Greatest Hits (1971 Fleetwood Mac album)
Greatest Hits is a compilation album by the British blues rock band Fleetwood Mac released on CBS Records in the United Kingdom in 1971. The album assembles the band's hit singles in the UK covering the period from the band's beginning in 1968 to 1971, mostly in its original incarnation led by guitarist Peter Green. It peaked at No. 36 on the UK Albums Chart.
Greatest Hits | ||||
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Greatest hits album by | ||||
Released | November 1971 | |||
Recorded | 1967–1970 | |||
Genre | Blues rock | |||
Length | 43:23 | |||
Label | CBS | |||
Producer | Mike Vernon, Fleetwood Mac | |||
Fleetwood Mac chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Background and content
Part of the second British blues boom of the late 1960s, during that time Fleetwood Mac enjoyed six British hit singles, collated here along with one non-charting single, two B-sides, and three album tracks. The band's UK single "Black Magic Woman" received greater exposure in the US when it was covered by the American group Santana, who placed their version in the Billboard Top 40.
A very similar release with the same title and same cover was released by Sony BMG in 1989, but consisted of the tracks from The Pious Bird of Good Omen plus "Shake Your Moneymaker" and "Love That Burns". Another identically-titled but entirely different 1988 Greatest Hits album concentrates exclusively on post-1975 material and has no tracks in common with either this release or the 1989 one.
The album gatefold shows a full-size photo of the post-Green line up of the band with Christine McVie (née Perfect), even though she just plays piano on a couple of tracks and was not a full member until after Kiln House was released. Long out of print, it was replaced on compact disc by the 2002 compilation The Best of Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac on the Sony International label, which now owns the Columbia/CBS catalogue. It was reissued on vinyl in 2010, however.
"The Green Manalishi", "Oh Well", "Rattlesnake Shake", and "Dragonfly" were licensed from Warner Bros. Records.
Track listing
All tracks written by Peter Green except where noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original release | Length |
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1. | "The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)" | Non-album single | 4:36 | |
2. | "Oh Well (Part 1)" | Non-album single | 3:29 | |
3. | "Oh Well (Part 2)" | B-side of "Oh Well (Part 1)" | 5:39 | |
4. | "Shake Your Moneymaker" | Elmore James | Fleetwood Mac | 2:55 |
5. | "Need Your Love So Bad" | Little Willie John, Mertis John Jr. | Non-album single | 3:53 |
6. | "Rattlesnake Shake" | Then Play On | 3:29 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original release | Length |
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7. | "Dragonfly" | Danny Kirwan, W. H. Davies | Non-album single | 2:42 |
8. | "Black Magic Woman" | Non-album single | 2:54 | |
9. | "Albatross" | Non-album single | 3:08 | |
10. | "Man of the World" | Non-album single | 2:51 | |
11. | "Stop Messin' Round" | Green, C.G. Adams | Non-album single version, alternate take released on Mr. Wonderful | 2:19 |
12. | "Love That Burns" | Green, Adams | Mr. Wonderful | 5:02 |
Personnel
- Peter Green – vocals, guitar, harmonica
- Jeremy Spencer – vocals, slide guitar, piano, maracas
- Danny Kirwan – vocals, guitar
- John McVie – bass guitar
- Mick Fleetwood – drums, percussion
- Christine McVie – piano
Charts
Chart (1972) | Peak position |
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UK Albums (OCC)[2] | 36 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United Kingdom (BPI)[3] | Gold | 100,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
References
- Greatest Hits at AllMusic
- "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
- "Peter Green: A 'Gold' Sales Award For The Album Fleetwood Mac Greatest Hits". 28 July 2023.