Fleetwood Mac - Then Play On

Before they set sail for California and a new life as consummate pop songsmiths, Fleetwood Mac were pedigreed British blues rockers with roots in Britain's seminal John Mayall's Blues Breakers and their hearts orbiting Chicago and the Mississippi Delta. One of the few surviving albums from that ill-fated, earlier Mac, Then Play On captures them at a potent turning point: the original two-guitar quartet, with founder Peter Green's sinuous leads complemented by Jeremy Spencer's shimmering slide guitar, had been augmented by third guitarist Danny Kirwan, a Green protégé. Buttressed by Mick Fleetwood's muscular yet restrained drumming and John McVie's steady-as-a-heartbeat bass lines, this edition of the band reveled in moody, compelling guitar showpieces that savor texture and line over sheer speed or volume. Accordingly, the lyrics don't benefit from close study, but the guitars surely do--and when the quintet launches into the best-remembered track here, the classic "Oh, Well" (which reunites the separate electric and acoustic sections originally released as two sides of a single), it's understandable that Green, in his day, was mentioned comfortably in the same breath with Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. --Sam Sutherland Amazon.com essential recording

One for the road

A beatiful record despite the sound quality (cd). After more than 250 plays (both vinyl and cd)it's still is a magical album. Where is the re-mastered version? March 28, 2008

The best of the early group

I've been listening to this one on my iPod since I got it and have no intention of taking it out of rotation. This is dynamic--it would be great with the inclusion of "Oh Well" alone. It's a real pity that the Buckingham/Nicks era of Fleetwood Mac has all but buried the fine accomplishments of Peter Green and Danny Kirwan. "Then Play On" is every bit as sophisticated and adventurous as "Rumours", just a lot more blues-based. Check out "Hollywood Blues" for example. Or "My Dream" for something more gentle. This album also shows off the prowress of Mick Fleetwood and John McVie; no holding back here! The one questionable element is Jeremy Spencer--is he present? (Some reviewers say he is not, but I'm not sure). Still, this should be an essential part of any collection. As far as the quality of the transfer--it doesn't sound that bad to me, but maybe that's something to be left to the audio experts. If there's a better version out there, great, but get a copy somehow. A worthwhile investment. February 7, 2008

Brilliant LP but it DOES need a remastering job

Most of what's been said about this LP on CD is spot on. This LP represents the only hard rock edition of Fleetwood Mac (the previous LP's were as a blues band and the subsequent are pop).

This LP was issued in the UK with additional tracks - that had already appeared on the previous Epic LP "English Rose" and therefore US Reprise did not have the rights to include them here.

The US LP was originally issued without "Oh Well". Within a year, Reprise reworked the LP and added "Oh Well" and moved around the remaining tracks.

As regards "Oh Well", they simply includes both sides of the mono single. It has never been mixed into stereo and the ending of Part 1 is the same as the beginning of Part 2, so there's a section that's repeated.

Reprise should remaster the LP, restoring the original UK playing order, get rid of the hiss and produce a new STEREO mix of "Oh Well" as the last song, properly combining the songs into one continuous, seamless track without the repeated section.

Apparently, someone in the Fleetwood Mac office is stopping this from happening. February 6, 2008

Then Play On

The CD came in a timely fashion and as advertised. It was purchased as a gift and has not been given yet. November 11, 2007

Haunting and brilliant- BUT name of cover art?

First- anyone know the title of the Maxwell Armfield painting that is on the cover? I can't seem to track that down. Now the album itself is fabulous, I've had a copy since I bought the original US release at the time of its original distribution. Greeny is a god, but part of the magic in this music, sadly, is that he is starting the dark descent into schizophrenia (which may have had little or nothing to do with drug use). October 1, 2007

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