Fleetwood Mac – Then Play On

Description

Then Play On is the third studio album by the British blues rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 19 September 1969. It was the first of their original albums to feature Danny Kirwan and the last with Peter Green. ThisPeter Green-led edition of the Mac isn’t just an important transition between their initial blues-based incarnation and the mega-pop band they became, it’s also their most vital, exciting version. The addition ofDanny Kirwanas second guitarist and songwriter foreshadows not only the soft-rock terrain of “Bare Trees” and “Kiln House” withChristine Perfect-McVie, but also predictsRumours. That only pertains to roughly half of the also excellent material here, though; the rest is quintessentialGreen. The immortal “Oh Well,” with its hard-edged, thickly layered guitars and chamber-like sections, is perhaps the band’s most enduring progressive composition. “Rattlesnake Shake” is another familiar number, a down-and-dirty, even-paced funk, with clean, wall-of-sound guitars. Choogling drums andGreen’s fiery improvisations power “Searching for Madge,” perhaps Mac’s most inspired work save “Green Manalishi,” and leads into an unlikely symphonic interlude and the similar, lighter boogie “Fighting for Madge.” A hot Afro-Cuban rhythm with beautiful guitars fromKirwanandGreenon “Coming Your Way” not only defines the Mac’s sound, but the rock aesthetic of the day.

Of the songs withKirwan’s stamp on them, “Closing My Eyes” is a mysterious waltz love song; haunting guitars approach surf music on the instrumental “My Dream”; while “Although the Sun Is Shining” is the ultimate pre-Rumoursnumber someone should revisit. Blues roots still crop up on the spatial, loose,Hendrix-tinged “Underway,” the folky “Like Crying,” and the final outcry of the ever-poignant “Show Biz Blues,” withGreenmoaning “do you really give a damn for me?” Then Play On is a reminder of how pervasive and powerfulGreen’s influence was on Mac’s originality and individual stance beyond his involvement. Still highly recommended and a must-buy after all these years, it remains their magnum opus. via AllMusic

Label: Reprise Records
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Gatefold
Reissued: 2015 / Original Release: 1969
Genre: Rock
Style: Blues Rock, Classic Rock

File under: School of Rock