Still smarting from the negative reception that Tusk received from many fans and critics, the Mac decided to release a live album of their previous hits to remind fans of why they became so successful in the first place. A whopping 10 of the double album's 18 tracks come from 1975's FLEETWOOD MAC and 1977's RUMOURS, with "Sara," "Over and Over," and "Not That Funny" standing in as the only songs to represent 1979's underrated masterpiece TUSK. Still, there are a few surprises, including a stunning cover of Peter Green's "Oh Well" and a rare performance of "Don't Let Me Down Again," a stellar number form Buckingham Nicks' long out-of-print debut album.

There are also two newly-written songs, which will be of interest to fans. Christine McVie contributes the lovely ballad "One More Night," which is yet another beautiful, bittersweet ballad, very much in the same vein as much of her melancholy material on TUSK. Stevie's new composition "Fireflies" (#60 Pop, #59 Mainstream Rock) is a groovy mid-tempo rocker, that many of Nicks' fans will no doubt buy this record especially for - although the song was not a hit, it was a charting single, and it has yet to appear on any other album. There is also a terrific backstage recording the Beach Boys' "The Farmer's Daughter," which highlights the groups gorgeous harmonies at the peak of their strength.

Live albums are a sometimes a tough sell, as they are often routine and predictable. This one is one of my favorites, however, as it contains raw and energetic performances that are a nice counterpart to the heavily-produced studio versions. In particular, "Rhiannon," "Don't Stop," "I'm So Afraid," and especially "Go Your Own Way" all rock harder than ever, brimming forth with an almost carnal energy that becomes intoxicating. The set's ballads like "Sara" and "Over and Over" also seem to strike stronger emotional chords in the live setting, with Stevie's tattered rendition of "Landslide" emerging as especially moving; it sounds as though she's literally experiencing the lyrics right in front of your own ears.

On the downside, the material isn't always very well recorded (the mastering of live albums has come a long way since then), and all of the tracks come from different concert dates spliced together, but this device actually works surprisingly well as it gives listeners a well rounded view of the overall tour. I do wonder why the original two record set is presented on two compact discs, when, at about 80 minutes, it could have fit on one CD by editing only a couple seconds. This is a minor nitpick, however, as the album remains an amazing document of one of the all-time great bands at the top of it's game. The album was also a commercial success, peaking at #14 on the Hot 200, which is a great showing for a live recording.

This live album from 1980 is a rare insight on the band's marathon-tour in support of the "Tusk" album. Not only does it allow the casual listener to discover hidden gems like "Don't Let Me Down Again", "One More Night" "Fireflies" or "Over & Over", it also enables the true Mac fans to capture a milestone in the band's history.

The recording is impressive; songs like "Landslide" or "Never going back again" feature such intimate readings, that you can even wonder if they were truly recorded live - that is, until a deluge of applause happens as the songs conclude. Other songs like "I'm so afraid" or "Not that funny" are a testimony to the mad genius displayed by Lindsey Buckingham on stage. Christine McVie is as good as always, with flawless performances of "Over my head" and "Say you love me". And Stevie Nicks delivers an achingly beautiful version of "Sara", less polished but more emotional than on the album version, where her voice is both sensitive and soaring. The band no longer performs "Sara" in their concerts, based on Stevie's wish, and judging from this version, one can only wonder why. This is the only official live version of "Sara" ever released, which is reason enough to purchase the album.

There are plenty of high points on this album, such as "Rhiannon" (less subdued and more rocking than the version later found on "The Dance"), "Don't Stop", "Dreams", "Oh Well" and the ethereal cover of Brian Wilson's "The Farmer's Daughter". There isn't a weak moment on this album; and although it would have been nice to have songs like "Gold Dust Woman", "You Make Loving Fun" and "Songbird", it's still one of the finest live albums ever recorded.

Fleetwood Mac Live is absolutely awe inspiring. This set is great live music plain and simple. Mac classics like Go Your Own Way, Sara, and Landslide all performed beautifully. "Rhiannon" is amazing! I would give anything to see Stevie perform Rhiannon like this one more time. Also included are never before released tracks "Fireflies" and Brian Wilson's "Farmer's Daughter" bringing out Fleetwood Mac's harmonizing ability to the listener. Pre Buckingham Nicks Fleetwood Mac song "Oh Well" is played with Lindsey doing an incredible cover. "Don't Let Me Down Again," from the Buckinham Nicks album is also a highlight. Enjoy...

There are few bands that can truly pull off being an OUTSTANDING live act, but Fleetwood Mac is definetely one. Now this CD was released in 1980, and that shows somewhat in the quality of the recordings, but not enough to affect the overall quality of the CD. It's a Double-CD set, full of Fleetwood Mac classics from the 79-80 mammoth Tusk Tour.

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The Cd's feature each song from a different stop on the tour, which was very unique thing to do.

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On the first disk, you get to hear Stevie Nicks sing "Dreams" beautifully from a live sound check...which is something rare.

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On the first disk, you also get to experience the mega-hit from their album "Tusk," "Sara"- a song Nicks wrote about her relationship with Don Henley, and also Mick Fleetwood.

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On Disk 2 you get the full-fledged rock version of Stevie's classic tune "Rhiannon." The intensity of this version is incredible, and truly displays to listeners how it was back then, and the whole aura of Stevie Nicks.

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I can't say that I've ever listened to this album, really, or even a whole side of it, so take the 5-star rating with a grain of salt, but I've listened to "I'm So Afraid" about a thousand times, mostly late at night, alone in my room with the lights out. It's not just the vocals, which are amazing, but also the guitar. This is what a live performance is supposed to be, a well-rehearsed, talented band finding their groove and channeling inspiration down from that place where music resides. I admit I was 18 years when I did it--but 20 years later the memory has never left me.

It's pretty rare that a live version of a song surpasses the studio version in all ways, but this is it. After you've listetened to the live version for the tenth time in a row, look for the studio version and play that, just for a giggle.