Fleetwood Mac Albums Ranked From Worst to Best
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- Опубликовано: 10 янв 2022
- This week we're looking at one of the wilder discographies in the history of rock. Fleetwood Mac started as a blues band, led by guitarist Peter Green and went through a myriad of personnel changes. They didn't land on what many consider to be their "classic" lineup until album #10.
So how do we each feel about the many different iterations of this classic band? Only one way to find out!
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Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac were founded by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the line-up for their self-titled debut album. Danny Kirwan joined as a third guitarist in 1968. Keyboardist and vocalist Christine Perfect, who contributed as a session musician from the second album, married McVie and joined in 1970.
Primarily a British blues band at first, Fleetwood Mac scored a UK number one with "Albatross", and had other hits such as the singles "Oh Well" and "Man of the World". All three guitarists left in succession during the early 1970s, to be replaced by guitarists Bob Welch and Bob Weston and vocalist Dave Walker. By 1974, Welch, Weston and Walker had all either departed or been dismissed, leaving the band without a male lead vocalist or guitarist. In late 1974, while Fleetwood was scouting studios in Los Angeles, he heard American folk-rock duo Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, and asked Buckingham to be their new lead guitarist, and Buckingham agreed on condition that Nicks could also join the band.
The addition of Buckingham and Nicks gave the band a more pop rock sound, and their 1975 self-titled album, Fleetwood Mac, reached No. 1 in the United States. Rumours (1977), Fleetwood Mac's second album after the arrival of Buckingham and Nicks, produced four U.S. Top 10 singles and remained at number one on the American albums chart for 31 weeks. It also reached the top spot in countries around the world and won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1978. Rumours has sold over 40 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums in history. Although each member of the band went through a breakup (John and Christine McVie, Buckingham and Nicks, and Fleetwood and his wife Jenny) while recording the album, they continued to write and record music together.
The band's personnel remained stable through three more studio albums, but by the late 1980s began to disintegrate. After Buckingham and Nicks each left the band, they were replaced by a number of other guitarists and vocalists. A 1993 one-off performance for the first inauguration of Bill Clinton featured the line-up of Fleetwood, John McVie, Christine McVie, Nicks, and Buckingham back together for the first time in six years. A full reunion occurred four years later, and the group released their fourth U.S. No. 1 album, The Dance (1997), a live compilation of their hits, also marking the 20th anniversary of Rumours. Christine McVie left the band in 1998, but continued to work with the band in a session capacity. Meanwhile, the group remained together as a four-piece, releasing their most recent studio album, Say You Will, in 2003. Christine McVie rejoined the band full-time in 2014. In 2018, Buckingham was fired from the band and was replaced by Mike Campbell, formerly of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and Neil Finn of Split Enz and Crowded House.
Fleetwood Mac have sold more than 120 million records worldwide, making them one of the world's best-selling bands. In 1979, the group were honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1998 the band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and received the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. In 2018, the band received the MusiCares Person of the Year award by The Recording Academy in recognition of their artistic achievement in the music industry and dedication to philanthropy.
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Thanks for watching! Be sure to leave your comments below.
Next Week: Whitney Houston
After That: Blur, The Darkness, David Bowie
#FleetwoodMac #AlbumsRanked #WorsttoBest
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So many people are sleeping on the Welch albums. Bare Trees and Future Games are brilliant
I’m tired of hearing how Bob Welch was just a yacht rocker. 🤦♂️🤦♂️ what ever!! He was a real talent and missed very much so I’m glad one person at least acknowledged this. 💯
Totally agree. Heroes are hard to find too!! It's a different sound but great songs. Some of Christine's best work in this era ad well!
Bruhhhh, Mystery To Me is Fleetwood Macs greatest all time album.
Yes! Danny Kirwin's "Sands of Time" is the best FM song ever. Also from Future Games, "Woman of a Thousand Years" has one of Danny's best chord progressions. My favorite Bob Welch songs are "Hypnotized" & "Emerald Eyes" from Mystery to Me.
Definitely overlooked period of the band
1. Tusk
2. Mystery To Me
3. Tango In The Night
4. Fleetwood Mac (White)
5. Bare Trees
6. Future Games
7. Then Play On
8. Mirage
9. Kiln House
10. Rumours
TUSK is a Fantastic album
Fell in love with the "Bare Trees"-Album and Danny Kirwan - sooooo underrated!!!
There was a reason Peter Green asked Danny to join his band, even when the band already had another guitarist. Danny was nearly Peter's equal on guitar at age 17.
@@reesefowler40 Agreed.
@@reesefowler40 That's my understanding as well. Peter heard Danny playing in a band that was no where near Danny's level. Without having heard some particular live performances of both Green and Kirwan it's difficult to get across the level of talent the two of them had on guitar. The studio albums are fine but don't tell the whole story. Danny had a phenomenal control of vibrato and tone. Peter had that plus more years of experience. Buckingham has a great fingerpicking style. But it's difficult to compare apples to oranges stylistically. That's the problem when thinking about Fleetwood Mac. I want to add, McVie and Fleetwood were a stellar rhythm section throughout FM's history. I'm certain you know all of this, but I think it bears repeating.
Danny Kirwan, one of the many Mac members to go a little crazy, like Peter Green, Jeremy Spencer and Bob Welch, etc.
17. Time ( 1995) 2.5 stars
16. Kilnhouse ( 1970) 2.5 stars
15. Behind the Mask ( 1990) 2.5 stars
14 . Say You Will (2003) 2.5 stars
13. Mr Wonderful ( 1968) 2.5 stars
12. Fleetwood Mac ( 1968) 3 stars
11. Heroes are Hard to Find ( 1974) 3 stars
10. Tusk ( 1979) 3 stars
9 . Future Games ( 1971) 3.5 stars
8. Mystery to Me ( 1973) 3.5 stars
7. Mirage : ( 1982 ) 3.5 stars
6. Tango in the Night ( 1987) 3.5 stars
5. Penguin (1973) 3.5 stars
4. Bare Trees ( 1972 ) 3.5 stars
3. Then Play On ( 1969 ( 4.5 stars)
2. Fleetwood Mac ( 1975) 4.5 stars
1. Rumours ( 1977) 5 stars
2 and a half stars is pretty generous for Time ngl
It's always fascinating to see how different people react to different albums.
I think one of the hallmarks of a good band, or at least an interesting band, is that different people can find different things to appreciate about them. My favorite artists that they've covered are probably the ones with the most varying opinions.
The biggest thing I've learned today is that I like the blues significantly more than most people. I (mistakenly) assumed the blues got under other people's skin the same way it gets under mine.
@@AbbeyRoadkill1 A little goes a long way with blues for me. I don't hate it, but a whole album of I-IV-V blues jams gets old pretty quick for me.
that's what we're here for ;)
@@edgustafson The blues are all about the subtleties- the phrasing, the intensity of the performance... it's also not easy to write a memorable song while constricting yourself to the I-IV-V progression, but they manage to do it multiple times on those first two albums.
I am surprised that two of the three singled out "I'm So Afraid" as a weak track from the Fleetwood Mac album. And Joe doesn't mention it at all. It has always been one of my favorite FM songs. Love the solo during the fade out.
And the live version on The Dance is amazing 👍
Agree it’a amazing and the perfect closer to the ‘75 album
I can understand why someone wouldn't get the Peter Green as guitarist hype from his studio work...try Live at the Boston Tea Party 1970 to really see what he was capable of.
The Supernatural.
Or this - in my opinion perhaps the greatest live blues solo ever committed to tape.
ruclips.net/video/8ARJuTLtLtY/видео.html
In relation to the studio work, some of the biggest hits for the early Fleetwood Mac were originally released as singles only, so acquaintance with the albums alone would not necessarily represent the best or the fuller range of the band, including Green's contributions.
You guys need to hear Fleetwood Mac Live at the Boston Tea Party 1970. That should change your mind about Peter Green as a guitarist. "the only white guitar player that gave me the shivers was Peter Green"- B.B. King
I hope so cuz I haven’t heard many good reasons on their studio work… except for Green Manalishi. - Joe
I don't think any mention was made of Green's 1970 solo LP, 'The End of the Game', which is reputed by some to showcase Green's finest recorded playing. All the tracks there are instrumental.
Then Play On for my personal win. Rumors is great but they did so much other great stuff. A lot of their albums are like the late Beatles albums-multiple songwriters and stylistic shifts but when it works, it really works. Danny Kirwan and Peter Green are two of the greatest writers and players ever. So many of Green’s best tracks are non-album singles…”Albatross”, for example, which directly influenced The Beatles for “Sun King”.
Wow, I really have to thank the TLM guys for waking me up to the wonders of the Welch era, his albums have become favorites at my home.
I'm one of those who's only familiar with 77's self-titled and Rumors.
I was absolutely blown away by the 5 consecutive early 70's releases.
Kiln House, Future Games, Bare Trees, Penguin, and Mystery To Me.
C MvVie's songwriting and singing are both top notch. Bob Welch has some really good moments again both singing and writing. The guitar playing is off the charts. Bob Weston and Kirwan are amazing players.
Yeah me too....though I only managed to hear two of these.... Instantly bought the 5cd classics collection based on those alone...which contains most of those you listed👍
I got the 8-disc 1969-1974 collection last year and they are all excellent
The early 70’s period is a treasure to behold. Everyone with the slightest bit of interest in the band should give that a chance.
Their very first concert with the classic lineup was in May 1975 at the El Paso Colosseum and I was there sitting in the third row. What a shock!
I wanted to hear Hypnotized, Future Games, Bermuda Triangle, etc. Where was Bob Welch? I knew Kirwan was no longer in the band but wasn’t expecting this weird woman singing about witches. Nobody knew who Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham were. Afterwards I bought the album with Rhiannon and fell in love with Stevie and Lindsey. And when they came back several months later to Las Cruces, we absolutely loved them. And then they came back again to El Paso for the Rumours show and they were pure magic. I saw them again in Houston for the Tusk tour which was even better. The last time I saw them was again here in Houston for The Dance tour. Incidentally, Stevie’s first solo concert was in Houston and I was again in the third row. That was the Bella Dona tour. Her dad came out at the beginning and introduced his daughter to the audience.
Fleetwood Mac is one of my all time favorite bands ever (behind The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and CSNY, in that order.)
My favorites:
1. Mystery to Me - 5*
2. Bare Trees - 5*
3. Future Games -5*
4. Tusk -5*
5. Rumours -5*
6. Fleetwood Mac (1975) -5*
7. Tango in the Night -4.5*
8. Heroes Are Hard to Find -4*
9. Mirage -4*
10. Then Play On -4*
11. Penguin -4*
12. Say You Will -3.5*
nice story mate! Not sure where Kramzer is going to get 100+ better artists to be honest!
Great show again guys and bare trees is now added to my Spotify album list 👏👏👏
17. Behind the Mask (1.5 stars)- I can tell Danko and Burnette are working hard to write interesting songs, with “Hard Feelings” and the touches of heartland rock in “When the Sun Goes Down.” The problem is I don’t care about them anymore than any two other blokes in the local bar. Nicks is well past her prime and McVie’s material can’t save this, especially with the lousy 90s sound.
16. Time (2 stars)- This is among the blandest albums I’ve ever heard, it deserves to be permanently sold at Starbucks. That last track is among the worst things I’ve ever heard. The songwriting is overall better on Behind the Mask but because of the clean, nicer sound of this album there are more tracks I go back to, particularly opener “Talkin’ to My Heart” and “I Do”
15. Mr. Wonderful (2.5 stars)- This is not the direction I wanted the early blues-based group to go, even further into the traditional blues sound and adding a horn section. In addition to lack of interesting songwriting overall, it’s very grating to hear the same Elmore James riff lead off four separate tracks of the album. The playing is fantastic though.
14. Penguin (2.5 stars)- pretty much a train wreck of an album, it leads off nicely with the first three songs, then just completely crashes into the ground with Dave Walker’s weird cover of “Road Runner.” The album never really re-establishes momentum after this (particularly because of the equally bad “Did You Ever Love Me”), but all the Welch tracks are solid and you can tell it’s a poor album by a great band
13. Say You Will (3 stars)- Buckingham’s material on this is surprisingly good, if a couple of the early tracks still have that “aging rock star” attitude. Nicks’s material is not great, overall, and her voice is really not sounding too good. They frontload the album and waiting through the whole second half is tough.
12. Heroes Are Hard to Find (3.5 stars)- it doesn’t do much for itself off the bat with that terrible cover art. But this album really gives space for Bob Welch to show his full potential as a songwriter and artist. Unfortunately, McVie contributes some of her weaker tracks, and none of the Welch tracks are among my personal favorites of his. I still like how this album is a nice dive into Welch’s songwriting.
11. Kiln House (4 stars)- this one rose quite a bit over time for me. Jeremy Spencer completely changes course and writes some rockability influenced tunes that, if not always good, are at least intriguing. Kirwan is on a completely different wavelength and his contributions vary a bit in quality. Still really good stuff here overall.
10. Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac (4 stars)- well-performed blues album in the vein of John Mayall’s Blues Breakers or Paul Butterfield Blues Band, very squarely in that blues genre with limited deviation from blues across the album. On the Peter Green tracks you can here traces of his great songwriting, but most of his best tracks will end up being singles.
9. Mirage (4 stars)- can definitely see someone placing this even higher, as it’s probably the closest they ever came to following up an album like Rumours, with a nice balance between the three songwriters, straightforward pop production, and tightly composed songs. For me it lacks a bit of a wow factor to go any higher.
8. Bare Trees (4 stars)- almost 4.5 stars, this is a cohesive set of songs by three different musicians who well aligned song topics and moods while approaching from different angles. Great one to just put on. Mostly not the strongest of the band’s material but still consistent.
7, Fleetwood Mac (4.5 stars)- the first album with Buckingham/Nicks is the second one I listened to. It was branded as a warm-up for Rumours by the site that recommended it, and that’s what it still feels like to me. Lots of great songs, particularly Stevie Nicks goes 2 for 2 on the songs she both writes and sings (she probably shouldn’t have given Crystal to Buckingham). The McVie material is fantastic, no duds. “Monday Morning” is a good opener but a little cheesy. It’s essential Mac, but I just don’t love it quite as much as the next 5.
6. Then Play On (4.5 stars)- wish I could put this one even higher. Some of the material on this is just spectacular, and it hits you hard to realize they could play, write, and sound this good. Around half the album is made up of five star songs, but then there are a whopping 4 instrumentals, and 2 slowish sparse ballads right up front, which unfortunately always disrupt the momentum, AND they leave out some of their best songs from the period. Still will be loved by anyone who enjoys Cream style psychedelic hard blues rock.
5. Mystery to Me (4.5 stars)- combines some of Welch’s best material with stone cold classics by McVie. Great production and great flow, particularly the first 8 tracks. There’s unfortunately a brief three song lull at the end, with “Somebody”, “The Way that I Feel”, and especially the cover of “For Your Love” which does little for me. Closes brilliantly with “Why”. A great classic rock album and deserves to be known by more.
4. Tango in the Night (4.5 stars)- Buckingham, Nicks and McVie dive full on into a dreamy, big 80s sound but still with great intelligence. The result is fantastic especially when you are in the right mood. Really great part of their discography. Only subtract that half star because the beginning of each side is slightly stronger than the ends.
3. Future Games (5 stars)- The biggest shock of my deep discography dive. This is one of the most relaxed, groovy albums I’ve ever heard. It’s perfect on a quiet day with morning coffee, or when doing household chores or winding down, it accompanies life so to speak. I personally am a fan of the longer passages, however uneventful, because it lets you get lost in the song. Not a weak track on here, and closes wonderfully with Show You a Smile by McVie. Will be enjoyed by people who like great hippie scene albums, I am thinking of Jefferson Airplane or Crosby, Stills and Nash in particular.
2. Rumours (5 stars)- The first album I listened to by Fleetwood Mac and, like many, where I fell in love with the band. As much as I like the Kirwan/Welch/McVie lineup, it’s not quite the Buckingham/Nicks/McVie lineup, particularly with this set of iconic and breezy songs. I think the “story” of this album has been a little overhyped but certainly the songs do link well in their theme of moving past bad relationships and looking ahead. Holds up very well to repeat, even near constant listens.
1. Tusk (5 stars)- the album that inspired me to dive fully into Fleetwood Mac. The first time I listened to this was after watching this channels “RecordMendations” series with James Griffith. He named five double albums to explain his music taste, which I thought was interesting since I also tend to love double albums, and so I gave Tusk a try, and boy am I glad I did. I instantly noticed this was the very, very peak of songwriting for both Nicks and McVie. Nicks delivers her most heartfelt, tear-inducing, devastating songs of her career. McVie’s work is direct and poignant. I couldn’t quite get what Buckingham was doing at first, seeing them as little interludes between the songs. But I have come to see this as Buckingham’s album, his songs perfectly build on top of each other and seem to progress a story of sorts, all while being among the most playfully weird compositions I’ve ever experienced, and the title track is such a great track to culminate in. A masterpiece!
Well done for quite rightly scoring Tango well ...most people seem to dismiss it in comments or mark low. It's one of my fave albums👍
Loved reading your reviews
I think the disjointedness of Tusk is kind of what makes it work for me, much in the same way the later albums of the Beatles and the Clash do. I didn't rank it above Rumors, but I do think they're close, and if I were going to listen to one, more often than not, it'd probably be Tusk. Even though it's not as perfect, I think some of the more experimental touches make it a little more interesting.
I wish it'd been cut down to a 35 minute album containing only the best material. It still wouldn't be as good as Rumours but I would've been able to.give it 4 stars with a straight face.
I think if “Tusk” was a 10 track album it would definitely rival “Rumours”.
Sara, Storms, Over & Over, Sisters of the Moon, Tusk. These are INCREDIBLE songs.
Funnily enough, for this album being a Buckingham-led project, I think his songs are the weakest in his FM catalogue.
Top 5 FM albums;
5.Then Play On
4.Rumours(controversial,I know..sorry)
3.Fleetwood Mac(from '75)
2.Future Games
1.Bare Trees
Yessss!!!!! Great list!
Nearly two hours of top entertainment, loved it. Thanks guys, you do inspire me to delve into Fleetwood's back catalogue We don't always agree but then you guys don't always agree, that's what makes your channel so much fun: both enjoyable and educational. Looking forward to the Top songs tomorrow.
it's a great listen - a little long but interesting - even at 1.5x speed, they still sound sensible ;)
I'm a bit of a philistine normi with this band. I'm all about classic 70s-80s coke and limos line up. Tango in the Night is great, it's like dark yacht rock bangers front to back. Love the sprawl of Tusk too. Probably biased by nostalgia as those are the two vinyls my parents always used to play
The dissing of I’m so Afraid saddens me. The solo work on it is incredible.
Jason’s last statement is spot on. That’s why I watch and listen to these kinds of channels…to learn and find hidden gems. Half my collection has come from that. Fun fact, the often cited dark break up of the couples during Rumours was going on behind the scenes but I did not know it at the time. To me it has always sounded not dark or foreboding of relationship strife etc. I was 17 at the time and it just sounded sparkling and great. It’s only after years of discussion about the behind the scenes breakup that has coloured it that way. None of that negativity between members was in the press prior to, or in the months after the lp release.
I learned so much by watching this video! You guys did a phenomenal job of telling this story of this band. I was just a person who knew only the classic period of music, but now I know so much more! Looking forward to hearing some of what I missed. You guys realize of course that these videos are why so many people love this channel!
I second this 100%. Top content guys, great insight and inspiration to go discover the less known but equally brilliant parts of FM discography. The non Nick's Buckingham period is often shamefully dismissed from other "serious" rock critic publications! Rough Guide to Rock great publication except for FM section. Keep up the great work guys, love the show
Excellent review of a complex discography (well for me anyway )..just finished watching . Great intelligent analysis
/ insight from all of you One of your best for sure. Awesome effort guys. 5 stars 👍
I hope that if anything comes out of this video it’s that more people appreciate Danny Kirwan and Bob Welch. The two albums they’re on together (unfortunately it’s only two as Kirwan was losing his shit and got fired from the band), Future Games and Bare Trees, are must-haves for anyone with even a casual interest in the band. (Especially Bare Trees imho.)
Wish granted
Yup those 2 are incredible. However I'm on the future games side of that equation.
Bare Trees and Future Games were the first two albums I heard when they were released in the early 70s - I love those two albums! The Bob Welsh period is my favorite.
So excited and happy you're doing Bowie! Been waiting for it, gonna prepare from now, one of my first and favourite artists
Really glad to see you guys giving so much love to the wildly underrated Bob Welch era.
I was hoping you guys would eventually take a crack at the Mac! It took me a long time to get around to their catalog, finally doing so when I was on a cross-country trip this past summer and listened to the entire discography in order (I’d heard at most half of it before then). It really helped contextualize the different eras of the band and the large cast of singers and musicians who have come and gone, as well as better understand stylistic shifts between each. Fleetwood Mac’s story is definitely one of the most interesting of any band ever. At the moment, this is how I rate the catalog:
5 stars: Pantheon-level
1. Rumours
2. Tusk
4.5 stars: Just about perfect
3. self-titled from '75
4. Then Play On
4 stars: Highly recommended
5. Bare Trees
6. Tango in the Night
7. Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac
8. Mystery to Me
3.5 stars: Very solid with superb highlights
9. Mirage
10. Kiln House
3 stars: Worth checking out, your mileage may vary
11. Future Games
12. Say You Will
13. Fleetwood Mac in Chicago
2.5 stars: Not good, not terrible
14. Heroes Are Hard to Find
15. Behind the Mask
2 stars: Meh, for completists only
16. Mr. Wonderful
17. Penguin
1.5 stars: Pretty bad
18. Time
Hey guys. Great job as always. Thanks so much for this one…Fleetwood Mac is one of those bands that a.) I discovered relatively late in my listening career, and b.) I had really only heard the “big” albums, in this case Rumours, Tusk, self-titled (white album) and Tango In The Night. After today’s video, I am REALLY looking forward to checking out Bare Trees, Future Games and Then Play On. Can’t wait…Thanks again gents!
Great show as always,lads , you are helping people to hear music, that they ,me , would never have.
So we'll done,tks .
in 2017 Christine and Lndsey released an album together. As far as I am concerned this should have been a FM album. Four of the five "classic members" of Fleetwood Mac are featured on the album; vocalist Stevie Nicks is the sole member absent . The songs on here are top notch. I highly recommend this album. It was started as a FM album and if it was titled as such would have been a huge hit.
Another one i've been waiting for! Thank you boys!
There is no way I'm going to attempt to rate their albums. However, a year or two back, I did a deep dive on Fleetwood Mac and I, too, quite enjoyed that whole Kiln House - Then Play On - Future Games - Bare Trees era. And I remember Danny Kirwan being an incredible guitarist. "Tusk" may or may not be their best album, but it's definitely their most interesting album.
My list :
17. Time
16. Behind the Mask
15. Mr Wonderful
14. Say You Will
13. Fleetwood Mac (1968)
12. Kiln House
11. Penguin
10. Tango in the Night
9. Heroes Are Hard to Find
8. Mirage
7. Mystery to Me
6. Tusk
5. Future Games
4. Then Play On
3. Bare Trees
2. Fleetwood Mac (1975)
1. Rumours
Tim Buckley album ranking?
The constant indignation on Joe’s face for most of this video is cracking me up.
Out of all the albums Fleetwood Mac recorded, "Kiln House" has always been a personal favorite of mine because I love Jeremy Spencer's 1950s influenced style
And Kirwan's songs on that LP are great. And he's still playing lead guitar with that aerly, bluesy intensity.
Ranking Kiln House low is a crime.
“Tusk” is a masterpiece. It sounds amazing and each of the principal songwriters and singers bring their A game. While “Rumours” is also excellent, it’s “Tusk” that has the edge as Fleetwood Mac’s best. 💙
Totally agree!
My eyes actually hurt reading that. Not even remotely as good but each to their own
Storms....
I know, right? I can't believe the guys stated that this is some of Stevie's weakest material. That couldn't be further from the truth. Even though much has been said about Lindsey's domineering influence on the album and his left-of-center production choices, "Tusk" for me is quintessential Stevie at full strength. Even though she contributed the fewest songs, her songs together still had the longest running time compared to Lindsey and Christine. And this is Stevie at her most vulnerable - mourning the termination of a pregnancy, the end of a relationship, ruminating about an emotionally abusive lover, singing about supernatural spirits, etc. While Lindsey colored outside of the lines in a rather obvious way, Stevie stealthily crept into your soul with her uniquely idiosyncratic, confessional style. That's a true artist right there.
I have to agree with Jason, no 10 out of 10 tracks on Tusk. Sara is a directionless slog, just really sleepy. Sounds good and there's some interesting stuff but as an album it's a bit of a mess.
Thanks for the in-depth review.
1: Future Games
2: Bare Trees
3: Fleetwood Mac
4: Mystery to Me
5: Rumors
6: Then Play On
7: Mirage
8: Tango in the Night
9: Tusk
10: Kil House
11: (PG) Fleetwood Mac
12: Mr. Wonderful
13: Penguin
14: Heroes are Hard to Find
The rest I don't know!
future games #1 spot on!
Honestly, I totally adore the Mystery To Me album cover. Blows my mind.
Fleetwood Mac albums ranked:
1. Rumours (1977) 5/5
Favorite song: "The Chain"
2. Tusk (1979) 5/5
Favorite song: "Storms"
3. Mirage (1982) 4,5/5
Favorite song: "Gypsy"
4. Fleetwood Mac (1975) 4,5/5
Favorite song: "I'm So Afraid"
5. Tango in the Night (1987) 4/5
Favorite song: "Tango in the Night"
6. Say You Will (2003) 4/5
Favorite song: "Bleed to Love Her"
7. Heroes Are Hard to Find (1974) 4/5
Favorite song: "Coming Home"
8. Bare Trees (1972) 4/5
Favorite song: "Spare Me a Little of Your Love"
9. Penguin (1973) 4/5
Favorite song: "Revelation"
10. Future Games (1971) 3,5/5
Favorite song: "Sands of Time"
11. Mystery to Me (1973) 3,5/5
Favorite song: "Hypnotized"
12. Behind the Mask (1990) 3,5/5
Favorite song: "Save Me"
13. Kiln House (1970) 3,5/5
Favorite song: "Station Man"
14. Then Play On (1969) 3,5/5 [UK]
Favorite song: "Rattlesnake Shake"
15. Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac (1968) 3/5
Favorite song: "I Loved Another Woman"
16. Time (1995) 2,5/5
Favorite song: "Nights in Estoril"
17. Mr. Wonderful (1968) 2/5
Favorite song: "Rollin' Man"
A lot of my favorite Peter Green -era songs are singles and not featured on these studio albums. I prefer the US "Then Play On" which could've been a few spots higher on my list with "Oh Well" in the tracklist. I guess, I'm just not that big blues fan to put these higher. "Mr. Wonderful" is a tough listen.
I love a lot of Bob Welch's songs but Christine's songs are a little 50/50. Sometimes great and sometimes pretty boring for my taste. Her material gets better and better with "Rumours" or "Mirage" being her absolute peak.
Well, Buckingham is my favorite member so my favorite albums are the ones where he's on board. Stevie Nicks had a lot of great songs up to "Mirage" too. After their classic multi-million albums, I really enjoy "Say You Will". I agree, it has a disappointingly loud production but I think Lindsey's songs are crazy and fun at the same time.
This list wasn't an easy task to do because I feel like I could change my order a month later. Awesome video! :)
I agree with you that on those early 1970s albums Christine's contributions tend to be the weakest songs (though not always.)
@@AbbeyRoadkill1 Yeah, but I have to say "Spare Me a Little of Your Love", "Why" & "Come a Little Bit Closer" are fantastic! I love her keyboard work in Mac!
WOW! This was a 5 Star Episode! Bravo. I don't know if you've ever yet dug so deep and shown such interest as I heard here. It's always good but you went Rumours with this one! I was familiar with all of their albums but you added so much more to them for me. Did I say Bravo? The problem now is that you will continue to have to do some Three Dog Night weeks (not enough bands with discographies this epic..but there are still a lot out there to get to..I have some ideas but I think I've name dropped enough).
17 - Time
16 - Mystery to Me
15 - Bare Trees
14 - Behind the Mask
13 - Tango in the Night
12 - Heroes Are Hard to Find
11 - Future Games
10 - Say You Will
9 - Then Play On
8 - Penguin
7 - Mr. Wonderful
6 - Kiln House
5 - Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac
4 - Tusk
3 - Fleetwood Mac
2 - Mirage
1 - Rumours
It's unfortunate that the two seminal songs of the Green era, "Albatross" and "Man of the World", are only represented on early compilations. They're absolute classics, high-water marks of the golden age of British rock, and they were also massive hit singles in the UK and Europe. The Fleetwood Mac story is fundamentally incomplete without them.
You're forgetting Oh Well and The Green Manalishi, the latter of which suffers a similar fate and is my favourite FM song. It's also the ultimate proto metal song.
I will check out those songs now. I only heard the main studio albums.
Albatross is lovely.
Yep. The other one's great too.
Great show
I have to be honest, I never liked Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham. But I Love the Early Era.
9 - Mr. Wonderful
Favorite: Stop messing around
8 - Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac
Favorite: My Heart beat like a Hammer
7 - Kiln House
Favorite: This is the Rock
6 - The Pious Bird of Good Omen
Favorite: Albatross
5 - Penguin
Favorite: I'm a Road Runner
4 - Bare Trees
Favorite: Danny's Chant
3 - Future Games
Favorite: Woman of 1000 Years
2 - Mystery to Me
Favorite: The City
1 - Then Play On
Favorite: Oh Well Part 1
Just like to say, R.I.P. Danny Kirwan.
And R.I.P. Bob Welch and Peter Green.
1. Tusk
2. Mirage
3. Rumours
4. Tango in the Night
5. Say You Will
6. Fleetwood Mac
7. Kiln House
8. Mystery to Me
9. Bare Trees
10. Then Play On
11. Future Games
12. Heroes Are Hard to Find
13. Behind the Mask
14. Penguin
15. Mr. Wonderful
100% with Joe on this one. I almost have the same list as him. Cant have tango or mirage as low as Jason did for instance. Great job guys and thanks for having the time to discuss the discography of this really great band. Cheers
I always have a soft spot for Tango as it was the first LP I ever bought, when it came out. Loved the sound then, and even though it might sound a little dated nowadays, you keep having the sentimental value for it. Welcome to the room, sounds great, the title track has a good guitar sound, even like Mystify quite a bit - it is not just about the singles. It's #4 for me.
i never listened to Fleetwood Mac when i was younger but a few years ago i fell in love with the Peter Green era stuff (I'm a die hard blues junkie so I kind of slightly prefer the Green era over the Buckingham/Nicks era but only barely) and a while later I finally listened to their most famous records like Rumours etc. and that definitely catapulted them into my personal all time favorite bands ever list. Peter Green's guitar playing combined with his singing really moves me and if a song like Man of the World or the live version of Jumping at Shadows shows up on shuffle after a really sad day, I guarantee you that I will break down crying lol Green's guitar tone is beautiful and he truly is one of the most epic guitar players I've ever heard. Also, gotta give some love to Jeremy Spencer (his slide playing is killer and his sense of humor really adds a nice variety to the mix) and Danny Kirwan (really terrific musician, Dragonfly is one of the best FM songs ever imo)
However, I have to admit the best stuff the Green line-up did were their singles, the studio albums are very all over the place and my go-to album for the early stuff is the 1971 Greatest Hits compilation which is my personal favorite FM album. As far as studio albums go, the Buckingham/Nicks era easily reigns supreme. I'm going to go with the hot take this time, Tusk is my favorite studio album of theirs. It's uneven as hell but it's an interesting experiment and I really dig how a lot of the Buckingham tracks groove really hard in a really frantic, restless way lol I also have to admit that the overexposure to Rumours has dulled a bit of its appeal for me even tho I completely agree that it is a perfect album, Tusk just kind of suits my personal musical preferences the most out of all the albums
1. Tusk
2. Rumours
3. Mirage
4. Fleetwood Mac (1975)
5. Mystery To Me.
That ranking was almost my final one. - Joe
It will interest me to hear your favourite tracks. Back when they were releasing albums of pretty straight blues material and then as they started to venture into rock, they were putting out far more varied singles. Eight of their first ten singles were not on the albums, including "Black Magic Woman", "Albatross", Danny Kirwan's pretty "Dragonfly" and the achingly sad "Man of the World". Then Peter Green departed!
Oh well....
I was wondering where those were!! I have all of those on my best of cd....which are played throughout student days
Awesome can’t wait to watch this one 👌
I love the way you say "Mirage" in english 😊
*Awesome*
1) Rumours - Perfect songs, perfect sound. One of the greatest albums of all time.
2) Tusk - Flawed, but is a snapshot of the band working at their creative peak. Some excellent stuff here.
3) Fleetwood Mac - Almost as great as Rumours and Tusk. Would be most bands' #1.
*Really Good*
4) Then Play On - This album is a revelation after two mediocre blues albums. Psychedelic blues rock in the vein of Cream or Mountain.
5) Mirage - A slight step down after their '70s run, but still a solid album. Kind of Tusk-lite in that Lindsey is still experimenting with different styles.
*Good*
6) Tango in the Night - The weakest of the classic Buckingham/Nicks/McVie era, but still solid. Very '80s sounding.
7) Bare Trees - The best of the Bob Welch albums. Christine McVie starts to develop a bigger role and this feels like the album where they start to find their sound.
8) Kiln House - A lot of people hate this album, but I think it's kind of interesting. In between the Peter Green and Bob Welch eras, so it's a mix of rockabilly that Jeremy Spencer wanted to do and more bluesy folk that Danny Kirwin wanted to do. It's jarring, but there's some really good songs here.
*Average*
9) Mystery to Me - This is the other Bob Welch era album that I think is pretty decent. Not great, but there's some pretty good tracks on it.
10) Say You Will - Not the best, but it exceeded my expectations for an early 00s Fleetwood Mac album. Good to have Lindsey back after those dreadful 90s albums.
11) Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac - Solid, but pretty generic electric blues. Nothing that a bunch of other guys weren't doing better in 1968. Still, if you enjoy that sort of thing, it's worth a listen.
*Meh*
12) Heroes are Hard to Find - The last album before Buckingham and Nicks joined. The title track isn't bad, but it's mostly forgettable.
13) Penguin - The lesser of the two albums they released in 1973. This is after Danny Kirwin left and they bring in a couple of new guys. Too many cooks in the kitchen, I think.
14) Future Games - The first album with Bob Welch. Christine McVie was also in the band, but had a pretty small role. I think this album suffers from wanting to be CSN too much and is just kind of boring.
*Only for Completists*
15) Mr. Wonderful - Most misleading album title of all time. Basically, it's just live in the studio blues jams with lesser songs than their debut.
16) Behind the Mask - Very Mom-Rock. If this album was a person, it would wearing pleated jeans, driving a minivan, and asking to see the manager.
17) Time - Hard to even count this one. It's a bland '90s adult contemporary country album with some solo Christine McVie songs spliced in at the label's request.
I'm a pretty big fan of Fleetwood Mac. They had the most SOTY nominations for me in the 70s, and I'd rank Rumours and Tusk as two of the decade's finest albums. Going into this, I was familiar with about half the albums -- all of the Buckingham/Nicks/McVie era stuff as well as a few of the Peter Green/Bob Welch albums.
Love the description of Behind the Mask, spot on.
You forgot "English Rose".
@@SpaceCattttt they didnt count because its not all new!
@@bengalgangster It improved on Mr. Wonderful with the extra tracks.
Thumbs up to you for including the 'ratings'. It makes a big difference if you see not only the order but also how much you enjoy one album individually.
Loved the discussion. Really surprised you guys left "The Dance" out of the mix, though. I realise it's a live album, but it's also got new material on it, so in that sense I think it should count along with the others... definitely feel it's in their top 10.
The Dance certainly feels like a major release. Just two years after their all-time low with Time, The Dance did some tremendous business and put them firmly onto the map again. It’s just a shame that the usual conflicts combined with Christine’s resistance to travel twarthed the further possibility of a potential unit shifter like any of the Lindsey/Nicks-era studio albums.
Love the video and band choice guys! Fleetwood Mac are an awesome band. Love the variety in their catalog from the early blues stuff to the pop and soft rock. The different eras also make for an entertaining variety of singers and styles.
ALBUM RANKING:
1. Rumours (1977) - 5/5
2. Fleetwood Mac (1975) - 5/5
3. Then Play On (1969) - 5/5
4. Bare Trees (1972) - 4.5/5
5. Future Games (1971) - 4.5/5
6. Tango in the Night (1987) - 4.5/5
7. Mirage (1982) - 4.5/5
8. Mystery to Me (1973) - 4.5/5
9. Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac (1968) - 4/5
10. Heroes Are Hard to Find (1974) - 4/5
11. Penguin (1973) - 4/5
12. Tusk (1979) - 4/5
13. Kiln House (1970) - 4/5
14. Mr. Wonderful (1968) - 3.5/5
15. Say You Will (2003) - 3.5/5
16. Behind the Mask (1990) - 3/5
17. Time (1995) - 2.5/5
RATING SCALE:
5.0: Excellent
4.5: Great
4.0: Very Good
3.5: Good
3.0: Decent
2.5: Mediocre
2.0: Bad
1.5: Very Bad
1.0: Awful
0.5: Terrible
I know 30 singles by FM and these are my favorite songs. Never listened to a full record but Rumours (yeah Kramz not in my top 100 without Rumors. I like some of the earlier blues but just couldn't put many in a top tier)
1 go your own way (best song of Lindsey)
2 landslide (best of Stevie)
3 dreams
4 Over my head (best song Christie ever wrote and sang)
5. Gypsy
6 Big Love
7 Little Lies
8 never going back again
9 world turning
10 hypnotized
11 second hand news
12. Hold Me
13. Oh Diane
14 Oh Well
15. Chains
16. Monday Morning
17 Slabo Day
18. Sentimental Lady
19. Bare Trees
20 . Lame souless contemporary Christian blues with the 2 sexy bare naked lady chics doing backup
Roxanne is missing?
Worst: Danny's Chant
Dissapointing: Everything on Tusk. 💙
Excellent quality reviews guys (as always) all commentary and analysis is thoughtful and valid. I agree re Tusk. There’s some great stuff on there but as an album no, it doesn’t stand up. I do like however (as Joe says) that it’s different to Rumours and not Rumours 2. (Like Springsteen who could have done BiTUSA 2 but did a comparatively subdued Tunnel of love instead) I do like Say You Will a good bit, and would have it probably around the 9 or 10 spot. There is a great doco on it’s making which I love so maybe that’s why I like it. Have you seen it? Anyway Jason’s comments at the end, so insightful and spot on! As always keep up the great work!!
1. Rumours (1977) 5/5
2. Then Play On (1969) 4.5/5
3. Fleetwood Mac (1975) 4.5/5
4. Bare Trees (1972) 4/5
5. Mystery To Me (1973) 4/5
6. Mr. Wonderful (1968) 4/5
7. Fleetwood Mac (1968) 4/5
8. Future Games (1971) 3.5/5
9. Kiln House (1970) 3.5/5
10. Tusk (1979) 3.5/5
11. Tango In The Night (1987) 3/5
12. Mirage (1982) 3/5
13. Say You Will (2003) 3/5
14. Penguin (1973) 2.5/5
15. Heroes Are Hard To Find (1974) 2.5/5
16. Behind The Mask (1990) 2/5
17. Time (1995) 1.5/5
CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER:
4.0 Fleetwood Mac (1968)
4.0 Mr. Wonderful (1968)
4.5 Then Play On (1969)
3.5 Kiln House (1970)
3.5 Future Games (1971)
4.0 Bare Trees (1972)
2.5 Penguin (1973)
4.0 Mystery To Me (1973)
2.5 Heroes Are Hard To Find (1974)
4.5 Fleetwood Mac (1975)
5.0 Rumours (1977)
3.5 Tusk (1979)
3.0 Mirage (1982)
3.0 Tango In The Night (1987)
2.0 Behind The Mask (1990)
1.5 Time (1995)
3.0 Say You Will (2003)
This band has such an interesting history- three distinct eras (Peter Green/Bob Welch/Buckingham-Nicks) and all of them bring a return on investment. Their first couple LPs are filled with quality British blues. To my ears, Mr. Wonderful contains the more spirited performances, despite having muddier production. However, as good as those two albums are, they don't prepare you for the blues-rock revelation that is 1969's Then Play On. Peter Green & Danny Kirwan's guitar work on that album is nothing short of amazing and every tune is memorable. With Peter Green exiting the band in 1970 for a solo career it would've been understandable if the quality suffered, but most of The Mac's output during the Bob Welch era is worth hearing (1972's Bare Trees being the best of the bunch.) Fleetwood Mac's rocket to superstardom launched the moment Buckingham & Nicks arrived. The 1975 self-titled LP has breathtaking peaks and Rumours is legendary for a reason. A tour-de-force of pop songwriting, Rumours can hold the weight of any superlative. Tusk sees the band come back down to Earth a little bit. A sprawling double album, Tusk has its moments, but it's obvious the drugs and interpersonal dysfunction were taking their toll at this point. 1982's Mirage mostly feels like a holding pattern. Their 1987 'comeback' album, Tango in the Night, features 4 excellent hit singles and not much else. Of their final 3 studio albums, only Say You Will contains anything worth revisiting. Despite all their lineup changes, Fleetwood Mac's discography is pretty consistent. I only have 4 of their albums rated less than 3 stars. Their best stuff has remarkable staying power and I could see myself including them in my all-time top 100 for rock 'n roll and its immediately related genres.
MY RATING SYSTEM:
5.0 = consistently great *and* stratospheric highs (major classic)
4.5 = consistently great *or* stratospheric highs, but not both (minor classic)
4.0 = great (more than 50% is worth revisiting and it's one of the best things for this style of music - goes into my regular rotation)
3.5 = seriously good (more than 50% is worth revisiting)
3.0 = nominally good (less than 50% is worth revisiting)
2.5 = decent (competent but uninspired - not worth revisiting)
2.0 = poor (difficult listen)
1.5 = awful (can't finish)
1.0 = historically awful (musical apocalypse)
*Note: "Consistently" does not mean "flawlessly." I allow for a few duds if the rest of the songs are good enough. Also, I don't go below 1 star because once I'm in the realm of the truly terrible I don't care to differentiate anymore.
I only have Stevie Nicks solo album in my vinyl collection. This was really helpful lol.
Alright finally made it through the video after a very long work day and commenting all over the place here without even having watched. First of all, thanks very much Joe for selecting this artist and consequently encouraging me to listen through this discography, I could not have been more pleased with the journey and overall love many of your takes as well, particularly the unexpected but very welcome love for the Kirwan/Welch/McVie era that pretty much every other reviewer online has severely underrated. I have just a few comments before signing off here:
- I saw many publications gave Peter Green high marks, particularly the first album, and was worried even about putting the debut at #10 on my personal list. Clearly I had nothing to be concerned about as all three of you don't seem to particularly love the first couple of albums (to put it lightly). I will say, though, that I do think Green was very talented, I personally would probably take him over Clapton, to me he is almost like someone with Clapton's guitar abilities and Jack Bruce's vocal abilities at once. Even though I don't think the first two albums have his best songs, I still think he is the highlight on those albums compared to Jeremy Spencer, who feels like a one trick pony (including his slide playing) at least until he branched out on Kiln House.
-I was surprised you guys didn't like "Forever." I really adore this track, primarily because I really hear Bob Welch channeling Nick Drake on the verses, particularly from the "Bryter Layter" era. Nick Drake sounding subdued vocals combined with loud island drums and rhythms is just so interesting to me.
-Obviously there are a million things I could say about the Tusk semi-negativity here (no issue with someone not preferring it to their other wonderful records just believe me when I say I like it better than Rumours! it's possible!) but I said what I needed to say in my set of reviews posted earlier so I'll leave it at that.
Glad to see that Bowie is indeed coming up.
Haven’t seen the video yet, but this Fleetwood Mac video should be interesting
Did Jason just slag off Sara, my all time favourite FMac song? Wow that hurt.
Probably in my top 3.
@@nightowl1851 I'm still finalizing my songs list but it'll probably be top 3.for me as well.
A massive THANK YOU to all three of you. Absolutely love the content that you put out. You're all to be commended for the work you put in.
1 - Rumours
2 - Tusk
3 - Bare Trees
4 - Future Games
5 - Mystery To Me
6 - Mirage
7 - Fleetwood Mac
8 - Then Play On
9 - Heroes are Hard to Find
10 - Kiln House
11 - Tango In the Night
12 - Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac
13 - Penguin
14 - Behind the Mask
15 - Say You Will
16 - Mr Wonderful
17 - Time
01 Future Games
02 Then Play On
03 Fleetwood Mac
04 Bare Trees
05 Tusk
06 Rumours
07 Mirace
08 Mystery To Me
09 Tango In The Night
10 Heroes Are Hard To Find
11 Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac
12 Penguin
13 Kiln House
14 Mr Wonderful
15 Behind The Mask
16 Say You Will
17 Time
This was a long view at almost two hours, but I watched and many things I took away from it. Not enough time to get into it all, but, Jason.....seriously..."Sara" not a hit??? Hookless??? It's lush, atmospheric, haunting, and very melodic. Don't know what you're thinking there. Explain please!?!?🙏✌
I’ve heard it a hundred times and couldn’t hum you the melody if my life depended on it. -Jason
My all-time fave Fleetwood Mac song!
Yes, Paul. I had the exact same reaction to Jason's take on "Sara." I frequently agree with Jason on many things but don't understand this whatsoever. "Sara" has long been a deep, personal favorite for me and I think it's extremely hooky, especially in Stevie's singing, so many great little parts and moments. And I think the whole thing is kinda transcendent, very memorable and hummable. So strange.
No point in ranking a discography if you’ve only a passing interest in their catalog.
Another really interesting discussion, guys - thanks very much. There were several “Finally!” moments from all - Jason’s dismissal of Sara particularly striking a chord with me - I never rated Gypsy either.
It doesn’t meet your criteria, but the Peter Green era is undoubtedly best represented by the Greatest Hits, which includes all his best songs which weren’t on albums like Green Manalishi, Man Of The World, Black Magic Woman, and Albatross, and possibly the best example of his blues playing on Need Your Love So Bad. It also has Kirwan’s Dragonfly, which also didn’t appear on an album at the time.
I only discovered the Bob Welsh era last year, and Future Games, Bare Trees and Mystery To Me are definitely my favourite Mac albums, along with Rumours, obviously. There are several good songs on Penguin and Heroes.., but as the guys all said, they are both patchier than the preceding 3. I still like them more than FM (White) or anything after Rumours though.
FM aren’t one of my very favourite bands, but add in the brilliant song Tusk and a small handful of their 80s tracks to all the songs and albums mentioned above, and there’s a lot of great music from a diverse collection of really talented musicians.
As a final point, I just rewatched your “Bands without a 5-star album” video. I think I probably give fewer albums 5 stars than some would anyway, but just as a talking point, Rumours might be a 4.5 for me, as I Don’t Want To Know and Oh Daddy were always much weaker tracks. They sound fine on the album, and I wouldn’t necessarily skip them, but IMO all the other songs are quite a bit better. And much as I love it, a similar argument could be made about Abbey Road, in that I’ve never been wild about Maxwell’s Silver Hammer, Octopus’s Garden, and even She’s So Heavy. Even if most of an album is truly great, how many less good tracks can it carry before half a star has to come off?
Anyway, another very entertaining and informative video - I look forward to whatever you put out next:)
As a teenager in the mid-late 70s I grew up on Rumours, Mac '75, as well as Bob Welch's solo LP French Kiss., all three of which I played to death. I enjoyed Mirage, and then became more of a casual fan. I never bothered picking up earlier releases, which I usually do with bands I like. So a huge THANK YOU guys for this episode and rankings. I have listened to both Bare Trees & Future Games a few times the past two days - wow!!! really great LPs. Time to revisit Tusk, which I didn't "get" at the time of it's release, probably because it was so different from '75 and Rumours. I also look forward to checking out more of their earlier releases.
The theme music sounds like its from every 90's local morning show. 'Good Morning Aurora!'
"Tusk" has to be my #1. I listen to it start to finish at least once a month. (thats not to say its the best, its just my favorite)
My history with Fleetwood Mac started with Rumours and Fleetwood Mac (self-titled), which I bought on the same day in 1977 and played the hell out of for the next two years. Afterward, I became familiar with the Bob Welch era FM, and I listened to Tusk a lot in 1980. I was disappointed by Tusk, and thereafter did not pay much attention to the band. For me, the big discovery of the week was the Peter Green era FM, which was previously unknown to me. Also, I was surprised to find that post-Tusk FM did not completely suck, although it was rather uneven.
1. Rumours
2. Fleetwood Mac
3. Tusk
4. Say You Will
5. Mystery to Me
6. Mirage
7. Behind the Mask
8. Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac
9. Mr. Wonderful
10. Bare Trees
11. Tango In The Night
12. Heroes Are Hard to Find
13. Penguin
14. Then Play On
15. Time
16. Future Games
17. Kiln House
Rumours wins in a photo finish. There is then a drop-off to Tusk, and then a gradual decline to Kiln House. Of the seventeen albums, only the last three were unlistenable.
I like Tusk more now than I did in 1980, but it is still a disappointment after the two previous releases. Tusk would have worked better as two single albums. Take the 12 best tracks and release them as one album, then come back with the next 8 plus four more better songs and release it a year later.
The Bob Welch Danny Kirwan era is my favorite...Bare Trees, Future Games, Penguin, Mystery To Me
What a behemoth this one was! Love the detailed thoughts put into each record. My rankings:
1. Rumours
2. Fleetwood Mac
3. Tango in the Night
4. Tusk
5. Bare Trees
6. Future Games
7. Mirage
8. Then Play On
9. Mystery to Me
10. Heroes Are Hard to Find
11. Kiln House
12. Penguin
13. Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac
14. Say You Will
15. Behind the Mask
16. Mr. Wonderful
17. Time
Big FM fan here. I would have to agree with most for the most part on your rankings. BTW, do you know which album Christine once said was her favorite?
@@paulk9985 I don't, which one?
@@TimeToGetAlone So it's safe to say this is a mystery to you? LOL... it's Mystery To Me. She did not cite a reason. I'm guessing things were good with the Mr., and they had recently made a fresh start in CA from England.
@@paulk9985 Love Hypnotized from that one. That middle period for them was definitely an interesting time.
@@TimeToGetAlone Same here. I listen to it all the time. I also really like Future Games (album and song) and Bare Trees (album and song). The Bob Welch/Danny Kirwin period has been under-rated... and inexcusable that they were not inducted into the RRHOF.
I was thinking of taking a mark off for the Heroes album cover Joe....but glad you liked the music too. I listened to it first so the fresh angle into Mac albums may have imprinted on me straight away with great impression as I'd not heard 10 albums by then....but yeah I reaaaaally dug it ..
1. Rumours
2. Fleetwood Mac (1975)
3. Tusk
4. Tango in the Night
5. Then Play On
6. Mirage
Wow! What a ride! First time I’ve watched one of your album ranking videos straight through in one sitting, but Fleetwood Mac, my favorite band, is worth it. This had to be one of the longest ones you’ve done. Maybe Floyd, Dylan, and Neil Young were almost this long? Anyway I already posted my ranking earlier under my other account, (but I think I might shuffle them a little already- this stuff is never written in stone, right?) My biggest difference with you guys is that I like Time and Behind the Mask a great deal more than you, and I like Burnette and Vito’s contributions. I’m glad that you all discovered and enjoyed the “middle years”- Welch/Kirwan/McVie era. Definitely an underrated period of the band. Overall, I think Joe “gets it” best here, his ranking and comments align most closely with mine.
I am one of those “nuts” who rate Tusk higher than Rumours. Tusk is just a masterpiece. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. I’ve been listening to all these albums for 30+ years and know them a lot better than you guys at this point and I just have “Rumours Fatigue” from hearing the singles 1000’s of times on the radio. That being said I agree Rumours is the best SOUNDING Mac album and one of the best sounding albums of all time, particularly the drums. The white album does not sonically sound as good but they are so close in terms of greatness. I’d say Mirage is the second best SOUNDING Mac album and my #2 overall. Behind the Mask and Say you Will are their two worst later albums from a sonic standpoint. Jason’s comments on the sonics of Tango and Say You Will are correct, as is his observation that it suffers from the absence of Christine. Tango suffers from slickness and “over production”.
Say You Will and unfortunately almost everything Lindsey Buckingham has recorded since is hard on the ears from a production and engineering standpoint. Jason and Joe are both spot on pointing to “Spare Me A Little” as Christine’s first really great FM song. Joe is right about Mirage not getting the love it should. I do diverge with Joe’s opinion that Stevie’s songs on Tusk are weak- her work on that album is perhaps her best ever. So to sum up, they were a great band before Buckingham/Nicks came, they were a suburb band with Buckingham/Nicks and they were still a great band after Buckingham/Nicks- until Buckingham was shown the door in 2018 that is.
"while you guys are out discovering the Kirwin/Welch era...." lol, shady joe....joking aside, outstanding review and discussion on fm, guys...thanks very much
been waiting for a video like this.. before even watching, i will say that my favorite Fleetwood Mac album is Bare Trees
Yeah, my appreciation for Fleetwood Mac has increased considerably over the past few years since I finally got around to listening to their pre-Buckingham/Nicks stuff:
1. Rumours (5 stars)
2. Fleetwood Mac (4.5 stars)
3. Future Games (4.5 stars)
4. Tango in the Night (4 stars)
5. Then Play On (4 stars)
6. Bare Trees (4 stars)
7. Mirage (4 stars)
8. Tusk (3.5 stars)
9. Heroes Are Hard to Find (3.5 stars)
10. Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac (3.5 stars)
11. Mystery to Me (3.5 stars)
12. Penguin (3 stars)
13. Say You Will (3 stars)
14. Behind the Mask (2.5 stars)
15. Kiln House (2.5 stars)
16. Mr. Wonderful (2 stars)
17. Time (1.5 stars)
Good call, Kram, on the song Tango in the Night. That guitar outro is luscious.
Hoping to see Peter Green albums get some love
18- Time (1995) 2/5
17- Behind the Mask (1990) 2.5/5
16- Fleetwood Mac (1968) 3.5/5
15- Mr. Wonderful (1968) 3.5/5
14- Penguin (1973) 3.5/5
13- Say you will (2003) 3.5/5
12- Buckingham-McVie (2017) 3.5/5
11- Klin House (1970) 3.5/5
10- Then Play On (1969) 4/5
9- Bare Trees (1972) 4/5
8- Future Games (1971) 4/5
7- Tango in the Night (1987) 4/5
6- Mirage (1982) 4/5
5- Heroes are hard to find (1974) 4/5
4- Mystery to Me (1973) 4/5
3- Fleetwood Mac White Album (1975) 5/5
2- Tusk (1979) 5/5
1- Rumours (1977) 5/5
I absolutely loved Fleetwood Mac's discography. Apart from their last three albums I don't think they have any bad albums (and there were some good songs on the last three as well). Five of them I found close to perfect, and one is like the ultimate album. Fantastic band with so many cool styles and talented members.
17. Time (1995) ★½
16. Behind the Mask (1990) ★★
15. Say You Will (2003) ★★½
14. Mr. Wonderful (1968) ★★★
13. Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac (1968) ★★★
12. Kiln House (1970) ★★★½
11. Penguin (1973) ★★★½
10. Heroes Are Hard to Find (1974) ★★★½
9. Then Play On (1969) ★★★½
8. Future Games (1971) ★★★½
7. Mystery to Me (1973) ★★★★
6. Bare Trees (1972) ★★★★
5. Mirage (1982) ★★★★½
4. Tusk (1979) ★★★★½
3. Tango in the Night (1987) ★★★★½
2. Fleetwood Mac (1975) ★★★★★
1. Rumours (1977) ★★★★★
★★★★★ - Masterpiece
★★★★½ - Really great
★★★★ - Great
★★★½ - Really good
★★★ - Good
★★½ - OK
★★ - Bad
★½ - Really bad
★ - Awful
½ - The worst
Other than a couple of songs by Buckingham (Come/Morrow turning over in his grave) and Illume by Nicks, Say You Will is not a bad album. I rather like it. It has too many songs and would have probably greatly benefitted from McVie being there but it also has some great songs.
@@markb3806 Yeah, I don't really hate it, but it's way too long. If they kept the 10 or 12 strongest songs it could be a pretty good album, but 18 songs is just too much. Maybe 2.5 stars is a bit low though.
I had an expectation there would be some interesting discussions about Tusk. I wasn't disappointed.
danny kirwan forever
Enjoying the reviews. #1 for me is Tusk, #2 Rumours and #3 Fleetwood Mac. Not much interest after these 3 but still a great band.
Ha Tango In The Night??? Cmon man. It's genius.
❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥well done Jason on Kiln House identical rating. Credit where it's due. I agree!👍 I think all 4 of us had Mystery to Me similarly ranked which is also good...
The "Time" tour was the only time in my life I've walked out of a concert by a major artist. And I sure wasn't alone. People were fleeing for the exits after a half dozen songs. Just awful. They must have been rotating the acts on that tour because the gig I saw them, Pat Benatar and REO came first and second and FM was last.
I was 10 when Mirage was released and it was the first album I purchased. It's been decades since I listened to it but with Christine McVie passing, I've been listening to it again. I don't know if it's nostalgia or the album itself but it sounds really good after all these years.
It’s wildly underrated. - Joe
Joe knows what’s up with Fleetwood Mac, moreso than the other 2.
Kram nailed Then Play On and Mystery to Me. Jason nailed Tusk, Bare Trees and Mac ‘75. For me 1 Rumours, 2 Mac 75, 3 Then Play On, 4 Bare Trees, so many tied after that. The 1971-74 stretch of lps are so underrated and under appreciated. Only a few years ago did I stumble on these. Don’t care much for the early blues or the late stuff
Good job guys. I miss your old theme song.
So nice to hear praise for the largely forgotten Danny Kirwan. A fantastic Fleetwood Mac B-side to check out (which he wrote) is the luminous instrumental World in Harmony (it’s a bonus track on the Then Play On reissue). Albatross’s less famous sibling!
Danny Kirwan released a 1975 solo album Second Chapter (he released some more but they are far from good). The funny thing is that he sounds a lot like Lindsey Buckingham on that album. Personally, I do not like the album as it is too light weight even for Fleetwood Mac but I can imagine that people who like his songs on the band's albums find it worth.
The non-album single “Dragonfly” is another great one by Kirwan.
This was absolutely my favorite show. The appreciation for Bare Trees! I would never expected . It's an overlooked gem. Well, not anymore. For me top 5.
1. Fleetwood Mac 2. Tusk- shoulda been a single but still.. 3. Rumours 4. Bare Trees 5. Then Play On . and oh yeah Danny Kirwan was a great great guitar player. Clearly that has been established. And then there's Peter Green...
the should have been a single thing should be a side 3 (if not already done and I've missed it) but you would lose some of the essence of the record. Rumours #3 though.... wow!
For me, Bare Trees is second only to Rumours.
This is one of the discographies I know super well, I'm a huge fan of this band and all of its weird line up changes.
17. Time (really not good.... at all... I do like Hollywood though)
16. Mr wonderful (that riff though, like why guys?? )
15. Say you will (too long, production ruins it)
14. Heroes are hard to find (stale for me, can never get into it, feels lifeless)
13. Penguin (solid album. Nothing special though)
12. Kiln house (the band is trying to figure itself out without Peter, but there is some good stuff here)
11. Fleetwood mac 68 (just a good ol' blues album. The passion and vibe is alive)
10. Mirage (solid 80s effort, Stevie is losing her voice, album doesn't feel super nuanced or original)
9. Behind the Mask (my controversial pick for a very underrated album. Sappy, but solid pop rock)
8. Tango in the night (better songwriting than mirage, great mood to this one)
7. Bare trees (I adore this line up of the band, bare trees is so good, listen to it if you haven't)
6. Then play on (by far the best of the Greene era, a super inspired blues rock record. The energy here is electric)
5. Mystery to me (this one has really grown on me... one of my favorites to put on driving I the summer time)
4. Fleetwood mac 75 (new line up, nothing would ever be the same. Completely revitalized the album)
3. Future Games (eclectic, odd, melodic, and at times there are some mild prog sections. Of every unknown Fleetwood album this is the one everyone has to listen too. Incredibly cool album. An all timer for me)
2. Tusk (Lindsey is my favorite of the classic 3 writers and this is his album. Bizzare and wonderful. Overstuffed but I'm glad it is)
1. Rumors (perfect pop rock album. Overplayed maybe.... but who cares its a masterpiece.)
Nice, we have quite similar lists, everything in roughly the same spot except Behind the Mask (who know, maybe I just need to give it more listens). Like your comments on Future Games in particular, the definitive #3 Mac album of course.
@@zacharypopp3549 nah my opinion if behind the mask is a weird one. I doubt it's worth the trouble of a re listen for you. I just like the album as easy listening. I do really enjoy the record and I play it more than mirage. But its not even close to their best.
Tusk at 7 is just as absurd to me xD I love this channel, it makes me more tolerant, especially that I love Jason's taste xD
Great Job, Kramzer. My top 3 is exactly like yours. The only three i bought. Also nice to see that Jason ranked Kiln House pretty high. It could be a very good album, if they put some real songs instead of that 3-4 50`s songs on that one.
I have two lists, one by my favorites and one by what I think is their best.
Best:
1. Then Play On
2. Tusk
3. Rumours
4. Bare Trees
5. Fleetwood Mac (1975)
6. Fleetwood Mac (1968)
7. Future Games
8. Mystery to Me
9. Kiln House
10. Tango in the Night
11. Heroes Are Hard to Find
12. Mirage
13. Penguin
14. Mr. Wonderful
(I haven't heard the post-Tango albums, so I will not rate them)
Favorite:
1. Future Games
2. Kiln House
3. Then Play On
4. Bare Trees
5. Mystery to Me
6. Heroes Are Hard to Find
7. Fleetwood Mac (1968)
8. Penguin
9. Mr. Wonderful
10. Tusk
11. Rumours
12. Fleetwood Mac (1975)
13. Tango in the Night
14. Mirage
Very interesting video. I agreed with most of your opinions. But Tango In The Night deserves a higher rating from Jason , I mean come on, you said yourself it has six great songs, so it cannot be remotely near “Say You Will” or “Penguin”. But truth is besides “Time” and “Behind The Mask”, everything from the Mac is top notch for such a large discography. And dame for Kramzer , “Fleetwood Mac”
below “Mirage”? 😢 the album was groundbreaking in its era. That’s where the phenomenon began.
1. Rumours (1977) = 4.5/5 stars*
2. Tango in the Night (1987) = 4/5 stars
3. Bare Trees (1972) = 4/5 stars
4. Future Games (1971) = 4/5 stars
5. Then Play On (1969) = 4/5 stars
6. Mirage (1982) = 4/5 stars
7. Mystery to Me (1973) = 4/5 stars
8. Fleetwood Mac [aka The White Album] (1975) = 4/5 stars
9. Tusk (1979) = 3.5/5 stars
10. Penguin (1973) = 3.5/5 stars
11. Heroes are Hard to Find (1974) = 3/5 stars
12. Fleetwood Mac [aka Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac] (1968) = 3/5 stars
13. Kiln House (1970) = 3/5 stars
14. Mr. Wonderful (1968) = 2.5/5 stars
15. Say You Will (2003) = 2.5/5 stars
16. Behind the Mask (1990) = 1/5 stars
17. Time (1995) = 0.5/5 stars
*starting now, I need to be more consistent and by the book with my scores, so I only give five stars to albums that are among my favorite ever; it will almost never happen 😊