Love the opening track Child Of Mine with good singing and steady guitar by long departed band mate, Danny Kirwan. The original version of Sentimental Lady is on this record and it is much more livelier than the version on Bob Welch's solo release, French Kiss. The two Christine McVie Songs, Homeward Bound and Spare Me A Little Of Your Love are excellent. The first one rocks along very nicely with some upbeat piano and searing guitar solos. The later tune is oh so soulful with instrumental support which is good without being overwhelming.

Heck I can't think of a bad tune on the record. The poem on the end is a little pointless. Its harmless but the band could have thrown us another tune. A solid release nonetheless.

Nothing Bare Here
Bare Trees finds Bob Welch and Christine McVie taking an even greater role in the band. They contribute their strongest work to date and Danny Kirwan's work is impressive as well. Ms. McVie's "Homeward Bound" is a superb song that showed her gifts as a songwriter and singer were immense. Bob Welch's "Sentimental Lady" is his signature and is slightly different than the version he had a hit with in 1977. This version has a more pronounced backing vocal from Christine McVie, but in any version it is a gorgeous song. Mr. Kirwan provides the scorching "Danny's Chant" and the somber "Dust". Bare Trees would prove to be his swan song with the band, but he left on a high note. Bare Trees is the finest pre Buckingham-Nicks Mac album and ranks among the finest the band has ever done in any form.

A great taste of FM before they became immensly famous....
"Bare Trees" is an excellent choice of music for a rainy day. The first track, "Child of Mine," showcases Danny Kirwan's masterful guitar and vocal work. He is definetly not the most famous member of Fleetwood Mac (bear with me, because I refer to them as "FM"), but he does a damn good job on this song. Next is "The Ghost." Awesome Bob Welch work. He has a really smooth jazzy voice, and this proves it. The chorus is awesome and sounds like it was made way before its time.... The third song is "Homeward Bound." A song that sounds like it was made for the late 1960s. The song (to me) seems like it should be at the end of the album. Then, "Sunny Side of Heaven" comes around. AWESOME GUITAR BY DANNY KIRWAN!!!! It is really relaxing, and picks you up and takes you on a journey far, far away. The fifth track is "Bare Trees." This is another fine Danny Kirwan tune. It makes me want to dance! "Sentimental Lady" is up next. I LOVE THIS SONG!!!! It is soft, and Bob Welch's voice is at its best (very jazzy and smooth....). "Danny's Chant" is hands down the weirdest song I've ever heard. "Spare Me A Little of Your Love" is a great Christine McVie song. Her voice is majestic and beautiful. It's the kind of tune FM should be playing on their current concert tours (yes, it would sound good with Lindsey and Stevie singing it too....). "Dust." This song really stands out. Even though it is about death, (and after hearing "Danny's Chant," I've had it up to here with Danny Kirwan) it is still a cool sounding song. "Thoughts of a Grey Day" is the last track on the CD. I don't understand the poem, but it was written and spoken by a little cute old lady who enjoys writing poetry.

In conclusion, this CD is a must own for any FM fan. It doesn't matter if you can't get enough of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, everyone should hear this CD at least once. Come on - give it a chance. YOU KNOW YOU WANT IT!

My favorite of the Kirwin led Mac
Bare Trees continues where Future Games started off. A little lighter in feel, Bare Trees showcases Danny Kirwin on his swan song with the band.

All songs are great - save for the final spoken track "Thoughts For A Grey Day".

Things kick off nicely with Kirwin's Child of Mine. His standout track on here is Sunny Side of Heaven.

Welch contibutes with the very nice Sentimental Lady (later a big hit for him when he went solo), and Ghost.

Christine McVie pens some great tunes here such as Homeward Bound and Spare A Little of Your Love.

Bottom Line: Great early Fleetwood Mac album. On the same plane with Future Games but this one is a tad stronger IMO. Sort of like Volume 2 of Future Games.

A different sound for Fleetwood Mac
When I first listened to, not the CD, but my well-loved LP of "Bare Trees", I was expecting mid 70's pop a la "Rumours". I found a completely different sound. "Bare Trees", in my opinion, is one of the best albums FM has recorded, and yes, that's without Buckingham & Nicks. "Sentimental Lady" and "Homeward Bound" stand out as two fo the best tracks on the album, with "Homeward Bound"s strong instrumentals and honest lyrics, and the shallower, but enjoyable "Lady" holding the album together. The strange "Danny's Chant" was where the album really missed, though. It brings to mind some of the more psychedelic 60's rock filler tracks of the one-hit wonders that made the era famous. Strangely enough, "Bare Trees" struck me as being somewhat more of a concept album than many the band has recorded. Even ending with a Moody Blues-esque track of spoken poetry ("Thoughts on a Grey Day") tied the album together and, surprisingly, only strengthened it. I would definitely not recommend this for the people out there who are just beginning to listen to Fleetwood Mac, because this album is excellent, but not in keeping with what the band is known for. If you've already listened a bit, or are a die-hard fan, the sound of this album is a great respite from the same old FM tracks we always hear associated with the band ("Gypsy", "Don't Stop").