The Best Of Fleetwood Mac 1969-1974 (CD)

In the late 1960s, Mick Fleetwood, Peter Green, John McVie, and Jeremy Spencer laid the foundation for what would become one of the most storied and successful bands in rock history, Fleetwood Mac.

THE BEST OF FLEETWOOD MAC (1969-1974) spans the prolific five-year period that began in 1969 after the band signed with Reprise Records. It includes songs selected from seven studio albums: THEN PLAY ON (1969), KILN HOUSE (1970), FUTURE GAMES (1971), BARE TREES (1972), PENGUIN (1973), MYSTERY TO ME (1973), and HEROES ARE HARD TO FIND (1974).

Those albums fueled Fleetwood Mac’s early popularity in the U.K. and catapulted them into the Top Ten with singles like “Oh Well – Pt. 1” and “The Green Manalishi (With The Two Prong Crown).” Both tracks are included in the collection along with fan favorites like “Rattlesnake Shake,” “Station Man,” “Sentimental Lady,” “Spare Me A Little Of Your Love,” and “Remember Me.”

Between 1969 and 1974, Fleetwood Mac experienced near-constant changes in membership. The new compilation provides a showcase for each lineup, with songs featuring nearly every member from this era, including founders Fleetwood, Green, McVie, and Spencer, plus Christine McVie, Danny Kirwan, Bob Welch, and Bob Weston.

James McNair’s new liner notes accompany the compilation and expertly navigate the band’s twisting timeline during this period. He writes: “By the time of Fleetwood Mac’s winter 1971 U.S. tour, Christine McVie was a fully-fledged member. Her keyboard-playing and co-lead vocals alongside those of Kirwan and Spencer were integral in the wake of Green’s departure… Alas, any calm seas were short-lived; Fleetwood Mac was still a volatile ship. Spencer, too, was about to go missing in action.”