Kiln House cover art

  Studio Album · No. 4

Kiln House Songwriting Credits by Fleetwood Mac

1970 Reprise 10 tracks 34 min

Produced by Fleetwood Mac  ·  Engineered by Martin Birch

Reprise Blues RockRock and RollFolk Rock
70%
Authorship
Songwriter

Holds writing credit on 7 of 10 tracks

Authorship Breakdown 7 / 10 documented

Who wrote the songs?

Scored across the 10 tracks with documented writers, by whether Fleetwood Mac carries a lyricist or composer credit.

70%
7 trackswritten by Fleetwood Mac 3 tracksoutside writers
Fleetwood Mac's roles on this album

Share of the 10 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.

Lyricist70%
Composer70%
Producer100%
Performer100%

By the Numbers

10
Tracks
8
Lyricists
1
Producers
1970
Released
Data Insight

Kiln House was the first Fleetwood Mac album after founder Peter Green left, and the songwriting shifted to guitarists Danny Kirwan and Jeremy Spencer, who wrote and sang most of it. Self-produced by the band, it was also Spencer's final album with the group.

Kiln House is the fourth studio album by Fleetwood Mac, released in September 1970 on Reprise Records and produced by the band themselves. It is the first album recorded without Peter Green, who had left the band in May 1970 following a mental health crisis brought on in part by his LSD use, and the first to feature Christine Perfect, who joined as keyboardist after Green's departure and married bassist John McVie during this period, becoming Christine McVie. The album is dominated by two contrasting approaches: Jeremy Spencer contributed the majority of the material, which consists almost entirely of loving pastiches of Buddy Holly, Fats Domino, and 1950s American rock and roll, while Danny Kirwan contributed several more melodic, original compositions. Spencer and Kirwan share the songwriting credits almost entirely, with Christine McVie contributing one track; this distribution would shift substantially on subsequent albums as McVie's compositional role expanded. The album was recorded and mixed by the band without an outside producer, a cost-saving and creative-control decision that established a pattern the band would return to for several records. Kiln House reached the UK top forty but did not replicate the commercial success of the Green-era albums, and Spencer's departure to join the Children of God religious cult in early 1971 would force another line-up change before the next record was completed.

Track Listing & Credits 10 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers
#TitleLyricist(s)Composer(s)Producer(s)Performers
1
This Is the Rock
Jeremy Spencer Jeremy Spencer Fleetwood Mac Jeremy Spencer (Lead Vocals)Danny Kirwan (Lead Vocals)
2
Station Man
Danny KirwanJeremy SpencerJohn McVie Danny KirwanJeremy SpencerJohn McVie Fleetwood Mac Jeremy Spencer (Lead Vocals)Danny Kirwan (Lead Vocals)
3
Blood on the Floor
Jeremy Spencer Jeremy Spencer Fleetwood Mac Jeremy Spencer (Lead Vocals)Danny Kirwan (Lead Vocals)
4
Hi Ho Silver
Big Joe Turner Big Joe Turner Fleetwood Mac Jeremy Spencer (Lead Vocals)Danny Kirwan (Lead Vocals)
5
Jewel Eyed Judy
Danny KirwanMick FleetwoodJohn McVie Danny KirwanMick FleetwoodJohn McVie Fleetwood Mac Jeremy Spencer (Lead Vocals)Danny Kirwan (Lead Vocals)
6
Buddy's Song
Ella Holley Ella Holley Fleetwood Mac Jeremy Spencer (Lead Vocals)Danny Kirwan (Lead Vocals)
7
Earl Gray
Danny Kirwan Danny Kirwan Fleetwood Mac Jeremy Spencer (Lead Vocals)Danny Kirwan (Lead Vocals)
8
One Together
Jeremy Spencer Jeremy Spencer Fleetwood Mac Jeremy Spencer (Lead Vocals)Danny Kirwan (Lead Vocals)
9
Tell Me All the Things You Do
Danny Kirwan Danny Kirwan Fleetwood Mac Jeremy Spencer (Lead Vocals)Danny Kirwan (Lead Vocals)
10
Mission Bell
Jesse D. HodgesWilliam Michael Jesse D. HodgesWilliam Michael Fleetwood Mac Jeremy Spencer (Lead Vocals)Danny Kirwan (Lead Vocals)

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 9 contributors

More from Fleetwood Mac

Frequently Asked Questions Kiln House

Who wrote the songs on Kiln House?
Danny Kirwan and Jeremy Spencer wrote and sang most of the album, taking over the songwriting after Peter Green's departure.
Why is Kiln House a transitional album?
It was the first Fleetwood Mac record made without founder and main songwriter Peter Green, and the last to feature Jeremy Spencer.
What style is Kiln House?
It moves away from pure blues toward rock and roll, rockabilly, and folk-rock, reflecting Spencer's and Kirwan's tastes.
Who produced Kiln House?
Fleetwood Mac produced it themselves, with Martin Birch engineering.
How did Kiln House perform on the charts?
It reached number 69 on the US Billboard 200 and number 39 on the UK Albums Chart.
Was Christine McVie on Kiln House?
Christine McVie, then Christine Perfect, contributed backing vocals, keyboards, and the cover art and co-wrote Jewel Eyed Judy, though she went uncredited as a player due to her record contract. She joined Fleetwood Mac as a full member just after the album was finished.

Sources