A Second Chapter Worth Reading – and Hearing: Danny Kirwan RIP
The history of Fleetwood Mac has four distinct chapters, all spanned by the remarkable rhythm section of Mick Fleetwood and John McVie. The band rose to prominence as Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac in 1967, with Green and Jeremy Spencer wielding duel blues guitars. A quick listen on music-streaming services would have you believe that FMac appeared in 1975 when Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks again reinvented the group.
There were two distinct chapters in between. The third one was when Bob Welch, already in the band, took over as lead guitarist in 1973 for great albums such as Mystery to Me and Heroes are Hard to Find.
The star of the second chapter, Danny Kirwan, just passed away Friday, June 8th, at the age of 68. Kirwan was only 18 when he joined Peter Green’s band, giving the group an amazing three-guitar attack. He was part of the remarkable collective that spawned Fleetwood Mac in Chicago, featuring some of the greatest bluesmen in the Windy City, including Otis Spann, Willie Dixon, S.P. Leary and more. He was also on the Spann recording Biggest Thing Since Colossus with John McVie and Leary.
He played on several other tracks on English Rose (US) / Pious Bird of Good Omen (UK), including “Albatross,” Green’s only hit single; Green claimed he would not have recorded it without Kirwan’s urging. Their only song-writing credit together was a B-side titled “World in Harmony,” a beautiful tune which finally made it to later FMac compilations.
He was fulling involved with Green’s last hurrah with the band, the brilliant and under appreciated Then Play On, which included several of his compositions: “My Dream,” “Although the Sun is Shining,” “When You Say” and “Like Crying” (two others — “One Sunny Day” and “Without You” — are no longer available). Of greatest prominence was the stunning opening track “Coming Your Way,” replete with incredible percussion work by Fleetwood.
The second chapter for FMac began in earnest in 1970 with the release of the beautiful Kiln House, which also featured a cover drawn by Christine Perfect. Of note were his songs “Tell Me All the Things You Do” and “Earl Gray” and two with co-writing credit (and best known): “Station Man” and “Jewel-Eyed Judy.”
He also played on Perfect’s eponymous solo albums she covered his “When You Say.” You may correctly assume that Christine Perfect later became Christine McVie. He also performed on Spencer’s first solo album.
If Kiln House was an indication of the band’s new direction, Future Games shouted it from the mountaintops. There was so much beauty here, most notably on “Woman of a 1000 Years” and the landmark “Sands of Time.” At this point, Spencer had left the band, and Bob Welch and Christine McVie became members.
His last album, before he was voted off the FMac island by the band, was Bare Trees, another must-have album. This was Kirwan’s album, penning five of the nine songs on the album. Notable were “Sunny Side of Heaven,” “Danny’s Chant,” and the gorgeous “Dust.” The centerpieces of the album were the first cuts on each side of the record: Child of Mine” and “Bare Trees.” On these his remarkable vocals talents are on full display.
His solo albums did not fare well sales-wise, but they featured his soft and engaging voice, most notably on the first one, Second Chapter, especially the title track. Midnight in San Juan and Hello There Big Boy were his last under his name. He also collaborated on the superb first solo album by former Savoy Brown vocalist Chris Youlden titled Nowhere Road.
If you’re not familiar with Kirwan’s music, do yourself a favor. That is a truly beautiful Second Chapter.