Album
Then Play On
Then Play On is the third studio album by Fleetwood Mac, released on 19 September 1969. It was the first of their original albums to feature Danny Kirwan and the last with Peter Green. Jeremy Spencer was still an official member but barely appears, contributing only a couple of piano parts, according to Mick Fleetwood. It was also their first release for Reprise Records, who had lured them away from Blue Horizon, and the label remained their home until the 1975 self-titled album.
The record steps beyond the straight electric blues of the first two albums, bringing in folk rock, hard rock, art rock and psychedelia. It reached No. 6 on the UK Albums Chart, their third Top 10 album. The title comes from the opening line of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night: "If music be the food of love, play on". A 2013 remaster gathers every version's tracks, plus "Oh Well" and "The Green Manalishi".
Then Play On: tracklist, credits and charts
14 tracks · 52:55Tracklist
- 1Coming Your WayDanny Kirwan3:46
- 2Closing My EyesPeter Green4:55
- 3Fighting for MadgeMick Fleetwood2:42
- 4When You SayDanny Kirwan4:32
- 5Show‐Biz BluesPeter Green3:55
- 6UnderwayPeter Green3:04
- 7One Sunny Day3:13
- 8Although the Sun Is ShiningDanny Kirwan2:25
- 9Rattlesnake ShakePeter Green3:30
- 10Without You4:33
- 11Searching for MadgeJohn McVie6:56
- 12My DreamDanny Kirwan3:34
- 13Like CryingDanny Kirwan2:24
- 14Before the BeginningPeter Green3:26
- Produced by
- Fleetwood Mac
- Recorded at
- CBS and De Lane Lea, London
- Recorded
- 1968–1969
- Engineered by
- Martin Birch
- Labels
- Reprise Records, Reprise
- Length
- 52:55
Line-up
- Mick Fleetwood · drums (drum set), percussion
- Peter Green · bass guitar, guitar, harmonica, vocals
- Danny Kirwan · guitar, vocals
Singles
- “Rattlesnake Shake” · September 1969 (US)
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1969–2020 | 4 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1969–2020 | 109 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1969–2020 | 8 |
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts) · 1969–2020 | 13 |
| German Albums · 1969–2020 | 90 |
From MusicBrainz and Wikipedia. Only what the sources record is shown.
70.8
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4.4k
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Released the same week
Also released on 19 September
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1973
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1973
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1974
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1975
Fleetwood Mac
1975
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1977
Tusk
1979
Live
1980
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1982
Live in Boston
1984
Fleetwood Mac
1985
Tango in the Night
1987
Greatest Hits
1988
Behind the Mask
1990
25 Years: The Chain
1992
Live at the BBC
1995
Time
1995
The Dance
1997
The Vaudeville Years: 1968 to 1970
1998
Shrine ’69
1999
The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions: 1967–1969
1999
Show‐Biz Blues: 1968 to 1970, Volume 2
2001
The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac
2002
The Best of Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac
2002
Madison Blues
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Say You Will
2003
The Essential Fleetwood Mac
2007
Extended Play
2013
50 Years – Don’t Stop
2018
Rumours Live
2023
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | September 1969 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 19 September 1969 | |
| Wikidata | 19 September 1969 | |
| UK / Europe release | September 1969 | earliest UK or European date |
15 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | DE | Midi | other | |
| — | XE | Reprise Records | 075992744829 | other |
| 1969 | DE | Reprise Records | other | |
| September 1969 | GB | Reprise Records | original | |
| 1970 | US | Reprise Records | other | |
| 1973 | DE | Midi | other | |
| 9 March 1989 | US | Reprise Records | 075992744829 | other |
| 1990 | XE | Reprise Records | 075992744829 | other |
| 1990 | XE | Reprise Records | 075992744829 | other |
| 25 March 1990 | JP | Reprise Records | 4988014734011 | other |
| 16 August 2013 | XE | Reprise Records | 081227964436 | other |
| 20 August 2013 | US | Reprise Records | 081227964436 | other |
| 4 September 2013 | JP | Reprise Records | 4943674121168 | other |
| 2015 | XE | Reprise Records | 081227965518 | other |
| 16 November 2018 | XW | Rhino | 603497910984 | remaster |
Cover art sources
deezer · native: native 1800x1800
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| deezer ✓ | 1800×1800 | native: native 1800x1800 |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |
| coverartarchive | 598×600 | upscaled |