Danny Kirwan - Second Chapter

Accomplished Fleetwood Mac guitarist’s first solo chapter

Discovered by Peter Green and Mick Fleetwood and enticed into their band when just 18, Kirwan became a key part of Fleetwood Mac’s sound for an all-too brief period between 1968 and 1972. After being booted out for bad behaviour, he signed to DJM Records and cut this gentle, but strangely satisfying album, following it with two similar, but no better, ones.

There is something of the later period Mac across the record, particularly on the title track, which best showcases Kirwan’s idiosyncratic guitar style. Ballads such as Silver Streams and Cascades bring his far-from-masculine singing voice to the fore, the latter again featuring some of the wonderful, tremolo-heavy guitar work he was known for.

Second Chapter is a disarming record and one made more lovable perhaps because of the tragedy of Kirwan’s subsequent musical career, vanishing into obscurity just as his old band hit megastardom and megabucks. Mac completists will seize their chance to have this digipak edition, limited to 2,500, but there is much for the rest of us to savour here too.

Repertoire | REP 5048

Reviewed by Jan Zarebski
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