Live is a double live album released by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac on 5 December 1980.[5] It was the first live album from the then-current line-up of the band, and the next would be The Dance from 1997. The album was certified gold (500,000 copies sold) by the RIAA in November 1981.[6] A deluxe edition of the album was released on 9 April 2021.[7]
Drummer Mick Fleetwood had originally suggested that the band release a live album at the time of the Rumours tour, although the band decided against it, with recording engineer Richard Dashut arguing that it would interfere with the band's in-studio identity. The band still recorded over 400 shows from 1975-79 in case they changed their minds. At the conclusion of the Tusk tour, Fleetwood brought up the idea again, and this time the band agreed despite Buckingham's and John McVie's initial reservations.[8] The album was digitally recorded using technology developed by Soundstream.[9]Billboard also stated that Mobile Fidelity Sound Labhalf-speed mastered the album for the audiophile market.[10]
Of particular note are three new songs—Christine McVie's "One More Night", Stevie Nicks's "Fireflies", and a well-harmonized backstage rendition of the Beach Boys' "The Farmer's Daughter". The latter two were released as singles; "Fireflies" reached the top 60 in the US,[11] while "The Farmer's Daughter" reached the top 10 in Austria.[12]
The band covered "Farmer's Daughter" at the request of Buckingham, who deemed the Brian Wilson tune obscure enough to include on the album.[13] A recording of "The Farmer's Daughter" also appears on the Tusk re-release of 2004. "Don't Let Me Down Again" is a song from the Buckingham Nicks album and was recorded earlier than the rest of the tracks; the recording was made in 1975 in Passaic.
[1]
