Live at the BBC is a double compact disc compilation album by British blues rock band Fleetwood Mac, recorded at various BBC radio sessions between 1967 and 1971. It contains many tracks by Fleetwood Mac which are otherwise unavailable.
Contents
Background
According to Mick Fleetwood, the release was initiated around 1992 by a fan of Fleetwood Mac when they informed him that some BBC tapes of the band were still intact. Fleetwood then contacted the BBC, who insisted that the tapes had actually been destroyed. The BBC was eventually able to supply these recordings to Fleetwood and spent 15 months preparing them for release and clearing the licensing. He expressed his approval for the quality of the tapes and said that they "represented everything this band was when we first started."
When asked about the band's sessions at the BBC, Fleetwood responded by saying that the sessions were conducted in an efficient manner and that the audio engineers were well versed in recording a wide array of music ensembles.
The engineers were of the old school and could record all kinds of bands from rock to big bands. Sometimes there was an audience to play in front of and I can even remember playing live on the radio, so there was no room for error when we were setting up and playing live.
Track listing
Personnel
Fleetwood Mac
Peter Green – guitar, harmonica, vocals
Jeremy Spencer – guitar, piano, vocals
Danny Kirwan – guitar, vocals
John McVie – bass guitar
Mick Fleetwood – drums, percussion
Christine McVie (née Perfect) – piano, backing vocals ("Preachin'"); as guest: ("Preachin' Blues", "Need Your Love So Bad", "Stop Messing Around")
Guests
Neil Picket – fiddle ("Sandy Mary", "Only You")
Eddie Boyd – piano ("I Can't Hold Out")