Then Play On
Encyclopedia
Then Play On is the third studio album
by blues-rock
band Fleetwood Mac
, first released in September 1969
. It was the first of their original albums to feature Danny Kirwan
and the last with Peter Green
. Jeremy Spencer
did not feature on the album apart from "a couple of piano things" (according to Mick Fleetwood
in Q magazine
in 1990). The record, appearing after the group's sudden success in the pop charts, offered a broader stylistic range than the classic blues of the group's first two albums. The title is taken from Duke Orsino
's opening line, "If music be the food of love, play on," from William Shakespeare
's comedy
play
Twelfth Night.
This was the band's first release with Warner/Reprise after being lured away from Blue Horizon
and a one-off with Immediate Records
. Forty years on, Fleetwood Mac remain with Warner. The album, which at its original UK release had an unusually long running time, has been released with four different song lineups. The currently-available CD compiles all songs from the two US LP versions, both of which omitted tracks from the original UK version.
. They are also not included on the CD release of the album.
Side 1:
Side 2:
* Missing from the original US LP.
" (released November 1969) became a hit it was added to a revised version of the US release and other songs were deleted or moved to side two. The two parts of "Oh Well" differed widely, the first being hard rock, the latter a meditative instrumental, on which Green played 'cello. The first minute or so of "Part 2" was included as a fade-out coda to the A-side and then begun again on the B-side of the single. The album edit of "Oh Well" crudely butt-joined the sides of the single as it stood so that "Part 2"'s beginning is heard twice, otherwise the whole piece would run for only 7:58. "Part 1" of "Oh Well" has remained a regular concert feature to the present day.
Another change was putting the two edits from the "Madge" jam back to back, fading down and up between them. The giggle that previously linked "My Dream" to "Like Crying" was now edited onto the end of "Fighting for Madge". "Madge", the press were told at the time, was a female fan of the group who was immortalised as the dedicatee of two excerpts of a long instrumental jam whose inclusion allowed Fleetwood and McVie a composition credit each.
Side 1:
Side 2:
, country blues ("Texas Slim"), acid rock ("The Orange Electric Squares"), and John Mayall
. It was finally released on Fleetwood Mac's The Vaudeville Years
compilation in the 1990s.
Additional Personnel
Singles – Billboard (North America)
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by blues-rock
Blues-rock
Blues rock is a hybrid musical genre combining bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended boogie jams with rock and roll styles. The core of the blues rock sound is created by the electric guitar, piano, bass guitar and drum kit, with the electric guitar usually amplified through a...
band Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
, first released in September 1969
1969 in music
-Events:Perhaps the two most famous musical events of 1969 were concerts. At a Rolling Stones concert in Altamont, California, a fan was stabbed to death by Hells Angels, a biker gang that had been hired to provide security for the event...
. It was the first of their original albums to feature Danny Kirwan
Danny Kirwan
Daniel David "Danny" Kirwan is a British musician best known for his role as guitarist, singer and songwriter with the blues-rock band Fleetwood Mac between 1968 and 1972.-Early career:...
and the last with Peter Green
Peter Green (musician)
Peter Green is a British blues-rock guitarist and the founder of the band Fleetwood Mac...
. Jeremy Spencer
Jeremy Spencer
Jeremy Cedric Spencer , is a British musician, best known as one of the first guitarists in Fleetwood Mac.Spencer was born in Hartlepool, County Durham. He grew up in South London and was educated at Strand School, where he became known for hilarious impressions of the headmaster and several of his...
did not feature on the album apart from "a couple of piano things" (according to Mick Fleetwood
Mick Fleetwood
Michael John Kells "Mick" Fleetwood is a British musician and actor best known for his role as the drummer and namesake of the blues/rock and roll band Fleetwood Mac. His surname, combined with that of John McVie, was the inspiration for the name of the originally Peter Green-led Fleetwood Mac...
in Q magazine
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
in 1990). The record, appearing after the group's sudden success in the pop charts, offered a broader stylistic range than the classic blues of the group's first two albums. The title is taken from Duke Orsino
Orsino (Twelfth Night)
-Character:Orsino is the ruler of Illyria. In the play, he is sometimes referred to as a duke, and at other times as a count. At the beginning of the play, Orsino is in love with Olivia, but his love is unrequited, and Olivia, mourning for the death of both her father and her brother, refuses to...
's opening line, "If music be the food of love, play on," from William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
play
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
Twelfth Night.
This was the band's first release with Warner/Reprise after being lured away from Blue Horizon
Blue Horizon
Blue Horizon was a British blues record label founded by Mike Vernon in the mid 1960s.Its roots lay in Vernon's mail order label Purdah Records, which released just four 7" singles; including "Flapjacks" by Stone's Masonry ; and another by John Mayall and Eric Clapton "Bernard Jenkins", and...
and a one-off with Immediate Records
Immediate Records
Immediate Records was a British record label, started in 1965 by The Rolling Stones' manager Andrew Loog Oldham and Tony Calder and concentrating on the London-based blues and R&B scene.-History:...
. Forty years on, Fleetwood Mac remain with Warner. The album, which at its original UK release had an unusually long running time, has been released with four different song lineups. The currently-available CD compiles all songs from the two US LP versions, both of which omitted tracks from the original UK version.
UK LP/Original US LP, September 1969
The two songs deleted from the US lineup had already appeared on the US compilation English RoseEnglish Rose (album)
English Rose is a compilation album by Fleetwood Mac, released in January 1969. It was originally a US-only compilation, combining six tracks from the UK release Mr. Wonderful, three UK non-album single sides, two not-yet-released songs from the UK version of Then Play On and one other previously...
. They are also not included on the CD release of the album.
Side 1:
- "Coming Your Way" (Danny KirwanDanny KirwanDaniel David "Danny" Kirwan is a British musician best known for his role as guitarist, singer and songwriter with the blues-rock band Fleetwood Mac between 1968 and 1972.-Early career:...
) – 3:47 - "Closing My Eyes" (Peter GreenPeter Green (musician)Peter Green is a British blues-rock guitarist and the founder of the band Fleetwood Mac...
) – 4:50 - "Fighting for Madge" (Mick FleetwoodMick FleetwoodMichael John Kells "Mick" Fleetwood is a British musician and actor best known for his role as the drummer and namesake of the blues/rock and roll band Fleetwood Mac. His surname, combined with that of John McVie, was the inspiration for the name of the originally Peter Green-led Fleetwood Mac...
) – 2:45 - "When You SayWhen You Say"When You Say" is a song by British rock group Fleetwood Mac, written by guitarist Danny Kirwan, which first appeared on their 1969 album Then Play On....
" (Kirwan) – 4:22 - "Showbiz Blues" (Green) – 3:50
- "Underway" (Green) – 2:51 (US timing, fades out), 3:06 (UK timing, no fade, cuts to next song)
- "One Sunny Day" (Kirwan) – 3:12
*
Side 2:
- "Although the Sun Is Shining" (Kirwan) – 2:31
- "Rattlesnake Shake" (Green) – 3:32
- "Without You" (Kirwan) – 4:34
* - (3-US) "Searching for Madge" (John McVieJohn McVieJohn Graham McVie is a British bass guitarist best known as a member of the rock group Fleetwood Mac. His surname, combined with that of Mick Fleetwood, was the inspiration for the band's name...
) – 6:56 - (4-US) "My Dream" (Kirwan) – 3:30 (a long giggle links this to next song)
- (5-US) "Like Crying" (Kirwan) – 2:21
- (6-US) "Before the Beginning" (Green) – 3:28
Revised US Song Lineup, post-November 1969
When the double-sided single "Oh Well (pts 1 & 2)Oh Well (song)
"Oh Well" is a song recorded by Fleetwood Mac in 1969, and composed by vocalist and lead guitarist Peter Green. It first appeared as a Fleetwood Mac single in various countries in 1969, subsequently appearing on the Greatest Hits album in 1971...
" (released November 1969) became a hit it was added to a revised version of the US release and other songs were deleted or moved to side two. The two parts of "Oh Well" differed widely, the first being hard rock, the latter a meditative instrumental, on which Green played 'cello. The first minute or so of "Part 2" was included as a fade-out coda to the A-side and then begun again on the B-side of the single. The album edit of "Oh Well" crudely butt-joined the sides of the single as it stood so that "Part 2"'s beginning is heard twice, otherwise the whole piece would run for only 7:58. "Part 1" of "Oh Well" has remained a regular concert feature to the present day.
Another change was putting the two edits from the "Madge" jam back to back, fading down and up between them. The giggle that previously linked "My Dream" to "Like Crying" was now edited onto the end of "Fighting for Madge". "Madge", the press were told at the time, was a female fan of the group who was immortalised as the dedicatee of two excerpts of a long instrumental jam whose inclusion allowed Fleetwood and McVie a composition credit each.
Side 1:
- "Coming Your Way" (Kirwan) – 3:47
- "Closing My Eyes" (Green) – 4:50
- "Showbiz Blues" (Green) – 3:50
- "Underway" (Green) – 2:51
- "Oh WellOh Well (song)"Oh Well" is a song recorded by Fleetwood Mac in 1969, and composed by vocalist and lead guitarist Peter Green. It first appeared as a Fleetwood Mac single in various countries in 1969, subsequently appearing on the Greatest Hits album in 1971...
" (Green) – 8:56
Side 2:
- "Although the Sun Is Shining" (Kirwan) – 2:31
- "Rattlesnake Shake" (Green) – 3:32
- "Searching for Madge" (McVie) – 6:56
- "Fighting for Madge" (Fleetwood) – 2:45 (a long giggle links this to next song)
- "Like Crying" (Kirwan) – 2:21
- "Before the Beginning" (Green) – 3:28
CD track listing
The currently in-print late 1980s–early 1990s re-release sticks mostly to the order of the revised US track listing, but reinserts two of the deleted songs in new locations. The giggle which originally preceded "Like Crying" is separated from its original location by the reinsertion of "When You Say" after "Fighting For Madge" (which "When You Say" followed when "Fighting for Madge" was in its original track three location.) The mix of "Oh Well" still contains the repeated minute. The two songs which appeared only on the UK LP are still missing here.- "Coming Your Way" (Kirwan) – 3:47
- "Closing My Eyes" (Green) – 4:50
- "Showbiz Blues" (Green) – 3:50
- '"My Dream" (Kirwan) – 3:30
- "Underway" (Green) – 2:51
- "Oh Well" (Green) – 8:56
- "Although the Sun Is Shining" (Kirwan) – 2:31
- "Rattlesnake Shake" (Green) – 3:32
- "Searching for Madge" (McVie) – 6:56
- "Fighting for Madge" (Fleetwood) – 2:45 ("Like Crying" giggle still left here)
- '"When You Say" (Kirwan) – 4:22
- "Like Crying" (Kirwan) – 2:21
- "Before the Beginning" (Green) – 3:28
Unreleased Bonus EP: The Milton Schlitz Show
The original intention was to include a bonus EP in the "Then Play On" album. The EP was to be compensation for the fact that Jeremy Spencer barely appeared on the album. The EP consisted of Spencer's parodies of doo wop ("Ricky Dee and the Angels"), Alexis KornerAlexis Korner
Alexis Korner was a blues musician and radio broadcaster, who has sometimes been referred to as "a Founding Father of British Blues"...
, country blues ("Texas Slim"), acid rock ("The Orange Electric Squares"), and John Mayall
John Mayall
John Mayall, OBE is an English blues singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, whose musical career spans over fifty years...
. It was finally released on Fleetwood Mac's The Vaudeville Years
The Vaudeville Years
The Vaudeville Years of Fleetwood Mac 1968 to 1970 is an album by British blues rock band Fleetwood Mac, released in 1998. It was a compilation of outtakes and unreleased tracks from the band's early line up, none of which had previously seen the light of day officially...
compilation in the 1990s.
- "Jeremy's Contribution to Doo Wop" (Jeremy SpencerJeremy SpencerJeremy Cedric Spencer , is a British musician, best known as one of the first guitarists in Fleetwood Mac.Spencer was born in Hartlepool, County Durham. He grew up in South London and was educated at Strand School, where he became known for hilarious impressions of the headmaster and several of his...
) – 3:34 - "Every Day I Have the Blues" (Peter ChatmanMemphis SlimMemphis Slim was an American blues pianist, singer, and composer. He led a series of bands that, reflecting the popular appeal of jump blues, included saxophones, bass, drums, and piano. A song he first cut in 1947, "Every Day I Have the Blues", has become a blues standard, recorded by many other...
) – 4:23 - "Death Bells" (Spencer) – 5:05
- "(Watch Out For Yourself) Mr. Jones" (Spencer) – 3:35
- "Man of Action" (Spencer) – 5:21
Credits
Fleetwood Mac- Peter GreenPeter Green (musician)Peter Green is a British blues-rock guitarist and the founder of the band Fleetwood Mac...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
, six string bass, violoncello on "Oh Well, Pt. 2" - Danny KirwanDanny KirwanDaniel David "Danny" Kirwan is a British musician best known for his role as guitarist, singer and songwriter with the blues-rock band Fleetwood Mac between 1968 and 1972.-Early career:...
– vocals, guitar - John McVieJohn McVieJohn Graham McVie is a British bass guitarist best known as a member of the rock group Fleetwood Mac. His surname, combined with that of Mick Fleetwood, was the inspiration for the band's name...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Mick FleetwoodMick FleetwoodMichael John Kells "Mick" Fleetwood is a British musician and actor best known for his role as the drummer and namesake of the blues/rock and roll band Fleetwood Mac. His surname, combined with that of John McVie, was the inspiration for the name of the originally Peter Green-led Fleetwood Mac...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussion - Jeremy SpencerJeremy SpencerJeremy Cedric Spencer , is a British musician, best known as one of the first guitarists in Fleetwood Mac.Spencer was born in Hartlepool, County Durham. He grew up in South London and was educated at Strand School, where he became known for hilarious impressions of the headmaster and several of his...
– pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
on "Oh Well" {Pt 2}
Additional Personnel
- Christine PerfectChristine McVieChristine McVie is an English rock singer, keyboardist, and songwriter. Her primary fame came as a member of the British/American rock band Fleetwood Mac, though she has also released three solo albums...
– piano (uncredited) - Big Walter HortonBig Walter HortonWalter Horton, better known as Big Walter Horton or Walter "Shakey" Horton, was an American blues harmonica player. A quiet, unassuming and essentially shy man, Horton is remembered as one of the premier harmonica players in the history of blues...
– harmonica (uncredited) - Sandra Elsdon – recorders on "Oh Well (Pt 2)" (uncredited)
Charts
Album – Billboard (North America)| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Pop Albums | 109 |
Singles – Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | "Oh Well – Pt. I" | Pop Singles | 55 |