Blue, Blue Days And Long Black Nights (Kiln House - Fleetwood Mac)

Member Name: sam1942

Product:	Kiln House - Fleetwood Mac
Date:	15/12/06 (214 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Vital link in the forming of Fleetwood Mac we know today

Disadvantages: First album after the departure of Peter Green, that could be seen as good or bad..

In amongst the fog filled hazes of the memorable departure of future blues legend, Peter Green, a weary, long haired, messy looking band wondered along what road the next era of Fleetwood Mac would take them.

Since the infancy of FM had been a disillusionment of lost days due to too much booze, it was any wonder how one of the greatest world wide rock bands ever got off the ground. Since all the original members of the band had once been members of John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers who had either left or been fired, what was left standing were the off cuts of a rapidly growing Blues scene in the bohemian underworld of late Sixties British youth culture. After sharing old camper vans with the smells and skills of such gangling musicians as Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor and Rod Stewart, the unique phenomena must have somehow rubbed off on the likes of Green, Mick Fleetwood and John McVie. Since the God of the band was Green, his major contribution to the band was not just coming up with the idea and a piece titled, Fleetwood Mac, but fuelling the others with notions of becoming a great Blues outfit, as well as more booze…

Enlisting the talents of very young unknowns, Danny Kirwan and Jeremy Spencer, two rock and roll addicts, a band was formed. Bassists were swapped (exit Bob Brunning, enter John McVie) and Fleetwood Mac was formed. What was yet to happen was the tragic demise of the greatest Blues man of the time, Green quit the band after discovering God which was to be the crowing point of his schizophrenia. A direction for the band seemed vague but after a large amount of map references, the band moved from middle of the road basic Blues to a widened horizon of country, pop, rock and roll and blues rock. Sporting high pitched vocals, both Kirwan and Spencer were born to sing rock. They mucked around, putting on silly voices not unlike the humorous Beatles, fresh off the leash. Now that the seriousness force had departed to create a beautiful new world, the rest of the giggling, drunk band could create as much nonsense as they damn well liked…


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‘Kiln House,’ was, not just Fleetwood Mac’s fifth studio album but a poignant moment in FM history that marked a turning point in their personal composition following the exit of the bands’ father, Peter Green. After the captivating presence of ‘Black Magic Woman,’ and ‘Albatross,’ it was almost as if, Fleetwood Mac decided to take a step backwards. Since these polished pieces had captured a band in a more tight knitted, commercially fertile state, what we find on a album such as ‘Kiln House,’ is a scrambled collection of funny tunes, messy arrangements and croaky, keyless vocals. The production is mismatched and amateurish. Yet there is a significant energy about its presence. It is a band we are witnessing here, working hard, generating a fusion of togetherness and sheer enjoyment. Each member can be heard either vocally or otherwise. What we can pick out here, surprisingly is the tender backing vocals of future FM fixture, Christine Perfect.

The sleeve of this album is simple since the CD version of this album still only features the same lack of sleeve notes as the original vinyl recording. Miss Perfect (now newly wedded to John McVie) took her creative pencil skills out on the cover and designed this child like picture of innocence. It is interesting to note that what she gave us in this picture are the figures of two children pointing towards a house in the middle distance. A beautiful scene denoting a warm, hopeful feeling and a certain tranquillity that can only be preserved as the calm after the storming era of Peter Green.

In the avoidance of the old cliché of ‘there’s something here for everyone,’ this album will appeal to all tastes. As most albums of that era stuck rigidly to the label that, that band had given themselves, it was unusual, yet, refreshing to hear an album from a band who were quite talented at trying their hands out at any genres. We mustn’t be fooled by the steady rock and roll edge that appears on the opening, ‘This Is The Rock,’ which is complete with clean backing vocals and Shakin Steven’s lead. It is definite that there is a strong reference back to the days of rock and roll throughout this album, yet it’s only through tributes to mentors that this is found. The Buddies ‘Buddy’s Song,’ is such a pleasing imitation of the great Buddy Holly, that one could catch oneself out in thinking that it might be a past recording. Their handling and appreciation of such artists from years gone by is far from a mickey take but a personal mark of pride and dignity.

The band turn themselves to the emergency of the blues rock that was taking the youth culture by the balls in the late Sixties. A strong resemblance to the Stones can be felt in such recordings here as ‘Station Man,’ and ‘Tell Me All The Things You Do.’ which are very different to each other, yet are both good examples of the generation of extreme rock guitarists which should have featured Kirwan and Spencer but never did. It is through these pure rock tracks that we realise how much we let such musicians slip through the musical net.

The Hank Williams styled, ‘Blood On The Floor,’ is somewhat tongue in cheek and amusing, yet hardly an insult to country blues. The strange whining vocals of our miserable cowboy will inevitably bring a smile to your face. It may sound irritating at first, but it still shows a band, enjoying working together.

Perhaps the gentleness of ‘Jewel Eyed Judy,’ and ‘Earl Gray,’ also denotes a swing towards the Fleetwood Mac of the future. It already stirs up a feeling of the entrance of Christine Perfect properly which actually happened in the next album, ‘Future Games,’ (1971) The theme is relaxed, bluesy still but with sweet melodies that still haunt FM today. A strong recognition can be found with these tracks and future tunes from albums such as ‘Tusk’ and ‘Mirage.’

Significantly, it is the final track on this album that takes back to the actual era that it was recorded in. ‘Mission Bell,’ may sound morose and sobering, but it’s gentleness almost reminds us of certain sweet ballads by angelic vocalists Buddy Holly and Billy Fury. Each of these artists to create a romantic feeling would use chime bells as a backing track either to allow a Heavenly surrounding melody of a cheap way of producing a Christmas record. Fleetwood Mac insisted on using this style here. Not the usual way to end such a diverse album, it lacks punch, formality and edge, but, this album is a tribute to past genres and eras, from beginning to end so therefore, we should embrace it as much as Fleetwood Mac did.

When looking back a certain moments in the career of any major player in music history, it is important to regard every album as a turning point in their growth. Since all big bands can be measured by how each album was written rather than how well lit did in the charts, it is not just nostalgia that brings us back through the years. In turn, each album should be recognised as a another step towards the band that we enjoy today. Although the actual content of this album will not to everyone’s tastes, it would be fair to say that it still deserves to be remarked upon.



Left to the hardy FM fans, it is a definitive album that is just another vital runner in the ladder of the Fleetwood Mac history.



Fleetwood Mac in 1970 were;

Danny Kirwan
Jeremy Spencer
Mick Fleetwood
John McVie


Tracks include;

This Is The Rock
Station Man
Blood On The Floor
Hi Ho Silver
Jewel Eyed Judy
Buddy’s Song
Earl Gray
One Together
Tell Me All The Things You Do
Mission Bell


1970 Warner Bros.
All songs written by Fleetwood Mac
©sam1942 2006.

Bestprice.com - £6.99
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HMV - £7.99
Virgin - £9.99 (released 2004)

Summary: An important album for anyone interested in the history of Fleetwood Mac