I think this album is Peter Green's swan song. The band added a third guitarist, Danny Kirwan, and he actually wrote and performed vocals on about half the tracks and dueled it out with Green on the lead guitar on a handful of tracks.

Peter Green then only recorded "The Green Manaleshi" with the band as a single and then left. Remaining members started to take the band towards more of an american sounding rock.

The US and UK original pressings contained different tracks as the US version removed some of the original tracks and replaced them with some singles. That wasn't uncommon at that time as record companies on both sides of the Atlantic did this.

 

[Sox]

^^ A brilliant album Joe right up there in my top five of all time, Pete and Danny play some incredible guitar and I believe Pete did some of the drum and bass parts as well ??

 

[joe]

Sox, I wouldn't be surprised as both are multi-instrumental. I don't think Jeremy Spencer contributed much to the album(?). You'd probably know more than I would. Top five, high praise and well deserving IMO.

 

[LG]

It is amazing the difference between this early incarnation of FM and the later line-up, which is who I found first.

I am slowly picking up a few of the early recordings, but I don't have this one yet Joe.

 

[joe]

^^^I think you would like this album the best LG. It's not so blues oriented as thier previous releases.

 

[Sox]

Sox, I wouldn't be surprised as both are multi-instrumental. I don't think Jeremy Spencer contributed much to the album(?). You'd probably know more than I would. Top five, high praise and well deserving IMO.

I was watching an interview with Jeremy and he said something like "Peter asked him if he had anything to offer and Jeremy said if it is, it will be rock 'n' roll or blues, there was just nothing coming." .. I think the band and esp Peter were heading in a different direction by then. Blues was at the core but as you say Joe "not so blues oriented as their previous releases".

 

[joe]

Thanx Sox. You're the man.

By Bare Trees the band basically sounds nothing like the original IMO. The blues base is non-existent as pop/rock took over. None the less a very good album.

 

[Sox]

Agreed Joe I really liked a track that Danny wrote after Peter had wrapped up called Dragonfly ,, infact ..

Trippy I reckon.

 

[joe]

^^^Trippy is right. Great visualization.

Being a big fan of Christine Perfect(McVie) this is my fav track from Bare Trees:

 

[Sox]

^^ The Bob Welch guitar influence can be heard in that one Joe ,, more a kind of country/rock feel as opposed to the earlier bluesey feel. Great track though all the same.