Mystery to Me

Studio album by Fleetwood Mac

Released

15 October 1973

Recorded

Spring-Summer 1973

Studio

Rolling Stones Mobile Studio

Genre

Rock

Length

47:49

Label

Reprise

Producer

Fleetwood Mac & Martin Birch

Fleetwood Mac chronology

Penguin
(1973)

Mystery to Me
(1973)

Heroes Are Hard to Find
(1974)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Robert Christgau	B+
Rolling Stone	(negative)

Mystery to Me is the eighth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 15 October 1973. This was their last album to feature Bob Weston. Most of the songs were penned by guitarist/singer Bob Welch and keyboardist/singer Christine McVie, who were playing a major role in edging the band's sound towards the radio-friendly pop-rock that would make them highly successful a few years later. Although the album only sold moderately and produced no hit singles, "Hypnotized" did become an FM radio staple for many years. In the wake of the Buckingham/Nicks led line-up's success a few years later, it achieved Gold status in 1976.

The album is the end of an era in two ways: it is their last album recorded in England and the last to have two guitarists in the line-up until Behind the Mask. As with the previous album Penguin, the group hired the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio and brought it down to Hampshire in order to record their album at Benifolds, their communal house. Dave Walker was asked to leave during the sessions and none of his contributions ended up in the final release.

The title comes from a line in the chorus of "Emerald Eyes".

During the band's American tour of 1973, they appeared on the Midnight Special, but during the venture, it became clear that Bob Weston was having an affair with Mick Fleetwood's wife Jenny. Although Fleetwood tried to carry on playing with Weston, regardless of the extramarital issues, it soon became clear that something had to give and after a gig in Lincoln, Nebraska, he told the McVies and Welch that he could no longer play with Weston in the line-up. John Courage, the band's road manager, fired Weston and put him on a plane back to the UK. With the tour cut short, the band also went back to England to break the news to their manager Clifford Davis, who was so angry that he sent another bunch of musicians on the road as Fleetwood Mac, claiming that he owned the name.

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Wikipedia