Bare Trees

Bare Trees is the sixth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released in March 1972. This is their last album to feature Danny Kirwan, who was fired during the album's supporting tour. In the wake of the band's success in the mid-1970s, Bare Trees peaked at number 70 on US Billboard 200 chart.[1] The album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 1988.[2]

Bare Trees
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 1972
Recorded1971–1972
StudioDe Lane Lea Music Centre, Wembley, London
(apart from track 10, recorded at Mrs Scarrott's home in Hampshire)
GenreRock, soft rock
Length36:58
LabelReprise
ProducerFleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac chronology
Future Games
(1971)
Bare Trees
(1972)
Penguin
(1973)

Mick Fleetwood was particularly impressed with Kirwan's contributions to the album. "It's a well-rounded album. Like Lindsey, Danny had the chops with layering techniques, and the ability to know what's right and wrong in the studio."[3]

Track notes

"Child of Mine" alludes to Kirwan's biological father not having been part of his life (Kirwan was his stepfather's surname). "The Ghost" was later re-recorded by Bob Welch for His Fleetwood Mac Years and Beyond, Vol. 2 in 2006, albeit this version was only available on the digital edition. "Homeward Bound" alludes to Christine McVie's then dislike of flying and touring, also alluded to in her 1997 track Temporary One. "Sunny Side of Heaven" was an instrumental, which, at the time, was mixed in with some radio station sign-offs. The piece was also performed with Lindsey Buckingham on guitar for some shows in the mid 1970s.[4]

"Bare Trees" shares a theme with both the album's cover photography by John McVie and the closing poem "Thoughts On a Grey Day." "Sentimental Lady" was released as a single, and was later re-recorded by its composer Bob Welch (with Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, and Lindsey Buckingham backing him) for his solo album French Kiss. Welch would record the song again for His Fleetwood Mac Years & Beyond in 2003. "Danny's Chant" features the use of wah-wah guitars. The title is somewhat ironic in that the track is largely an instrumental, although it does have rhythmic, non-verbal backing vocals in the mix.

"Spare Me a Little of Your Love" became a staple of the band's live act from 1972–1977. It was also covered by Johnny Rivers on his studio album New Lovers and Old Friends in 1975. Jackie DeShannon recorded a version for her 1972 album Jackie although this did not make the final cut and was not released until 2015. The lyrics for "Dust" were taken from a poem about death written by Rupert Brooke in 1910.[5] Unlike W H Davies who received a credit for the words to Dragonfly, Brooke was not credited here as his copyright had expired.

The final track on the album, "Thoughts on a Grey Day", is not a Fleetwood Mac song, but a monaural recorded poem written and supposedly read by an elderly woman, Mrs. Scarrott, who lived near the band's communal home, 'Benifold', in southern England. Bob Welch, however, said in a Penguin Q&A in 1999, "The spoken thing Mick does about 'Trees so bare' was written, I think, by this sweet old lady that lived near Benifold ... Mick did an affectionate 'schtick' on her to close the album."[6]

Five of the ten tracks were penned by Kirwan. "Trinity", another Kirwan song recorded at the sessions, was subsequently released in 1992 on the 25 Years – The Chain box set.

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
CreemB+[8]
Rolling Stone(favourable)[9]

Commercial performance

Bare Trees debuted at number 175 on US Billboard 200 chart dated 22 April 1972.[10] The album reached its peak at number 70 on the chart dated 3 June 1972, after being on the chart for seven weeks.[11] The album ultimately spent a total of 27 weeks on the chart.[12]

On 9 February 1988, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over a million copies in the United States.[13]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Child of Mine"Danny Kirwan5:09
2."The Ghost"Bob Welch3:58
3."Homeward Bound"Christine McVie3:20
4."Sunny Side of Heaven"Kirwan3:10
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Bare Trees"Kirwan5:02
2."Sentimental Lady"Welch4:35
3."Danny's Chant"Kirwan3:16
4."Spare Me a Little of Your Love"C. McVie3:44
5."Dust"Kirwan2:41
6."Thoughts on a Grey Day"Mrs. Scarrott1:46
2020 Remastered bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Trinity"Danny Kirwan4:08
12."Sentimental Lady (Single Version)"Welch3:02
13."Homeward Bound (Live)"C. McVie6:51

Personnel

Fleetwood Mac

Additional personnel

  • "Special thanks to Mrs Scarrott for her readings, recorded at her home in Hampshire."

Production

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1972) Position
Australian Kent Music Report[14] 37
US Billboard 200[15] 70

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[16] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. "Billboard Chart History - Fleetwood Mac". Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  2. "RIAA Certifications - Fleetwood Mac". Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  3. Farber, Jim. "Fleetwood Mac's Forgotten Hero". Music Aficionado. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  4. Doerschuk, Bob. "From the Archive: Christine McVie". KeyboardMag. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  5. Dust By Rupert Brooke
  6. "The Penguin Q&A Sessions: Bob Welch, November 8–21, 1999". The Penguin. 21 November 1999. Archived from the original on 10 January 2007. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  7. Mason, Stewart. "Bare Trees – Fleetwood Mac". Allmusic. Archived from the original on 16 January 2012. Retrieved 25 December 2006.
  8. Christgau, Robert (August 1972). "The Christgau Consumer Guide". Creem. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  9. Scoppa, Bud (8 June 1972). "Fleetwood Mac Bare Trees > Album Review". Rolling Stone (110). Archived from the original on 7 September 2008. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
  10. "Billboard 200 - April 22, 1972". Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  11. "Billboard 200 - June 3, 1972". Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  12. "Billboard Chart History - Fleetwood Mac". Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  13. "RIAA Certifications - Fleetwood Mac". Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  14. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  15. "Allmusic: Bare Trees : Charts & Awards: Billboard Albums". allmusic.com. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  16. "American album certifications – Fleetwood Mac – Bare Trees". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
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