Rocks In The Attic #1064: Eddie Boyd & Fleetwood Mac – ‘7936 South Rhodes’ (1968)

My mission to collect all of the Fleetwood Mac studio albums continues with this gem, 7936 SOUTH RHODES, which finds Peter Green, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood backing American blues export Eddie Boyd on an album of blues songs in January 1968.

Credited on the LP to just Eddie Boyd, but commonly credited to Eddie Boyd & Fleetwood Mac, this captures the band at the start of the year they would release both the self-titled FLEETWOOD MAC and MR. WONDERFUL. I’m unsure as to why Jeremy Spencer isn’t on this recording, and the internet is short on details (anyone?…anyone?…).

It all makes for a great sounding record, with Boyd handling vocals and piano. The piano playing is markedly different to the feel that Christine Perfect would bring into the band later in the year; here it sounds like genuine piano blues. And while Green takes the occasional solo, Boyd’s piano is clearly the lead instrument, with Green mainly vamping on blues licks across most of the songs.

I love how the liner notes refer to the band as The Fleetwood Mac. I really like all that from around this time – The Cream, The Pink Floyd, The Status Quo, etc.

Hit: You Got To Reap

Hidden Gem: Back Slack