Remember Me/Bright Fire/Dissatisfied/(I'm A Roadrunner)The Derelict/Revelation/Did You Ever Love Me/Night Watch/Caught In The Rain
Between the departure of Peter Green and the arrival of Buckingham Nicks five years later Fleetwood Mac went through several personnel changes. Penguin continues the transition towards a mainstream pop rock sound. (US:49)
“Nothing special and it looks like the band is trying to find their sound. Christine McVie has the strongest songs on this album. Basically a new guitarist and vocalist have changed the overall vibe of the band.”
“Penguin saw another slew of personnel changes - Danny Kirwan replaced by guitarist Bob Weston and former Savoy Brown singer Dave Walker, who was certainly a talented singer, but his blues and country leanings definitely made it an odd choice.”
“Penguin finds Fleetwood Mac caught in musical transition. With Peter Green long departed, the group's albums have been gradually transitioning towards pop music but they have yet to find their identity. One can hear the shift towards even more radio friendly cuts than what was found on their previous release, but most of these cuts fail to impress. Singers Welch, McVie, and Walker trade lead roles throughout Penguin. With very different singing voices and styles, this does disrupt the flow of the album somewhat.”
“It certainly looked as if the band wanted to move in a more mainstream direction and the music on Penguin is certainly middle of the road and very tepid. Bob Welch's tracks are the stronger here but they too lack energy.”
“Once again, Fleetwood Mac find themselves in a period of transition, and it really shows here. Still there are some really enjoyable songs here, in particular the Bob Welch compositions. Night Watch is my favourite, as it's a fine example of the mysterious quality of songs that he brought to the group.”
“Overall this is a fairly average record, however, it does contain some really marvellous Christine McVie tracks that are as good as anything that she did later. Remember Me and Dissatisfied are both great, bittersweet songs in Christine's trademark minor key.”
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