In 1973, two struggling, romantically entangled singer-songwriters, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks (who reportedly splurged on a new blouse for this photo shoot and was enraged that Lindsey wanted to use a nude photo for the cover) entered the studio to put together an album showcasing their talents.

In the larger context of pop music history, this album served as their application for Fleetwood Mac.

And in that context, there aren’t any surprises here. A lot of the songs here serve as blueprints for some of their biggest hits with the Mac. The Chain’s dark folk pops up every once in a while, Never Going Back Again’s intricate finger picking is showcased a few times. Their vocal interplay would go on to be used liberally by the Mac. And while it can be tempting to reduce this to a resume for the British blues-rock group, this album stands firm on its own two (or rather four) legs. Especially since Frozen Love easily matches any of their later hits.