These Musical Selections Were Brought To You By The Letter F

When I saw the Fleetwood Mac CD, Live at the BBC, sitting in the R&R mailbox, I snatched it up and held it close to my heart. I couldn't wait for the clear strains of Stevie Nicks' and Christine McVie's voices to reverberate through my room. See, from the first time I'd heard Rhiannon as a child, I was hooked.

I was awakened, perhaps rudely, from my reverie when I slapped the disc (number one of a two-disc set, no less!) into my stereo and heard raw guitar chords and pristine vocals. I use pristine in the loosest sense possible-only to indicate that they hadn't been tampered with by studio mavens. I looked more closely at the jewel case and realized exactly what I was hearing. This was the Fleetwood Mac of 25 years ago, recording for a series of shows to be featured on the British Broadcasting Company's radio programme, a far cry from the polished studio sound I was expecting from the Fleetwood Mac of the 1980s and '90s.

This two-disc set features Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac as the hottest blues-rock band of the '60s. Arranged around the genius of guitarist Peter Green, the band featured three guitarists, allowing the musicians tremendous amounts of freedom in which they explored each other's styles. Even more than explore, Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac exploited style to the limits on this 36-song album, comprised of originals and covers, transcending genres from blues to pop. This is the Fleetwood Mac that lives on in the minds of veterans of the Sixties.

And as Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, the band excels. The first six songs on Disc One highlight the individual talents of each guitarist, blending Peter's soul, Jeremy Spencer's oldies and Danny Kirwan's bubble gum pop with unparalleled skill and grace.

One of the highlights of the disc is Jimmy's uncanny Elvis impersonation during "You Never Know What You're Missing" and "Heavenly." His voice is virtually indistinguishable from the King's, and the band displays its versatility, backing him up perfectly. The band's irreverent cover of Fats Domino's "Can't Believe You Wanna Leave" showcases Peter's incredible blues talent, featuring the electric blue tone that B.B. King said was the only sound that could make him sweat.