English Rose
Artist: Fleetwood Mac
Community Score: 9.00

Under the direction of Peter Green, Fleetwood Mac is heard as a British blues group, although its most notable performances are on Green's original tunes "Black Magic Woman" and "Albatross," both British hits. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide Read More

Then Play On
Artist: Fleetwood Mac
Community Score: 9.25

This Peter Green-led edition of the Mac isn't just an important transition between their initial blues-based incarnation and the mega-pop band they became, it's also their most vital, exciting version. The addition of Danny Kirwan as second guitarist and songwriter foreshadows not only the soft-rock terrain of "Bare Trees" and "Kiln House" with... Read More

Ssssh
Artist: Ten Years After
Community Score: 10.00

This was Ten Years After's new release at the time of their incendiary performance at the Woodstock Festival in August, 1969. As a result, it was their first hit album in the U.S., peaking at number 20 in September of that year. This recording is a primer of British blues-rock of the era, showcasing Alvin Lee's guitar pyrotechnics and the band's... Read More

Smiling Like I'm Happy
Artist: Duster Bennett

One of the unsung heroes of British blues, this one-man band was a fine harmonica player and singer, a decent guitarist, and a soulful enough singer to make one overlook his distinctly unbluesy high voice. The opening "Worried Mind" -- just Duster on harp, guitar, voice, high-hat and kick drum -- is a marvelously sloppy shuffle romp that... Read More

40 Blue Fingers, Freshly Packed and Ready to Serve
Artist: Chicken Shack

If one can overlook Stan Webb's hyperventilating vocal excesses (which ain't easy), this is a promising debut, especially noteworthy for Webb's Freddie King-inspired guitar sting and Christine Perfect's understated vocals (only two, unfortunately compared to Webb's six). Webb does justice to his mentor with two instrumentals, King's "San-Ho-Zay"... Read More

Pious Bird of Good Omen
Artist: Fleetwood Mac

With songs taken from Fleetwood Mac and Mr. Wonderful, Pious Bird of Good Omen serves as a worthy 12-track compilation of the band's early Peter Green days. Climbing to number 18 in the U.K., the album managed to catapult Fleetwood Mac's version of Little Willie John's "Need Your Love So Bad" into the English charts for the third time, resting... Read More

Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac
Artist: Fleetwood Mac
Community Score: 8.33

Fleetwood Mac's debut LP was a highlight of the late-'60s British blues boom. Green's always inspired playing, the capable (if erratic) songwriting, and the general panache of the band as a whole placed them leagues above the overcrowded field. Elmore James is a big influence on this set, particularly on the tunes fronted by Jeremy Spencer... Read More