50 Years - Don't Stop (2018) 


 

Disc One
  1. Shake Your Moneymaker
  2. Black Magic
  3. Need Your Love So Bad
  4. Albatross
  5. Man of the World
  6. Oh Well (Pt.1)
  7. Rattlesnake Shake
  8. The Green Manalishi
  9. Tell Me All the Things You Do
  10.Station Man
  11.Sands of Time
  12.Spare Me a Little of Your Love
  13.Sentimental Lady
  14.Did You Ever Love Me
  15.Emerald Eyes
  16.Hypnotized
  17.Heroes are Hard to Find
  
 Disc Two
  1. Monday Morning
  2. Over My Head
  3. Rhianon
  4. Say You Love Me
  5. Landslide
  6. Go Your Own Way
  7. Dreams
  8. Second Hand News
  9. Don't Stop
  10.The Chain
  11.You Make Loving Fun
  12.Tusk
  13.Sara
  14.Think About Me
  15.Fireflies
  16.Never Going Back Again (Live)
  
 Disc Three
  1. Hold Me
  2. Gypsy
  3. Love in Store
  4. Oh Diane
  5. Big Love
  6. Seven Wonders
  7. Little Lies
  8. Everywhere
  9. As Long as You Follow Me
  10.Save Me
  11.Love Shines
  12.Paper Doll
  13.I Do
  14.Silver Springs (Live)
  15.Peacekeeper
  16.Say You Will
  17.Sad Angel

 

Fleetwood Mac compilations are, by now, as predictable as the lineup changes that have defined the band’s existence. Yet 50 Years: Don’t Stop manages to do something its predecessors rarely bothered with: it acknowledges that the band actually existed before Stevie Nicks twirled onto the scene in 1975. Imagine that.

While earlier greatest hits collections (Greatest Hits, The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac) leaned heavily—and sometimes exclusively—on the Buckingham-Nicks era, this three-disc retrospective makes a genuine attempt to tell the full story. And in doing so, it finally gives the Peter Green and Bob Welch periods their long-overdue due. From the British blues of Albatross and Oh Well to the overlooked mid-period gems like Hypnotized, this is as close to a comprehensive Mac primer as we’re ever likely to get.

The sequencing is thoughtful, if not strictly chronological, and the breadth of material is impressive. Here, we’re given the full arc: Green’s soulful guitar work, Welch’s hazy mysticism, the California sheen of the classic lineup, the polished pop of the ’80s, and even select moments from the more recent incarnations. It’s a sprawling, sometimes contradictory portrait—but then again, so is the band.

There are, of course, quibbles to be had. The version of Sara included here is the truncated single edit, not the full-length Tusk original, which remains one of the most spellbinding tracks in the band’s catalog. The decision was likely one of space rather than taste, but still—a small injustice. That said, these are minor transgressions in what is otherwise an impressively well-curated set.

Importantly, this review refers to the deluxe three-disc version. There is, inevitably, a single-disc “condensed” edition floating around out there, but it’s best avoided. As with Fleetwood Mac’s lineup history, you don’t get the full picture by trimming things down. This band has worn many faces—blues outfit, soft-rock juggernaut, fragmented experimenters—and to understand what’s remarkable about them, you need the full mosaic.

50 Years: Don’t Stop doesn’t just serve as a solid retrospective—it corrects a narrative. It acknowledges that Fleetwood Mac’s legacy isn’t confined to Rumours and its aftermath. It’s a long, strange, and at times brilliant journey, and for once, the packaging lives up to the story.


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