Fleetwood Mac – The Pious Bird Of Good Omen

Fleetwood Mac – The Pious Bird Of Good Omen

The Pious Bird Of Good Omen is an essential document of Fleetwood Mac's early Peter Green era, originally released by Blue Horizon in 1969. Rather than a conventional studio album, it brings together singles, B-sides and other recordings made between 1967 and 1968, creating an excellent snapshot of the band's formative British blues period. The album reached No. 18 in the UK Albums Chart and remains one of the best introductions to Fleetwood Mac before their later transformation into a global pop-rock phenomenon.

At the centre of the record is Peter Green, whose expressive guitar playing and songwriting defined the band's early sound. Alongside Green, the classic line-up features Jeremy Spencer on guitar, John McVie on bass and Mick Fleetwood on drums, with Danny Kirwan also appearing on the later recording “Jigsaw Puzzle Blues”. The album showcases the musicians' deep understanding of Chicago and British blues, balancing raw electric blues with atmospheric instrumentals and increasingly sophisticated original material.

The record opens with Fleetwood Mac's celebrated version of “Need Your Love So Bad”, originally written and recorded by Little Willie John. Produced by Mike Vernon, the track became a UK hit for Fleetwood Mac, reaching No. 31 on the singles chart and later returning to the chart when the album was released. The arrangement's strings and restrained guitar work reveal a more soulful side of Green's playing and provide a striking contrast to the band's tougher blues material.

The second half contains two of the band's most enduring early recordings. “Albatross” is Peter Green's beautiful instrumental masterpiece, built around slow, shimmering guitar lines and an unusually spacious arrangement. It became Fleetwood Mac's first UK No. 1 single and remains one of the defining instrumental recordings of British blues. “Black Magic Woman”, also written by Green, is another standout, combining blues-rock guitar with a hypnotic rhythm and providing one of the band's most recognisable early compositions.

Elsewhere, “The Sun Is Shining” and “Comin' Home” demonstrate the band's debt to Elmore James, while “I Believe My Time Ain't Long” brings Robert Johnson's blues into the Fleetwood Mac repertoire. The album also features performances with Chicago blues pianist Eddie Boyd, including “The Big Boat” and “Just The Blues”, further connecting the young British group with the American blues musicians who had inspired them.

The closing tracks provide an excellent glimpse of the band's developing songwriting. Danny Kirwan's instrumental “Jigsaw Puzzle Blues” points towards the increasingly varied sound Fleetwood Mac would explore on Then Play On, while Peter Green's “Looking For Somebody” and “Stop Messin' Round” demonstrate the band's ability to move effortlessly between traditional blues structures and their own distinctive British interpretation.

For collectors of Fleetwood Mac vinyl, Peter Green, British blues and classic blues-rock, The Pious Bird Of Good Omen is an essential record. It captures Fleetwood Mac before the Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham era, when the group was still one of Britain's most respected blues bands. With “Albatross”, “Black Magic Woman” and “Need Your Love So Bad” all on the same LP, it remains one of the finest ways to explore the band's original blues identity.

Tracklist

Side A

1. Need Your Love So Bad – 3:50
2. Coming Home – 2:38
3. Rambling Pony – 2:40
4. The Big Boat – 2:35
5. I Believe My Time Ain't Long – 2:55
6. The Sun Is Shining – 3:10

Side B

1. Albatross – 3:10
2. Black Magic Woman – 2:46
3. Just The Blues – 5:35
4. Jigsaw Puzzle Blues – 1:33
5. Looking For Somebody – 2:50
6. Stop Messin' Round – 2:18