The folks at Rhino High Fidelity are really picking up the pace now, with a raft of incredible releases coming thick and fast in recent weeks and months – I can hardly keep up…
Actually that’s not true – bring it on, I say!
I’m going to broach this review in the same way as I did with my recent Curtis Mayfield / Super Fly review – by comparing three versions: my reference 1975 UK original vinyl pressing, the recent (and much-lauded) 2025 Rhino High Fidelity Kevin Gray vinyl cut, and of course the Rhino High Fidelity Reel-to-Reel tape.
Fleetwood Mac and me
When reviewing an album, I always figure it’s worth mentioning a bit of background in terms of one’s personal take on, and history with, the album and the band in question.
You’d have to have been living under a rock (or be young) to not know this album. It’s the one that preceded Rumours and was the first of the ‘new transatlantic Fleetwood Mac’ – in other words the first after Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joined the band. It was a pretty major change of feel for the band, which was originally born out of the British blues scene, led by Peter Green and named after the massively understated rhythm section: drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie.
I became a Fleetwood Mac fan at the time of this album. I was still too young to be buying records myself, but my big brother had the album so I heard it around the house plenty. And I still remember the intensive advertising campaign for its follow-up, with ‘I like Rumours’ adverts appearing in the daily papers. Over the following years, as I discovered more about Fleetwood Mac, I always found the two generations – pre- and post-Buckingham/Nicks – to be almost entirely different bands that fitted into different genres, and for many years my love of the English blues band version eclipsed that of the transatlantic rock band. Until it didn’t.
Anyway, Fleetwood Mac, the 1975 album discussed here, was unquestionably a quantum leap forward in popularity and success for the band, only later eclipsed by Rumours.
The 1975 original vinyl (UK Reprise)
Right from the first notes of ‘Monday Morning’, the sound is rhythmically intensely groovy. The band’s unmistakable rhythm section is powerful, solid as a rock and immensely dependable. That’s the undeniable strength of Mick Fleetwood and John McVie: not flash, not tricksy, just solid as a rock.
Above this, Buckingham’s vocal and guitar give a distinctly American rockiness. Hard to criticise, catchy as hell. Supremely well recorded, what’s not to like.
The second track, ‘Warm Ways’ is a complete contrast. Written and sung by Christine McVie (then John McVie’s British wife), the sound is deliciously creamy. The drums and bass just roll out of the speakers, it’s as beautiful as you can imagine. Buckingham’s steel guitar gives the song a hypnotically dreamy quality. Mick’s drumming is sublime. So solid yet so understated and fluid. How can something so fluid be so solid? It defies physics!
‘Blue Letter ‘is a much more rocking upbeat number, once again sung by Buckingham and Nicks. To my ears, the drums and bass still dictate what we’re listening to. Buckingham’s undeniably skilled guitar work delivers to produce an incredibly catchy classic.
And then we have what, for many, is the crowning gem on this album: the Nicks-penned ‘Rhiannon’, with its hypnotic bass courtesy of McVie. Fleetwood’s drumming is solid, non-flashy, dependable, and then there’s the crooning, almost growling vocal from Nicks. Buckingham’s guitar is sweet, understated. There are echoes of Jethro Tull in this track. It truly is a classic.
Now I’m feeling impatient, I want to skip from listening to this original vinyl pressing and find out what the Rhino High Fidelity vinyl does to this track, not to mention the tape! Still, revisiting this original is still very enjoyable – and useful for comparison – so I’m going to continue with the whole first side, at least…
‘Over My Head ‘is up next. Again, we have the hypnotically flowing bass, almost fluid drums, and intricate yet subtle guitars, crowned with Christine McVie’s beautifully soft vocal. It’s exquisite. The spaces between phrases are just as captivating as the notes themselves. The delicate backing vocals, sweetly soaring keyboards and subtle tom rolls – gorgeous.
‘Crystal’, a Nicks composition, is sung by Buckingham and Nicks. It’s a gently paced, captivating, poignant number, which has me thinking think this album really doesn’t get the credit it truly deserves. Perhaps I do prefer it to Rumours… The backing vocals / harmonies are sublime, guitars are subtle and sweet, keys are delicate and sensitive, but once again, as always, the bass and drums carry the whole, perfectly.
Confession: I only got through side one of the original album before the temptation to play the Kevin Gray AAA remastered Rhino High Fidelity version got the better of me (sorry!).
Rhino High Fidelity’s Kevin Gray AAA vinyl
Straight from the off, the vinyl background noise is markedly lower. And the sound of the first track, ‘Monday Morning’, is tighter. The bass and drums have slightly more weight, texture and detail. Subtle background guitar wails are captured more cleanly. Layering of the vocal, guitar and backing vocals is certainly clearer and is perhaps the most obvious improvement. To improve on the original’s layering, it’s hyper important that the bass and drums remain the main focus – which is, after all, Fleetwood Mac. The gaps between verses and phrases are the real acid test of this.
‘Warm Ways’ is, again, sweet as a nut. The sound is less obviously upgraded over the original (which already verged on simply perfect, frankly). In such cases I’d say it’s a question of making improvements where improvements can be made and, when they can’t, making damned sure not to screw anything up! There are countless examples of remasters where one aspect might be improved but the whole picture is subdued. It’s all-too-common affliction – not seeing the wood for the tress.
While pondering all this I listed to ‘Warm Ways’ again… are there any improvements at all? Yes, there are. Backing vocals are a touch better separated out. The bass is a smidgeon more finely pitched.
Moving on to ‘Blue Letter’, from the first drum beats the sound has notably more weight and solidity. Buckingham’s guitar is cleaner. The bass remains solid and precisely tuneful and, alongside the drums, it carries the whole backbone of the music around which the melodies weave themselves. The organ is deliciously clean. Perhaps most essentially, nothing is pushed forward that shouldn’t be. Silences – those poignant pauses between phrases – are superbly portrayed. As the song fades, Buckingham’s guitar screams subtly, if such a thing is possible… fab-u-lous!
And now we get to the epic ‘Rhiannon’. I’m sure the bass is even better pitched and the rolling drums are relentlessly hypnotic. Nicks’ voice is 100% better. Her fragile warbling vibrato has more humanity than on the original. In fact the chorus chant of “Rhiaaaaaaa-non” is far more intelligible. I’ve honestly never heard it more clearly, and all this extra insight and connection comes without an ounce of hardness or forensic sterility. The unknotting of the vocal, guitar and keyboard layers is both extremely subtle and not at all subtle.
There’s no question that Kevin Gray has made a truly first-class job of this cut. This is really, really bloody nice! It’s already easily the best I’ve heard this sublime track. This mastering is just what this album has been wanting for half a century!
Despite the feeling that I’ve got the measure of this Rhino High Fidelity record, I can’t stop listening. I get to ‘Over My Head’ and it just keeps on getting better. McVie’s vocal is just sublime: tremendously clean, soft and sweet. The backing vocals have never sounded so pure and sweet. Bass remains utterly tuneful, well-pitched. Never, not even for a split second, does it blur. Similarly, the drums are a perfect example of slip-slidey understatement. Phenomenal!
For the vinylistas out there, just buy this, buy it now! Don’t worry about the tape. You’ll play this LP over and over and over and over again. I can guarantee it!
By now I’ve listened to all of side one twice now – the original album and the Rhino High Fidelity. Side 2? But, but… that tape is sitting there, egging me on. I can’t resist the temptation any longer. Onto the Studer A80 it goes, thread the tail around the take-up reel and press rewind…
Rhino High Fidelity Reel-to-Reel
Bloody hell!! (Sorry).
So, I’ve spent a good while talking about the drums and bass. That’s what truly makes Fleetwood Mac, Fleetwood Mac. And then we get to the tape. Let’s not miss the opportunity of writing exactly what it is I’m holding in my hands here: a one-to-one, 15ips, 2-track copy of the original 30ips master. I think it’s worth saying that again: a one-to-one, 15ips, 2-track copy of the original 30ips master. Oh boy…
The drums move from being somewhere in the ether to being right there in my room. There’s an immediacy to them – the cymbal crashes during ‘Monday Morning’ will surprise you, not because they’re loud, just because they’re so damned real. The snare sound, too, is perfect, and the very slight snare spring makes itself known, not in an in-your-face way, it just sits under the snare drum, exactly where it belongs. The beats are even more hypnotic. Bass guitar is even better pitched than on the Rhino vinyl. But the guitar and vocal layering is where the superior definition and subtlety really wins out.
‘Warm Ways’ comes next. Holy crap! Whereas the Rhino vinyl didn’t seem to be THAT much better than the original, here it’s almost giddying how intoxicatingly seductive it is. The guitars seem to be painting with three times the colour palette. The drums and bass have an increased weight; the finesse of the rise times and decay simply holds you in a space of awe and wonder. When Mick Fleetwood rolls across the kit and pauses, it’s like you heart stops. Christine McVie’s vocal pauses also make this song what is: intensely beautiful. Stevie Nicks’ backing harmonies sound like an angel, Buckingham’s guitar is exquisite: creamy, sweet. But again and again, it’s those drum fills that contrast and captivate, seemingly holding time, stopping the world. The keyboards have a glassy gloss to them, but never with any hardness – just colour and light. Exactly the right colour and light. McVie’s bass has untold degrees of pitch accuracy and focus. And then that final cymbal crash, and the song closes…
‘Blue Letter’ leaps from the speakers. More immediacy and more focus and weight to both the bass and drums ensure a phenomenally strong groove. The writhing guitars are cleaner, Buckingham’s voice is cleaner, backing vocals are also clearer. Christine McVie’s organ is clearer and noticeably better layered. The complex backing vocal harmonies are more delineated.
And before we know it, we’re back at ‘Rhiannon’: oh lord, the guitars opening left and right, the hypnotising bass, solid, physically present, real-sounding drums which you feel you could touch. Stevie Nicks’ vocal is completely unleashed, the micro dynamics of her voice are in a completely different league to anything I’ve heard before. For one thing I can clearly hear every single word she’s singing, there’s absolutely no need for a lyric sheet with this tape. It’s not just Nicks’ voice: there’s more space between lead and backing vocals. The bass is taut, weighty and tuneful; it’s utterly hypnotic. The hairs stand up on the back of your neck: you remember that you’re effectively listening to the master. And then OMG the keys…
Take everything I said about the Rhino High Fidelity vinyl, double it, add some cream and a dollop of something illegal – that’s what the tape sounds like. This is a direct 1:1 copy of the master (the original that would have been sent to Kendun, 30ips, Dolby master). You are closer to the record, hearing Fleetwood Mac better than anyone outside of a mastering studio has ever heard it. Just think about that, for $300, that’s freakin’ nuts.
But it’s not over yet. ‘Over My Head’: Christine’s voice is sublime, the guitar has more detail, exquisite micro colours, the snare is more real, more present, more there in your listening room than you’ve ever heard it before.
Then ‘Crystal’ starts with Buckingham’s falsetto vocal, and it’s magnificent. Nicks’ harmonies too… really sublime. Genuinely tear-inducing gorgeousness. Beneath this weaving of wonder remains the resolute bullet proof-ness of Mick Fleetwood and John McVie. The bass and drums are in a class of one.
I’m laughing to myself now, as I recently read a comment on a forum somewhere that I was maybe “a bit OTT” in my recent effusive review of the Stooges’ Fun House tape. I reckon I’m possibly going to cop it again for this one! That’s okay, and I’m standing by my blown-away-ness on both counts. (If you doubt me, maybe you haven’t heard these tapes in a system that can handle them properly?!).
Anyway, let’s move on to side 2. Of course, the whole album fits on one reel, so there’s no actual flipping of sides, just remain in your seats, folks, and carry on being blown away…
‘Say You Love Me’ is a great start. The bass is phenomenally taut and tuneful, stopping and starting with perfection. The drums are absolutely in my room (but never in my face). Christine McVie’s vocals and piano are pretty much perfect: they’re full of colour, texture and emotion. Stevie Nicks’ slight and subtle backing vocal acts almost like a seasoning, a spot-on garnish. About half way through the song, Lyndsey Buckingham comes in with an absolutely sweet-as-a-nut guitar phrase. John McVie’s bass remains rock solid and tuneful, and the icing on the cake.
I’m beginning to lose the plot here. I wish everything could sound like this. It really is pretty much perfect. The balance of bass tunefulness and timing, drumming tautness, timing and swing, guitar phrasing, subtlety and keyboard colours all overlaid with the most delicious vocal layering. Yummy.
Nicks’ frail vibrato vocal in ‘Landslide’ is far less grating than it can sound on digital or lesser analogue formats. Buckingham’s multi-layered guitaring is captivating, sweet and never harsh. The tonal colours are golden and lush, never bright, glassy or harsh – and his lead licks are sublime. Honestly, as track after track of this album rolls by, I’m more and more thinking this is Fleetwood Mac at their absolute best. Right now, from memory nothing else can hold a candle to this. Listening to this tape is an event. In fact it makes me feel like I should be lighting a candle, in reverence!!
I’m laughing to myself again now – thinking back to my teenage self who had a monumental crush on Stevie Nicks – and right now, it’s like she’s standing right here, in my room. (Make of that what you will!).
One of my favourite Fleetwood Mac tracks, on Rumours, is ‘The Chain’ (not least because I’ve been a massive Formula One fan since the mid-seventies). However, here, ‘World Turning’ feels to be where the seeds of that song were sown. The hypnotic overlaying guitar rhythms, the wild vocals from Buckingham and McVie, and then the kick drum cuts in… The combination of multi-layered entwining vocals, multi-layered entwining guitar parts – this is so mesmerising it should be illegal! Then after the kick drum, the snare, the rolls and fills, the delicious slip-slidey high hat. I hadn’t previously realised how sensational this track is. The drumming, especially the toms, the dirty guitars, the relentlessly driving bass. Wowzer!
We’re back to McVie’s beautiful textured, sweet vocal for ‘Sugar Daddy’. The piano, the guitar, the incredibly well-pitched bass sitting dead centre, holding everything together…nice. And the snare drum, just in front, slightly lower, a smidgeon to the right, explicitly real.
By the time we get to ‘I’m So Afraid’, I’m actually beginning to feel slight anxiety. Anxious that the album is about to end and this incredible experience will end, but I’m forgetting… this isn’t a live gig, I can press rewind and play it again. And again. And again. (Which I do, and do.)
But for now we still have ‘I’m So Afraid’, with its relentless, driving bass, pounding, hypnotically pulsating. With its layers of organ, vocals and guitars, this could be classic vintage prog! The scale is vast. Again, nothing is ever in-your-face, yet everything is in your room, and beyond your room. My listening room seems to have expanded beyond the confines of my walls.
Honestly, folks, this tape will bring tears to your eyes. It reveals just how good music can be… It’ll blow your mind. It’s stunning.
You can get your own copies here:
Dave Denyer: The Reel-to-Reel Rambler 