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| Fleetwood Mac - The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions Band: Fleetwood Mac That's all there is and there ain't no more! Producer Mike Vernon has compiled everything but the kitchen sink that was put down by the Peter Green led Fleetwood Mac during their tenure at Blue Horizon Records, marking the period from their earliest sessions in 1967 until the recording of the one-off single "Man of the World" at Andrew Loog Oldham's Immediate Records in 1969. Thus, everything is here save the above mentioned single, the Warner/Reprise lp "Then Play On," outtakes from which are available on Receiver Records "The Vaudeville Years," and the final single, "The Green Manalishi." Thus, this set includes "The Fleetwood Mac," "Mr. Wonderful," "The Pious Bird of Good Omen", and "The Original Fleetwood Mac" lps, as well as both volumes of "Blues Jam in Chicago," Add to that the fact that each of the 6 discs is liberally seasoned with previously unreleased tracks and you have The Recipe for a wonderful listening experience. The booklet does a good job of annotating the tracks and includes insights from producer Vernon. I bought this release in Summer 1999 on UK Columbia for about $60. The domestic release on Sire is just over half that. I thought I was getting a bargain, and I still do. I can't imagine how this release came out at such a low list price, but for goodness sake don't look a Gift horse in the mouth and grab it while you can. Despite the fact that Jeremy Spencer's Elmore James impressions can be a bit laborious this set is Truly a 5 star release. Peter Green and Danny Kirwan shine throughout, and the Blues Jam at Chess discs include loads of previously unreleased material which deserves a listen, as do all the previously unissued alternate and incomplete takes included on the set. Thanks to cd technology you can listen to as many or as few of the versions of "Need Your Love So Bad" as you wish. Happy listening, and hey are any labels out there paying attention to the value offered in this box. the mighty Mac, warts and all the six disks in the box cover sessions from autumn 1967 to the first days of 1969 which resulted in two hit albums in 1968 in the UK, four terrific singles, and the sprawling Double album 'Blues Jam at Chess'. The sixth disk in this set is comprised of selections unreleased until 1971, many of which are terrific performances. Each disk has at least a handful of wonderful tracks, usually courtesy of the great Peter Green, the best singer/player this side of Jimi Hendrix during the period covered. The other Mac guitarists have their moments also, particularly Jeremy Spencer on the first disk. And all of the participants of the Chess sessions (disks 4 & 5) have standout moments, especially piano great Otis Spann. Complaints? Green is too earnest on disk 1, playing a few naive and overblown country blues. Spencer is far too repetitive on disk 2. Disk three replaces a couple great Eddie Boyd tracks with 40 minutes of Greeny figuring out how to Present 'Need Your Love so Bad', the terrific blues by Little Willie John. The instrumentals at Chess are boring (15 minutes of disk 4). Otherwise this collection works. It's been two wonderful years for Fleetwood Mac fans: Live in Boston, Shrine 69, and the Vaudeville Years. This is the best set yet. a great collection As a fan of the original (and only) Fleetwood Mac, I was overjoyed to see this box set of goodies when it came out. The music contained within is nothing short of miraculous, showing off the mighty blues chops of the great Peter Green. While several of the 6 cds can be had seperately ("Fleetwood Mac," "Mr. Wonderful," "Pious Bird of Good Omen," and "The Original Fleetwood Mac"), it seems to me that for the very inexpensive price, there's no reason to not get this box set. Plus, the 2 cds of "Chess Jams" (mainly with Otis Spann, among others) are well worth the price of admission alone. The growth of the early Mac can also be charted on these lp's, as well. Green's emergence as a guitar hero to many is justified by many of these tracks- his solos are choice and his overall dedication to the blues can not be questioned. Jeremy Spencer is an interesting case in study, as well. So pivotal to much of the early stuff is he. His Elmore James inspired slide and his gravely voice lends credibility to many of the tunes. We all know that Fleetwood and McVie are a tight rhythm section. Now we can hear that Genesis of much of it. Their sense of timing and rock solid rhythm made them the ideal low end section. The results of these 6 cds has to be heard to be believed, but I'll tell you this- the Mac were smokin' much of the time. The music will back me up here. The Mac were a telented combo indeed. Hear why. Buy Fleetwood Mac The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.comJamster - the latest ringtones for your phone! |
