1969 Song of the Day- “Oh Well”- Fleetwood Mac. Probably a majority of the fans paying way too much money to see this group on their current tour- think of Fleetwood Mac as the mid 1970s and onward incarnation- when they became a pop-rock band and had mega hit albums- and hit songs- The Rumours Fleetwood Mac. But Fleetwood Mac started out in 1967 as a British blues band. Mick Fleetwood and John McVie were there- Christine McVie wouldn’t join the group until 1970. The early Fleetwood Mac wasn’t a commercial outfit- in the US they only had one single even make the Hot 100- their albums sold modestly. They were a successful band. Then with the addition of Nicks and Buckingham- and Christine McVie moving to the forefront they became HUGE.

In 1969 Oh Well- went to #2 in the UK as a single- and #55 in the US- the song was written and sung by Peter Green. It is today the best known song from the Peter Green years of Fleetwood Mac.  Peter Green was a great guitarist-but became a drug casualty in 1970- this would be his last major contribution to Fleetwood Mac. He is still alive though. Oh Well has two parts-Part 1 is the one you usually hear on the radio. Part II is an orchestra piece and sounds completely different from Part I.  The song is noted for its start and stops- which would influence Led Zeppelin on Black Dog.

From what I hear the current Fleetwood Mac is doing Oh Well- with Mike Campbell singing it. Oh Well has been a much covered song over the years- Tom Petty, Joe Jackson, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, Jimmy Page- and even Rick Springfield has a version.

below are Oh Well- parts 1 and 2.