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Saturday Night Classics: ‘Oh Well (Pt. 1)’ by Fleetwood Mac

Andrew Troutman
@Dotorimuk
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When Fleetwood Mac started laying the groundwork in 1969 for what would become the album “Then Play On,” they were loaded for bear. Guitarist/vocalist Danny Kirwan had joined, slowly eclipsing and supplanting Jeremy Spencer who was disappearing into obscurity. Guitar hero/vocalist Peter Green was at the height of his powers. As the band was ready to take their Chicago blues sound into widescreen/technicolor territory, all three men were coping with expectations, pressures of fame and the standard rock and roll temptations. More and more, they started to look to The Carpenter as an anchor.

Spencer told Rolling Stone there was going to be a Mac album, an orchestral-choral album based on the life of Jesus Christ, and a Spencer solo album. “We believe in God, and this is a serious venture,” said Spencer. It may well have been, but only Then Play On emerged, with Spencer’s solo record limping across the finish line a year later.

Eventually, Green, Kirwan and Spencer each faded into the mist of creative cul-de-sacs, drugs—cults and mental illness, in different combinations.

But Then Play On is a classic. A bit of its time, but a real playpen for Peter Green’s weirdness and spiritual search. Released as a non-LP single, “Oh Well (Pt.1)” was given no chance by most in Mac world, but it hit #2 in the UK and #55 in the US. Every Mac lineup since has performed it in concert.

When you ask G-d to conduct your performance review, gird your loins.

A live version by the most famous lineup:

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Discussion (3)

  • Eb Snider@EbSnider

    I was never a big Fleetwood Mac fan. But they have a number of well composed songs that I'll listen to when they are on. Actually Oh Well is certainly one of my very favorites of the band. It's a house rocker with a visceral attitude that I identify with. Not a refined song, but a punchy one that gets a response. So I see why it plays live, especially because the material allows for a fair amount of modification for live purposes. It's almost more in the vein of a straight up southern rock band.