FLEETWOOD MAC 25 YEARS - THE CHAIN BOXED SET

FLEETWOOD MAC 25 YEARS - THE CHAIN 

1992 - 4 CD Box Set + 64 Page Photo Book 

Repackaged and Re-released in the UK, Australia and New Zealand in 2012

All The Hits. Lots Of Rarities

Four CD Box Set containing 72 songs re-packaged in 2 double fat box cases with slip cover - charting the history of arguably one of the greatest bands in history. The set features previously unreleased studio tracks, new remixes, live recordings, and alternate versions of many tracks including the international hit single "Tusk"

Singles released:

US  / Australia  CD, 7" Vinyl, Cassette Single 1. Paper Doll 2. The Chain	Europe CD Maxi Single 1. Love Shines  2. The Chain  3. Not That Funny  4. Isn't It Midnight  Germany / UK  7" Vinyl 1. Love Shines  2. The Chain	US / Germany 7" Vinyl, Cassette Single 1. Don't Stop 2. Albatross German  CD Maxi Single 1. Don't Stop 2. Paper Doll 3. Lizard People 4. Family Man  (Ext. Vocal Mix)

CD 1  1. "Paper Doll" (new song) 3:56  2. "Love Shines" (new song) 4:48  3. "Stand Back (Live)" (Tango in the Night, 1988) 5:02  4. "Crystal" (from Fleetwood Mac, 1975)5:09  5. "Isn't It Midnight" (edited alt version; Tango in the Night, 1987) 4:02  6. "Big Love" (from Tango in the Night, 1987) 3:39  7. "Everywhere" (from Tango in the Night, 1987) 3:43  8. "Affairs of the Heart" (from Behind the Mask, 1990) 4:20  9. "Heart of Stone" (new song) 4:39  10. "Sara" (from Tusk, 1979) 6:26  11. "That's All for Everyone" (from Tusk, 1979) 3:02  12. "Over My Head" (from Fleetwood Mac, 1975) 3:34  13. "Little Lies" (from Tango in the Night, 1987) 3:38  14. "Eyes of the World" (from Mirage, 1982) 3:42  15. "Oh Diane" (from Mirage, 1982) 2:33  16. "In the Back of My Mind" (from Behind the Mask, 1990) 7:00  17. "Make Me a Mask" (new song) 4:02

CD 2  1. "Save Me" (Behind the Mask, 1990) 4:14  2. "Goodbye Angel" (previously unreleased from Mirage, 1982) 3:06  3. "Silver Springs" (B-Side of "Go Your Own Way" single, 1976) 4:29  4. "What Makes You Think You're the One" (Tusk, 1979) 3:30  5. "Think About Me" (from Tusk, 1979) 2:40  6. "Gypsy" (alt full-length version; Mirage, 1982) 5:21  7. "You Make Loving Fun" (Rumours, 1977) 3:30  8. "Second Hand News" (alternative mix; Rumours, 1977) 2:50  9. "Love in Store" (alternative mix; Mirage, 1982) 3:24  10. "The Chain" (alternative mix; Rumours, 1977) 4:20  11. "Teen Beat" (previously unreleased from Mirage, 1982) 2:43  12. "Dreams" (alternative mix; Rumours, 1977) 4:14  13. "Only Over You" (Mirage, 1982) 4:05  14. "I'm So Afraid (Live)" (Fleetwood Mac Live, 1980) 7:27  15. "Love Is Dangerous" (Behind the Mask, 1990) 3:16  16. "Gold Dust Woman" (alternative mix; Rumours, 1977) 5:00  17. "Not That Funny (Live)" ( In Concert - Mirage Tour '82) 7:56

CD 3  1. "Warm Ways" (from Fleetwood Mac, 1975)3:50  2. "Say You Love Me" (single version; Fleetwood Mac, 1975) 3:45  3. "Don't Stop" (from Rumours, 1977) 3:11  4. "Rhiannon" (from Fleetwood Mac, 1975) 4:09  5. "Walk a Thin Line" (from Tusk, 1979) 3:44  6. "Storms" (from Tusk, 1979) 5:27  7. "Go Your Own Way" (from Rumours, 1977) 3:39  8. "Sisters of the Moon" (from Tusk, 1979) 4:37  9. "Monday Morning (Live)" (Fleetwood Mac Live, 1980) 3:35  10. "Landslide" (from Fleetwood Mac, 1975) 3:16  11. "Hypnotized" (from Mystery to Me, 1973) 4:47  12. "Lay It All Down" (alt version; Future Games, 1971) 4:34  13. "Angel" (alternative mix; from Tusk, 1979) 4:52  14. "Beautiful Child" (alternative mix; Tusk, 1979) 5:18  15. "Brown Eyes" (alternative version; from Tusk, 1979) 4:56  16. "Save Me a Place" (from Tusk, 1979) 2:39  17. "Tusk" (USC intro mix; from Tusk, 1979) 3:12  18. "Never Going Back Again" (Rumours, 1977) 2:02  19. "Songbird" (from Rumours, 1977) 3:17

CD 4  1. "I Believe My Time Ain't Long" (non-album single, 1967) 2:51  2. "Need Your Love So Bad" (non-album single, 1968) 3:53  3. "Rattlesnake Shake" (from Then Play On, 1969) 3:29  4. "Oh Well, Pt. 1" (original mono version; Then Play On, 1969) 3:29  5. "Stop Messin' Round" (from Mr. Wonderful, 1968) 2:19  6. "The Green Manalishi (with the Two Prong Crown)" (single, 1970) 4:36  7. "Albatross" (non-album single, 1968) 3:11  8. "Man of the World" (non-album single, 1969) 2:51  9. "Love That Burns" (from Mr. Wonderful, 1968) 5:00  10. "Black Magic Woman" (non-album single, 1969) 2:54  11. "Watch Out" (from Blues Jam at Chess, 1969) 4:12  12. "String-A-Long" (from Jeremy Spencer, 1970) 2:16  13. "Station Man" (from Kiln House, 1970) 5:41  14. "Did You Ever Love Me" (from Penguin, 1973) 3:40  15. "Sentimental Lady" (from Bare Trees, 1972) 4:32  16. "Come a Little Bit Closer" (Heroes Are Hard to Find, 1974) 4:48  17. "Heroes are Hard to Find" (Heroes Are Hard to Find, 1974) 3:34  18. "Trinity" (unreleased song from 1971) 4:07  19."Why" (from Mystery to Me, 1973) 4:55

SELECTIONS FROM "25 YEARS - THE CHAIN"

2-CD  37 TRACK CONDENSED VERSION RELEASED IN 1992

CD 1 1. "Paper Doll" (new song) 3:57  2. "Love Shines" (new song) 4:47  3. "Love in Store" (alt mix; from Mirage, 1982) 3:23  4. "Goodbye Angel" (previously unreleased from Mirage, 1982) 3:07  5. "Heart of Stone" (new song) 4:39  6. "Silver Springs" (B-Side of "Go Your Own Way" single, 1976) 4:29  7. "Oh Diane" (from Mirage, 1982) 2:33  8. "Big Love" (from Tango in the Night, 1987) 3:41  9. "Rhiannon" (from Fleetwood Mac, 1975) 4:10  10. "Crystal" (from Fleetwood Mac, 1975) 5:08  11. "The Chain" (alternative mix; Rumours, 1977) 4:19  12. "Over My Head" (from Fleetwood Mac, 1975) 3:34  13. "Dreams" (alternative mix; from Rumours, 1977) 4:16  14. "Go Your Own Way" (from Rumours, 1977) 3:40  15. "Sara" (from Tusk, 1979) 6:24  16. "Hold Me" (from Mirage, 1982) 3:45  17. "Gypsy" (alt full-length version; originally Mirage, 1982) 5:21  18. "Make Me a Mask" (new song) 4:01

CD2 1. "Don't Stop" (from Rumours, 1977) 3:11 2. "Everywhere" (from Tango in the Night, 1987) 3:42  3. "Tusk" (USC intro mix; from Tusk, 1979) 3:13  4. "Not That Funny (Live)" (In Concert- Mirage Tour '82) 7:57  5. "Beautiful Child" (alternative mix; from Tusk, 1979) 5:20  6. "Teen Beat" (previously unreleased Mirage, 1982) 2:44  7. "Need Your Love So Bad" (3rd single released, 1968) 3:54  8. "Did You Ever Love Me" (from Penguin, 1973) 3:41  9. "Oh Well, Pt. 1" (original mono version; from Then Play On, 1969) 3:30  10. "I Believe My Time Ain't Long" (1st ever single release 1967) 2:52  11. "Bermuda Triangle" (Heroes Are Hard to Find, 1974) 4:09 12. "Why" (from Mystery to Me, 1973) 4:56  13. "Station Man" (from Kiln House, 1970) 5:41  14. "Albatross" (non-album single, 1968) 3:10  15. "Black Magic Woman" (From English Rose) 2:52  16. "Stop Messin' Round" (from Mr. Wonderful, 1968) 2:21  17. "Trinity" (unreleased song from 1971) 4:08  18. "Heroes are Hard to Find" (Heroes Are Hard to Find, 1974) 3:34  19. "The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)" (single, 1970) 4:36

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Big Mac: 72 Fleetwood Songs on ’25 Years’ Retrospective
By ROBERT HILBURN
Nov. 20, 1992
LA Times

Given all the free publicity that Fleetwood Mac’s old “Don’t Stop” has received, you’d think the title of the group’s new CD box set would be “Don’t Stop.”

After all, the upbeat 1977 hit emerged as President-elect Bill Clinton’s theme song--featured prominently at the Democratic Convention in New York and at Clinton’s election night victory rally in Little Rock, Ark.

But the Christine McVie composition is merely one of the 72 selections in “25 Years--The Chain,” a four-disc Fleetwood Mac retrospective that will be released Tuesday by Warner Bros. Records.

As the title suggests, the album traces the band’s remarkable history of personnel and style shifts: from the group’s beginnings in the late-'60s as a blues band to the hugely successful folk-rock-pop synthesis achieved when co-founders Mick Fleetwood and John McVie were joined by Christine McVie, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks on the late-'70s albums “Fleetwood Mac,” “Rumours” and “Tusk.”

In fact, those three albums were such high points for the group that more than a third of the tracks on “25 Years--The Chain” are from those collections.

The remaining material includes everything from the group’s first British single, “I Believe My Time Ain’t Long,” and various compositions by the band’s late-'60s guitarist Peter Green (including “Albatross”) to alternate mixes of such familiar tunes as “Gold Dust Woman,” plus four new songs. The last include “Paper Doll,” a bittersweet tune co-written by Nicks that has been released as a single.

For the hits-minded Fleetwood Mac fan, there is an alternative to the set: the previously released, 16-track single disc “Greatest Hits,” which contains all 10 of the Top 20 hits from the three albums except 1980’s “Think About Me.” For the committed fan, however, the set--which contains a 64-page photo booklet, is more on target.

"This box set is the final chapter in the Fleetwood Mac legacy,” band co-founder Mick Fleetwood recently told MC. And a fitting coda it is. With 72 tracks culled from the band’s various phases—their early incarnation as a blues rock outfit (with guitarist Peter Green) through to the band’s platinum bonanza years when they were a hit machine fueled by singer-songwriters Christine McVie, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham (also responsible for some of the band’s best soundscapes). There’s not much in the way of unreleased material or biographical information, and Mick Fleetwood promises there will be a release more fully documenting the early years, still, this set definitely delivers the musical goods. 

- KB Music Connection December 7, 1992

FLEETWOOD MAC - The Chain

(Warner Bros)

The Chain, apart from being the name of one of Fleetwood Mac's minor songs, it's term that suggests continuity. Yet this is a band that has gone through 14 musicians in 11 different lineups. Moreover, the two remaining original members drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie are those who have least affected the musical direction of successive incarnations. It was always the front line that defined the sound, whether it be the grim South London pessimism and awesome guitar skills of Peter Green or the post-hippy Californian sensibilities of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. 

Not surprisingly, recordings by the 60s blues band bear scant relation to those of even a couple of years later, let alone the phenomenal hits of the mid-70s and beyond. However jostling incongruously alongside one another, are samplings from more than dozen albums over 25 years. As well, there are a few new songs, the odd B-side and bit of unreleased stuff. So what's it all worth? 

Well, the pack comes in both 2-CD and 4-CD sets, each accompanied by a book of photos and discography. While the more expensive version contains virtually all you'll ever need it also includes a lot that you don't. Even the double CD contains some lesser works but at the same time, it lacks several crucial tracks. 

Peter Green's finest moments are all here and 'Albatross' sounds even better in CD clarity while the Jeremy Spencer and Danny Kirwan contributions are justifiably minimal. However, the Bob Welch period definitely deserves more than just the one track. But, for my money, the major oversight occurs once we get to the band's most famous line-up.

Here selection becomes democratic yet I'd argue that Christine McVie wrote more great songs than Buckingham and Nicks put together. Sure, there are some of her classics here but if you want such exquisite pop gems as 'Warm Ways', 'Say You Love Me', 'You Make Loving Fun', 'Little Lies' or 'Isn't It Midnight' you're going to have to shell out for the full four-CD package. Either that or get the original albums. 

- Peter Thomson, RIP IT UP Feb 1993 (New Zealand)

'CHAIN' HEAT

Dear Peter Thompson, What was the point of your Fleetwood Mac review of 'The Chain'? The song 'The Chain' is not "a minor song", it is in fact pure classic work of genius it's like saying 'Hotel California' is a minor song to the Eagles, and 'Stairway To Heaven' is a minor song to Led Zeppelin. The term 'The Chain' does not suggest continuity but the way in which ends link, passing to each other in a series of sequences like the different lineups of the band itself.

Christine McVie wrote more great songs than Lindsey and Stevie put together?! Though wouldn't want to take anything away from Miss Perfect, when did Fleetwood Mac hit the big time? Lindsey was the vision behind the band, "linking" the powerful backbone of John and Mick, the magic and passion of Stevie, and adding cutting-edge to Christine's beautiful pop songs. As for the 4-CD box set my only disappointment is it not having one classic Christine song 'Hold Me'. 

Next time Peter, get your facts right. 

- STEVIE'S CRYSTAL BALL PATEA

PICK OF THE WEEK: 

FLEETWOOD MAC: 25 Years—The Chain (Warner Bros. 9 45129-2) Most people probably aren't aware that Fleetwood Mac goes back 25 years. Well, not as we knew them after the 1975 addition of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. This 4CD boxed set retrospective covers considerable ground in the long and varied history of the group that saw many changes before their smash hit album. Rumours. The first single, "Paper Doll" marks the first time all the band members since '75 have been on one recording, including the current lineup. There are three other new tracks on this impressive work of 72 cuts, which also includes a photo/ fact booklet with a complete discography. Produced by Ken Caillat. Executive producers are Mick Fleetwood and John McVie. 

- Cash Box December 5, 1992

SINGLE REVIEW

FLEETWOOD MAC "Paper Doll" (Warner Bros. PRO-CD-5872) As one of four new songs released on the band's latest four-CD/72-song boxed set 25 Years—The Chain, this reggae-flavored, Nicks-sung single boasts being the first ever cut to feature every member of the group since 1975. That's the most interesting thing about the song—the rest has album cut written all over it, although it's reminiscent in sound to the late '70s Mac incarnation, it should warrant some AC radio attention. Richard Dashut produces. 

- Cash Box December 12m 1992