Notes

---

Live At The Boston Tea Party

From the back cover: "By the turn of the 70's Fleetwood Mac were on a roll, having established themselves as headliners in the United States via repeated touring. In Feb '70 they tapes three consecutive nights at the Boston Tea Party with the view to rush-releasing a live album: the band played out of their skins and the LP would doubtless have been a killer. But within just weeks the mercurial Peter Green - their founder, leader & frontman - had sensationally announced his decision to quit, and the project was shelved. Some of the material eventually crept out on a couple of mid-80's albums, Jumping At Shadows and a double-LP Roots - The Original Fleetwood Mac Live in Concert. However, these were poorly-compiled affairs, with patchy sound quality, a problem which worsened steadily with subsequent reissue packages. Following the recent discovery of the original 8-track master tapes they have all now been remixed & remastered. A further nine previously unissued performances were also found, and the material has been extensively re-compiled to take into consideration the original set sequencings. This, the second edition in a 3-CD set which finally brings these devastating performances to life, includes a previously-unheard jam which features Joe Walsh, at that time the guitarist with The James Gang, who opened for Fleetwood Mac no these memorable gigs."

Recorded during a legendary extended weekend stand in 1970, these live recordings from the three guitar lineup of Fleetwood Mac have existed in various shoddy, uneven and sometimes sloppy configurations, but were finally sorted out and released as a triple disc box, (also available individually) in 1999. First generation source tapes were utilized, approximately an hour's worth of previously unreleased tracks as well as between song patter is interspersed among the discs, and the running order is restored to match that of the original performance. Part Two starts strong with a floating "World in Harmony," the only Peter Green/Danny Kirwin co-written track in the Mac catalog, and one that interestingly never appeared on a studio album. An abbreviated but aggressive "Oh Well" (the rocking opening only) segues into a half hour "Rattlesnake Shake" that's more raucous, driving and intense than the lower key, and slightly stiffer version on Part One. The Kirwin/Green interplay here is stunning as they push each other past previous limits, driven by the forceful rhythm section of John McVie and Mick Fleetwood. Jeremy Spencer runs through terse versions of "Stranger Blues" and "Red Hot Mama," two hot and jittery Elmore James covers. But the show becomes slipshod with his 50's doo-wop tribute "Teenage Darling" complete with faux-Elvis singing that is pandering and irritating. The band jogs through a few revved up, enthusiastic but hardly essential Little Richard covers, redeemed by Fleetwood's driving drums and Green's wiry leads weaving through ten minutes of "Jenny Jenny." It may have been a blast at the time, but the tracks don't translate well without the visual impact of the three guitarists flailing away. The set ends with a heretofore unheard twelve minute jam simply entitled "Encore," where Joe Walsh of opening band the James Gang, adds a fourth guitar. Intermittently interesting, the quadruple guitars trading leads and riffs make for some predictably cluttered and unfocused music. Followers of the band during these early years might find this of passing curiosity, but for most people, you had to be there. Still, with Green playing at the peak of his powers, at least half of this disc is essential, especially to fans, and the numerous high points more than make up for the parts that drag.