Search - Fleetwood Mac :: Vaudeville Years 1968-1970

As much variety as a "Vaudeville" show

William J. Lambert | Oklahoma City, OK., USA | 03/09/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"When it comes to variety, and a little something for everyone, brought on especially by the diverse musical tastes within the group--no one, not even Led Zeppelin, did it better than early Fleetwood Mac.
I must admit, I'm a recent convert to Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac. Having not been impressed by the "commercial boredom" of the Buckingham/Nicks version, and finding out about an earlier unit which was much closer to the John Mayall and Ten Years After style of British blues rock, I was very eager to hear this version of the group, and this album especially. This 2-CD set is very similar in nature to Led Zeppelin's "Coda". The first side is mostly a "Jeremy Spencer comedy show", and the second is serious outtakes and jams from the sessions for the lp "Then Play On" (1969-70)
The whole set took a little time to grow on me, but now I get the music and the way Fleetwood Mac was set up in those days. When I first listen to the first CD, I was a little taken aback by Jeremy Spencer's comedy routine. But now I understand. Many British bands at the time had their own "Keith Moon"-a clown to add comedy relief to a sometimes boring 12-bar blues show, and Jeremy Spencer was the clown of this group. His "schtick" here was the "Milton Schlitz show", a fictitious character that he pretends to be, who is an American MC, a la Ed Sullivan/Milton Berle, announcing varoius performers in the best geezerly-Alzheimer riddled American accent (you'd forget it was a young British lad doing it), often almost forgetting the names of the artists he presents because he's not "hip" enough, and then proceeds to mimic the performers themselves. Although I think his imitation of John Mayall sound more like Alvin Lee imitating Kermit The Frog, Jeremy Spencer had a real creative talent for musical comedy that he could have used after Fleetwood Mac, and it is such a waste that he didn't. He could have provided a lot of material for "Doctor Demento", if he kept at it.
As far as diversity within the group, in general, what more can I say than others have already said. You had Danny Kirwan-"The Balladeer", Jeremy Spencer-"The slide-guitar playing comedian", and Peter Green- "The serious blues rocker", not to mention Fleetwood and McVie (Mac), who could play it all! For all the talk of Led Zeppelin's musical diversity, at veering from Metal-to folk-to blues-to rockabilly, Fleetwood Mac answered with veering from blues-to jazz-to folk-to rockabilly-to doo wop-to acid rock, and equally adept at playing them all. And like Led Zeppelin, it was the diversity that kept them together those few years, rather than tearing them apart. I think much credit for that goes to Peter Green. Although he was somewhat the leader of this group, he was willing to share the spotlight with Kirwan and Spencer, and let them play what they wanted to, even if it wasn't his "cup of tea". In the days when groups like CCR and Cream were breaking up over musical differences and stepping on each other's egos, the kind of democracy that existed in Fleetwood Mac was almost unheard of.
But they all came together to contibute to Peter's musical vision on the lp "Then Play On", where much of the outtakes and sessions for appear on this set, especially the second disc. For me, the prime cuts from those sessions that spark the most creativity are "The Madge Sessions 1" which starts out as a nice little shuffle, and gains momentum, turning into a full-on Yardbirds-style "rave up" toward the finale, with guitar duels all the way there. Mick Fleetwood, the drummer, was really at his best on "The Madge Sessions", and in general, was a more energetic drummer behind Peter Green's more challenging music, than the "fluff" he had to play behind in the Buckingham/Nicks era. "Oh Well" is an alternate take of "Oh Well" from "Then Play On", with Peter Green seeming to play with a little more fire than on the album version. Then there is "October Jam 1" and "October Jam 2", "October Jam 2" being a much nicer melody that unfortunately ends abruptly, and could have been turned into a really nice song had they worked on it more, but was left as it was in the can. And the final highlight, "The Green Manalishi", perhaps the heaviest song besides "Oh Well" of the Peter Green-era, and the ultimate expression of where he wanted to take the group had he stayed.
As his music evolved, Peter Green seemed to be more stubborn than his other British counterparts like Eric Clapton and Alvin Lee, as far as not wanting to stray too far from the blues vein. It was perhaps a good idea that he stayed rooted in the blues so long, for as he progressed, he was possibly a sharper guitarist because of it. And he never let his blues turn into full-on "heavy metal" either, his guitar sound staying fairly clean, and the more aggressive songs like "Oh Well" and "Green Manalishi" not sounding too far off from what Ten Years After might have done. If anything, his guitar playing progressed more in the direction of free-form jazz, a la Jeff Beck, and much of the second disc of this set are jam sessions that sound more like Jeff Beck instrumentals from the 70s. But if you're a serious guitar player, this should not only be a clinic for you, but also a delight.
As a whole, this 2 CD set is a nice history of the evolution of Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac through behind-the-scenes sessions and unreleased material. Looking back, I probably would have preferred to just get "Then Play On" itself. But then, I wouldn't have had Jeremy Spencer's comedy routine to make me laugh."

A Mixed Blessing

Worgelm | United States | 02/18/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"(3-1/2 stars) With excellent liner notes - including a detailed rumination of blues-zen-master Peter Green's breakdown - Fans of Peter Green will feel the need to get this. And they are going to be blown away by disc two, kicking off with the full 15-minute-plus versions of both "Underway" and the "Madge" songs (spliced together from two separate jams that couldnt sound more different). These three songs are the triumphant high point of this set. But the concept of the "Vaudeville" box was to equally represent the vaudevillian nature of the band - the silliest parts of which consist mostly Jeremy Spencer's often irritating forays into standup, doo-wop and white-boy-blues-preening. Danny Kirwan also manages to contribute a few meandering ballads to the mix, including a version of "Although the Sun Is Shining" which manages to be much cheesier than the album version. Most of these moments occur on Disc one, which also unfortunately happens to showcase some of Green's best straight blues playing out of the two discs. Of note on Disc 1 is the original demo version of "Showbiz Blues," (which also appears, complete with groupies and all at the end of disc one) called "Do You Give a Damn For Me" and rest assured - its hardcore. On disc two is another tight live version of "Oh Well" (yet again sans the classical part 2, I am afraid), an unreleased instrumental "October Jam part 2" (and its lesser, bouncier cousin part 1) which has some intriguing chord progressions that make up for its abrupt ending. A studio version of "Green Manalishi" also pokes up, and is outstanding, but pales in comparison to the 13-minute live version on the "Boston Box" set. Also included is a rawer version of "World In Harmony," which still manages to be as lovely as it is on the album _Then Play On_. The album ends with a meditative Kirwan piece "Farewell" which apparently made its way onto Kiln House - its a nice, breezy way to end the show."

"One touch of my power..."

Mike | San Jose, CA | 05/24/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The crown jewel here is Jeremy Spencer's vicious send-up of John Mayall, "Man Of Action"...and I say that as a long-time fan of Mayall. Like it or not, Spencer nails the Mayall style (and according to the liner notes, Mayall...who was in the audience...did NOT like it). This is the Peter Green Mac's "Odds & Sods"...scraps from the cutting room floor, each with their own moments of brilliance. If you're a Peter Green fan, you'll want this (along with the follow-up volume, "Show-Biz Blues: 1968 to 1970 Volume 2"). The sound quality is as good as can be reasonably expected from tracks that have been sitting on the shelf for 40 years. For the ultimate LIVE Mac with Green, go for the "Boston Box Set" (now ridiculously overpriced as an out-of-print "collectors" set) or the individual volumes of "Live In Boston" (Volumes 1 and 2 are reasonable, Volume 3 will COST ya...just like the "Boston Box"). For studio tracks, it's a no-brainer..."Then Play On" and "The Complete Blue Horizons Sessions" box set. Before you buy any of these, get John Mayall's "A Hard Road." The single disc is fine, collectors will want the 2-CD reissue.



This album doesn't work as an introduction to Green or the Green Mac. It works as a vault release for existing fans."