Fleetwood Mac PENGUIN

Fleetwood Mac: Bob Weston (vocals, slide guitar, banjo, harmonica); Bob Welch (vocals, guitar); Dave Walker (vocals, harmonica); Christine McVie (vocals, keyboards); John McVie (bass); Mick Fleetwood (drums, percussion).
Additional personnel: Steve Nye (organ, steel drums); Ralph Richardson, Russel Valdez, Fred Totesaut.
Recorded at the Rolling Stones Mobile Unit, Hampshire, England in January 1973.
1973 was a busy year for Fleetwood Mac, who continued to ply a mix of California country rock and blues at a time when glam ruled the roost in England. PENGUIN was one of two albums recorded that year and the band's first since parting ways with Danny Kirwan. Replacing him were English guitarist Bob Weston and singer Dave Walker, who the Mac stole from Savoy Brown after an American tour with that band. Due to a fair amount of drunk and disorderly behavior in the studio, Walker's contributions were minimal. He penned a country-flavored number called "The Derelict" and sings lead and plays harmonica on Jr. Walker's "(I'm A) Road Runner."
Despite this slight turmoil, the rest of PENGUIN is a wonderful mixed bag of material. Highlights include the upbeat, steel drum-tinged "Did You Ever Love Me," the ethereal "Night Watch" (featuring an uncredited Peter Green on guitar) and the slide guitar-drenched "Remember Me" (punctuated by Christine McVie's honey-sweet vocals). McVie's singing also shines on "Dissatisfied" and is a distinctive contrast to Bob Welch's spoken-word style of singing on more hypnotic fare such as "Revelation" and "Bright Fire."

• Format: CD
• Genre: Pop