Fleetwood Mac Madison Blues CD

Fleetwood Mac made it big twice over: first as young kings of the late 1960's British blues boom - blues fanatics who nonetheless made the pop charts with a batch of memorable songs penned by founder Peter Green. Then secondly, as the band that with it's Rumours album Californian line-up, tapped into a whole new market in the mid-1970's which became known as AOR - adult oriented rock. The music here on the double CD Madison Blues is from a pivotal eighteen months in Mac's history as it lost it's original if-it-ain't-blues-we-don't-wanna-know attitude and looked to it's own songwriters - and America's West Coast sound - for inspiration. After Peter Green's exit in May 1970 the rest of the band bravely decided to carry on as a 4-piece, and so rented an oast house called Kiln House to try and 'get it together in the country. Christine McVie joined, and one of the stand-out songs, 'Station Man', would endure for Mac in the bleak years before they moved to California in 1974 where they struck gold with their eponymous white album and then Rumours. 'Station Man' eventually found it's way into the live set-list of the Buckingham/Nicks line-up and listening to it again here you can hear why: in there, as far back as 1970, are some trademarks of the Rumours sound: three-voice harmonies, in-song tempo changes and ringing guitar sounds. Similarly, 'The Purple Dancer' and 'Jewel Eyed Judy' showcase a vocal harmonies and melodic sense of things to come for Fleetwood Mac many miles down the line. Christine McVie was a crucial link in the chain, and this collection ends with a promotional session from the Christine Perfect Band with ex-Yardbird Tony 'Top' Topham and Rick Hayward on guitars, Martin Dunsford on bass and Chris Harding on drums.

1. Crazy About You (Can't Hold Out Much Longer) 2. Down at the Crown 3. Tell Me All the Things You Do 4. Station Man 5. Purple Dancer 6. Station Man 7. Crazy About You (Can't Hold Out Much Longer) 8. One Together 9. I Can't Stop Loving Her 10. Lonely Without You 11. Tell Me All the Things You Do 12. Jewel-Eyed Judy 13. Hey Baby 14. It's You I Miss 15. Gone Into the Sun 16. Tell Me You Need Me 17. Madison Blues 18. Purple Dance 19. Open the Door 20. Preaching Blues 21. Dust My Broom 22. Get Like You Used to Be 23. Don't Go, Please Stay 24. Station Man 25. I'm on My Way 26. Jailhouse Rock 27. The King Speaks 28. Teenage Darlin' 29. Honey Hush