It's always interesting to hear a band's recognized classic album this late in the game. For most folks, Fleetwood Mac is associated with Stevie Nicks and their two mid 70s albums Fleetwood Mac and Rumours. I've spoken of my history with those albums already, and to this day, I still feel that I'm a bit young to appreciate them. Thrifting has given me the opportunity to hear some of their pre Stevie works such as Mystery to Me, Penguin, and Kiln House, each worse than the last. The curve ball here is Bare Trees which has some interesting, and very good, material on it. Again, I've covered off on most of these already.
But what about Then Play On? For deep divers - and for younger folks coming along way later than me - Then Play On is their best album. It has no chance of ever outranking Rumours, because iconic albums such as that get a free pass on analytical criticism, for a variety of reasons including nostalgic remembrance and group think. Problem is, because of its underground "cool" status, finding it on LP isn't easy like the others. Finally I found a commodity CD at a thrift shop (see more below in the Ownership section), so that I could put my curiosity to rest (trying to lay off YouTube for albums such as this).
My initial reaction wasn't overly positive. 'Coming Your Way' is a great hard rocking opener, but starting with 'Closing My Eyes', I was beginning to wonder what the big deal was. It's not bad or anything, just sort of ordinary blues rock. Things get interesting with the meandering psychedelic 'Underway' which is followed by the album's centerpiece 'Oh Well' (again, must see Ownership section). Another odd aspect of Then Play On is that none of the tracks on here were FM radio staples. At least not by the late 70s. I bring that up here at 'Oh Well' because I did recognize this song. It just wasn't by Fleetwood Mac, but rather a band called The Rockets, who covered only the rockin' part of the track in 1979. I remember it well, and enjoyed hearing it on the radio back then. Never knew who they were until now - or the source of the song. What's great about 'Oh Well' is not the rocking first third, but rather the rest, which drifts off into the pastoral countryside for the remainder.
And this is how good albums suck you in. It's subtle with Then Play On, but the album continues without rhyme or reason. The 'Madge' tracks are fantastic west coast styled psychedelic ramblers and 'Rattlesnake Shake' is a good jamming hard rocker. Well really, I could go on and on here, but there's no cohesiveness to this album whatsoever. And therein lies its charm. To me, it's amazing Fleetwood Mac ever got that far in their recording career. They were on their 11th album by the time 'Rhiannon' became a massive hit. How many great musical acts never got past one album? And here's Fleetwood Mac with a pile of mediocre to very good, but unfocused albums to their credit, before it all came together. It's like one of those football head coaches who string together many years of 8 and 8 records, only to win the Super Bowl twice in a row afterward. Obviously the talent was there all along.
Whatever the case, glad I finally heard this one. I'll be keeping it. In what format, OH WELL (see what I did there), that's another question isn't it?
Ownership: LP: 1976 Reprise. Gatefold. Acquired in trade from Dr. Boom here in town (2024).
And I'm glad I did. I had no idea the differences this album has from one release to the other. Just know that the original 1969 pressing is different than the 1970 repress. And that's significant because 'Oh Well' is not on the originals. And that doesn't even get me started on the differences between the US and UK pressings, much less other countries. And then the CDs came along and mashed them all up together, but again without rhyme or reason. Like the album itself haha.
There are more definitive reissues than this, and of course I'll keep my eyes peeled for any original. Even if I don't keep it, no doubt it will result in a good margin.
8/1/22 (new entry)
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