The Most Overlooked Song on Every 70s Fleetwood Mac Album (Including Deep Cuts You Forgot About)

Fleetwood Mac has quite the massive discography, especially when it comes to their 70s releases. And with so much good music packed into one band’s legacy, more than a few genuinely great tracks slip through the cracks. Let’s look at what I believe are the most underrated and overlooked songs on each of Fleetwood Mac’s 1970s studio LPs.

‘Kiln House’ (1970) — “Mission Bell”

The whole of this album was a step in a new direction for the band that some fans were wary of, considering it was their first without Peter Green. But “Mission Bell”, in particular, has such a unique, psychedelic pop sound to it that deserves more love.

‘Future Games’ (1971) — “Morning Rain”

You’ll see a lot of Christine McVie-penned tunes on this list, because I really think her songwriting in Fleetwood Mac was quite underrated during her tenure. “Morning Rain” is just one of many early McVie songs that really deserve more attention.

‘Bare Trees’ (1972) — “Spare Me A Little Of Your Love”

McVie takes on lead vocal on this track, which she also penned, and it became something of a go-to for the band’s setlists during live performances. And yet, the song itself never got a proper single release. That’s wild considering Mick Fleetwood himself said that “Spare Me A Little Of Your Love” was one of his favorite tracks.

‘Penguin’ (1973) — “The Derelict”

This little gem was written by Humble Pie’s Dave Walker during his short stint with Fleetwood Mac. This harmonica-led track has a Southern rock vibe to it that weirdly worked beautifully as a FM song.

‘Mystery To Me’ (1973) — “The Way I Feel”

I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say a single thing about this deep cut from Mystery To Me, or much about Mystery To Me in general. That’s a crying shame, because the album is solid, and this McView contribution is gorgeous.

‘Heroes Are Hard To Find’ (1974) — “She’s Changin Me”

Heroes Are Hard To Find was the album that saw Fleetwood Mac really take off, and I’m surprised that “She’s Changing Me” from Bob Welch didn’t get more attention. That pedal steel, those devastating lyrics. This heartbreaker is a sorely underrated delight.

‘Fleetwood Mac’ (1975) — “I’m So Afraid”

This Lindsey Buckingham treat has one of the most killer guitar solos in Fleetwood Mac history, I’d say. And the emotional energy throughout “I’m So Afraid” is chilling.

‘Rumours’ (1977) — “You Make Loving Fun”

Alright, nothing on Rumours is underrated, let’s get that out of the way. But this gem, which did become a hit in the end, doesn’t get quite as much love as “Dreams” and other hit singles from the album. It certainly deserves it, though.

‘Tusk’ (1979) — “Brown Eyes”

“Brown Eyes” is one of my favorite Christine McVie songs. And while it isn’t massively underrated (is any song from Rumours or Tusk truly underrated?), it’s still a bit of a deep cut with such a pretty sound that still gives me goosebumps today.

Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images

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