01	Need Your Love So Bad						03:56
	02	Comin' Home						02:41
	03	Rambling Pony						02:43
	04	The Big Boat						02:40
	05	I Believe My Time Ain't Long						02:58
	06	The Sun Is Shining						03:14
	07	Albatross						03:14
	08	Black Magic Woman						02:50
	09	Just The Blues						05:40
	10	Jigsaw Puzzle Blues						01:37
	11	Looking For Somebody						02:53
	12	Stop Messin' Round						02:19

Pious Bird of Good Omen
Date of Release Aug 1969


With songs taken from Fleetwood Mac and Mr. Wonderful, Pious Bird of Good Omen serves as a worthy 12-track compilation of the band's early Peter Green days. Climbing to number 18 in the U.K., the album managed to catapult Fleetwood Mac's version of Little Willie John's "Need Your Love So Bad" into the English charts for the third time, resting at number 42. The album itself was released by Blue Horizon after the group's contract with them had expired, making it one of the best routes in which to explore their mingling of Chicago and British blues. "Albatross," "Black Magic Woman," and "I Believe My Time Ain't Long" are timeless Fleetwood Mac standards, representing some of the band's best pre-Rumours work. Anyone who isn't familiar with Fleetwood Mac's origins should use Pious Bird of Good Omen as a starting point in investigating the first wave of the band, which will almost certainly lead to further interests into albums such as English Rose, Then Play On, and Kiln House, and then into later albums like Bare Trees and Penguin, which reveal subtle yet effective changes in the band's blues sound. But even aside from its purpose as a collection, Pious Bird of Good Omen makes for a terrific laid-back stroll through some of the best British blues music ever made. - Mike DeGagne

1. Need Your Love So Bad (Little Willie John) - 3:56
2. Comin' Home (James) - 2:41
3. Rambling Pony (Green) - 2:43
4. The Big Boat performed by Fleetwood Mac / Eddie Boyd - 2:40
5. I Believe My Time Ain't Long (Spencer) - 2:58
6. The Sun Is Shining (James) - 3:14
7. Albatross (Green) - 3:14
8. Black Magic Woman (Green) - 2:50
9. Just the Blues performed by Fleetwood Mac / Eddie Boyd - 5:40
10. Jigsaw Puzzle Blues (Kirwan) - 1:37
11. Looking for Somebody (Green) - 2:53
12. Stop Messin' Round (Adams/Green) - 2:19


Big Walter Horton - Harmonica
Mick Fleetwood - Drums
Danny Kirwan - Guitar, Vocals
Jeremy Spencer - Guitar, Piano, Vocals, Slide Guitar
Mike Vernon - Producer
John McVie - Bass
Peter Green - Guitar, Vocals
Richard Vernon - Coordination

1995 CD Columbia 480524
1969 LP Blue Horizon 63215
1999 CD Sony International 480524



Albatross
Composed By Peter Green

AMG REVIEW: Perhaps the crowning moment in Fleetwood Mac's early career, "Albatross" provided the band with a huge international hit in 1969. Combining blues, Bahamian, Caribbean, and calypso music, Peter Green created a truly unique musical synthesis. Built around a simple blues pattern, Green and the band added fabulous and somewhat eccentric shading, and the overall effect is, without a doubt, intoxicating. One of the few instrumentals of the period to become hit records, this song was also highly influential. One of its biggest fans was none other than John Lennon, who used the feel of the song in his own " tribute" to Green, "Sun King," from the Beatles' classic Abbey Road. - Matthew Greenwald


Black Magic Woman
Composed By Peter Green

AMG REVIEW: Easily one of the centerpieces of the early Fleetwood Mac canon, "Black Magic Woman" is obviously more well-known as the huge hit single for Santana in 1970. However, this version on its own is indeed striking and far more than just a blueprint. Crossing blues, rock and Caribbean/ calypso music, Peter Green created a unique musical synthesis, and the effect is intoxicating. Lyrically, the song uses some interesting, dark imagery that recalls some early New Orleans blues and Cajun music, and the sense of foreboding is entirely inescapable. On to of all of this is a great left turn at the end of the song, where the band and Green shift into a violent boogie that rides out until the song's dramatic conclusion. All in all, one of the more powerful recordings of the period. - Matthew Greenwald


Looking for Somebody
Composed By Peter Green

AMG REVIEW: Fleetwood Mac was no doubt capable of frighteningly authentic readings of classic blues material such as "Shake Your Moneymaker," but it was originals such as this that set the band in another league. In a way, "Looking for Somebody" takes a straight blues figure and adds an element of calypso and almost bossa nova to create a truly unique song. Peter Green's immaculate, rustic style is at the fore here, with a very intimate performance (especially the vocals) that showed the world that the bandmembers were not only great stylists, but creators as well. - Matthew Greenwald








The Pious Bird Of Good Omen

Format : Import CD
Released : 15 Aug 1969
Label : Blue Horizon / CBS
Charts Peak : UK #18 (Sep 1969)

Mick Fleetwood
Peter Green
Danny Kirwan
John McVie
Jeremy Spencer


Great songs but not a great collection of them
Reviewer: John Fitzgerald, Human resources staff database assistant March 21, 2001

The Mac's first compilation is a hodgepodge of tracks from their first two albums, singles
and sessions on which Peter, John & Mick had backed up Chicago pianist Eddie Boyd.
Although there are some great recordings here, I think this would have worked better if it
was a collection of completely all non album tracks or rare tracks to help clean things up
rather than muddle things more which is all this release seems to have accomplished. I
would have dispensed with the Eddie Boyd tracks as anyone collecting the Mac would
need to get Eddie's "7936 South Rhodes" album anyways for all the other songs as well as
"The big boat" single as they play on the B-side song "Sent for you yesterday" too. The
"Mr. wonderful" version of "Stop messin' 'round" should have been replaced by the
version which appeared on the B-side of the "Need your love so bad" single which we
now know was take 5 while the "Mr. wonderful" version was take 4. "Coming home" &
"Looking for somebody" should've been ousted in favor of Danny's remaining three
"English rose" tracks "Without you", "One sunny day" & "Something inside of me".
These were the key to what made "English rose" so great to listen to and this could have
not only been the British equivalent, but surpassed it.