Fleetwood Mac: Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, John McVie, Stevie Nicks.

Producers include: Fleetwood Mac, Lindsey Buckingham, Keith Olsen, Richard Dashut, Ken Caillat.

Compilation producers: Fleetwood Mac, David McLees.

Recorded between 1975 & 1992.

Includes liner notes by David Wild.

This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.

Audio Remasterers: Dan Hersch; Bill Inglot.

Liner Note Author: David Wild.

Author: Sheryl Crow.

Photographers: Mark Seliger; Norman Seeff; Herbert Worthington III; Sam Emerson; Neil Zlozower; Ron Slenzak.

Unknown Contributor Roles: Christine McVie; Mick Fleetwood; Stevie Nicks; John McVie.

There's a certain relief that the 2002 double-disc set The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac doesn't even attempt to dabble in the early blues work of the Peter Green band, and treats the addition of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks as ground zero. The two eras of the band don't sit well together, and it's best to isolate them, since those that want the hits don't need to hear the blues. Here, it's the prime of the platinum years, with almost all of the big songs in their original hit versions (the one real exception is a live version of "Big Love" from 1997, but most listeners aren't going to be too upset with the substitution). The biggest complaint is that chronological order would have been welcome, but the sequencing here is still nice, and all the big hits and radio staples are here, along with enough great album tracks ("Think About Me," "World Turning," "What Makes You Think You're the One") to whet the appetite for full albums for novices, who will surely find this to be a good introduction. It's not dynamic or sharply sequenced to be a truly classic collection, but it gets the job done, and it will certainly satisfy those who just need the hits, plus a little bit more for the illusion of depth. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

This is a stripped-down single-CD equivalent to the U.S. Reprise double-disc set of the same name issued in 2002. And for a single CD it does a fair job of covering the major touchstones in the history of a band with a four-decade legacy -- or, at least, of Fleetwood Mac's two best-known incarnations, as a mid- to late-'70s pop/rock outfit and a late-'60s blues-rock band. Of course, given the popularity of the '70s-'80s version of Fleetwood Mac, they're represented first out of the gate, and in profusion, and there isn't even an attempt made at chronological sequencing. Although the original incarnation of the band doesn't get much room here, at least it is acknowledged in the form of three tracks, "Black Magic Woman," "Albatross," and "Man of the World." That's more than the group's middle years -- featuring Danny Kirwan, Bob Welch, and Christine McVie across half a dozen albums -- get from the 21 songs here. The CD utilizes the most recent masters for each song, and so the sound is excellent, and the annotation is thorough and enjoyable, but one does still come away wishing that the makers had found room for a track or two from, say, Mystery to Me or Bare Trees. ~ Bruce Eder

Although the title is a misnomer, considering that material from Fleetwood Mac line-ups featuring earlier members including founder Peter Green, Jeremy Spencer, Bob Welch, and Danny Kirwan is noticeably absent, THE VERY BEST OF serves up the cream of the Buckingham/Nicks years. Rounded out by Mick Fleetwood and former paramours John and Christine McVie, this "classic" Mac line-up lasted for seven albums and created timeless material often fueled by romantic turmoil within its ranks. With Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, and Christine McVie all serving as singer-songwriters, there were plenty of hits to go around.

Ably displacing 1998's GREATEST HITS package, this two-CD set features plenty of well-known radio hits starting with cuts from the Mac's 1975 self-titled smash ("Monday Morning," "Rhiannon," and "Say You Love Me") on through the live 1997 reunion album THE DANCE ("I'm So Afraid," "Big Love"). In between, the wealth of solid material boggles the mind and includes classics found on 1977's classic RUMOURS ("Go Your Own Way," "Don't Stop"), 1979's TUSK (title track, "Sara"), and 1982's MIRAGE ("Gypsy," "Hold Me"). Equally engaging are slightly more obscure cuts like "Paper Doll" and "Silver Springs" (originally found on the out-of-print box set 25 YEARS: THE CHAIN).