This is the album to own out of the three volumes, if you only want to try out early Fleetwood Mac. These numbers are incredible, the sound is great, and its simply some of the best blues playing I have ever heard. Comparisons and superlatives about Peter Green being better than Clapton may make a whole lot more sense once you hear this disc.

The strengths of this album are manifold, but there are many reasons why this disc is standout in the three-disc series. You get the original, hypnotic swing of "Black Magic Woman" which will might just make you forget about Santana's version; you get the 25-minute powerhouse jam of "Rattlesnake Shake" - and this has to be heard to be believed - the Mac, encouraged by touring with the Dead, were on their way to becoming one of the first few, and most powerful, jam bands ever. Peter Green and Danny Kirwan had an unbelievable chemistry, its sad to note they broke up so soon after this recording. You get the almost fusion-like, bouncy chording of "Only You" - and here again, Peter Green lights the stage on fire with a powerful, latin-tinged solo over Mick Fleetwood's insistent percussion; you get the harrowing "Jumping At Shadows" which is and indescribably desperate and pained reading of an old blue classic. The greatest gift is "The Green Manalishi", never properly released on album form, 13 minutes of harowing glory, an incredible, frightening, performance which every tortured note drips like blood from Peter's fingertips and sears hot scars on the souls of his listeners. Its awe-inspiring to say the least, and to boot, Peter picks up a six-string bass and does an insane extended solo to end the piece. If you are into british blues, jam bands, or just like really good music, you need this album in your collection. These are simply some of the best blues recordings ever made.

Note : The 2-CD set "Boston Blues" has all of the standouts above from this set, with the same sound, albeit out of chronological order.

This is jamming blues based rock at its best. Well before Lindsay Buckingham and Stevie Nicks interjected their pop influence on Fleetwood Mac, it was "Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac", a group of five enormously talented musicians who rivaled any of the blues-based British rock bands of the late 60's.

Starting off with the classic "Black Magic Woman," written and sung by Peter Green, the band goes bluesy with "Jumpin' At Shadows," then rocks out with a couple of Danny Kirwan songs. The three guitar line-up of Green, Kirwan and Jeremy Spencer on slide guitar adds a wall of sound that just resonates.

When the 24 minute "Rattlesnake Shake" starts out so true to its studio version, you wonder how they'll fill all the time. Don't worry. Included in the jam are "Searching/Fighting for Madge" and "Underway" off the classic "Then Play On" album. This is jamming the way you wish Cream would have done it: playing off and with each other rather than against each other.

The CD is capped with "Green Manalishi", a cult classic that Green must have visited the devil to write. Listen to the prolonged jam and see if you also don't think Freddie Mercury and Brian May lifted it to write "Another One Bites the Dust."

Fleetwood Mac had established itself as a "pure" rock blues band that could switch over to great mainstream stuff as needed. Critically and commercially coming into their own in the early 70's, Peter Green--who had been labeled a "Blues God" to offset Clapton's "God"--suddenly left the band. The rest is history. Enter the pop-rock success of latter day Fleetwood Mac.

If you want to hear brilliant musicians playing blues-based rock 'n roll at its best in the finest setting--live--buy this album.

This album flat-out rocks. By February 1970, the Mac had expanded its repertoire to include not only blues, but also intricate jams between Peter Green and Danny Kirwan. The centerpiece of this album is "Rattlesnake Shake," which fades at 24 minutes -- who knows how long they really played? The set also includes a killer version of "Black Magic Woman," along with some fine slide guitar from Jeremy Spencer. Great liner notes and wonderful remastered sound complete the set -- it's a sure buy if you like blues-rock, jamming, and great guitar work. This performance was intended to be released as a live album but was shelved when Peter Green left shortly afterward. It's nice to see it re-emerge in proper form all these years later.

This recording is a real eye opener for those rock'n'roll fans who associate Fleetwood Mac with mellow pop music and Stevie Nicks. This is the version of Fleetwood Mac that emphasized blues, guitars and volume.

Recorded in 1970, shortly before founder-guitarist Peter Green left the band, this disc is guaranteed to appeal to anyone who is a fan of loud blues-oriented guitar riffs ala Cream and The Allman Brothers.

The standout cut is a 25-minute version of 'Rattlesnake Shake'. A truly seminal piece of guitar work evidenced by the extraordinary interplay of guitarists Peter Green, Jeremy Spencer and Danny Kirwin.

If you are a rock'n'roll fan, you need this disc in your collection. I would have given it 5 stars but with Volumes 2 and 3 yet to be released, I wanted to save some room if either of those happen to be better. That would be quite a feat indeed.

If you are even reading this, you need to get all 3 volumes of the "Live In Boston" Series. Peter Green's guitar alone is worth a 10 star rating. Personally, I find Jeremy Spencer's slide guitar becomes a bit grating after awhile. Thank you very much for the skip track button on the cd player. Spencer's obvious Elmore James "schtick", however, it is not enough to drag these 3 great live recordings below 5 stars.
A must have for any blues fan.