Albatross tab - fleetwood mac

Date: Fri, 22 Nov 1996 10:52:40 GMT
From: Malc Brookes 
Subject: TAB: Albatross by Fleetwood Mac

Hello,

  Just before OLGA hit the rocks with EMI I posted Albatross to you,
but unfortunately there was a minor error in the tab. By the time I
sent you a correction OLGA had been shut down. So here's my amended
version of Albatross. Thanks for all the work you guys do, it's much
appreciated.

Regards, Malc


Albatross by Fleetwood Mac

Tabbed by Malc Brookes
(e-mail: malc@malbro.demon.co.uk)

Notes:
I arranged this for solo acoustic guitar several years ago. 
In section B the bass switches from F# to A (which is in the 
chord of F#m) as it wasn't possible to keep the original 
melody and bass. In section C the melody is dropped a whole 
octave, which allows the F# bass line to be preserved.

Tuning:
Standard, EADGBE.

Key:
h - hammer-on
p - pull-off
/ - slide up
 - slide down


Section A (play twice):

E|---|-5--4--------------5--4-|------------------------|
B|---|-5--4--------------5--4-|------------------------|
G|---|-6--4--------------6--4-|------------------------|
D|---|-7--6--------------7--6-|------------------------|
A|-2-|------------------------|-------------------2----|
E|---|-0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0-|-0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0-|

E|-5--4--------------5--4-|------------------------|
B|-5--4--------------5--4-|------------------------|
G|-6--4--------------6--4-|------------------------|
D|-7--6--------------7--6-|-------------------2----|
A|------------------------|-------------2h-4-----4-|
E|-0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0-|-0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0-|

  1st time through                                 (X)
E|------------------------|------------------------|
B|------------------------|------------------------|
G|------------------------|------------------------|
D|-6--4-------------------|-6--4-------------------|
A|-------------------4--4-|-------------------4--4-|
E|-2--2--2--2--2--2--2--2-|-2--2--2--2--2--2--2--2-|

E|------------------------|------------------------|
B|------------------------|------------------------|
G|------------------------|------------------------|
D|-4--2--------------4--2-|------------------------|
A|----------------4-------|-------------------2----|
E|-0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0-|-0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0-|

  2nd time through
E|---------------------------|------------------------|
B|---------------------------|------------------------|
G|-----------------------4-6-|------------------------|
D|-6--4--------------4h6-----|-6--4--------------2----|
A|---------------------------|----------------4-----4-|
E|-2--2--2--2--2--2--2-----2-|-2--2--2--2--2--2--2--2-|

E|------------------------|------------------------|
B|------------------------|------------------------|
G|------------------------|------------------------|
D|-4--2--------------4--2-|------------------------|
A|----------------4-------|------------------------|
E|-0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0-|-0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0-|


Section B (play twice):

E|----------------------------|-------------------------|
B|-/12-12-------------1210-9-|-/12---------------------|
G|-/13-13-------------1311-9-|-/13---------------------|
D|----------------------------|-------------------------|
A|----------------------------|-------------------------|
E|--0--0--0--0--0--0--0-----0-|--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0-|

E|----------------------------|-------------------------|
B|-/12-12-------------1210-9-|-/12---------------------|
G|-/13-13-------------1311-9-|-/13---------------------|
D|----------------------------|-------------------------|
A|----------------------------|-------------------------|
E|--0--0--0--0--0--0--0-----0-|--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0-|

E|------------------------|------------------------|
B|-1210------------------|-1210------------------|
G|-1311------------------|-1311------------------|
D|------------------------|------------------------|
A|-0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0-|-0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0-|
E|------------------------|------------------------|

E|------------------------|------------------------|
B|-109-----------5/10--9-|------------------------|
G|-119-----------6/11--9-|------------------------|
D|------------------------|------------------------|
A|------------------------|------------------------|
E|-0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0-|-0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0-|


Section C:

E|-7-----------------9-p7---|------------------------|
B|------------------------7-|-9----------------------|
G|--------------------------|------------------------|
D|--------------------------|------------------------|
A|--------------------------|------------------------|
E|-0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0---|-0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0-|

E|-7-----------------9-p7---|----9--7-----------54-0-|
B|------------------------7-|-9-----------------54-0-|
G|--------------------------|-------------------------|
D|--------------------------|-------------------------|
A|--------------------------|-------------------------|
E|-0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0---|-0--0--0--0--0--0--0---0-|

E|-2-----------------54-0-|-2-----------------54-2-|
B|-2-----------------54-0-|-2-----------------54-2-|
G|-------------------------|-------------------------|
D|-------------------------|-------------------------|
A|-------------------------|-------------------------|
E|-2--2--2--2--2--2--2---2-|-2--2--2--2--2--2--2---2-|

E|-0-----------------------|------------------------|
B|-0-----------------------|------------------------|
G|-------------------9p8-6-|-4----------------------|
D|-------------------9---7-|-6----------------------|
A|-------------------------|-------------------2----|
E|-0--0--0--0--0--0--0---0-|-0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0-|


Section D:

  Repeat Section A once through to (X) and end with:
E|---------------------------|------------------------|
B|---------------------------|------------------------|
G|-----------------------4-6-|------------------------|
D|-4--2--------------4/6-----|-6--4--------------2----|
A|---------------------------|----------------4-----4-|
E|-0--0--0--0--0--0--0-----0-|-2--2--2--2--2--2--2--2-|

E|---------------------------|------------------------|
B|---------------------------|------------------------|
G|-----------------------4-6-|------------------------|
D|-4--2--------------4/6-----|-6--4--------------2--4-|
A|---------------------------|----------------4-------|
E|-0--0--0--0--0--0--0-----0-|-2--2--2--2--2--2--2--2-|

E|---------------------------|
B|---------------------------|
G|-1-------------------------|
D|-2-------------------------|
A|-2-------------------------|
E|-0-------------------------|

__________________________________________________________
 Malc Brookes, St Helens, England
 EMail: malc@malbro.demon.co.uk
 "One day I'll think of something witty for my .sig file"

Download PDF

Video Albatross

Fleetwood Mac Albatross
Fleetwood Mac, originally brought together by Peter Green, were a traditional blues band during the late 1960s, but their smash hit 'Albatross' had broader appeal. 'Albatross' and its follow up 'Man Of The World' were untypical of Fleetwood Mac's stage material, but made the band famous.

Original Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac - Albatross
Not a well known fact - Peter Green was the Founding Father of Fleetwood Mac. If you watch the entire video, some of you will discover another little known fact. ((smile))

FLEETWOOD MAC - ALBATROSS (1969)
PETER GREEN AT HIS BEST.

Fleetwood Mac - Albatross
Fleetwood Mac - Albatross

Albatross - Fleetwood Mac (Peter Green)
The classic Albatross by Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac, performed by Tom Watkins on an American Fender Stratocaster. The original was released in 1969. The composition suggests a relaxing sea setting, with cymbals imitating the sound of waves and a dreamy solo from Green's guitar. It contains only two chords, Emaj7 and F#m, and could be seen as an early ambient work. It is often assumed that Green used his Les Paul but he said it was his Fender Stratocaster, as there is subtle use of the vibrato bar. The Les Paul that Green used in Fleetwood Mac has a nasal tone like that achieved in the in-between positions of a Stratocaster, and heard in the song. Green had been working on the piece for some time before the addition to the band of 18 year old guitarist Danny Kirwan. Slide guitarist Jeremy Spencer was not generally inclined to work with Green, who had felt unable to realise the overall effect that he wanted. With Kirwan's input, Green completed the piece and it was recorded just two months after Kirwan joined, without Spencer present. Kirwan's instrumental "Jigsaw Puzzle Blues" was chosen for the B-side in most territories. Albatross has been re-released many times as a single in various countries, with many different B-sides. It has been suggested that the piece is associated with the metaphorical use of the word albatross to mean a wearisome burden. The use of the word "Albatross" to mean an encumbrance around somebody's neck is an allusion to Coleridge's poem "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (1798). It is unclear whether Fleetwood Mac intended the title to reference this meaning or if it refers to the bird; but the title of the album it appears on, The Pious Bird of Good Omen, alludes to and quotes from the Coleridge poem. This composition is one of only a few tracks by the original lineup of Fleetwood Mac that is included on their later "greatest hits" and "best of" compilations. Many of their compilations only focus on hits from the 1970s and 1980s. However, other compositions from that period have gone on to become classic recordings in the hands of other performers - "Black Magic Woman" as recorded by Santana for example. Another example, "Oh, Well" has gone on to become a classic rock standard. "Albatross" is the only Fleetwood Mac composition with the distinction of having inspired a Beatles song, "Sun King" from 1969's Abbey Road. The piece was used as the background music to Marks & Spencer's 2005 advertising campaign. In March of that year, Q magazine placed it at number 37 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks. Fleetwood Mac became associated with this piece in the British public consciousness despite having numerous other well-received singles. In other territories, however, the greater iconic body of Fleetwood Mac hits came after the departure of Peter Green in 1970 and other lineup changes took place (including the addition of Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham in 1975). This is particularly true of North America, where "Albatross" was not a hit. Chart position: #1 (UK) #2 (Netherlands) #2 (Norway) #4 (Sweden) #5 (Ireland) #45 (Canada)