Customer Reviews

Vintage Years Live

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This is one of many repackagings of their legendary Boston Tea Party concerts of February 5-7 1970. Completists should opt for the "legit" releases that contain everything from all three nights, but if you're looking for a one-disc distillation, you couldn't do much better. This has most of the highlights; Green's bass solo on Green Manalishi, Oh Well, Black Magic Woman (never forget... they did it first), and a flat-out unbelievable 24-minute Rattlesnake Shake. Great sound quality, too.

If you're into intense blues-rock with plenty of jamming, 'Fleetwood Mac - The Vintage Years Live' is for you. I absolutely love extended guitar jams, of the sort that Eric Clapton delivers on his 'Live At the Fillmore East' discs. While I think Eric was working with slightly better compositions, this 9 track collection, drawn from three nights of concerts at The Tea Party venue in Boston over the February 5-7 weekend in 1970, certainly stands as one of the finest performed and recorded blues-rock discs from the era.

Guitarist Peter Green's version of Fleetwood Mac had difficulty establishing themselves in America, but their blues oriented rock sound produced six Top-40 hits in the UK between April of 1968 and May of 1970. Three of those charting numbers, 'Black Magic Woman' (#37 in April of 1968), 'Oh Well' (#2 in October of 1969), and 'Green Manalishi' (#10 in May of 1970), are offered on this CD. If you're looking to score the other three charting songs, 'Albatross' (#1 in December of 1968), 'Man of the World' (#2 in April of 1969), and 'Need Your Love So Bad' (#32 in July of 1969), you can purchase live versions on the 3-CD 'Live In Boston' box set, from which 'The Vintage Years' recordings are drawn from. Four of 'The Vintage Years' tracks (track #1, 2, 4 and 6) are drawn from Volume One, two (tracks #3 and 9) from Volume Two, and three (tracks #5, 7, and 8) from Volume Three. All three discs can be purchased seperately.

The Tea Pary venue in Boston opened in January of 1967, and quickly became a stopping off point for bands on the rise, such as Led Zeppelin, Santana, and The Allman Brothers, as well as established bands such as Traffic, The Yardbirds, The Who, and Van Morrison. 'Regulars' at the converted church, reknown for its high ceilings and superb acoustics, included the J. Geils Blues Band, and Fleetwood Mac. The excellent acoustics really shine in this superb set of recordings, which are unusually clear and crisp, especially given the era and the high decibel approach of the band. The first four tracks, including a twelve minute 'Green Manalishi' and a version of 'Rattlesnake Shake' that is twice that length, possess enough cumulative wattage to threaten the East Coast with a black-out for the second straight year. A cover of Elmore James' 'Got To Move' (courtesy of James fanatic Jeremy Spencer) serves as something of an intermission before the band cranks back up into high gear for Danny Kirwin's 'Only You'. A more robust and funky James cover, 'Madison Blues' keeps the joint jumping, and sets up the charging finish of Green's 'Sandy Mary' and a cover of Little Richard's 'Jenny Jenny'. The vocals on Santana's version of 'Black Magic Woman' are superior to Fleetwood Mac's, but the Mac wins kudos for their instrumental prowess on the track. There is little comparison, however, between Mac's version of 'Jenny Jenny', and the better known version by Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels, alternately titled 'Jenny Take a Ride', which hit #10 in the US in 1966. Mitch's version is faster and, being aimed at AM radio, didn't develop the song as Mac's eight minute version does here.

This disc features three quality guitarists, the most outstanding being Peter Green, with able backing and occasional leads from Jeremy Spencer and Danny Kirwin, playing with fire. With Mick Fleetwood on drums and one of the finest bass players ever to come out of England, John McVie, there is hardly a beat missed. The jamming is just stupendous, creating aural sculptures around perfect changes in tempo and volume (this is one of the few bands that can fade a song on stage every bit as well as studio tracks are faded out). While the presence of three guitarists in a live concert setting certainly increased the odds for a muddied sound, the fine recording job by Vic Maile, Andy Rose, and Nick Reynolds keeps them clear and distinct. This is live 1970 rock & roll at its absolute finest. If you're into the type of music I've been describing, check out the low price for this disc, and buy it now.

When Peter Green is at the top of his game, he is just as vital as Johnny Winter, Eric Clapton, SRV or any other of the all time greats who have picked up a guitar. Not too many bands could have 3 guitarists who don't step all over each other but Fleetwood Mac did, very well. This cd has pretty good sound. I was hesident to buy this, but I did and I love it. Peter Greens guitar playing has never been better or as emotional,and if you like music thats a little bluey and a little rock, played by some of the best musicians on this earth, then you must purchase this cd. Black Magic Women is worth it by itself.

There is I believe no group in rock music history with a more turbulent past then Fleetwood Mac. At the same time there has never been a more durable rock group then Fleetwood Mac either. Through all the turmoil and discourse they have been through, not to mention changes in personal, Fleetwood Mac has been around for over 40 years now. In spite of the troubles and changes Fleetwood Mac has been through they still have always been able to create some of the best music around. Lead by Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, The only two members who have been with FM from the start, Fleetwood Mac has I always felt gone through three different versions of themselves. There is the current version of FM that started in 1975 when Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham joined the group. This is the version everyone is familier with. With all the number 1 albums and monster hits people know this Mac well. It's the other two versions of the group most people either have forgotten or have no idea existed. There is the Fleetwood Mac from 1971 to '74 I call the transition Fleetwood Mac. This is the Mac that had Bob Welch as part of the group. Then there is the first version that I call Old School Fleetwood Mac. This is the group most people are unfamilier with. This was the very beginning of the group when Fleetwood Mac was known as the premiere British blues band in the world. Just about as successful as the current version of the Mac but little known. If there is any doubt of the success of the early years of Fleetwood Mac then consider this. In 1969 Fleetwood Mac sold more albums worldwide then the Beatles and the Rolling Stones did combined. With the line up including Peter Green, the man who created Fleetwood Mac, Jeremy Spencer, Danny Kirwan as well as McVie and Fleetwood they produced some of the best blues music ever heard in rock music. Case in point is "The Vintage Years Live". This is an outstanding album that displays Fleetwood Mac at their very best. Recorded over three nights in February 1970 at the Boston Tea Party the group is at the top of their game. Peter Green is one of the greatest guitarists around and his playing on this disc shows that. Not that Spencer or Kirwan are any slouches. They jump in there and hold their own on the guitars as well. The highlights on this album I think are the slightly over 25 minute version of "Rattlesnake Shake" along with "Green Manalishi", "Oh Well" and "Black Magic Women". But there is no weak song in the bunch. If you remember and loved the Old School Fleetwood Mac then there is no doubt this is an album for you. If you are someone who only knows the Nicks-Buckingham version of Fleetwood Mac but would like to know more about the early history of the group then this album I think is an excellant introduction to that version.

This is a great album. Every song shows off something different from the Peter Green era of Fleetwood Mac. Peter and Danny share blistering guitar solos together, while the excellent rhythm section of Mic Fleetwood and Jon McVie supply great bottom for their surreal blues improvisations. "Green Manalishi" is especially amazing, with a jaw-dropping bass solo by Peter. Rattlesnake Shake is 24 minutes of pure hard-blues bliss, while "Albatross" and "Man of the World" give you the chills. "Oh Well" is classic fun, gets your feet-tapping all throughout, and "Only You" is one-part blues one part rock-n-roll and to me really bridges the gap between the two genres in a awesome way. The only thing I can say that is missing is Kirwan's "Like it This Way", but honestly, with this amazing lineup of songs, you can't go wrong with this purchase. If you ever thought the blues was boring or dull, buy this CD and your mind will immediately be changed. And if you have any bone in your body that appreciates good music when you hear it, you owe yourself to pick this up.

Great early Fleetwood Mac.
There are other versions out there of this event, but this is the most available for a decent price.