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-   -   "Fleetwood Mac In Chicago" - Not A Regular Studio Album? (http://ledge.fleetwoodmac.net/showthread.php?t=58297)

cbBen 11-02-2018 10:58 PM

"Fleetwood Mac In Chicago" - Not A Regular Studio Album?
 
I used to play it when I was a college radio DJ (not the "Blues Jam" but the one titled "Fleetwood Mac In Chicago"). And as I recall, it was a regular album, not a compilation, so why does Wikipedia list it as a compilation?:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleetwood_Mac_in_Chicago

As you can see from the entry, it's all from the same studio session. Wouldn't that contradict the notion that it's a compilation?

I do have one admittedly off-the-wall theory: Christine isn't on it, and there's an odd desire on someone's part (maybe just whoever does the Wikipedia page) to say that she participated on every Fleetwood Mac studio album after the first one.

But there must be a more coherent answer as to why this is not listed as a proper studio album.

P.S. It's weird that the official Fleetwood Mac website doesn't include a discography.

SteveMacD 11-02-2018 11:38 PM

“Blues Jam” and “Fleetwood Mac In Chicago” are the same thing. One was the UK release and the other the US release.

I think some feel it’s just a casual blues jam album. It was done in two days, and it wasn’t especially planned out or rehearsed. FWIW, I consider it an official album.

cbBen 11-03-2018 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveMacD (Post 1243118)
FWIW, I consider it an official album.

So do I. How much planning goes into an album does not determine whether it is a compilation or a regular studio album.

Thanks for this info.

FuzzyPlum 11-03-2018 02:26 AM

This is a good question. I agree it/they possibly should be considered as a studio album. I think its a hard one to categorize though. The biggest issue is probably due to the varying amount of playing the FM band members contribute to the recordings. Very few of the tracks have the same line up and many of them only actually include 2 FM members (augmented by the various Chess men). For that reason its probably difficult to consider them as Fleetwood Mac records.

Mr Scarrott 11-03-2018 07:38 AM

Is it actually a Fleetwood Mac album at all?

I guess the best description is that it is an album that contains some Fleetwood Mac tracks. Whether they all are is something of an angels on a pinhead argument.

Some are indisputably FM tracks- Watch out is just Peter,Danny,John and Mick,for example. Others are FM tracks with guest backing musicians, like Christine on Mr Wonderful- for example Last Night which has Peter, Danny, John, Mick and Shakey Horton on harmonica and Homework, which has Otis Spann on piano backing the same four FM guys. So yes, they are Mac tracks

Other tracks are more problematic- for example, Hungry Country Girl is Otis Spann with Peter, Danny, John, Mick backing him. Is that really Fleetwood Mac or Otis with a backing band? The latter, I think.

Then there's the fine World's in a Tangle which has Danny, Peter, John, Otis on piano and SP Leary on drums rather than Mick. Is that technically Fleetwood Mac?

Does it matter much?

The CD version of the album I have has "VARIOUS ARTISTS BLUES JAM IN CHICAGO" on the disk and BLUES JAM IN CHICAGO on the cover, then listing the participants, with Fleetwood Mac first. I am aware that there are different covers out there.

So, I'm being pedantic as ever, but that, m'lud, is the evidence for the prosecution...

aleuzzi 11-03-2018 10:15 AM

Whatever it is, I absolutely love it. Otis Span’s work alone is amazing, but there’s more, so much more...

cbBen 11-04-2018 12:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Scarrott (Post 1243135)
Is it actually a Fleetwood Mac album at all?

I guess the best description is that it is an album that contains some Fleetwood Mac tracks. Whether they all are is something of an angels on a pinhead argument.

Some are indisputably FM tracks- Homework is just Peter,Danny,John and Mick,for example. Others are FM tracks with guest backing musicians, like Christine on Mr Wonderful- for example Last Night which has Peter, Danny, John, Mick and Shakey Horton on harmonica. So yes, they are Mac tracks.


Other tracks are more problematic- for example, Hungry Country Girl is Otis Spann with Peter, Danny, John, Mick backing him. Is that really Fleetwood Mac or Otis with a backing band? The latter, I think.

Then there's the fine World's in a Tangle which has Danny, Peter, John, Otis on piano and SP Leary on drums rather than Mick. Is that technically Fleetwood Mac?

Does it matter much?

The CD version of the album I have has "VARIOUS ARTISTS BLUES JAM IN CHICAGO" on the disk and BLUES JAM IN CHICAGO on the cover, then listing the participants, with Fleetwood Mac first. I am aware that there are different covers out there.

So, I'm being pedantic as ever, but that, m'lud, is the evidence for the prosecution...

Thanks, this is helpful. I guess the argument for categorizing it as a compilation is not that it's a compilation of various Fleetwood Mac tracks, but rather a compilation of various artists.

dino 11-04-2018 05:06 AM

It's a Fleetwood Mac album.
Wikipedia is just someone's opinion.

lazy poker 11-05-2018 05:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dino (Post 1243187)
It's a Fleetwood Mac album.

agreed. for all in doubt about it - the u.s. title "fleetwood mac in chicago" says it all.

duracell 01-19-2019 01:09 PM

Blues Jam
 
When first released it was generally regarded as a Fleetwood Mac album. From memory band expressed some concern as they believed they had moved on from this "purist" blues form.

cbBen 01-19-2019 05:13 PM

Band doesn't get to retroactively reclassify an album after release.

cbBen 08-19-2019 01:13 PM

Those With "FM In Chicago" - Please Help With Credits
 
In researching this album, with a view toward classifying it correctly, I found conflicting information among the links below.

Can someone with a copy of the album can please check the credits and chime in?

Here are the questions the discrepancies raise:

1. "Red Hot Jam" – Does Danny play on it?
2. "I Can't Hold Out" – Does John play on it?
3. "I Can't Hold Out" – Does Peter play on it?
4. "I Got The Blues" – Does John play on it?
5. "I Got The Blues" – Does Peter play on it?

If anyone could please clarify, I'd appreciate it. Then I'll be in a better position to assess to what extent one ought regard this as a proper studio album in the band's discography, or regard it as something more anomalous.

Thanks.

P.S. Jeremy's slide is amazing on this album. Might be his best work.


https://www.discogs.com/Fleetwood-Ma...elease/6298199
https://www.discogs.com/Fleetwood-Ma...elease/2831204
https://www.discogs.com/Fleetwood-Ma...lease/12834872

cbBen 08-28-2019 01:04 PM

Spoke With A Friend Who Gave Me Some Calrification
 
A friend of mine who was a FM fan at the time had this to say about In Chicago:

Because it was recorded before (but released after) FM recorded and released Then Play On on Warner Bros, In Chicago–being on their old label–was to some extent considered something of an archival release, or perhaps a cash-in by their old label in the wake of the band's recent success with Warner Bros.

Due to the marquee name value of the special guests, and their being listed on the cover, it was to some extent also considered a compilation album.

I note that all the studio chatter runs counter to the typical form of a proper studio album as such.

Only five of the 21 songs have a guest vocalist, so to my thinking calling it a compilation stretches things a bit.

Would still love clarification on the credit-related questions above if anyone has the album with credits. Thanks.

Rubber Duck 08-29-2019 03:53 AM

Here´s what the credits say (from The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions box):

Red Hot Jam - without Danny

I Can´t Hold Out - without Peter, without John

I Got The Blues - with Peter, with John


And I agree with your friend, it was not regarded as a "proper" FM album at the time - and to me, it still isn´t.

cbBen 08-29-2019 08:26 AM

Full Credits
 
Thank you!

Based on the above and the links in my prior post, here are the FM players [I also note the songs where there is a guest vocalist; parenthetical numbers are how many FM players are on the song (never all five at once)]:

Mick Fleetwood: 18 songs (of 21)
Peter Green: 17 songs
Danny Kirwan: 16 songs
John McVie: 13 songs
Jeremy Spencer: 7 songs

Watch Out: Jo, M, no Je, P, D (4)
Ooh Baby: Jo, M, no Je, P, no D (3)
South Indiana #1 & 2: Jo, M, no Je, P, D (4)
Last Night: Jo, M, no Je, P, D (4)
Red Hot Jam: no Jo, M, no Je, P, no D (2)
Worlds In A Tangle: Jo, no M, no Je, P, D (3)
Talk With You: Jo, M, no Je, P, D (4)
Like It This Way: Jo, M, no Je, P, D (4)
Someday Soon Baby: Jo, M, no Je, P, D, guest vocalist (4)
Hungry Country Girl: Jo, M, no Je, P, D, guest vocalist (4)
I'm Worried: no Jo, M, Je, no P, D (3)
I Held My Baby Last Night: no J, M, Je, no P, D (3)
Madison Blues: no Jo, M, Je, no P, D (3)
I Can't Hold Out: no Jo, M, Je, no P, D (3)
I Need Your Love: Jo, no M, no Je, P, D, guest vocalist (3)
I Got The Blues: Jo, no M, no Je, P, D, guest vocalist (3)
Black Jack Blues: no Jo, M, Je, no P, no D, guest vocalist (2)
Everyday I Have The Blues: no Jo, M, Je, P, no D (3)
Rockin' Boogie: no Jo, M, Je, P, no D (3)
Sugar Mama: Jo, M, no Je, P, D (4)
Homework: Jo, M, no Je, P, D (4)


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