Fleetwood Mac's third studio album Then Play On was released in 1969. Not long after the release of their second studio album, the band hired a third guitarist, then 18-year-old Danny Kirwan. He and bandleader Peter Green formed a collaborative partnership that expanded the band's sound so that strictly playing the blues was no longer possible. They moved in a more rock direction and, because slide guitarist Jeremy Spencer had little interest in the new direction, he contributed very little to the new album, which further changed their sound. Coinciding with the album's release was the release of the non-album single "Oh Well," which surprised the band by going to number two on the charts. Taking advantage of this, they rereleased the album to include "Oh Well" in the US. Around the time of the album's release, Green had become a regular user of LSD, which, by accounts from the other band members, changed his personality significantly. He quit the band in April 1970, making Then Play On the last Fleetwood Mac album he would appear on. The album was a commercial success at the time of its release but many critical reviews were mixed. However, it is now often considered the best album released by Green-era Fleetwood Mac.
So far, there's a very clear and obvious correlation between the quality of the band's sound and songwriting and how significant Jeremy Spencer's contributions are. Since his creative input is negligible here, the band finally releases an album that matches the talent of its members. I always knew Green was a gifted guitarist but before this record, his songwriting was merely promising and his guitar playing hadn't been anything special since his days with Mayall. Now, he and Kirwan's twin lead guitar tread uncharted territory as their songwriting become just as inventive as their playing. I'm still not sure about all the songs but where the new direction works--"Fighting for Madge," "Show Biz Blues," "Without You," and "Oh Well"--Fleetwood Mac prove themselves to be one hell of a band. Recommended for guitar aficionados. B+
