Fleetwood Mac
Live at the Boston Tea Party, Part One

After reviewing the first act of the legendary Concert held by Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac at the Boston Tea Party theater in February of '70, to which I refer for completeness and introduction, it is necessary to continue the analysis of this monumental contribution to the rock-blues music by the band founded by the legendary Peter Green.

The sweet introductory arpeggio couldn’t have a more fitting title "World in Harmony," which automatically leads one to think: "perhaps really things could go this way on this troubled earth," so persuasive is the Green-Kirwan duet, who perhaps realizing they had slightly lulled the audience thought it was right to shift to stronger ways with one of the most famous pieces from their enviable repertoire: "Oh Well," which after the stunning entrance by McVie, tell me if the gritty vocal intervention doesn’t remind you of Zappa, with whom they were certainly in contact at the time? When you tire of repeating the track from the group's absolute masterpiece "Then Play On" and no coincidence included as the opening of the first vinyl edition of the concert (the "meager" one containing only 7 tracks), rest assured that what follows will take you straight to paradise, the music lovers' Paradise naturally! It is clear that I am writing about "Rattlesnake Shake" version two, meaning that already in the first CD there is an unforgettable version, and then those who perhaps want to quickly delve into the album and considering the length of the piece, may commit the Sacrilege of skipping it, maybe because they have already heard the first version: now, this would be a GROSS ERROR! On the contrary: to understand what this band was, unknown in our country which at the time was quite backward (sic) and still taking its first steps (the very first ones indeed), but of absolute value, ONE MUST also listen to the second version of "Rattlesnake Shake" (that little red, white, and black striped snake, slightly venomous, so to speak) which apart from Green's hypnotic main theme is another musical argument of such quality that should confirm to you, if you had any doubts (perhaps you had some left after listening to the first album, who knows), that: "God really exists"! The only thing I add is to wish you the chance to witness something like this live: a truly endless piece, the finale of which is something to pass down to future generations, and it fills me with pride to the point that I would close this review here in emotion.

Instead, after such a grand start, namely three tracks of such quality and lasting 33 minutes, it becomes understandable that it seems difficult to continue, in every sense. The path chosen by Green and company, it seems to me, was the right one, namely relying on their guardian figure, their muse, namely Elmore James by reviving two driving rhythm & blues numbers, "Stranger Blues" and "Red Hot Mama," certainly much appreciated by the audience, whose involvement should have reached its peak at this point. So, to break the tension a bit, Fleetwood Mac introduces a really fun and somewhat offbeat track, the joyful and mockingly "Teenage Darling," signed by Jeremy Spencer, the supporting guitarist (sorry for the term, but how else could I designate someone standing next to Green who was already dueting with Kirwan?) whose contribution in these concerts is truly considerable, moreover, he too would leave the band shortly after Green, leaving the remaining lineup decidedly weakened.

Again a sharp contrast with the transition to the frenzied "Keep A-Knocking," a rock & roll by another father of American rhythm & blues: Richard Wayne Penniman and again "Jenny Jenny," another rock & roll embroidered by Green as if it were a painting to give a second perspective, a second life, something I'd say he manages quite well and takes you away with him to the Guitar school, where as a pupil Clapton was also present, who would be given a little part in the concluding "Encore Jam," an instrumental track of over 13 minutes signed and improvised by all three guitarists (Kirwan, Spencer, and Green) and that in my humble opinion represents an apex of the genre, that is to translate it into practical terms, a conversation among virtuosos of the instrument as rarely has been heard previously (and even in the future, I believe, unless some of you can point me to something on this level that I'd be delighted to compare). In short, a jam session (literally = sound jam) to close not just beautifully, but more: in wonder for your ears, another mythical album! It is clear that after such abundance the minimum standard is to desire to delve into the third chapter of the saga, or am I wrong? Something almost pushed by the fading closure of the last track, for reasons I don't know, but which could be due to the fact that we are talking about recordings at a time when stereophony was still in the process of spreading............ Despite this, the technical quality of the CD or rather HDCD is remarkable, indeed it amazes the writer, particularly attached also to the repetitive graphics of this album compared to the first one even if with different colors.