The 2020 eight-CD box set
Fleetwood Mac: 1969-1974 essentially represents a complete telling of
Fleetwood Mac's second act: the transition from blues outfit to conquering pop stars. Every one of the studio albums
Fleetwood Mac released between 1969's
Then Play On and 1974's
Heroes Are Hard to Find are here, each buttressed with bonus tracks. Most of these bonus tracks are non-LP singles or single edits:
Then Play On has both parts of "Oh Well" along with "The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown),"
Kiln House has both-sides "Dragonfly" and "Jewel Eyed Judy," etc. The only unreleased track among these is "Good Things (Come to Those Who Wait)," which is added to
Mystery to Me, but the box also features a full previously unreleased live-in-the-studio concert, Live at the Record Plant, Sausalito, CA 12/15/74, which was given just prior to
Lindsey Buckingham and
Stevie Nicks joining the band. The concert is first-rate and the bonuses are strong, but the main attraction of the set is getting this entire chapter of
Fleetwood Mac's history in an affordable fashion. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine