Fleetwood Mac "Mystery To Me [1990 Reissue, Germany, Reprise Records, 7599-25982-2]"

Mystery to Me is the eighth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 15 October 1973. This was their last album to feature Bob Weston. Most of the songs were penned by guitarist/singer Bob Welch and keyboardist/singer Christine McVie, who were instrumental in steering the band toward the radio-friendly pop rock that would make them successful a few years later.

Mystery to Me sold moderately well, peaking at number 67 on the US Billboard 200 chart dated 22 December 1973. Despite not being a hit single, the song "Hypnotized" became an American FM radio staple for many years. In the wake of the Buckingham/Nicks-led line-up's success a few years later, the album returned on the US Billboard 200 chart dated 6 September 1975. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on November 9th 1976.

Mystery to Me was Fleetwood Mac's last album recorded in England, the last to have two guitarists in the line-up until Behind the Mask and the last to be co-produced and/or engineered by Martin Birch. As with the preceding Penguin, the group recorded the album at Benifold, their communal house in Hampshire, with the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio. Fleetwood commented in 2003 interview that this recording situation proved to be cost-effective and gave the band more flexibility to record when they found it appropriate. Dave Walker was asked to leave during the sessions and did not feature in any capacity on the final release.

The album's name comes from a line in the chorus of "Emerald Eyes". "Hypnotized" was a minor US radio hit. "Forever" is one of only two Fleetwood Mac tracks to feature Bob Weston as a composer and one of only a small handful to feature John McVie in this capacity. "Keep On Going" was written by Bob Welch, but sung by Christine McVie because Welch decided her voice was better suited to the song than his. This was one of very few occasions when a member of Fleetwood Mac composed a song which was sung by another member.

"For Your Love" was originally recorded by The Yardbirds, and Fleetwood Mac's cover version replaced a Bob Welch song, "Good Things (Come to Those Who Wait)", on the album at a very late stage in production. Some albums came with a lyric inner sheet and outer sleeve still showing "Good Things" instead of "For Your Love", the latter of which was also released as a single. Although Fleetwood Mac's version of "Good Things" would not see release until 2020, it was later re-recorded by Welch with different lyrics and released as "Don't Wait Too Long" on his solo album Three Hearts.

Select tunes have been included in subsequent tours. Both "Why" and "Hypnotized" were played on the band's eponymous tour in 1975. "Just Crazy Love" was performed by Christine McVie on her solo tour in 1984. Early shows of the 2018–19 An Evening with Fleetwood Mac tour also featured "Hypnotized".

Bob Welch would rerecord five of his contributions to the album – "Emerald Eyes", "Hypnotized" and "Miles Away" for His Fleetwood Mac Years & Beyond in 2003 and "The City" and "Somebody" for its follow-up volume in 2006 although the latter only featured on the digital edition.

During the band's 1973 American tour, they appeared on the Midnight Special, but during the venture, it became clear that Bob Weston was having an affair with Mick Fleetwood's wife Jenny. Although Fleetwood tried to carry on playing with Weston, regardless of the extramarital issues, it soon became clear that something had to give and after a gig in Lincoln, Nebraska, Fleetwood told the McVies and Welch that he could no longer play with Weston in the line-up. John Courage, the band's road manager, fired Weston and put him on a plane back to the UK. With the tour cut short, the band also went back to England to break the news to their manager Clifford Davis, who was so angry that he sent another group of musicians on the road as Fleetwood Mac, claiming that he owned the name.

Track listing

1. "Emerald Eyes" Bob Welch Welch 3:37
2. "Believe Me" Christine McVie C. McVie 4:12
3. "Just Crazy Love" C. McVie C. McVie 3:22
4. "Hypnotized" Welch Welch 4:48
5. "Forever" Bob Weston/John McVie/Welch  Welch 4:04
6. "Keep On Going" Welch C. McVie 4:05
7. "The City" Welch Welch 3:35
8. "Miles Away" Welch Welch 3:47
9. "Somebody" Welch Welch 5:00
10. "The Way I Feel" C. McVie C. McVie 2:43
11. "For Your Love" Graham Gouldman Welch 3:44
12. "Why" C. McVie C. McVie 4:55

Fleetwood Mac – production

Martin Birch – production, engineer

Desmond Majekodunmi – assistant engineer

Paul Hardiman – assistant engineer

Clive Arrowsmith – photography

Thomas Eccles - Liverpool Art Student – cover design, unpaid

Mixed at Advision Studios, London

Fleetwood Mac "Bare Trees [1990 Reissue, Germany, Reprise Records, 7599-27240-2]"

Bare Trees is the sixth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released in March 1972. It was their last album to feature Danny Kirwan, who was fired during the album's supporting tour. The album peaked at number 70 on the US Billboard 200 chart dated 3 June 1972.

In the wake of the band's success with the Buckingham/Nicks line-up in the mid-1970s, Bare Trees returned to the US Billboard 200 chart at number 182 dated 6 September 1975. The album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on February 9th 1988.

Mick Fleetwood was particularly impressed with Kirwan's contributions to the album, saying that "Danny had the chops with layering techniques, and the ability to know what's right and wrong in the studio".

"Child of Mine" alludes to Kirwan's biological father not having been part of his life (Kirwan was his stepfather's surname). "The Ghost" was later re-recorded by Bob Welch for His Fleetwood Mac Years and Beyond, Vol. 2 in 2006, but this version was only available on the digital edition. The flute noises on "The Ghost" were triggered from a mellotron played by Christine McVie. "Homeward Bound" alludes to McVie's road weariness and desire "for a proper night's rest in her own bed", according to Fleetwood. "Sunny Side of Heaven" is an instrumental, which was later performed with Lindsey Buckingham on guitar for some shows in the mid-1970s.

"Bare Trees" shares a theme with both the album's cover photography by John McVie and the closing poem "Thoughts On a Grey Day." "Sentimental Lady" was released as a single, and was later re-recorded by Welch (with Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, and Buckingham backing him) for his solo album French Kiss. Welch recorded the song again for His Fleetwood Mac Years & Beyond in 2003. "Danny's Chant" features the use of wah-wah guitars. The track is largely an instrumental, although it does feature rhythmic, wordless vocals from Kirwan.

"Spare Me a Little of Your Love" became a staple of the band's live act from 1972 to 1977. It was also covered by Johnny Rivers on his studio album New Lovers and Old Friends in 1975. Jackie DeShannon recorded a version for her 1972 album Jackie although this did not make the final cut and was not released on her All the Love: The Lost Atlantic Recordings album. The lyrics for "Dust" were taken from the first two verses of a poem of the same title, written by Rupert Brooke in 1910. Unlike W H Davies, who received a credit for the words to "Dragonfly", Brooke was not credited.

The final track on the album, "Thoughts on a Grey Day", is not a Fleetwood Mac song, but a monaural recorded poem written and read by an elderly woman, Mrs. Scarrott, who lived near the band's communal home, 'Benifold', in southern England. Bob Welch, however, said in a Penguin Q&A in 1999, "The spoken thing Mick does about 'Trees so bare' was written, I think, by this sweet old lady that lived near Benifold ... Mick did an affectionate 'schtick' on her to close the album."

Five of the ten tracks, comprising the majority of the music featured on the album, were written by Kirwan. "Trinity", another Kirwan song recorded at the sessions, was subsequently released in 1992 on the 25 Years – The Chain box set in stereo. The 2020 remastered edition of Bare Trees from the 1969 to 1974 CD box set features the track in an alternate mono mix, alongside the US single mix of "Sentimental Lady", and a live recording of "Homeward Bound".

Bare Trees debuted at number 175 on US Billboard 200 chart dated 22 April 1972. The album reached its peak at number 70 on the chart dated 3 June 1972, after being on the chart for seven weeks. The album ultimately spent a total of 27 weeks on the chart.

On 9 February 1988, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over a million copies in the United States.

Track listing

1. "Child of Mine" Danny Kirwan Kirwan 5:09
2. "The Ghost" Bob Welch Welch 3:58
3. "Homeward Bound" Christine McVie C. McVie 3:20
4. "Sunny Side of Heaven" Kirwan instrumental 3:10
5. "Bare Trees" Kirwan Kirwan 5:02
6. "Sentimental Lady" Welch Welch 4:35
7. "Danny's Chant" Kirwan Kirwan 3:16
8. "Spare Me a Little of Your Love" C. McVie C. McVie 3:44
9. "Dust" Kirwan Kirwan 2:41
10. "Thoughts on a Grey Day" Mrs. Scarrott Mrs. Scarrott 1:46

Producer: Fleetwood Mac

Engineer: Martin Birch

Remix engineer: Bob Hughes

Remastering: Lee Herschberg

Cover photo by John McVie

Recorded at DeLane Lea Music Centre

Remixed at Record Plant Studios

Fleetwood Mac "Greatest Hits [1990 Reissue, UK, CBS, 460704 2]"

Greatest Hits is a compilation album by the British blues rock band Fleetwood Mac released on CBS Records in the United Kingdom in 1971. The album assembles the band's hit singles in the UK covering the period from the band's beginning in 1968 to 1971, mostly in its original incarnation led by guitarist Peter Green. It peaked at No. 36 on the UK Albums Chart.

Part of the second British blues boom of the late 1960s, during that time Fleetwood Mac enjoyed six British hit singles, collated here along with one non-charting single, two B-sides, and three album tracks. The band's UK single "Black Magic Woman" received greater exposure in the US when it was covered by the American group Santana, who placed their version in the Billboard Top 40.

In 1989 Sony BMG used the Greatest Hits title and 1971 album cover for an expanded reissue of the 1969 compilation album The Pious Bird of Good Omen. In 1988 Fleetwood Mac released an identically-titled but completely different Greatest Hits album, which concentrates exclusively on post-1975 material and has no tracks in common with the 1971 album.

The album cover photo is a live shot of the late 1967/early 1968 line-up of Peter Green, Jeremy Spencer, Mick Fleetwood and John McVie. The album gatefold shows a full-size photo of the late 1970/early 1971 line up of the band without Green, with Danny Kirwan and new member Christine McVie (née Perfect) alongside Spencer, Fleetwood and McVie. "Dragonfly" is the only song on the album that was recorded by this line-up. Greatest Hits was issued on CD in the 1980s but soon went out of print, and has effectively been replaced by the 2002 compilation The Best of Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac on the Sony International label, which now owns the Columbia/CBS catalogue. It was reissued on vinyl in 2010.

"The Green Manalishi", "Oh Well", "Rattlesnake Shake", and "Dragonfly" were licensed from Warner Bros. Records.

Track listing

All tracks written by Peter Green except where noted.

1. "The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)" Non-album single 4:36
2. "Oh Well (Part 1)" Non-album single 3:29
3. "Oh Well (Part 2)" B-side of "Oh Well (Part 1)" 5:39
4. "Shake Your Moneymaker" Elmore James Fleetwood Mac 2:55
5. "Need Your Love So Bad" Little Willie John, Mertis John Jr. Non-album single 3:53
6. "Rattlesnake Shake" Then Play On 3:29
7. "Dragonfly" Danny Kirwan, W. H. Davies Non-album single 2:42
8. "Black Magic Woman" Non-album single 2:54
9. "Albatross" Non-album single 3:08
10. "Man of the World" Non-album single 2:51
11. "Stop Messin' Round" Green, C.G. Adams Non-album single version, alternate take released on Mr. Wonderful 2:19
12. "Love That Burns" Green, Adams Mr. Wonderful 5:02

Fleetwood Mac "Future Games [1990 Reissue, Germany, Reprise Records, 7599-27458-2]"

Future Games is the fifth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 3 September 1971. It was recorded in the summer of 1971 at Advision Studios in London and was the first album to feature Christine McVie as a full member. This album was also the first of five albums to feature American guitarist Bob Welch. "He was totally different background – R&B, sort of jazzy. He brought his personality," Mick Fleetwood said of Welch in a 1995 BBC interview. "He was a member of Fleetwood Mac before we'd even played a note."

The album peaked at number 91 on the US Billboard 200 chart dated 18 December 1971. The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2000.

After founder and original bandleader Peter Green departed Fleetwood Mac in May 1970, the remaining members recorded the album Kiln House, with bassist John McVie's wife Christine Perfect being a major collaborator during the sessions. She was soon promoted to full-time membership as the band's keyboardist, and began writing and singing her own material with them. While the band was touring the Kiln House album, guitarist and vocalist Jeremy Spencer abruptly quit the band in February 1971 to join the Children of God, a Christian new religious movement founded by David Berg. Fleetwood Mac held auditions for a replacement during the summer and eventually selected Bob Welch after hearing his demo tape.

Without Spencer's Chicago blues and 1950s rock and roll leanings, the band moved further away from blues and closer to the melodic pop sound that would finally break them into America four years later. After the band completed the album and turned it in, the record label said that it would not release an album with only seven songs, and demanded that they record an eighth. "What a Shame" was recorded hastily as a jam to fulfill this request.

Welch's primary guitar at the time was a Gibson ES-345, which he played on the record along with a Fender Stratocaster.

There is an early version of "Morning Rain" with the title "Start Again", as recorded in a BBC session on 5 January 1971.

"What a Shame" featured saxophone from Christine McVie's brother John Perfect whose son Dan later co-produced and featured as guitarist/co-writer on McVie's 2004 album In the Meantime.

The title track, written by then-newcomer Bob Welch, was later re-recorded for his 1979 solo album The Other One and again for His Fleetwood Mac Years & Beyond in 2003. The original version is featured in the 2000 movie Almost Famous.

A heavily edited version of "Sands of Time" (b/w "Lay It All Down") was an unsuccessful single in the United States and some other territories. An alternate version of "Lay It All Down" appeared on the 1992 compilation 25 Years – The Chain. The single edit of "Sands of Time" was released on the deluxe edition of the 50 Years – Don't Stop compilation in 2018 and later as a bonus track on the 2020 remastered Future Games from the 1969-1974 box set. Also included on the remastered Future Games from this box set were alternate versions of "Sometimes" and "Show Me a Smile", a much longer alternate version of "Lay It All Down", the full jam of "What a Shame" which included vocals, plus an acoustic demo of another Welch song, "Stone".

Four of the eight tracks were written or co-written by guitarist and vocalist Danny Kirwan.

The image on the front cover was photographed by Mick Fleetwood's sister, Sally. On the back are individual shots of the band members, with the exception of John McVie, who instead opted to replace his headshot with one of his photographs of a penguin from the London Zoo, which he visited on a near-daily basis. Early UK and American releases of this album, along with some other country's issues, have a yellow background to the picture of the two children and cover text. All subsequent releases have a green background. The 2013 vinyl reissue by Warner/Rhino available in the Fleetwood Mac: 1969 to 1972 4-LP box set restores the original yellow background to the album artwork, and it was released as a standalone LP two years later. The 1969-1974 CD box set also restores the original yellow background to the album artwork.

Future Games debuted at number 186 on the US Billboard 200 chart dated 30 October 1971. The album reached its peak at number 91 on the chart dated 18 December 1971, after being on the chart for eight weeks. The album ultimately spent a total of 12 weeks on the chart. On 4 October 2000, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over 500,000 copies in the United States.

Track listing:

1. "Woman of 1000 Years" Danny Kirwan Kirwan 5:28
2. "Morning Rain" Christine McVie C. McVie 5:38
3. "What a Shame" Bob Welch, Kirwan, C. McVie, John McVie, Mick Fleetwood instrumental 2:20
4. "Future Games" Welch Welch 8:18
5. "Sands of Time" Kirwan Kirwan 7:23
6. "Sometimes" Kirwan Kirwan 5:26
7. "Lay It All Down" Welch Welch 4:30
8. "Show Me a Smile" C. McVie C. McVie 3:21

Producer: Fleetwood Mac

Engineer: Martin Rushent

Studio: Advision

Sleeve design: John Pasche

Cover photo by Sally Jesse

Group photos by Edmund Shea

Fleetwood Mac "Kiln House [1990 Reissue, Germany, Reprise Records, 7599-27453-2]"

Kiln House is the fourth studio album by British blues rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 18 September 1970 by Reprise Records. This is the first album after the departure of founder Peter Green, and their last album to feature guitarist Jeremy Spencer. Christine McVie was present at the recording sessions and contributed backing vocals, keyboards and cover art, although she was not a full member of the band until shortly after the album's completion.

The album title is taken from the name of a converted oast house in Truncheaunts Lane, near Alton in Hampshire. The house was leased by the band, who lived there communally with their families for a six-month period in 1970. Mick Fleetwood married Jenny Boyd at the house on 20 June 1970.

Spencer, who played on only one track during the recording of the previous album, Then Play On, played a much more active role during the Kiln House sessions. His retro 1950s homages and parodies dominate the album, although Danny Kirwan's songs are almost equally prominent. Spencer was particularly influenced by rockabilly and music from the Sun Records record label. "Buddy's Song" is a cover of a song first recorded by Bobby Vee in 1963, which itself was a partial cover of "Peggy Sue Got Married" with new lyrics listing a number of Buddy Holly song titles. The song is credited to Buddy Holly's mother, who received the writing credit after Buddy's funeral from the original composer, Waylon Jennings. Fleetwood Mac's cover of "Hi Ho Silver" was based on a recording titled "Honey Hush" from Johnny Burnette's Rock and Roll Trio. Johnny Burnette's nephew, Billy Burnette, later joined Fleetwood Mac in 1987.

An early version of Kirwan's instrumental "Earl Gray", entitled "Farewell", was later released on the compilation The Vaudeville Years.

Spencer recalled that the album and ensuing tour were met with hostility in the UK. However, Kiln House was received much more favorably in North America, where it peaked at No. 69 on the Billboard 200 album chart on 7 November 1970. and No. 67 in Canada's RPM Magazine, December 19, 1970. At the time, Kiln House was Fleetwood Mac's best-seller in the US.

Five days before they were set to depart for their American tour, the band asked Christine McVie to join. Following five days of rehearsals, the band left for America on 26 July. McVie said that the band was met with apprehension for about 20% of their performances, particularly amongst those who missed Peter Green. "I think the audience are [sic] wondering what we are going to be like. Before Peter ran the band. Now there is no leader, we just take turns. Obviously, some of the people miss Peter's guitar playing. But then, the sound is different now and other people have said that they don't even notice he's missing."

Track listing

1. "This Is the Rock" Jeremy Spencer Spencer 2:45
2. "Station Man" Danny Kirwan, Spencer, John McVie Kirwan 5:49
3. "Blood on the Floor" Spencer Spencer 2:44
4. "Hi Ho Silver" Big Joe Turner Spencer 3:05
5. "Jewel Eyed Judy" Kirwan, Mick Fleetwood, J. McVie Kirwan 3:17
6. "Buddy's Song" Ella Holley Spencer 2:08
7. "Earl Gray" Kirwan instrumental 4:01
8. "One Together" Spencer Spencer 3:23
9. "Tell Me All the Things You Do" Kirwan Kirwan 4:10
10. "Mission Bell" Jesse D. Hodges, William Michael Spencer 2:32

Producer – Fleetwood Mac

Engineer – Martin Birch

Cover drawing – Christine McVie