Albatross (composition)

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"Albatross"

Single by Fleetwood Mac
Released	January 1969
Format	7" single
Recorded	October 1968
Length	3:07
Label	Blue Horizon BH 57-3145
Producer(s)	Mike Vernon
Chart positions
#1 (UK) #2 (NL) #2 (NOR) #4 (SWE) #5 (IRL)

"Albatross" is a guitar-based instrumental by Fleetwood Mac, released as a single in 1969. The piece was composed by Peter Green.

The composition suggests a relaxing sea setting, with cymbals imitating the sound of waves and a dreamy solo from Green's Les Paul guitar. It is notable for containing only two chords, Emaj7 and F#m, from start to finish, and could be seen as an early ambient work.

Green had been working on the piece for some time before the addition to the band of 18 year old guitarist Danny Kirwan. Slide guitarist Jeremy Spencer was not generally inclined to work with Green, who had felt unable to realise the overall effect that he wanted. With Kirwan's input, Green completed the piece and it was recorded just two months after Kirwan joined, without Spencer present. Kirwan's instrumental "Jigsaw Puzzle Blues" was chosen for the B-side.

It has been suggested that the piece is associated with the metaphorical use of the word albatross to mean a 'wearisome burden'. The use of the word "Albatross" to mean an encumbrance (literally around somebody's neck) is an allusion to Coleridge's poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1798). It is unclear whether or not Fleetwood Mac intended the song title to reference this meaning, or if it simply refers to the sea bird; but the title of the album it appears on, The Pious Bird of Good Omen, definitely alludes to and quotes from the Coleridge poem.

This composition is one of only a few tracks to come out of the original lineup of Fleetwood Mac that is included on their later "greatest hits" and "best of" compilations. Many of their compilations only focus on hits from the 1970s and 1980s. However, other compositions from that period have gone on to become classic recordings in the hands of other performers - "Black Magic Woman" as recorded by Santana for example. Another example, "Oh, Well" has gone on to become a classic rock standard. "Albatross" is the only Fleetwood Mac composition with the distinction of having inspired a Beatles song, "Sun King" from 1969's Abbey Road.

The piece was used as the background music to Marks & Spencer's 2005 advertising campaign. In March of that year, Q magazine placed it at number 37 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks.

The distinctive slide guitar motif is a recurring theme on The KLF's 1990 album Chill Out.

[edit] Side notes

Fleetwood Mac became associated with this piece in the public consciousness despite having numerous other well-received singles. Other notable examples of pieces that have attained the same status for other rock bands include British Blues contemporary Jethro Tull's "Aqualung" and The Guess Who's "American Woman". More recent examples include Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Seven Nation Army" by the White Stripes. The opposite of traditional one hit wonders, which are often a musical act's one and only success, these singles are generally the first high-charting release in a formidable catalogue of hits. This is certainly true of Fleetwood Mac. Arguably however, the greater iconic body of hits came after the departure of Peter Green in 1970 and other lineup changes (including the addition of Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham).