"The
Pious Bird Of Good Omen" by FLEETWOOD MAC was released on the now famous
and much revered Blue Horizon label in the UK in August 1969. With its racy nun sleeve - band name in place and
distinctive title - an unsuspecting punter could have been forgiven at the time
for believing it to be their 3rd new album. But it wasn't. Instead it was a
12-track ragbag of non-album 7" singles and their B-sides, collaborations
and other rarities difficult to find on LP.
The reason I mention this is that there are now
TWO variants of this album on CD.
The standard version from CBS/Rewind re-released
in 1995 has the original 12-track line up and is exactly as per the LP release
(a non-remaster).
But this 2004 remastered and remixed version of "The Pious Bird Of Good
Omen" by FLEETWOOD MAC on Sony/Blue Horizon 5164452 (Barcode 5099751644521) really
screws it around and some explanation is in order because this new variant
actually loses tracks from the original...
Here's what the original album 12-track line-up
of "The Pious Bird Of Good Omen" LP looked like with added extra info
(all tracks are credited to FLEETWOOD MAC except 4 and 9 which are credited
EDDIE BOYD with PETER GREEN'S FLEETWOOD MAC):
1. Need Your Love So Bad (a Little Willie John
cover) (their 3rd UK single on BH in July 1968)
2. Coming Home (an Elmore James cover) (on
"Mr. Wonderful", their 2nd BH album from September 1968)
3. Ramblin' Pony (Peter Green original)
(Non-Album B-side of their 1st UK 7" single on BH from November 1967)
4. The Big Boat (Eddie Boyd track) [by Eddie
Boyd with Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac] (Non-Album A-side of BH 7" single
from 1967)
5. I Believe My Time Ain't Long (Jeremy Spencer
song) (Non-Album A-side of their 1st UK 7" single on BH from November
1967)
6. The Sun Is Shining (an Elmore James cover)
(Non-Album B-side to "Black Magic Woman" their 2nd UK 7" single
on BH in March 1968)
7. Albatross (Peter Green original) (November
1968 4th UK 7" single on BH)
8. Black Magic Woman (Peter Green original)
(Non-Album A-side, their 2nd UK 7" single on BH in March 1968)
9. Just The Blues (Eddie Boyd track) [by Eddie
Boyd with Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac] (Non-Album B-side of BH 7" single
from 1967)
10. Jigsaw Puzzle Blues (Danny Kirwan track)
(Non-Album B-side of "Albatross")
11. Looking For Somebody (Peter Green original)
(from their debut LP "Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac" on BH February
1968)
12. Stop Messin' Around (Peter Green co-write
with C.G. Adams) (as per track 2)
Now here's the track list of this re-sequenced
re-issue so you can see the differences and omissions:
1. Need Your Love So Bad (Master Version)
2. Rambling Pony
3. I Believe My Time Ain't Long
4. The Sun Is Shining
5. Albatross
6. Black Magic Woman
7. Jigsaw Puzzle Blues
8. Like Crying
9. Need Your Love So Bad (Version 1)
10. Need Your Love So Bad (Version 3)
11. Need Your Love So Bad (Version 2)
12. Need Your Love So Bad (Take 2)
13. Need Your Love So Bad (USA Version)
When you compare the track list of the original
12-song LP with this 13-track re-issue, you see they bear little resemblance to
each other! Why so different? What happened was this. In 1999, Sony issued the
stunning 6-disc box set "The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions
1967-1969" by FLEETWOOD MAC to universal acclaim (pictured below). Mike
Vernon, the label's producer, had taken the unusual decision to re-sequence the
track line-ups of ALL 5 UK albums (one was a double) to feature outtakes,
studio chatter, false starts and so on. This was of course fine and dandy on a
comprehensive box set. But this 2004 singular re-issue mimics that release,
when it really should have been reverted to the 12 track original LP run and
added the outtakes on as bonuses at the end. Also, what you can't see from the
track listing of the new CD is that Track 9 "Need Your Love So Bad
(Version 1)" is Take 1, 2 and 3 combined and runs to 11:35! Track 10 is
worse; it has Take 1 and 2 and runs to 13:06! The novelty was ok for the box
set, but it quickly wears off. I doubt any casual buyer wants 6 variants of
this track on anything - and of course, it isn't the album "Pious Bird Of
Good Omen" as it was released.
With regard to the Eddie Boyd collaborations on
tracks 4 & 9, I've bought the EDDIE BOYD CD "The Complete Blue
Horizon Sessions", which features PG's Mac and it's a genuine peach - an
absolute must-own if you're a fan of either artist. I've also acquired the OTIS
SPANN 2CD set "The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions" again with PG's
Mac, which is also fantastic - not just in its breath, but also in its truly
awesome remastered sound and huge haul of primo unissued material on CD2 (see
my separate reviews of these for fuller details).
I would advise fans of this period to purchase
ALL the Blue Horizon issues that feature Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac because
there's magic dripping off all of them! And in order to actually get
"Pious Bird" in remastered form, you'll probably have to!
As it stands "Pious Bird" is a still a
rocking good bluesy offering (in any configuration) and only makes you pine for
more. And "Albatross" - arguably the best rock instrumental ever made
- is still truly gobsmacking to this day.
PS: For those wishing for more, the Blue Horizon
label Fleetwood Mac UK albums are:
1. "Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac"
1968 original album, known as "Fleetwood
Mac" in the USA
2. "Mr. Wonderful"
1968 original album
3. "The Pious Bird Of Good Omen"
1969 compilation of non-album 7" singles,
their B-sides, collaborations and other rarities
4. "Blues Jam At Chess"
1969 original 20-track 2LP set often referred to
as a Various Artists compilation.
Its full credit is to: Fleetwood Mac, Otis
Spann, Willie Dixon, Shakey Horton, J.T. Brown, Guitar Buddy (Buddy Guy), Honey
Boy Edwards, S.P. Leary. Originally a 2LP set on release, it was broken into 2
volumes for the "Complete" box set and renamed "Blues Jam In
Chicago Volume 1" and "Blues Jam In Chicago Volume 2". It is
ONLY these singular re-sequenced releases that are available today.
5. "The Original Fleetwood Mac"
1971 compilation - although released in '71,
this LP has recordings from August 1967 through to October 1968, all of which
were previously unreleased at the time
All of the above albums are contained in repro
card sleeve form in this superlative 1999 6-CD box set
