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Albatross (instrumental)

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"Albatross"
Dutch single reissue: L–R: Kirwan, Green, McVie, Fleetwood (back), Spencer (front)
Single by Fleetwood Mac
B-side"Jigsaw Puzzle Blues"
Released22 November 1968
RecordedOctober 1968
StudioCBS, London[1]
Genre
Length3:07
LabelBlue Horizon (BH 57-3145)[6]
Songwriter(s)Peter Green[6]
Producer(s)Mike Vernon[6]
Fleetwood Mac singles chronology
"Need Your Love So Bad"
(1968) 		"Albatross"
(1968) 		"Man of the World"
(1969)

"Albatross" is a guitar-based instrumental by Fleetwood Mac, released as a single in November 1968,[7] later featuring on the compilation albums The Pious Bird of Good Omen (UK)[8] and English Rose (US).[9] The piece was composed by Peter Green. Kirwan's instrumental "Jigsaw Puzzle Blues" was chosen for the B-side in most territories.[7]

Composition

[edit]

Santo & Johnny's "Sleep Walk" (1959) reportedly inspired Peter Green for his 1968 instrumental "Albatross".[10] Green took a liking to the Hawaiian-inspired guitar playing on the song and wanted to instill those stylistic choices into "Albatross" with a "blues feel.[11] The composition also resembles Chuck Berry's 1957 instrumental "Deep Feeling", itself derivative of the 1939 recording "Floyd's Guitar Blues" by Andy Kirk and his 12 Clouds of Joy, featuring guitarist Floyd Smith.[12]

In Green's biography [Celmins 1995], an early inspiration for "Albatross" was said to have been "a group of notes from an Eric Clapton solo, played slower." Green also mentioned that he developed the title for "Albatross" after reading the poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and took further inspiration from the midsection found on the Traffic song, "Hole in My Shoe", which features dialogue from a girl about "climb[ing] on the back of a giant albatross".[11]

Green had been working on the piece for some time before the addition to the band of 18-year-old guitarist Danny Kirwan.[13] According to Green, he wrote parts of the song while on an aeroplane and said that he "composed in the way musicians do, by feeling it out over time".[11] Slide guitarist Jeremy Spencer was not generally inclined to work with Green, who had felt unable to realise the overall effect that he wanted.[13] With Kirwan's input, who assisted with some of the harmonies,[11] Green completed the piece and it was recorded just two months after Kirwan joined, without Spencer present.[13] Green later commented that "he wouldn't have done 'Albatross' without Danny."[11]

Fleetwood Mac spent two days recording and mixing "Albatross", which was a considerable amount of time to spend on one song according to Mike Vernon, who served as the band's producer.[14] The sessions took place at CBS's During the first day of the recording session, which occurred on 6 October 1968, Mick Fleetwood played his drum kit using timpani mallets, which were then panned to the left and right channels by Mike Ross, who engineered the session. The initial tracking also consisted of John McVie on bass guitar along with Kirwan and Green on guitar. Cymbals and additional guitars were overdubbed the same day after the basic track was established.[15] The bass guitar was also double tracked.[11] Kirwan commented that the band did not approach "Albatross" with the intention of releasing it as a single. He explained that their approach was to record a series of songs and later determine "if there was a single among them", which is what occurred with "Albatross".[16]

This composition is one of only a few tracks by the original line-up of Fleetwood Mac that is included on their later "greatest hits" and "best of" compilations. "Albatross" is the only Fleetwood Mac composition to inspire at least two Beatles songs, "Sun King" from 1969's Abbey Road and the single "Don't Let Me Down".[10][17] George Harrison commented in a 1987 interview that the Beatles used "Albatross" as a starting point to construct a new song. "At the time, 'Albatross' (by Fleetwood Mac) was out, with all the reverb on guitar. So we said, 'Let's be Fleetwood Mac doing Albatross, just to get going.' It never really sounded like Fleetwood Mac... but that was the point of origin."[18]

Commercial performance

[edit]

Vernon recalled that the song first gained traction when it was played during the end credits of a Top of the Pops segment.[14] CBS had initially attempted to secure the song soon after its release on Top of the Pops, but the program was hesitant over the belief that it lack commercial viability. The program later found an open 45 second slot during the end credits and opted to fill it with an audio clip of "Albatross". The next day, CBS received an influx of orders for the single.[11] Fleetwood Mac was subsequently booked for an interview with Simon Dee, granting the band further exposure, and the song's appearance in a documentary further bolstered the song's sales numbers.[11][14] The song was a success in several countries and remains Fleetwood Mac's only number-one hit in the UK Singles Chart, spending one week at the top in January 1969.[19] At its commercial peak, the song was selling 60,000 copies per week.[14]

In a 1970 interview with Record Mirror, Fleetwood commented that the single "altered people's opinions of the band. Before we were more or less a straight blues band, but now people have had to get used to us playing what we feel like – and not necessarily the blues." He also said that the song's success encouraged them to place more value in releasing singles.[20]

"Albatross" was re-released in the United Kingdom in April 1973 as part of a CBS Records series entitled "Hall of Fame Hits",[21] and enjoyed a second UK chart run, peaking at number 2.[6][19] Archived footage of the band was aired on Top of the Pops to accompany the audio clip of "Albatross", during which the host mistakenly announced that the band had since broken up.[22]

Critical reception

[edit]

Writing for New Musical Express, Derek Johnson thought that "Albatross" was a musical departure from the band's previous single, "Need Your Love So Bad". He described "Albatross" as a "slow and brilliantly descriptive instrumental" and a "technically exemplary guitar duet" that evoked the song "Sleep Walk". Johnson concluded the review by proclaiming that the song had little chart potential.[23] Following the song's entry into the top ten, Tony Wilson of Melody Maker wrote that the "Albatross" was "a rather surprising hit, being an instrumental and not the familiar heavy blues feel of the Mac's music."[24] The Guardian and Paste ranked the song number 12 and number 28 respectively on their lists of the 30 greatest Fleetwood Mac songs. Paste said that the song was not "flashiest early Mac song by far, but it's one of the sweetest to revisit."[25][26]

B-sides

[edit]

The 1968 B-side to "Albatross" was "Jigsaw Puzzle Blues", a non-album track written by Danny Kirwan. He took inspiration from a clarinet solo played by Jimmy Dorsey on a 1933 composition of the same name written by Eddie Lang and Joe Venuti. Kirwan then repurposed the clarinet solo for guitar and recorded the song on 6 October 1968 at CBS Studios in London, the same day as "Albatross".[15][27] Green felt that his approach to the song was unsatisfactory and opted not to play on the studio recording.[11] Similar to "Albatross", Spencer also sat out of the recording sessions for "Jigsaw Puzzle Blues".[27] As such, Kirwan played all of the guitars himself on "Jigsaw Puzzle Blues".[13] John Peel, a disc jockey for BBC Radio 1, opted to play "Jigsaw Puzzle Blues" on his Top Gear radio programme instead of its A-side.[11] Fleetwood Mac's cover of "Need Your Love So Bad" was selected as the B-side for the 1973 re-release of "Albatross".[27]

Personnel

[edit]

Charts

[edit]
Chart (1968–1969) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[28] 11
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[29] 19
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[30] 35
Canadian Singles Chart[31] 45
Canadian AC Chart[32] 16
Ireland (IRMA)[33] 5
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[34] 1
Norway (VG-lista)[35] 2
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[36] 4
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[37] 4
UK Singles Chart[19] 1
US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles 4
West Germany (GfK)[38] 19
Chart (1973 UK re-release) Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA)[33] 8
UK Singles Chart[19] 2
Chart (1989 UK re-release) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart[19] 96
Chart (2020-2023) Peak
position
UK Physical Singles Chart[39] 8
UK Singles Downloads (OCC)[40] 54
UK Singles Sales Chart[41] 17
UK Vinyl Singles Chart[42] 8

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[43] Gold 400,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Legacy

[edit]

One of the earliest uses of the tune was on the soundtrack for the Rainer Werner Fassbinder sci-fi virtual reality film World on a Wire (1973). It was featured (along with "Jigsaw Puzzle Blues") in 1979's Rock 'n' Roll High School. Mick Fleetwood told Rolling Stone magazine that it was also used by the BBC on a wildlife program before it was a hit.[44] The piece was also used as the background music to Marks & Spencer's 2005 advertising campaign. The song was used again by Marks & Spencer in 2019.[45]

In March 2005, Q magazine placed "Albatross" at number 37 in its list of the "100 Greatest Guitar Tracks".[46]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "BI's Chart Fax" (PDF). Beat Instrumental (2): 17. February 1969.
  2. ^ Rapp, Allison (8 April 2021). "Watch David Gilmour Perform Fleetwood Mac's 'Albatross'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 20 April 2021. Steel guitar for a performance of Fleetwood Mac's instrumental classic 'Albatross' ...
  3. ^ a b Ewing, Tom (9 September 2006). "Fleetwood Mac - "Albatross"". Freaky Trigger. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  4. ^ Petridis, Alexis. "Fleetwood Mac's 30 greatest songs – ranked!". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  5. ^ Molanphy, Chris (14 January 2023). "Thinking About Tomorrow Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 123. ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
  7. ^ a b "Fleetwood Mac - Albatross". 45cat.com. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  8. ^ "The Pious Bird of Good Omen - Fleetwood Mac | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  9. ^ "English Rose - Fleetwood Mac | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  10. ^ a b Rooksby, Rikky (2004). Fleetwood Mac: The Complete Guide to Their Music. Omnibus Press. p. 17. ISBN 1-844494-27-6.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Celmins, Martin (1995). Peter Green: Founder of Fleetwood Mac. Castle. pp. 72–75. ISBN 1-898141-13-4.
  12. ^ Kutner, John (2010). 1000 UK Number One Hits. Omnibus Press. p. 264. ISBN 978-0857123602.
  13. ^ a b c d The Vaudeville Years (CD booklet notes). Fleetwood Mac. Receiver Records. 1998.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ^ a b c d Vernon, Mike (1999). The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions 1967–1969 (Boxed set booklet). Fleetwood Mac. New York City: Sire Records. pp. 8–9. 73003-2.
  15. ^ a b Hjort, Christopher (2007). Strange Brew: Eric Clapton and the British Blues Boom. Jawbone Press. p. 197. ISBN 978-1-906002-00-8 – via Internet Archive.
  16. ^ Dawbarn, Bob (14 December 1968). "Guitarist with no wrinkles" (PDF). Melody Maker. p. 12. Retrieved 11 May 2025 – via World Radio History.
  17. ^ Everett, Walter (1999). The Beatles as Musicians: Revolver Through the Anthology. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. pp. 222–223. ISBN 0-19-509553-7.
  18. ^ "Abbey Road – 'Sun King'". The Beatles Interview Database. 2009. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  19. ^ a b c d e "Albatross | full Official Chart History". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  20. ^ Partridge, Rob (6 June 1970). "Fleetwood Mac: Falling Victim To An Epidemic". Record Mirror. Retrieved 2 March 2025 – via Rock's Backpages.
  21. ^ "Fleetwood Mac - Albatross". 45cat.com. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  22. ^ Evans, Mike (2011). Fleetwood Mac: The Definitive History. New York: Sterling. p. 98. ISBN 978-1-4027-8630-3.
  23. ^ Johnson, Derek (7 December 1968). "Top Singles Reviewed By Derek Johnson - Fleetwood Mac: Albatross (Blue Horizon)" (PDF). New Musical Express. p. 6. Retrieved 11 May 2025 – via World Radio History.
  24. ^ Wilson, Tony (11 January 1969). "Peter Gets a Touch of Those Homesick Blues" (PDF). Melody Maker. p. 9. Retrieved 11 May 2025 – via World Radio History.
  25. ^ Petridis, Alexis (19 May 2022). "Fleetwood Mac's 30 greatest songs – ranked!". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  26. ^ Mitchell, Matt (7 August 2023). "The 30 Greatest Fleetwood Mac Songs". Paste. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  27. ^ a b c Roubin, Olivier; Ollivier, Romuald (1 April 2025). Fleetwood Mac: All The Songs. New York: Black Dog Leventhal Publishers. pp. 92–94. ISBN 978-0-7624-8630-4.
  28. ^ "Fleetwood Mac – Albatross". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  29. ^ "Fleetwood Mac – Albatross" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  30. ^ "Fleetwood Mac – Albatross" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  31. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - March 31, 1969" (PDF).
  32. ^ "RPM Top 40 AC Singles - March 24, 1969" (PDF).
  33. ^ a b "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Albatross". Irish Singles Chart.
  34. ^ "Fleetwood Mac – Albatross" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  35. ^ "Fleetwood Mac – Albatross". VG-lista.
  36. ^ "Fleetwood Mac – Albatross". Singles Top 100.
  37. ^ "Fleetwood Mac – Albatross". Swiss Singles Chart.
  38. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Fleetwood Mac – Albatross" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see peak chart position, click "TITEL VON Fleetwood Mac"
  39. ^ "Official Physical Singles Chart 27 April 2023 - 3 May 2023". Official Charts. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  40. ^ "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  41. ^ "Official Singles Sales Chart 27 April 2023 - 3 May 2023". Official Charts. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  42. ^ "Official Vinyl Singles Chart 27 April 2023 - 3 May 2023". Official Charts. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  43. ^ "British single certifications – Fleetwood Mac – Albatross". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  44. ^ "The True Life Confessions of Fleetwood Mac". Rolling Stone. 24 March 1977. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  45. ^ Calnan, Marianne (3 April 2019). "M&S revives its famous 'food porn' ad campaign". The Grocer. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  46. ^ "100 Greatest Guitar Tracks Ever!". Q Magazine. Rocklist.net. March 2005. Archived from the original on 24 February 2006. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
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