Maps of Music

Mystery to Me (1973)

Where the lyrics of Mystery to Me take you, and where it was really made.

Fleetwood Mac fired guitarist Bob Weston during the 1973 American tour, yet the album he played on was later certified gold in the United States.

Place unknown

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Mystery to Me: eighth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac
Released 15 October 1973
Last album to feature guitarist Bob Weston
Most songs written by Bob Welch and Christine McVie, who steered the band toward pop rock
"Hypnotized" was not a hit single but became a long-running American FM radio staple

Last Fleetwood Mac album recorded in England
Last album with two guitarists in the line-up until Behind the Mask
Last album co-produced and/or engineered by Martin Birch
Weston was fired during the 1973 American tour; road manager John Courage put him on a plane back to the UK
With the tour cut short, the band went back to England to tell manager Clifford Davis
Davis later sent another group of musicians on the road as Fleetwood Mac, claiming he owned the name
Dave Walker was asked to leave during the sessions and did not appear on the final release

Recorded at Benifold, the band's communal house in Hampshire, with the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio
Same approach as the preceding album Penguin
Recording equipment placed in two first-floor rooms, with cables running to the mobile studio at the front door
Mick Fleetwood said the setup was cost-effective and gave the band more flexibility to record when they found it appropriate
Album mixed at Advision Studios, London

Formed in London in July 1967 by Peter Green after leaving John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, with Mick Fleetwood on drums.
The name combines Fleetwood's surname with bassist John McVie, who joined in 1967.
Early line-up was primarily a British blues band; "Albatross" reached UK No. 1 in 1968.

Core members over time: Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Christine McVie, Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham.
Buckingham and Nicks joined at the end of 1974 and drove the band's global success.

Rumours (1977) is one of the best-selling albums of all time and won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 1978.
The band has sold more than 120 million records worldwide.
Received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 1979 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.
Received the MusiCares Person of the Year award in 2018.
Christine McVie died in 2022; Stevie Nicks later said she saw no reason to continue the band.

Cashbox: called Mystery to Me "another smash LP" that "packs punch and prettiness side by side"
Cashbox: singled out the intimate dimension of Christine McVie's vocals and keyboards, Bob Weston's guitar playing, and the impeccable rhythm section
Billboard: called Fleetwood Mac one of the most melodic groups, shifting material to match shifting personnel, and called "Just Crazy Love" and "The City" superb
Record World: described the vocals and instrumentation as "free and breezy" and named "Just Crazy Love," "Emerald Eyes" and "Somebody" among songs forming a super set

Classic Rock (retrospective review): among the six largely forgotten albums Fleetwood Mac released between 1970 and 1974, Mystery to Me is the best
Classic Rock: called it their oddest and most eclectic album

Sold moderately well in the US
Debuted at number 156 on the US Billboard Top LPs chart dated 17 November 1973
Peaked at number 67 on the chart dated 22 December 1973, after six weeks on the chart
Spent 26 weeks on the chart in total
Returned to the US Billboard 200 chart dated 6 September 1975, after the success of the Buckingham/Nicks line-up
Certified gold by the RIAA on 9 November 1976 for sales of over 500,000 copies in the US

The album's name comes from a line in the chorus of "Emerald Eyes".
"For Your Love" was originally recorded by The Yardbirds; Fleetwood Mac's cover replaced Bob Welch's "Good Things (Come to Those Who Wait)" very late in production.
Some copies still showed "Good Things" on the lyric inner sheet and outer sleeve instead of "For Your Love".
"Keep On Going" was written by Bob Welch but sung by Christine McVie, because Welch decided her voice suited the song better.
Mick Fleetwood described the outdoor acoustics at Benifold as "just massive, like a concert hall, resounding off the trees and all through the grounds."
"Hypnotized" was played on the Fleetwood Mac Tour in 1975 and featured in early shows of the 2018–19 An Evening with Fleetwood Mac tour.