Album Review: Fleetwood Mac – Live (Super Deluxe Edition) (Rhino/Warners)

Upon seeing that the Fleetwood Mac had a mammoth 35 tracks, three-CDs and 2 LPs long live special edition coming out, one may ask, why? But then the first notes of Monday Morning hit and we remember because, nothing in the entire world beats live music and nothing beats Fleetwood Mac in their prime.

Recorded mostly during their 1980 world tour of Tusk, this special edition works as an encore to the previously released Fleetwood Mac Live double album. This super-sized version is full to the brim of music recorded during 1977 – 1982 plus unreleased demos.

It doesn’t stop there. They have pulled out all the stops, including a booklet of photos, the history of the live album and the itinerary from the Tusk tour.

But for the super fans, there are 1000 special tour editions for sale that include 3-CD/2-LP/7-inch collection plus replica ephemera from the era including a ticket, backstage pass, ad, button, sticker, and iron on patch.

While most were recorded on tour, there is a few special recordings on there too, ‘Dreams’ and ‘Don’t Stop’ were both during soundcheck in Paris, ‘Fireflies’, ‘One More Night’ and their cover of the Beach Boy’s ‘Farmer’s Daughter’ were recorded during a special show just for the band’s family, friends and crew in Santa Monica. This monster special edition also spans longer over their career than any previous live releases.

Stevie’s voice, in her prime, does not falter throughout, nor does it today but on this particular live version of ‘Landslide’ she just blows you out of the water in a way that studio recordings simply can not capture. ‘The Chain’, performed in Cleveland had some serious omph behind it and ‘Tusk’ was another highlight as it was one of the first times they played it live, on the Tusk tour.

It may seem excessive but you can’t put value on the feeling of replaying the memories of one of the best bands in the world as they reached global success and played shows all around the world in their heyday. Besides that, there is not a band in the world quite like Fleetwood Mac.

This super special, 35 track edition would make a perfect gift for any Fleetwood Mac fans in your life, and music fans alike, it’s a piece of history after all.

Bridie Chetwin-Kelly