Fleetwood Mac’s sessions for the BBC were legendary. The sessions were always productive – their Top Gear session on August 27th 1968 produced eleven numbers when most bands only managed to record three tracks in their allotted time. The band were also very experimental. Rather than trot out their latest single or recently-recorded album tracks, Fleetwood Mac would frequently perform songs that they never recorded elsewhere. They would also work with special guests, such as Eddie Boyd on their January 1968 session. On March the 17th Fleetwood Mac participated in a one-off all star session with blues godfather Alexis Korner, one-man band Duster Bennett and future band member Christine Perfect (later Christine McVie). The three tracks they recorded together have never been officially released and we are delighted to feature them here.
“You’ll Be Mine” and “Good Morning Blues” were two acoustic blues covers that never made it onto a Fleetwood Mac studio LP, originating from Howling Wolf and Leadbelly respectively. “Shady Little Baby“, “Hot Rodding” and a stomp through “New Worried Blues” benefit from the guitar and vocals of Alexis Korner, the vocals and harmonica of Duster Bennett and the distinctive piano of Christine Perfect. The versions of “Early Morning Come” and “Linda” are different to those on the official release “Fleetwood Mac Live At The BBC”. “Early Morning Come” is mis-introduced by host Brian Mathews as “Coming Your Way” and is performed on acoustic guitar by Danny Kirwan. “Linda” illustrates Spencer’s fixation with Buddy Holly: as an homage it is spot on with galloping drums and careful backing vocals.
Moving from radio to TV, the first track on Side Two is an unidentified live-in–the studio version of “Oh Well” with clearly differentiated guitar lines from Green and Kirwan: the Flying V that Spencer totes seems to be mainly for show. Then warm applause greets a measured, delicate performance of “Albatross” from German TV. At the other extreme comes bizarre US TV programme Playboy After Dark, hosted by publisher Hugh Hefner and assorted Bunnies. “Rattlesnake Shake” makes for a wonderfully appropriate choice of song (didn’t anyone notice the lyric?). A hint of “Albatross” follows, with a truncated “Coming Your Way” forming a suitably elegant coda. Finally we feature a lengthy instrumental excerpt from “The Green Manalishi“, joining the song after the vocal section just as Green and Kirwan begin their guitar interplay. This is followed by a drum and bass interlude featuring Green on 8-stringed bass, playing melodically against McVie’s shuffle beat.
Such music seems a long way from the traditional blues with which Fleetwood Mac had started their career. But some things about the band had not changed and would not change: their impeccable rhythm section, a desire to keep moving artistically and a commitment to writing songs rather than jams. Listening to this LP you can hear the full range of their musical capabilities, disrupted when an acid-addled Peter Green announced he was leaving in May 1970.
The Fat Angel Sings 