Oh Well (Greatest Hits - Fleetwood Mac)

Member Name: brownp1

Product:	Greatest Hits - Fleetwood Mac
Date:	24/10/01 (464 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: top quality blues-rock

Disadvantages: a couple of weak songs

For those in the know Fleetwood Mac has had numerous forms the most successful of which was the Rumours period AOR super-stardom featuring Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie.

This op has nothing to do with them.

This greatest hits package is dedicated to the 1st incarnation of the Mac. They were one of the prime movers in the British Blues boom at the end of the 60’s and featured drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie the only constants in all the Mac’s line ups plus 3 lead guitarists – Peter Green, Danny Kirwan and Jeremy Spencer. Peter Green was undoubtedly the star, with his fluid guitar style that varied from very mellow to blistering rock.

The stress of leading the band was to take its toll on all 3 guitars with Green losing it after an acid trip, Jeremy Spencer disappearing in mid tour to join the children of God religious cult, and Danny Kirwan eventually being fired as stress, alcohol and drugs took their toll.


Song by Song

The Green Manalishi (with the 2 pronged crown) 7/10
Conceived as a result of Peter Green’s nightmares and featuring him screaming by the end of the song this alternatively rocks out and noodles off as the rhythm section of Fleetwood and McVie produce a tremendous blues rock riff over which Peter Green effortlessly adds finesse and some throaty vocals.

Oh Well pt 1 10/10
Pure magic white boy blues. A simple repetitive blues riff starting on acoustic guitar being picked up by the rest of the band, gaining momentum until it suddenly stops and Green sings 2 unaccompanied lines

“Don’t ask me what I think of you,
I may not give the answer that you want me to”

Before the acoustic guitar picks up the riff again.

Oh Well pt 2 3/10
B-side to part 1 as it wouldn’t fit on the same side of a 7” single. This is basically a bit up atmospheric noodling with Spanish gui
tar, cello and recorder and not particularly enthralling.

Shake your Money Maker 7/10
Simple 50’s styled Chicago blues with a driving rhythm and classic slide guitar.

Need your love so bad 9/10
This is a slow burn song with clean picked guitar and sweeping strings adding to the soulful feel of aching for love lost

Rattle Snake Shake 8/10
Hard core blues with the rhythmic chords gradually building in intensity set against a laid back vocal.

Dragonfly 5/10
A laid back complatative song with a gentle chord playing over the top, but the signs are not good as both Green and Spencer had left the band and this is all standard mellow stuff and doesn’t jump out to grab the listener.

Black Magic Woman 5/10
Covered by Santana, features big tub drumming and fluid guitar runs, and whilst the Mac’s 1st hit for me it just doesn’t really hit the spot.

Albatross 10/10
The song everyone will know, cymbals like waves, a simple rhythm and the Mac’s 3 guitars intertwining beautifully to stretch the notes round each other into a simple relaxed sound.

Man of the World 10/10
I challenge you to name a sadder song, the maudlin guitars really do weep in a poignant song where Green explores his feelings of lack of self belief, which mirrored his own drug fuelled decline a couple of years later.

Stop Messin’ Round
More simple driving blues to tap your feet to with solid rhythm and a banging piano, pumping horns and a simple guitar lead.

Love that Burns 7/10
Featuring Christine Perfect on piano (later to marry McVie and feature in the latest version of the Mac) is another graceful slow burner that allows space for the blues to breathe.

This is a fine monument for the band showing several sides of their styles, progressing from covering or mimicking their blues heroes to developing a blues rock style of their own and showing a
more mellow side which could almost classify as the dreaded AOR of future Mac generations.
Buy it and you won’t be disappointed as Oh Well, Albatross and Man of the World are all classics, whilst the majority of the rest of the tracks are also good.

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