FLEETWOOD MAC – The Best Of Fleetwood Mac 1969-1974 (RSD Indie Exclusive)

2LP – RSD Indie Exclusive Limited Edition 140g Sea Blue Vinyl. New Compilation Spotlights 19 Essential Tracks From The Bands First Seven Reprise Albums.

LOS ANGELES In the late 1960s, Mick Fleetwood, Peter Green, John McVie, and Jeremy Spencer laid the foundation for what would become one of the most storied and successful bands in rock history, Fleetwood Mac. Now, Rhino is celebrating the bands transformative early days with a compilation that features 19 essential tracks.

BEST OF FLEETWOOD MAC (1969-1974) will be available on July 26 from Rhino on CD, 2-LP 180-gram black vinyl, & 2-LP RSD indie exclusive on sea-blue vinyl.

The new collection spans a prolific five-year period that began in 1969 after the band signed with Reprise Records. It includes songs selected from seven studio albums: Then Play On (1969), Kiln House (1970), Future Games (1971), Bare Trees (1972), Penguin (1973), Mystery To Me (1973), and Heroes Are Hard To Find (1974).

Those albums fueled Fleetwood Macs early popularity in the U.K. and catapulted them into the Top Ten with singles like Oh Well Pt. 1 and The Green Manalishi (With The Two Prong Crown). Both tracks are included in the collection along with fan favorites like Rattlesnake Shake, Station Man, Sentimental Lady, Spare Me A Little Of Your Love, and Remember Me.

Between 1969 and 1974, Fleetwood Mac experienced near-constant changes in membership. The new compilation provides a showcase for each lineup, with songs featuring nearly every member from this era, including founders Fleetwood, Green, McVie, and Spencer, plus Christine McVie, Danny Kirwan, Bob Welch, and Bob Weston.

James McNairs new liner notes accompany the compilation and expertly navigate the bands twisting timeline during this period. He writes: By the time of Fleetwood Macs winter 1971 U.S. tour, Christine McVie was a fully-fledged member. Her keyboard-playing and co-lead vocals alongside those of Kirwan and Spencer were integral in the wake of Greens departureAlas, any calm seas were short-lived; Fleetwood Mac was still a volatile ship. Spencer, too, was about to go missing in action.