Then Play On Music

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by: Fleetwood Mac

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Customer Reviews
Average Rating: Rating: - How can you dislike the original mac Fleetwood Mac...This is the ORIGINAL mac...no stevie, no meaningless, sappy pop songs...just pure, hard blues rock...the best tune on the album is the alternately powerful and delicate Oh Well...it is Peter Green's magnum opus...the craze of Rattlesnake Shake is a highlight, as well as Green's Coming Your Way, Underway, and Before the Beginning...but Green is not the only punch on the album...Danny Kirwin's Coming Your Way and Like Crying are also solid blues/rock tunes and the Searching/Fighting for Madge are Mac at their jamming best...three guitarists, a great rhythm section...and Peter Green, a musical genius...buy this album and you'll never regret it Rating: - REMEMBER WHEN...? ...remember when Fleetwood Mac was still a blues band? Before Buckingham and Nicks came along to water down the group's sound into a syrupy pop outfit that cranked out one album of lowest common denominator top 40 music after another? For anyone who has never heard the band in the early years, nearer their origins, the experience could come as a shock. There's a lot to be said for the argument that the band should have changed their name when they took that radical turn into pop music... ...but this album is near the beginning, and it's a joyful experience. The amazing Peter Green (guitar, vocals), the steady rhythm section of Mick Fleetwood (drums) and John McVie (bass), all fresh from some serious schooling in the ranks of the legendary John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, formed Fleetwood Mac in 1967, joined by guitarist Jeremy Spencer, and, just before this set was recorded, guitarist Danny Kirwan. Their first couple of albums [FLEETWOOD MAC (1967) and MR.WONDERFUL (1968)] were well-received by critics and fans alike in theie native UK -- with THEN PLAY ON, the band began to expand their songwriting horizons, while remaining true to their blues roots. The guitar work from the triumvirate of Green/Spencer/Kirwan is stunning, as are their vocals -- each infusing his own compositions with a unique personality, yet fitting into the overall sound of the band at the same time. There are some memorable unbeat, rockin' tunes here -- but what stands out for me after all of these years are the slower, moodier pieces -- vocals and instrumentals alike. Green's 'Closing my eyes', the second track on the album, is one of the most heartfelt expressions of loneliness and despair I've ever heard -- but it's not maudlin. He can sing '...one day I'll die -- maybe then I'll be with you' and it doesn't come across as trite for even a second. Danny Kirwan contributes three tunes in this laid-back but strongly emotional vein as well: 'Although the sun is shining' has an achingly beautiful, unusual chord progression -- 'When you say' and 'Like crying' are gems as well. The instrumentals -- Kirwan's 'My dream', Green's 'Underway', are things of beauty, and the two jams 'Searching for Madge' and 'Fighting for Madge' allow the bandmembers to stretch out a bit in a more upbeat vein. There are rockers here as well -- notably two classics from Peter Green, the classic 'Oh well' (presented here in its entirety, it didn't even appear on the original lp except as a bonus 7" included in early copies) and the playfully nasty 'Rattlesnake shake' (I remember that the 'underground' FM station in my home town wouldn't even play this track -- they were SO adventurous). This is a truly classic recording -- from the band's finest hour. It's no RUMOURS -- and that's a good thing...! Rating: - My favorite Fleetwood Mac album Just to let you know I am not much of a Fleetwood Mac fan. To me, I feel their Buckingham/Nicks-era material is vastly overrated, and overexposed. If it wasn't for the fact the music of that era was overly commercial, and overplayed to death, the well-publicized soap operas, ego clashes and drug abuse from the band members is enough to make me puke. I find some of the Bob Welch-era material good (particularly Bare Trees and Mystery to Me), but some of their material a bit uneven (particularly Penguin). Then Play On, released in 1969 consisted of Peter Green, Jeremy Spencer, a young Danny Kirwan (not yet 20 when this came out), and of course Mick Fleetwood and John McVie. I heard English Rose as well, with the same lineup, but I thought it was too straight-up blues for my liking (I'm not a blues fan, but I'm not bothered when certain rock bands, like Jethro Tull explored the blues since it still sounded rock enough for my tastes), so I was surprised I'd like Then Play On as much as I do. The band was moving away from the blues, which was actually a good move here. The music is actually more eclectic, with some killer jams ("Fighting For Madge"), acoustic ballads ("Closing My Eyes", "When You Say"), hard rocking numbers, and of course a couple of bluesy numbers like "Show-Biz Blues" (although with a more rock quality than their previous efforts). My version is the American Reprise LP without "Oh Well" and with "When You Say" instead. Many people believe Fleetwood Mac moved away from the blues when Green left, when in reality they were already moving away from the blues when he was still in the band. I can truly recommend Then Play On to even those who thought they couldn't stand Fleetwood Mac (which I don't blame if having to be exposed to the likes of "Dreams", "Go Your Own Way", and "Don't Stop" constantly). Way better than Rumours will ever hope to be, and it comes with my recommendation.

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