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On September 18, nearly 51 years to the day from its original release, Fleetwood Mac’s third album, Then Play On, will be reissued on BMG on CD and half-speed mastered 2-LP in a special “Celebration Edition.” And as far as Fleetwood Mac albums go, this one is certainly worth celebrating.

On Then Play On, the band steers away from the straight-ahead blues covers that dominated their earlier albums. The band’s lineup was also in transition – one of many such changes the Mac would see in its 50+ year history – as Danny Kirwan entered contributing guitar and also penning half the songs on the album. The album also showcases a blend of Kirwan’s guitar style with founding member Peter Green’s. Green would end up leaving Fleetwood Mac after the release of Then Play On.

But there’s more to Then Play On than the 14 songs on the original U.K. pressing, and this has slightly complicated matters when it comes to reissuing the album. For example, the original U.S. track listing omitted the original tracks “One Sunny Day” and “Without You,” while a 1970 edition included the hit single “Oh Well (Parts 1 and 2)” in its reconfigured track listing and excised “When You Say” and “My Dream.” Reprise also issued a pair of singles around the time of Then Play On — the aforementioned “Oh Well” which split the song across two sides of a single, and “The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Prong Crown” b/w “World In Harmony.” When Warner pressed up an edition in 2013 these singles were added to the UK track listing. BMG carries on this track list, introducing it to vinyl for the first time in this sequence.

The new CD will be released in a deluxe, expanded mediabook presentation with a 16-page booklet featuring liner notes by Anthony Bozza and a foreword by Mick Fleetwood. The 2-LP edition has been half-speed mastered for increased dynamic range and includes the aforementioned expanded track list as well as the 16-page book, all wrapped up in a bookpack presentation.

Both the CD and 2-LP configurations of Then Play On: Celebration Edition will be coming your way on September 18. This comes as a prelude to the worldwide release of the concert documentary Mick Fleetwood & Friends Celebrate The Music Of Peter Green And The Early Years Of Fleetwood Mac which sees a star-studded lineup paying tribute to the early years of the band. We’ll have more information on that project as we get closer to its release date.

You can place your orders for Then Play On: Celebration Edition with the links below and keep scrolling for a complete track listing!

Fleetwood Mac, Then Play On: Celebration Edition (BMGCAT448, 2020)

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Your Local Record Shop
2-LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Your Local Record Shop

1. Coming Your Way
2. Closing My Eyes
3. Fighting For Madge
4. When You Say
5. Show-Biz Blues
6. Under Way
7. One Sunny Day
8. Although The Sun Is Shining
9. Rattlesnake Shake
10. Without You
11. Searching For Madge
12. My Dream
13. Like Crying
14. Before The Beginning
    Bonus tracks:
15. Oh Well – Pt. 1
16. Oh Well – Pt. 2
17. The Green Manalishi ( With The Two Prong Crown)
18. World In Harmony

Tracks 1-14 originally released as Then Play On , Reprise U.K. LP RSLP 9000, 1969.
Tracks 15 and 16 released as Reprise single RS 27000, 1969.
Tracks 17 and 18 released as Reprise single RS 27007, 1970.