Fleetwood's Latest LP Full of Surprises (1970) by Nick Logan of New Musical Express

[WalkAThinLine.]

I found a blog by Geir Myklebust that posts articles from various music publications. This one is from Nick Logan of New Musical Express on Fleetwood Mac's Kiln House album. I'll include the text and the link here.

Fleetwood's Latest LP Full of Surprises

By Nick Logan

FLEETWOOD MAC: KILN HOUSE (Reprise stereo RSLP 9004 40s. 8d.)

WITH Peter Green out and Jeremy Spencer in for this album (he wasn’t on the last one), categorising Fleetwood Mac is now utterly beyond the realms of possibility. Not for a long time a 12-bar blues band — though there remains blues in what they do – this set, the first without Green, is a strange, unpredictable mixture falling somewhere between the romanticism of “Then Play On” and the bizarre parodies of “The World Of Jeremy Spencer.”
It is Spencer who provides the dominant influence over Kiln House; having gauged from his solo album which of his parodies work on record and which become tiresome after frequent plays.

The set opens with a Spencer stunner, THIS IS THE ROCK. Beautifully engineered by Martin Birch, after a kind of Sun soul it features some amazing rock guitar by Jeremy and a subdued Jordanaires-type chorus. This and the spartan echo vocal give it a gorgeous fifties rock atmosphere that is cuttable with the proverbial knife.

STATION MAN, credited to Kirwan-Spencer-Mcvie, is possibly the album’s premier track and the one Reprise are trying to persuade the group to release as a single. A longish piece carried along on throbbing bongo rhythms, tonal harmonies are interspersed with long instrumental passages highlighted by a clean and tasteful Kirwan guitar. Vaguely Creamish in feel, it is without doubt one of the group’s foremost achievements to date.

BLOOD ON THE FLOOR is Jeremy again; this time into a parody of a sob-throated country blues containing hilarious lyrics like “I shot my darling,” “I got a date with the hangman and I got to go” and “Goodbye world I guess we must part.” Jerry plays piano and it works as a piece of music as well as a slice of humour.

HI HO SILVER is a Fats Waller number retitled by the group, a be-bopping blues rocker sung in the inimitable Spencer style. Again features piano, an echo vocal, sha-la choruses and harmonica. A good one.

Mick Fleetwood and John McVie (both writing for the first time) wrote the final side one track, JEWEL EYED JUDY, with Kirwan. This is the “Then Play On” Mac; Danny alternating dreamy and gutty guitar against a gentle insinuating rhythm which picks up tempo in the choruses. A pretty, melodic song but marred by the low key vocals, almost buried under the backing.

No prizes for guessing the subject of BUDDY’S SONG. Written by Ella Holly, sung by Jeremy, it’s a tribute song containing references to various Holly hits. The band have the Holly rhythms off to a tee by now but it’s a style Jerry may have worked once too often.

EARL GREY is a longish Kirwan guitar instrumental slightly Western-ish in tone although that may just be title association. It’s a perplexing track in that it never seems to arrive at its destination; all build up and no climax — but that is possibly the intention.

ONE TOGETHER is another Spencer parody, a Rick Nelson summer lover’s type song which doesn’t really come off. Again it’s not helped by a frustratedly half-heard vocal.

TELL ME ALL THE THINGS YOU DO is Danny’s best solo contribution and an album standout. Mostly instrumental, there is just a shade of the P. Green’s in some of Kirwan’s play but for the most part it is pleasing to report that his style is not only distinctive but unmistakably his own.

The album ends deep in the bizarre Spencer mind. He opened with a rocker and closes it with a sentimental ballad. The song is MISSION BELL, written by William Michael and Jesse Hodges, and the reaction when I played it in the office was that it was Marianne and David Dalmour!

Romantically crooned by Jeremy, complete with bells, it borders on yukk but never crosses over and works somewhat after the fashion of the controversial tracks on the Dylan album because the singer’s affection for the song carries it. I must admit, sentimentalist that I am, that I very much enjoyed it.
Apart from two or three not so hot tracks, Kiln House is a fine album with a character of its own and promises well for the band’s Green-less future.

https://geirmykl.wordpress.com/2020/...ember-12-1970/

[Penguin Emeritus]

Originally Posted by WalkAThinLine.

Mick Fleetwood and John McVie (both writing for the first time) wrote the final side one track, JEWEL EYED JUDY, with Kirwan. This is the “Then Play On” Mac; Danny alternating dreamy and gutty guitar against a gentle insinuating rhythm which picks up tempo in the choruses. A pretty, melodic song but marred by the low key vocals, almost buried under the backing.

https://geirmykl.wordpress.com/2020/...ember-12-1970/

funny how they credited that song to john and mick. Jenny Fleetwood says she wrote the lyrics with chris! prob for contractual reasons?

--Lis

[lazy poker]

Yeah - always liked that album very much.

[Villavic]

Originally Posted by Penguin Emeritus

funny how they credited that song to john and mick. Jenny Fleetwood says she wrote the lyrics with chris!
--Lis

Yes, the song Wikipedia page says Mick confirmed that in his 2014 book (just in case which I've never read ).

[aleuzzi]

Kiln House is my favorite FM record behind Fleetwood Mac (1975) and Rumours. Actually, it’s pointless to compare it to those blockbusters since it is its own, unique, earthy, humble self. Nothing truly like it in the FM catalogue before or after.