Mirage

After the experimental sound of Tusk, for their thirteenth studio album, released in June 1982, Fleetwood Mac went back to the more commercial soft rock sound that sells records. It's the fourth album of the same line-up (Buckingham, Nicks, C. McVie, J. McVie and Fleetwood), although Stevie and Lindsey had both released their debut solo albums the previous year as they were feeling restricted within the band.

What of Mirage though? Despite being criticized by many there is much to love here. The opening track, Love in store, is an infectious, upbeat love song written by Christine McVie and Jim Recor and was a hit single in the U.S.. Already you can hear a return to the Californian rock sound of Rumours and it's welcome here. Lindsey Buckingham provides us with the poppy Can't go back, a single in the U.K. which didn't do too well despite being as catchy as they come and rather brilliant.

Now I have to admit to absolutely adoring That's alright, an irresistible country flavoured pop song that Stevie Nicks originally wrote and demoed during the Buckingham Nicks era in 1974. It was called Designs of love then, but I'm so glad she finally got round to releasing it properly in some form as it's a belter. Book of love, written by Lindsey and his friend Richard Dashut, is also insanely catchy and another corker.

We then come to the wonderful Gypsy, a Stevie Nicks standard now that is simply one of her best ever songs. Her friend Robin Anderson had died of leukemia and this was apparantly included as a tribute. It's a hauntingly beautiful song that never ages, and was a much bigger hit in the U.S. than it was in the U.K., although it's since become one of their most well known songs over here. Only over you finishes side one on a dreamy, catchy note that is another strong Christine McVie composition.

The most radical song on here had to be Empire state, another Buckingham/Dashut composition that shows Lindsey isn't ready to be pinned down to one musical style. This tribute to New York has fans divided but that's probably the point and I absolutely love it for its differences. It's also good that the band allowed him a little bit of freedom or I think he would have left before Tango in the night, and that doesn't bear thinking about now.

Stevie's third and final offering on here is Straight back, quite a heart-rending ballad that refers to her leaving her newfound solo success to make another Fleetwood Mac album. Then we come to Hold me, the first single to be taken from this project. It reached #4 in the U.S. but flopped in the U.K., although it still featured on their '88 Greatest Hits and gained a not much more successful re-release. Christine wrote this with Robbie Patton and this is her at her most vulnerable and needy, but cleverly disguised as a very catchy and brilliant pop song.

Oh Diane was the biggest hit in the U.K., reaching the top ten. Lindsey again teamed up with Richard Dashut to write this irresitibly catchy little pop ditty, which seems to be almost universally hated amongst fans for some reason. I freely admit to loving it though, despite not having a clue who Diane is - wasn't he still with Carol Ann Harris at this time?

Eyes of the world was written solely by Lindsey and is a sadder song of heartbreak, yet simple and melodic but remaining catchy. The guitar work on this one is also great. Christine gives us one of her best ever ballads on the album closer, Wish you were here. Co-written with Colin Allen it is a dreamy, heartbreaking and stunningly beautiful track that is definitely one of my favourites from Mirage.

Really then there's not much to not love here. Obviously you're going to get the comparisons to Rumours, but I honestly think that is a success that they could never repeat. I applaud Lindsey's decision to go more experimental on Tusk, because that is a truly great album that proved they could do more than just soft rock. Mirage was an obvious attempt to return to the glory days of Rumours, but they lacked the passion and hurtful break-ups within the band to make this happen. What we have are warmer pop/rock songs that make for a first-class album by most bands' standards, although Lindsey's heart obviously isn't really in it and I think the rest of the band were just going through the motions to get an album out too. What I am trying to say is, if they can come up with something this good without the drive and passion, then imagine what they could have produced if they'd really wanted to. All in all, it's still a great album though.

Live

The Tusk world tour lasted between October '79 and September '80 and was so successful that a double album featuring some of 'the best bits' was released in the December after, to keep fans entertained while the band got round to recording the next studio album. It's the first live album by the band to feature the current line-up of Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to Fleetwood Mac..." starts off the album, followed by a guitar intro that goes into an electric performance of Monday morning. Say you love me follows with Christine vocally proving her worth alongside natural front people Lindsey and Stevie. Then we come to Dreams which was rather disappointingly recorded at a Paris soundcheck (Don't go is also from a soundcheck, but appears later in the album), and it stands out for not having any crowd noise although Stevie is vocally on top form.

The only pre-Fleetwood Mac white album band song to appear is Oh well, which Lindsey puts his own stamp on and really makes his own. The guitar solo is out of this world and makes for a definite highlight on this album, and I think I may even prefer it to the original. This flows into a nice version of Over & over, and it's good to hear Christine's endearing talking voice as she introduces the song. A seven minute version of Sara comes after, which is a song that never sounds anything other than great.

Lindsey gives everything he's got on a nine minute interpretation of Not that funny, turning a pretty good song into a feast of epic proportions. Naturally there is a lot of instrumental, with some dazzling guitar work at the end. I'm not sure if drugs are responsible for the strange noises he makes in the middle but it all comes together like a masterpiece. Far better than the version on Tusk. He then slows it down for an emotional version of Never going back again, which shows off his vocal talents like never before, and not even Stevie can outdo him on her heart-rending performance of Landslide (although she comes close).

The second album starts with the first of three new songs that were recorded in front of friends and the road crew. Fireflies was written and sung by Stevie Nicks, and was also released as a single the following year. It's a nice song which has a good energy to it. Christine then introduces Over my head as "the first single we ever had from the white Fleetwood Mac album" and they give another strong performance. The mighty Rhiannon follows, complete with extra lyrics, and the guitars at the end bring some added power to the song making you wish you were there at the time (lucky you if you were).

Don't let me down again isn't a new track but was originally on the self-titled Buckingham Nicks album from 1973 and was written by Lindsey. It's a powerful performance on here and has more guts than the original version. One more night definitely is a new track which was written and performed by Christine McVie. It is a tender ballad that shows off her vocal talents to the max. Lovely.

Lindsey then gives an almighty performance of Go your own way which starts with him screaming to the audience. The band are all great on this and it seems like they might be trying to outdo each other, but they all sound like they are having a good time which makes for an electric performance. After such a rush it's then a bit of a come-down to have a soundcheck performance of Don't stop, a song which is anthemic enough to benefit from some crowd participation. It's a strong performance nonetheless, but would have sounded so much better in front of a crowd.

I'm so afraid is the most bluesy thing on here, and you can really feel the pain and angst in Lindsey's voice, which together with the strong guitars make for a really outstanding performance that goes on for eight and a half minutes. I can only imagine what it was like to be in the crowd at this point. The album finishes with the last of the 'new' tracks, which is actually a cover of The Beach Boys' The Farmer's daughter. It was around this time that Christine was having a relationship with Dennis Wilson, so I don't know if that prompted the interest in recording one of their tracks. Whatever, it's a good cover which has great harmonies in it.

Having listened to this album a couple of times now I would definitely recommend that fans should get it, especially for the new tracks, although I would have preferred it if all the tracks had been sung in front of a crowd to get a real feel of what a Fleetwood Mac concert would have been like in those golden days. There are also some strange omissions, there's no Tusk, The Chain, Songbird or You make loving fun, all of which would surely have gone down a storm at the time. Although I'm usually more of a fan of the girls, and everyone gives a very strong performance on here, it's really Lindsey that steals the show overall and he has really gone up in my estimation after this.

Tusk

Following Rumours was never going to be an easy task, but rather than taking the safe option and producing a ten or eleven track album in the same style they decided to go for a double album for their twelfth studio release (the third with the classic line-up of Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, Christine McVie, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood), with a style that new and old fans alike would either love or compare to the classic tracks on Rumours.

I think a lot of people are divided on this album, but it's all about giving it a chance. Yes, it's far less commercial than Rumours and a lot of the songs aren't so immediate, yet if you give the tracks time to blossom in your mind you come to realise what a brilliant collection of songs this is.

Released in October 1979, Tusk is a massive twenty tracks long and it starts with Over & over, a Christine McVie track that is somewhere between an upbeat pop song and a ballad. She gives a good performance but like much of the album it needs time to grow. The Ledge is a short, two minute, instantly infectious little ditty that is indicative of what Lindsey Buckingham will mostly be doing on this album. Think about me is a better Christine McVie track than the opener, although Lindsey's vocals are also prominent and you can also hear Stevie. It's a good little pop/rock song that was also a single, I think. Save me a place is Lindsey again and is simple and melodic, with a folk-like catchy chorus. Like The Ledge it has you instantly hooked, and is also short at under three minutes long.

A Stevie Nicks masterpiece is next. Sara is by now one of her most famous, and best, songs, having been released as a single and included on the 1988 Greatest Hits and the Best of's. You need the full six and a half minute definitive version of this rather than the four minute single edit that it was replaced with on earlier versions of the CD. There's not much more to say about this really, except it has gotten right under my skin and I absolutely adore it.

Side two, track one is What makes you think you're the one, another joyously catchy Buckingham track and I've come to notice an air of New Wave about his songs on here. Sandwiched in between two of his though is another absolute treasure of a ballad by Stevie Nicks, Storms is one mighty grower and it has slowly become one of my favourite songs of hers. It's basically about the end of a relationship (possibly hers and Lindsey's). That's all for everyone is Lindsey again, and one of his strongest tracks on here. Quite a haunting melody, it sounds like he's about to up and leave the band in the lyrics - maybe it was time to go off and make his debut solo album, which he did in between this and Mirage. Not that funny was a single in the U.K., although it wasn't a hit. Lindsey manages to make some dark lyrics into a jolly sounding folk rock song, which is insanely catchy and really should've been a hit. Sisters of the moon was the fourth single in America and peaked at #86. The song takes a bit of time to grow, but there are some fantastic haunting instrumentals on here and the vocals show off Stevie's classic mystical side.

Stevie Nicks kicks off the second half with Angel (not the same song as was featured on Heroes are hard to find), which is another brilliant grower and the most upbeat Stevie song on the album, although again quite haunting. That's enough for me is the shortest track on the album at less than two minutes, and like most of Lindsey's songs on here it is short, sharp and effective, instantly hooking and reeling you in. Brown eyes follows, and it seems ages since we last heard from Christine. This is probably as seductive as she ever gets on record, and the lyrics suggest that she is asking for sex. The song is quite dreamy and charming with few lyrics, but definitely one to chill out to. Never make me cry is also Christine's and is short, heart-rending, effective, lovely and has a dreamy chorus that is like a lullaby - probably her best track on here. Lindsey Buckingham gets the synthesizers in on I know I'm not wrong (they've probably been on other tracks but I haven't noticed them) and the harmonies sound brilliant on this catchy piece of energetic pop.

They've saved a lot of the best 'til last on this album as side four is my favourite and it starts with Honey hi, another of Christine McVie's dreamy, catchy tracks, although this is more of a simple love song and just being in love than some of the breaking up songs they have been better known for lately.

Beautiful child would easily be in my top ten of all-time Fleetwood Mac songs, it is simply gorgeous. Stevie Nicks makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end on this beautiful ballad, which has some lovely haunting melodies. I could listen to this over and over again for hours and it sometimes brings tears to my eyes listening to it. It's a toss up between this and Sara as to what is my favourite Stevie Nicks song on the album, but at the moment I'll plump for this.

Filling the slot between the emotional Beautiful child and the fast title track nicely is Walk a thin line, a Lindsey Buckingham piece of brilliance that is reminiscent of Tusk, the song, in the instrumental sections, especially the drumming, then you've got a gorgeous harmonious vocal that instantly grabs you and makes for one of the more immediate brilliant tracks on the album.

Tusk, the title track, is written by Lindsey and is definitely a one-off - nothing like this had ever been done by them before, and nothing has since. But then there is nothing like it, it's one of the most unique songs I've ever heard in my life and that isn't easy to do. From the time the drumming starts you know this is going to be special, and it never fails to disappoint, slowly building up into something magical. No wonder it was a top ten hit - it should have been a #1. A rock masterpiece!

Finishing off the album perfectly, and the only song that could follow Tusk, is Never forget, a nice, upbeat Christine McVie track which has a positive feel to it. After so much darkness it's nice to bow out with this.

To sum up, this is a very long album but also a consistently good one. Some of the tracks won't be instantly memorable on first listen, and it may feel like a bit of a slog sitting through twenty tracks when you only know a couple, but stick with it and you will be rewarded greatly. It is an experimental album for the band, especially on Lindsey's tracks, but the tracks flow together at just the right pace and everything is in just the right place. Maybe not as commercially good as Rumours, but it's definitely worth investing in as much as Bad was after Thriller.

Rumours

Rumours, considered by many as the pinnacle album by Fleetwood Mac, was first released on the fourth of February 1977 and was the band's eleventh studio album. It is one of the biggest selling albums of all-time and has spent nearly 500 weeks in the U.K. album charts, most recently earlier this year after a whole episode of Glee was devoted to it, which has hepled to move the album's appeal down to yet another new generation.

You probably all know that most of the songs here were written about relationships breaking down. John and Christine McVie were by now divorced, and Stevie and Lindsey weren't in a good place relationship-wise. The fact that the songs were written 'from the heart' is testament to how good they are and how they have stood the test of time.

I first came across this album in 1986 when I was thirteen. Somehow I had acquired some old c60 tape recordings of old albums, one of which turned out to be Rumours (although I didn't know who it was until after I got into Tango in the night the following year) and I was in total awe of the tracks on side one especially. Never had I heard anything like it - well there was nothing remotely like it in the charts at the time. I have been a fan of the band ever since.

You probably know all the songs but I'll say my piece about each one anyway! Second hand news is a classic Lindsey Buckingham opener in the same vein as Monday morning, in that it's a catchy piece of pop infused soft rock.

Dreams is not only my favourite Stevie Nicks song and my favourite Fleetwood Mac song, but it's my favourite song of all-time by any artist. The track is pure genius and took my breath away from the very first hearing, and I have never ever grown remotely bored of hearing it which is rare. Although it reached #1 in the U.S. it only got as high as #24 in the U.K., but still managed to be the biggest hit off the album. This just proves to me that the band have always been an albums band and the singles are strong enough for people to want the whole album. It must be a popular track in the U.K. because it was the one that broke The Corrs over here, back in 1998, although their version had more of a celtic folk feel to it. Their version is worth getting, but nothing is ever going to come close to Stevie's jaw-dropping vocals on this.

Lindsey Buckingham strikes gold again on Never going back again, another instantly catchy pop/rock tune with an infectious riff. Then we come to Don't stop, written by Christine but here she and Lindsey share the vocals and they slot together like they were made for each other. This is one of those songs that is known by everybody, old and young alike, and is one of the catchiest songs the band ever did. It's a bit of an anthem now actually, and well deserved of that accolade.

We're in a run of first class moments now as Go your own way is next, and this is possibly Lindsey's most famous song ever. It's a classic rock song, a classic driving song, the classic break-up song - a classic in every sense of the word. You can feel the hurt in his voice on this and it makes you think that some of the songs on here must have been really hard to sing at the time. It's true that the best songs come from a broken heart.

Probably one of the most enduring, emotional love songs of all-time is the stunningly beautiful Songbird, a Christine McVie masterpiece that has become one of the band's most famous and popular songs despite never being a single, although Eva Cassidy did have a bit of success with her version that is probably equally as famous now and just as captivating as the original. I still always go back to the version on here though, and don't think it can ever be bettered - Christine really makes my hairs stand on end on this.

Like Songbird before it, The Chain is one of Fleetwood Mac's most famous songs despite never being released as a single, although it has charted on download sales recently. The song is credited to all five members of the band and is such an anthemic rock song, beginning with a crowd pleasing 'scream your lungs out' vocal section and then breaking into one of the best and most famous riffs of all-time (although it's notoriety is down to its use by the BBC as the theme for Formula One).

One that was a single was Christine's You make loving fun, which like the others is still played regularly on the radio today. This is one of the more optimistic songs on the album and is catchy as hell. Another Christine McVie stand-out moment, which was incidentally recorded by Cyndi Lauper in 1977 as her debut single.

I don't want to know was written by Stevie and is sung as a duet between her and Lindsey, although his vocals are more prominent here. It's an upbeat, catchy song of hope for the couple and leaves us feeling a bit more optimistic for them. Also, it's the song that replaced the brilliance that is Silver springs, but I won't hold that against it as it's still a great song (Thank God we at least have both on CD now).

The fourth and final Christine McVie composition on here is Oh Daddy, which is dismissed by many fans but I think it's one of the most heart-felt and tragic songs she ever did. I suppose it gets overshadowed by Songbird but it's still a great song in its own right and deserves more recognition I feel. Then Gold dust woman finishes off the show, and like the previous album is one of only two solo performances by Stevie Nicks. Consequently it is overshadowed by Dreams, but if you don't compare the two then this is a great performance and has a mystical feel to it. Apparantly even Stevie herself has admitted that she doesn't know what it's about, but who cares? Like most of her songs you can make your own interpretations.

And so comes to a close the classic that is Rumours, an album that is deserved of a place in every music lover's collection as there really isn't a bad song to be found here. Having listened to it with a fresh ear I would say that it is probably the band's ultimate album, although I don't like to go with the obvious sometimes albums are so popular for a reason.

Fleetwood Mac (1975)

Released in July 1975, it's hard to believe that there are only seven years separating this, their tenth studio album, from their debut of the same name. They have already lost four mega-talented singer songwriters and have a repertoire of songs and albums that most artists don't achieve throughout their entire career, however this is only just the point where it starts for many fans (myself included up until a few months ago). In case you didn't know, this is the first album to feature Lindsey Buckingham and the legend that is Stevie Nicks, who join Christine and John McVie and Mick Fleetwood in making the band a five-piece again, which is how they would remain until Lindsey Buckingham leaves for the first time in 1987 after Tango in the night's release.

Monday morning is Lindsey Buckingham's signiature song on here, it's a fun, upbeat, catchy start to the album and has a bit of a folky feel. I'd always assumed it was a single as it was included on their 2002 best of, but it turns out that it wasn't. It should've been.

Warm ways was the actual first single to be released, in October 1975 (I don't know why they waited that long), although it was only out in the U.K. where it wasn't a hit - this shouldn't matter though as a very small handful of their singles were ever as big a hit as you would imagine they were now. It's a stunning Christine McVie bluesy ballad which leaves you feeling all fuzzy inside.

I never realised Blue letter was a cover until now, it just sounds so much like a Lindsey Buckingham record. Apparantly though it was written and first recorded by the Curtis Brothers (although they did team up with Buckingham Nicks when they were a duo to record the demo). Anyhow, it is a fantastic piece of country infused rock that Lindsey really makes his own.

Words cannot describe how I feel about the next track. It is of course the magnificent masterpiece that is Rhiannon, and the only time Stevie Nicks would ever get any better is on Dreams. I do have a live version from Buckingham Nicks, as the song was originally intended for their second album, and it is considerably faster. The version on here is the definitive though, and it has become one of the band's most famous songs, despite the fact that it missed the U.K. top forty altogether, which is more proof that the charts are not a good indicator of the best music around.

Christine McVie's Over my head was the lead single in America, becoming their first ever big hit over that side of the pond. I would say that there were better songs to release as the lead single but it's nice that both the U.K. and the U.S. got one of Christine's songs as she is often forgotten about when you think of the Buckingham/Nicks era of Fleetwood Mac. The song itself is good enough to be a single, although it's not a stand-out track for me amongst some of the brilliance here.

Now I just love Crystal, it is one of their more under-appreciated tracks and deserved of so much more praise than it gets. Written by Nicks, but sung by Buckingham on both this and the Buckingham Nicks album where it first appeared, she later did her own version for the film Practical Magic. The version on here is more polished than the original, but that version sounds more raw and heartfelt to me so I would edge towards the original. Nicks' own version comes third for me (sorry Stevie, I normally prefer your vocals but Lindsey sounds great on this). It's one of those songs that just gets better and better with each listen.

Easily the most famous song on here (along with Rhiannon, and possibly now Landslide) is the classic that is Say you love me. Christine is more rocky than usual on this and it's easily the best thing she's done up to this point - only on Songbird, Little lies and Everywhere does she ever surpass herself more. This would still probably be in my all-time Fleetwood Mac top ten though.

I mentioned Landslide a minute ago, and it comes next. It is one that has grown over the years to become one of Stevie's staple songs, and it's use on the TV show Glee has certainly helped to seal its popularity, although the Dixie Chicks brought it to people's attention as long ago as 2002. It's another one that grows on you with each listen and one that I have to admit I didn't fully appreciate properly until recently. Stevie has been broken in gently on this album, with only two lead vocals to Lindsey's five.

Lindsey and Christine have a go at a duet on World turning, a rocking bluesy number which is a welcome hark back to the band's early days. I just love this, it's one to really let your hair down to.

Christine has her fourth and final solo outing of the record on Sugar daddy, which is another quite upbeat performance from her. It may not be one of the best tracks on the album but it is worthy of a place here nonetheless, and I love her little laugh as the song fades out.

The final track is I'm so afraid, which is one of Lindsey Buckingham's most powerful and awe-inspiring vocals ever. The song really gives you goosebumps and the guitar section at the end is equally powerful, sealing his place amongst the elite of Fleetwood Mac's history.

I seriously find it hard to choose between this album and Rumours. There are at least eight potential singles here, but none are disposable and any album that includes both Rhiannon and Say you love me already has the best possible start. It's easy to forget the Fleetwood Mac that came before when you put this on, but thankfully you get a sharp reminder on World turning. Mick Fleetwood and John McVie don't get much of a mention, but with seven first-class singer songwriters now having been on their books, something should surely be said of their talent for spotting talent like no other.



Heroes Are Hard To Find

Heroes are hard to find was their ninth studio album and was released in September 1974. The band are now back to a four-piece with Bob Welch, Christine McVie, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood, and the burden firmly fell on Bob's shoulders here as he composed and performed seven of the eleven tracks, Christine contributed the remaining four.

Maybe it was down to this reason why Bob left the band in December of that year after suffering with exhaustion, although every cloud has a silver lining and on the next album we were to be treated with the first sounds of 'new' Mac as Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham were recruited to take the band forward.

I don't want to get too carried away with the next album yet though as I don't want it to take any of the focus away from this one, which is a lot different in sound from anything that came before or after it. The first track is called Heroes are hard to find and is one of Christine McVie's efforts. It's an upbeat, catchy, poppy track which is a great start to the album - it was also released as a single but I'm surprised they hadn't given up with those by this stage as it didn't exactly set the charts on fire.

The next three are credited to Bob Welch, with the largely instrumental track Coming home next, which is a spacey, hypnotic sounding track and one which takes a couple of listens to get into. Angel is better, it's still quite trancey but a lot rockier and easier to get into. Then we have Bermuda triangle, following Bob's new found love of the unknown (which might account for the spacey feel of his tracks on this album) this is somewhere between the last two tracks in terms of that space vibe sound and is quite a good effort.

Christine brings things back to Earth with the gorgeous Come a little bit closer, one of her best tracks ever I'd say and proving why she's a worthy link between this Fleetwood Mac and the one on the next album and beyond, which people are always saying is a completely different band. For those people I would say that this, and a lot of her others from earlier albums, would sit nicely on any of the next few albums.

There's another beauty next in the shape of She's changing me, a Bob Welch number that caught my ear on the first listen. Here he manages to mix his experimental rock style with a country edge and makes for an instantly catchy song. Christine goes the other way on Bad loser, and has obviously been affected by some of Bob's hypnotic vibes as this sounds like it should be one of his. It's still a worthy song though and bridges the gap between the two vocalists sounds on this album.

Probably the most infectious, upbeat, catchy track on this album is Silver heels, on which Welch mentions Paul McCartney and Etta James in the lyrics. This would have been a massive hit if they had been more well known at that point and is another of those lost treasures that we are going to need a large chest to store them all in soon.

Christine gives her final performance on the album with another belter called Prove your love. This is summery with a positive feel, but yet strangely trancey. It's definitely thumbs up for this one though. Not so for Born enchanter, another eerie hypnotic Bob Welch track which isn't one of his most memorable, and the same can be said of the album closer, Safe harbour, which is a haunting instrumental, but for a few lyrics at the end. Maybe those last two tracks need more listens but they didn't really grab me after a couple.

A difficult album to sum up really. Christine is the bridge between this and the next album and delivers a couple of her best tracks to date, while Bob has gained an obsession for things strange and takes the sound into a futuristic phase, which works on some tracks more than others. There are some definite gems to be found on here though, although on the final track I'm thinking that Stevie arrived in the Nick of time.



Mystery To Me



As we get nearer to the more commercially successful albums we come to Mystery to me, the band's eighth studio album, released in October 1973. It's the second and final album to feature guitarist Bob Weston, who became the latest member to be fired from the band after it emerged he had been having an affair with Mick Fleetwood's wife. Bob Welch takes on a much heftier percentage of the songwriting, with six of his own compositions appearing, and Christine McVie does her bit too, penning four tracks. The two Bobs and Christine join John McVie and Mick Fleetwood as the then current line-up of Fleetwood Mac.

Bob Welch gets the album off to a flying start with the mighty Emerald eyes, which is one of the best things he ever did with the band. From this track we get an instant feeling that Bob is moving them in a more experimental rock direction, with the help of Bob Weston on guitar. Christine delivers a belter next with the upbeat track, Believe me, which is rockier than some of her later pop/rock numbers and it suits her voice. She follows that with the slightly less inspiring Just crazy love, but it's still not bad by any means.

Hypnotized is another big jewel in Bob Welch's songbook. Although only a B-side (to For your love) it is probably the most instant track on the album and the most well known too, with the Pointer Sisters adding to that by doing a rather cool version on their 1978 album Energy. Following on the experimental style of Emerald eyes, this apparantly came about after an intense dream about UFOs. The sound actually reminds me a bit of Freakpower, who wouldn't be around for another twenty years yet. If you only download one track off this album then make it this one.

Forever is a joint composition by the two Bobs and John McVie, and mixes the experimental prog-rock style with a reggae-infused sounding instrumental making another winning formula. Keep on going is the title of the next track, written by Bob Welch but sung by Christine McVie, and isn't as immediate as some of the tracks on the album but a grower nonetheless.

Three great Bob Welch penned and sung songs are up next, all of which fuse his prog-rock style vocals with amazing guitar work that make for a sound that never sounds dated. The City is first and is one of the few songs I've heard about New York that slags it off, although apparantly his then fiance had been mugged there so that could explain it. It's a real lost treasure though, as is Miles away, which you could imagine The Who doing.The song is one of the best I've heard from Welch on what is shaping to be his best album yet with the band. Somebody is in the same vein and is another groovy rock track (for want of a better description). Three out of three there.

Then Christine slows things down on a ballad called The Way I feel, which is pleasant enough, although not one of her most memorable. A cover of The Yardbirds' classic 1965 hit For your love follows that, and Bob Welch's vocals really work well with the song and make it fit in with his other tracks here. It actually replaced another song of his, Good things (come to those who wait) at the last minute, although this was later recorded by him on his solo album Three hearts but was renamed Don't wait too long. Having heard this song it's obvious it was intended for this album, but I'll get round to reviewing that eventually.

Christine rounds off the album with a song simply titled Why. It's one that is highly spoke of amongst other reviews I've read, and is definitely up there with some of her finer moments, tugging at the heart-strings. Apparantly her relationship with John was already going through rocky times so it may be safe to assume that she was writing about that on here.

To summarise then, Mystery to me is Bob Welch at his peak and his moment to prove his worth with the band and move the sound in a different direction with the help of Bob Weston's amazing guitar work, providing some of the big highlights to be had here. Christine delivers too and edges her songs a bit more towards the Buckingham/Nicks era sound, which is only two albums away now, and it all comes together with something for every fan.