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24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Certainly a lesser affair, but not a total bomb, March 12, 2003
Even during their extended middle period as they made the transition from blues-rockers to melodic popsters, you couldn't fault Fleetwood Mac for not being prolific. 1971's FUTURE GAMES could safely be called the first pop-oriented Mac album because it was their first one without guitarist Jeremy Spencer, thereby cutting off the last tie to their blues roots. 1972's BARE TREES was as spare as its title states, peeling away the layers of the previous album & letting the music speak for itself. After both of those albums sold dismally (but I believe they've at least gone gold by now), the Mac went back to the studio to record 1973's PENGUIN.The remarks about PENGUIN being the rare sour grape in the Mac's large catalog are a tad exaggerated, for while it is by no means a masterpiece, it's unfair to call it a stinker. While Christine McVie & Bob Welch may have been the main creative guides during this period, PENGUIN was probably an attempt at a true group effort (which at this point was a sextet), for the songwriting & singing isn't strictly the work of McVie & Welch (though they do collaborate on one song); guitarist Bob Weston & vocalist/harmonica player Dave Walker (both added after the departure of guitarist Danny Kirwan) get a chance to shine here, too. Such democracy would hint at 1979's double album TUSK & like that epic, it's mostly hit & miss. Walker's tune "The Derelict" is a country-based affair, complete with the banjo & harmonica (both done by Weston). As can be expected, the song is certainly no masterpiece, but it's a pleasant tune that closed out side one of the vinyl album. While Welch apparently did the singing on that song, Walker gets a chance to vocalize on a cover of Jr. Walker & The All-Stars' Motown classic "[I'm A] Road Runner". While such a gravel-voiced soul rave-up would seem like an odd choice with the proto-pop sound the Mac was exploring around this time, it comes off surprisingly well, sure to bring up any dull party. "Caught In The Rain" closes out the album & is an acoustic instrumental performed by Bob Weston with piano & an angelic chorus. Nice, but maybe an actual song with lyrics would have worked out better. As for the Mac's main songsmiths, Bob Welch comes out the winner with 3 solo compositions & a collaboration with McVie, hinting at the promise that would be manifested when he went solo. "Bright Fire" is a slightly ethereal number with lyrics that are a bit hard to decipher, but the slightly Pink Floyd vibe the song gives off is very soothing. "Revelation" is a Santana-inspired rocker with guitar work worthy of Senor Carlos himself. The epic of the album (which is only 36 minutes long) is "Night Watch" & contains the soft-spoken voice you'd know from Welch's solo hit of "Sentimental Lady" (the Mac's version appeared on BARE TREES). The backing harmonies are an excellent lift from the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young rule book. While Christine McVie would become quite a dependable songwriter in later years, I guess she was still easing her way in at this point, for she only contributes 2 of her own songs, both of which were probably not even her best ones at the time. The opening "Remember Me" is a light, feel-good number that breezes by in its 2 1/2 minutes without leaving much of an impression. "Dissatisfied" is better with a little Motown flavor of its own, especially with the overdubbed backing vocals by Christine. Mick Fleetwood's drums alone make you wonder if the band had brushed up on their Motown before recording this. The calypso-flavored "Did You Ever Love Me" (love the steel drums) is the McVie/Welch team-up & is apparently more Christine's work than Bob's for she sings lead with Bob Weston on this bittersweet "end of the affair" love song. The Mac's choice of producer in Martin Birch (who worked as an engineer on previous Mac albums) was an odd one, for he had cut his teeth on albums by bands as hard-edged as Deep Purple & would eventually work with similar groups like Iron Maiden, Blue Oyster Cult & Whitesnake. But this was his first album as a producer I believe, so he hadn't yet found his specialty & I guess with PENGUIN, he wanted to be as less intrusive as possible. Like BARE TREES, Birch lets the music stay as it is with little sweetening & I guess the Mac was happy enough with his work to use him again on their second album of 1973, MYSTERY TO ME. PENGUIN is certainly no creative wonder by any stretch of the imagination, but interestingly it became their first album to chart in the U.S. (peaking at a respectable #49), so something about it won over music buyers. For an album that was only recorded in a month (in January 1973, with it hitting stores 2 months later), PENGUIN has the sound & feel of it, making for an album that is pleasant while it plays, but only small parts of it are memorable. Musical band members would start again (with Dave Walker being the one to leave), but Fleetwood Mac seemed to take it all in stride, moving towards the recording of their equally transitional (yet superior) MYSTERY TO ME in a matter of months. In hindsight, PENGUIN is a good time-marker in the Mac's long career, but definitely not the bomb it has long been made out to be.
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