Fleetwood Mac, The #12 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Six

 

(Continued from Part Five)

 

"Big Love" hit the Top 5 in the U.S., #8 in Ireland and the Netherlands.  The "love grunts" were from Buckingham processed through an oscillator.

 

This late gem is one of The Top Tracks of the Rock Era*--"Isn't It Midnight".

(From left:  John McVie, Burnette, Nicks, Fleetwood, Vito, Christine McVie)

Fleetwood Mac had enjoyed incredible success for over a decade, but as with nearly all groups of that caliber, the success created ego problems.  After a group meeting in August, Buckingham left the group, replaced by guitarists Billy Burnette (son of Dorsey Burnette and nephew of Johnny Burnette) and Rick Vito.  Burnette had worked with most of the members previously in some capacity and was a good fit.  Vito had worked with McVie on two Mayall and the Bluesbreakers albums.

 

This lineup rehearsed for several months before a successful tour in 1987-88, with the performance at San Francisco's Cow Palace filmed for release as a video.  Fleetwood Mac also released their Greatest Hits compilation in 1988 with the new song "As Long As You Follow", written by Christine and her husband Eddy Quintela.  Vito points to the song as his best guitar work in Fleetwood Mac.  The single stalled at #43 overall but hit #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

The Greatest Hits album has sold over eight million in the United States alone.  In 1990, the group released the album Behind the Mask, which went Gold and topped the U.K. chart.  The accompanying tour was successful, but the following year, Nicks and Vito both left the group as well.

In 1992, Fleetwood arranged tracks for the box set 25 Years - The Chain.  Although the star lineup responsible for much of the group's success hadn't performed together for five years, they did so when U.S. President Bill Clinton requested they play "Don't Stop", which he had adopted as his campaign theme song, at the Inaugural Ball.  However, that classic lineup did not record together and has only appeared together briefly since.

Burnette left soon afterward with Bekka Bramlett coming into the band.  There have been numerous other personnel changes over the years with people coming and going, including former Traffic member Dave Mason, Neil Finn of Split Enz and Crowded House, and Mike Campbell of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers all working a short stint.  

In 1995, Fleetwood Mac released the album Time, but the creative magic evident in the golden years was gone.  In 1997, however, after members had worked with each other on other projects and select appearances, the classic lineup performed at the Warner Brothers stage in Burbank, California, and the live album The Dance was released.  

 "Silver Springs" is a song originally written for Rumours but relegated to B-side status until revived by its inclusion on The Dance.  It was released as a single and hopped to #5 on the AC chart.

The album has sold over five million copies in the U.S. alone, and earned Grammy nominations for Best Pop Album, Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals (for "Silver Springs"), and Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for "The Chain".  The group toured extensively, with the concerts being the last featuring all five for 16 years.

In 1998, Fleetwood Mac was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which the five classic members did perform for.  In 2002, Rumours was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. 

Christine left the group in 1998, but the Mac recorded the album Say You Will in 2003, which debuted at #3 in the U.S. and #6 in the United Kingdom.  At the time, the Peacekeeper nuclear missile program Ronald Reagan created was due to be scrapped.  "Peacekeeper" was their biggest hit in years, and Fleetwood Mac received an American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Band, Duo or Group.

Another solid track is a Buckingham tune--"What's The World Coming To".

 Buckingham also wrote "Miranda".

Fans were still hungry to see the group live, and even without Christine, the tour grossed $27 million.  Fleetwood Mac toured Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, and grossed $84 million this time.  The compilation album The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac was released in 2002 and has now topped four million in sales.

Weston died at the age of 64 on January 3, 2012 from effects of a gastrointestinal hemorrhage caused by cirrhosis.  Welch died the same year at age 66 on June 7 in Nashville, Tennessee.  Welch, who had undergone spinal surgery three months prior, had been told his chances for recovery were poor and that he would eventually be an invalid.  Bob was in considerable pain and early that morning, he shot himself.  

The band toured again in 2013 until John was diagnosed with cancer.  Fleetwood Mac also released the studio EP Extended Play.  The following year, Christine rejoined the group, which toured North America in a highly-successful tour.  Various incarnations of the group have performed in the years since.

 

"Sad Angel" reflects on former lovers, and the relationship that Nicks and Buckingham had.  Stevie was working on a solo album at the time and joined the sessions towards the end.  "All these years later, we are still writing songs that are dialogues for each other," Buckingham told Rolling Stone magazine.  "That was part of the appeal of Rumours, and of the group in general.  It was really kind of the best stuff we have done in a while."

In 2018, Fleetwood Mac received the MusiCares Person of the Year award.  Green, the group's founder, died July 25, 2020.

The group has sold over 120 million albums.  They have 25 hits to their credit, with 9 Top 10's and one #1.  They have scored 26 career hits on the Adult Contemporary chart, with 10 of those reaching the Top 10 and 3 #1's. 

ABBA on YouTube!

 ABBA is doing a new album for the first time in 40 years, and they have released two new songs in advance.  Catch the release of Voyage live!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJBGk9Hed8o

Fleetwood Mac, The #12 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Five

 

(Continued from Part Four)

 "Fireflies" is another of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era* from the group's 1981 Live release.  Nicks remixed tapes of performances of the song from the Tusk tour to get the end result.

 

Here is a cover of the Beach Boys' song "Farmer's Daughter" from that live album.  "The Beach Boys showed the way," Buckingham wrote in Rolling Stone.  "They may have sold the California Dream to a lot of people," he said, "but for me, it was Brian Wilson showing how far you might have to go in order to make your own musical dream come true."

 Buckingham, Fleetwood, and Nicks put out solo albums in 1981 before Fleetwood Mac returned with the album Mirage in 1982.  Christine wrote this one with Robbie Patton, a singer who opened for the group in 1979.  "Hold Me" was the first single, shooting to #4 Popular and #7 Adult Contemporary in the United States, and #5 in Australia & #9 in Canada.

 

The band received American Music Award nominations for Favorite Pop/Rock Group and Favorite Pop/Rock Album.  Mirage has sold over two million copies in the U.S. alone and hit #1 in the U.S. and #2 in Australia.  Fleetwood Mac released "Love In Store".

 

The group went on a short tour of the U.S. and headlined the US Festival in September.  Stevie Nicks' "Gypsy" was one of her best career songs, and the video made is one of The Top 100 Videos of the Rock Era*.  "Gypsy" is one of Fleetwood's favorite songs by the group.  "It really crystallizes that whole period of the early 1980's," he said, "when we were in our mid-30's and beginning to look back at our lost youth."  peaked at #4 on the Rock chart and #9 overall.

Mirage was the fourth album produced by Buckingham.  Here's "That's Alright".

Fleetwood Mac recorded the album at Le Chateau Studios in France, the same facility that Elton John used for his 1972 album Honky Chateau.  "Oh Diane" reached the Top 10 in the U.K.

Members of the group were not only allowed complete freedom to record on their own; they also were experiencing problems, which led to a long break from the group.  Stevie had been headed on a downward spiral for some time, and to her great credit, she checked in to the Betty Ford Clinic to treat her addiction.  Relatedly, John suffered an addiction-related seizure during this time.

 

By 1987, the band was ready to come back with the album Tango in the Night.  It was another strong effort, led by the single "Little Lies", which topped the AC chart and was #5 overall in the United States, #3 in Germany, #4 in Ireland, #5 in the U.K., #9 in New Zealand and #10 in the Netherlands.

 

The album was their biggest since Tusk, selling over three million copies.  This is the Christine song "Everywhere", another #1 smash on the AC chart that also was big elsewhere--#2 in the U.K. and #4 in Ireland and the Netherlands.

Tango in the Night reached #1 in the U.K. and Sweden and the Top 10 in most countries.  This is "Seven Wonders", written by Nicks' friend Sandy Stewart.

Fleetwood Mac rings up segment #6 next!

Fleetwood Mac, The #12 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Four

 

(Continued from Part Three)

Buckingham in many ways is to thank for this great album.  We knew about his singing, his songwriting ability, and by this time his guitar playing.  Another skill he brought to the group was his sense of adventure when it came to songwriting, recording, and performing.  This experimentation began taking shape with Mac's next album Tusk.  Having gained the trust of the other members, Lindsey was allowed to work on several of the tracks by himself at home before bringing them to the attention of the rest of the group.

When you have three all-time great songwriters at the the peak of their careers, you get the bonus of a double album.  There simply was too many great tracks to limit it to a single.  We'll feature the hits, of course, but many of you are going to be exposed to all the other great tracks on this incredible album for the first time.  They too will soon become among your Fleetwood Mac favorites as well.  

 

The first single admittedly took some getting used to.  Unconventional is putting it mildly.  Buckingham showed that one doesn't have to write a traditional hit that fits the conventional mold, even when you're on top of the world as this group was.  Together with the USC Trojan Marching band, this is the innovative "Tusk" that eventually became a worldwide hit (#3 in Australia, #4 in New Zealand, #5 in Canada, #6 in the U.K., #7 in Germany and #8 in the United States).

 

The next single was Christine's hit "Think About Me".

 

Tusk reached #1 in the U.K., New Zealand, #2 in Australia, #3 in Germany, the Netherlands, and France, and #4 in the U.S.  Stevie also had a single released from the album, a song that when she wrote it was 16 minutes long and had nine more verses than the edited version that appears on the album--the beautiful "Sara".

 

This is the first of eight great album tracks from Tusk that we will feature-- Here is "Save Me A Place".

Fleetwood Mac toured for 11 months to support the album, playing before crowds in the United States, the U.K., Germany, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, France, Japan, and Belgium and toured Germany with Bob Marley.  They recorded performances and released it as a live album in 1980, which went Gold.  Here we have the very personal song written about her relationship with Lindsey when it began to change.  Here's the great Stevie Nicks song "Storms".

Fleetwood has said (about Buckingham's work on Tusk) "Kudos to Lindsey ... for us not doing a replica of Rumours."

 

Buckingham to this day was greatly influenced by New Wave music.  Here is just one of the examples of that influence on the Tusk album--"I Know I'm Not Wrong".

In addition to playing the drums, 

Fleetwood recorded another drum part 

drumming on Kleenex boxes.  "So since

Tusk, I've often looked for alternatives 

for the function of things such as the 

snare and hi-hat--" he said for Will Romano's article in Electronic

Musician.  "anything that would get 

away from the norm."  "I'd think 'What

can I do on the two and four (beat of 

the song) that doesn't sound like a 

snare?'" he said.  "Of course, in Rock,

you need the action and rhythm of that

instrument, but why not subvert the norm

 and find other things?"

 

Here is one of Nicks' best ballads, written

about a brief relationship with road

manager Derek Taylor.  

Taylor was a journalist who also worked 

with the Beach Boys, the Byrds, Nilsson,

the Monterey Pop Festival, and WEA

Records.  But Taylor was best known for

his time with the Beatles.  Two songs

by Beatles members name check him--in "Blue Jay Way", George Harrison

awaits Derek Taylor to visit him on a

foggy night, while Taylor's name also

appears in John Lennon's "Give Peace

A Chance."

"Everybody has your road manager,"

Nicks said.  "We had J.C., crazy J.C.

(John Courage).  Led Zeppelin had Peter

Grant," she continued.  "The road 

managers are the ones who know

everything.  And I learned so much about

the whole world of the Beatles and it

was stunning. This is " "Beautiful Child".

 

We told you many of these tracks are among The Top Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.  This one is in the Top 100* of that group.  Starting slow, it builds and builds, punctuated by writer Stevie Nicks' incredible vocal ability.  

It would have been a smash hit if a single--"Angel".  When asked by Jim Ladd in a 1979 interview about the line "So I close my eyes softly/'Til I become that part of the wind", Stevie said:

            That's from the story of "Rhiannon"...there's 

            a man, in the story of "Rhiannon" and his 

            name is Arawn...who is the great lord of

            darkness--who is the man who possesses the

            power to take or give life, but he only takes 

            life.  Aaron is my father's name and my 

            brother's name.  And Aaron is also my

            grandfather's name, so it is many things to me.

            And so Arawn touched the twins with his hand

            so that they would sleep.  And in that sleep

            there will be no pain.  And in that nonexistence

            of pain there will be happiness.  Because it 

            was only given with great love.  And this was

            in a haunted song, and a charmed hour, and

            this was the angel...of my dreams.

Alumnus Peter Green was brought in to play guitar on this memorable Christine McVie tune.  Atmospheric and featuring great bass work from John, here is the dreamy, hypnotic "Brown Eyes".

Fleetwood said many years later that Tusk was his favorite.  It is for many fans because of songs like this.  "Sisters Of The Moon" rose out of a jam session at Village Recorders Studio in Los Angeles.  Live performances featured extended eight-minute versions of the song.

 

Tusk has gone over four million in sales in the U.S. alone, and much of the album's sales were artificially kept down when RKO played the entire album before its release, leading to mass taping.  When the world discovers how great it is, it will explode.  This album will be listened to for decades.  Here is Buckingham's  "What Makes You Think You're The One".

Christine wrote so many great ballads with so much feeling and emotion.  Here is one of Mac's prettiest and moody songs--"Never Make Me Cry".  It was released as the B-side to "Tusk", but has earned a great reputation in its own right.

There's much more to hear from this one-of-a-kind group!

Fleetwood Mac, The #12 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Three

 

(Continued from Part Two)

And then we all get the important lesson that chart success and financial success don't mean personal happiness.  John and Christine, whose marriage had been in trouble for some time, divorced.  Fleetwood, who too had been experiencing the heartbreak that comes with infidelity, was in the process of finalizing his divorce.  The group very easily could have fractured during this time.  The group ABBA, for example, split up when those two famous couples divorced.  Perseverance--when you look that word up in the dictionary, one should see a mental picture of Fleetwood Mac, because they defined it.

Add to those marital troubles the added stress of the pressure from the record company, rock promoters, radio stations, and fans to follow up an album like a seven-million seller and the stress of being wealthy and getting calls from people you haven't heard from in years.  The stress of being famous is something few people can relate to.  But it is intense, and all of this led to creative struggles and personal problems, made all the worse by lots of alcohol and drugs.

 

All of these problems were further complicated when Buckingham and Nicks began to have problems as well.  This is the backdrop for what was going on when Fleetwood Mac was recording what we now know is The #1 Album of the Rock Era*, the amazing Rumours album.  They not only matched the huge success of Fleetwood Mac; they far, far exceeded it, as well as every other album in music history.  Buckingham's "Go Your Own Way", one of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*, led it all off, and his great guitar work showed everyone what a steal he was for Fleetwood Mac.  "Go Your Own Way" motored to #1 in the Netherlands and #10 in the U.S.

Fleetwood Mac's first album on the parent Warner Brothers after Reprise was retired sold 10 million copies within a month, and it's total album sales conservatively are pegged at 45 million.  Stevie's classic "Dreams", another of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*, also comes from this masterpiece.  "Go Your Own Way" by Buckingham and "Dreams" are two songs written about the failed relationship.  "Dreams" gave Mac their first #1 in the U.S. and Canada and topped out at #4 in Australia and #6 in New Zealand.

Rumours won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, which would of course be a prerequisite for being the #1 album of all-time, and they also received a nomination for Best Performance by a Pop/Rock Group with Vocals.  Christine's songwriting was at a peak, with she and Lindsey sharing lead on "Don't Stop", another #1 in Canada that also made it big in the U.S. (#3) and the Netherlands (#4).

Rumours generated four Top 10 singles, which had been accomplished just a handful of times in the Rock Era from 1964-1977.  But four of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era* on an album--never accomplished before or since.  This is the great song "You Make Loving Fun", another from Christine.  A peak of #7 in Canada and #9 in the U.S. originally, but strong airplay and continued album sales have proved those "peaks" to be ridiculously low.

 

Ken Caillat, father of Colbie Caillat, produced the album.  Fleetwood Mac piled up the points in our ranking with Rumours.  Would they have had all the other success they've had without it?  We'll never know, but it certainly contributed to their current huge fan base, and they would not be ranked near as high without it.  It's a one-album wrecking ball that most artists' careers could not compete with.  This is "I Don't Want To Know".

Fleetwood Mac also won American Music Awards for Favorite Popular/Rock Album and Favorite Popular/Rock Band, Duo or Group, and were nominated again for Favorite Pop/Rock Band the following year.  This fan favorite is the only one written by all five members, with sections of different takes spliced together.    The rhythm of "Second Hand News" was inspired by the Bee Gees' "Jive Talkin'", which had been number one before the group worked on Rumours.  It kicks off the album in such a great way, and you know you're in for an emotional rollercoaster!

 

It began as a Christine song called "Butter Cookie (Keep Me There)", which is now available on the expanded edition of Rumours.  The beginning of the song wasn't working, but the group loved Fleetwood and John's ending.  John wrote the bass line, which he was planning to use in another song but decided it fit this one better.  So the group counted backward from that bass line and used the kick-drum as a metronome.  Stevie wrote the verses, Buckingham and Christine wrote the chorus lyrics, and Lindsey added guitar over the end of the song.  Here is "The Chain".

 

This touching song is one of many great ones written by Christine that were never released as a single.  She often likes to write from another person's point of view.  "If you take 'Songbird' as an example, that was written in about half an hour," she told Uncut.  "If I could write a few more like that, I would be a happy girl."  "It doesn't really relate to anybody in particular; it relates to everybody," she continued.  "It's about you and nobody else.  It's about you and everybody else.  That's how I like to write songs."  This is "Songbird".

Fleetwood Mac was again nominated for an American Music Award in 1978 for Favorite Popular (Rock) Group.  The hard-working band supported the album with a long and lucrative tour.  Here is Nicks' gem, "Gold Dust Woman".  Recording assistant Chris Morris talked about the session in Q magazine:

              Recording "Gold Dust Woman" was one of

               the great moments because Stevie was 

               very passionate about getting that vocal 

               right.  It seemed like it was directed straight

               at Lindsey and she was letting it all out.  

               She worked right through the night on it, and 

               finally did it after loads of takes. The wailing,

               the animal sounds and the breaking glass 

               were all added later.  Five or six months into

               it, once John had got his parts down, 

              Lindsey spent weeks in the studio adding

               guitar parts, and that's what really gave the

               album its texture.

All five of these tracks never released as singles are not only our Top Tracks* but three of them ("I Don't Want To Know", "The Chain" and "Gold Dust Woman") are some of The Top Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.

In 1979, Fleetwood Mac received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  Lest anyone think that's quick for two albums, albeit two great albums, remember that this English-American group paid their dues for years and years.  And then some.

50 million in album sales for two albums.  Incredible.  No one lives up to an album like Rumours with their follow-up.  The members of Fleetwood Mac knew that, and did not try to match it, either in style or success.  That is to their credit that they didn't robotically produce a copycat album.  What followed was another masterpiece, although few casual fans know it even now.  

Don't miss Part Four of Fleetwood Mac!

Five Artists Top 2,000 Views

We are honing in on The Top 10 Artists of the Rock Era*, and five artists have already surpassed 2,000 page views, including one not in The Top 100* but one we thought should be.

#53 Garth Brooks, #61 Rihanna, #65 Taylor Swift, #83 Jackson Browne, and Dan Fogelberg have all passed that magic mark so far, and many others are close.  Fogelberg was featured just before we kicked off the spectacular as a prelude.  To be fair, the artists first featured should have the most page views as their features were published first, but once we present the special in its entirety, the highest-ranked will naturally take over in number of page views. 

Fleetwood Mac, The #12 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Two

 (Continued from Part One)

So once again, the band had to stop what they were doing and search for a new lead guitarist.  Auditioning for a musician is a long and important process, and Fleetwood Mac had had to do it so many times.  Only to see that the person didn't work out.  Fleetwood once again was on the lookout.  This time, fate was smiling on Mick and Fleetwood Mac.  Fleetwood was in Sound City Studios one day and engineer Keith Olsen knew Mick was once again in need of a guitarist.  Olsen played the track "Frozen Love" from the 1973 album Buckingham Nicks that he had recorded.  Fleetwood was impressed and it so happened that Lindsey Buckingham was in the studio that day recording.  

Fleetwood asked Buckingham if he would be interested in joining Fleetwood Mac, to which Lindsey replied that he was, but only if the other person on the album, Lindsey's partner and girlfriend, Stevie Nicks, could join.  It was one of the great package deals of the Rock Era, and one has to wonder if Fleetwood knew what a great coup he had just scored at the time.  

Fleetwood, the other members of the band, and the music world would soon come to understand that this was one of the historic meetings of all-time in rock & roll.  The group not only got the guitarist they had been searching for, and one that would stick around, but they got his songwriting talents and his great vocal abilities as well.  Plus, they got the incomparable Stevie Nicks, superb songwriter and amazing vocalist.

Buckingham and Nicks joined the group on New Year's Eve, just four weeks after Welch had left. The new incarnation of Fleetwood Mac busily got to work rehearsing, writing, and recording their new album.  Reflecting that this indeed was a new beginning in many ways, the band released their new album as another self-titled LP.  

Magic.  Destiny.  All those trials and tribulations you just read about were rewarded.  "Over My Head", which Christine wrote on a portable Hohner electric piano in a small apartment in Malibu, California that she and John stayed at, became the group's first worldwide hit, eight years and many tears after they first formed.

Fleetwood Mac not only was the first solid album for the group; it reached #1 in the U.S., #2 in Canada, #3 in Australia, and the Top 5 in most countries and has now sold 7 million copies.  Christine's great song "Say You Love Me" followed, and with a peak of #11, her second consecutive Top Underrated Song of the Rock Era*.

The hiring of Nicks was paying huge dividends.  She's always had a mysterious element to her songwriting, as evidenced by her classic single "Rhiannon".  Stevie wrote it about a Welsh goddess and she and Buckingham were going to record it for their second album as a duo.  But when they were accepted into Fleetwood Mac, they saved it for this album.

"Rhiannon" has since proven itself to be one of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*, but back then, Billboard magazine in their wisdom showed a peak of #11 for the song, making it the third straight Top Underrated Song of the Rock Era* for Fleetwood Mac.  I will tell you that any decent radio station had all three in the Top 10 and most had at least the last two in the Top 5.  So it is a Billboard error.

"Rhiannon" allowed Nicks to wear flowing shawls and black outfits on stage, which gave her a mystical look.  Olsen has always been a fan of Buckingham and waxes on his guitar playing on "Rhiannon" in the book Never Break the Chain by Cath Carroll:  "Lindsey's really good at that stuff.  If you listen on 'Rhiannon', he is such a musician.  Being a self-taught guitar player, it comes from his heart, it comes from his soul."

Christine's romantic and mellow "Warm Ways" is another highlight.

Buckingham proved his songwriting worth with this great track from the album which could have been another big hit had it been released--"Monday Morning".  Like "Rhiannon" and others, it was written for a second Buckingham-Nicks album but brought to the group when they joined Fleetwood Mac.

The methodology behind this music special rewards not only hits but each artist's other great songs.  This is an important distinction from other artist rankings.  Hits are important, because they show that large numbers of people actually like a song, but it is also important to know that there are a lot of "undiscovered" gems on albums as well.  

 

Fleetwood Mac ranks #12 because they not only have scores of hits, but have a bevy of deserving album tracks, have sold a ton of albums and concert tickets and have won awards.  They have a lot of great songs that only Fleetwood Mac fans know.  This is just one of many Top Underrated Songs of the Rock Era* that the group has.

This song has since been re-released as a live version, but Mac fans have known it since 1975--another great Nicks song called "Landslide".  Stevie wrote it in Aspen, Colorado the night before her father was operated on at the Mayo Clinic.  Here are her recollections of the origins of the song:

            My dad did have something to do with it.  I 

            guess it was about September, 1974, I was 

            home at my Dad and Mom's house in 

            Phoenix (Arizona), and my father said, "You

            know, you really put a lot of time into this 

            [her singing career], maybe you should give

            this six more months, and if you want to go

            back to school, we'll pay for it.  Basically, you 

            can do whatever you want and we'll pay for 

            it"- I have wonderful parents, and I went, 

            "cool, I can do that."  Lindsey and I went up 

            to Aspen, and we went to somebody's

            incredible house, and they had a piano, and I

            had my guitar with me, and I went into their 

            living room, looking out over the incredible 

            Aspen skyway, and I wrote "Landslide." 

           Three months later, Mick Fleetwood called.  

            On New Year's Eve, 1974, he called and asked 

            us to join Fleetwood Mac.  So it was three 

            months.  I still had three more months to go

            to beat my six-month goal that my Dad gave me.

 

"Blue Letter" was written by brothers Richard and Michael Curtis.  It is the only song on the album (and one of the only ones in the group's history) not written by a group member.  The Curtis brothers met Buckingham and Nicks through Polydor Records and the four worked on two demos which, like many songs of the period, were intended for the second Buckingham/Nicks album before they were invited to be in Fleetwood Mac.  The first demo was "Blue Letter"; the second was called "Seven League Boots", which was later reworked to become the Crosby, Stills and Nash hit "Southern Cross".

 

The first collaboration between Christine and Lindsey resulted in "World Turning", which is loosely based on "The World Keeps On Turning", written by Green and included on the group's debut album from 1968.  "Lindsay had this lick and didn't know what to do with it," Christine told Uncut.  "We knocked around some vocal ideas and it happened very quickly - about half an hour."

As good as this self-titled album was, and as good as the Peter Green years were, Fleetwood Mac's fortunes were about to about to see a tremendous upside.  Join us for that amazing story in Part Three!

Fleetwood Mac, The #12 Artist of the Rock Era, Part One

 

"I have enjoyed Fleetwood Mac all my life."

"So much genius in one band."

"One of the most talented musical groups of all-time...lyrics, music, musicians, vocalists...Long Live Fleetwood Mac!"

"Every song is epic!"

"The smoothest band of all-time.  Everything felt so natural.  It was like they were born to play those songs."

"Legendary band."

"They are awesome!"

"Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham are magical together.  The Mac was a solid band before, but when those two came aboard, they became a supergroup!"

"Magical!"

"There's so much to love about this group.  The songwriting and vocals are incredible, but how about that rhythm section of Fleetwood and McVie!"

"Pure perfection!"

"One of the all-time best."

"They have made some incredible music!"

"That groove they generate.  Could listen to them all day."

"One of the greatest bands of all-time."

"Almost unprecedented to have three incredible songwriters and vocalists in one band."

"Timeless music."

"They have awesome songwriting and brilliant musicianship."

"So much extreme talent in Fleetwood Mac."

"Isn't it amazing that no matter creed or color their music has the same effect on all of us? harmony..peace"

"My favorite band of all-time."

"Fleetwood Mac songs touches one's soul."

"Great band; they are iconic.  Stevie had a magical voice."

"Fleetwood's steady, dependable, awesome drumming has been the constant that has kept this band together."

"Timeless musical art."

"What a fantastic array of great songs they have done!"

"The combined talent in this group is incredible."

"So original....and so great!"

"I have so many favorites from this phenomenal band."

"Their music will forever inspire me."

"The layers of instrumentation are insane!

The story of this supergroup is one of unending determination and patience, and one of the enduring of constant struggles between two married couples within it to persist and become one of the legendary acts of the Rock Era.  Never has a band gone through so many lineup changes and still made it to this level, and much of those lineup changes are at the very core of the British Rock Family Tree*.  This group has taken so many twists and turns in its history that it is truly incredible they made it.  Guitarist problems galore.  It's an amazing story!

Fleetwood Mac formed in July of 1967 in London, England when 21-year-old guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood, and bassist John McVie left the group John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers.  Fleetwood taught himself to play drums in his bedroom while playing to the music of the Everly Brothers on his stereo and by adopting the style of Tony Meehan from Cliff Richard's band the Shadows.  McVie also learned how to play from listening to Shadow music, modeling himself after bassist Jet Harris.  Green had replaced Eric Clapton in the Bluesbreakers prior to forming his own band.  

Mayall granted Green free recording time, which he, Fleetwood, and McVie used to record five songs.  One of these was an instrumental that Green named after the rhythm section, "Fleetwood Mac".  Liking their sound together, Green suggested to Fleetwood that they form a new group.  Both wanted McVie on bass and even named the group Fleetwood Mac to encourage John, but McVie felt the project too risky and the concept of steady employment with Mayall sounded like the better option at the time. 

(Fleetwood, Green, Spencer and McVie--photo from Keystone Featuers/Hulton Arcive, via Getty Images)

Green and Fleetwood were inspired, however, and soon had slide guitarist Jeremy Spencer and bassist Bob Brunning aboard, with Brunning joining on the understanding that he would leave if McVie joined.  That quartet debuted at the Windsor Jazz and Blues Festival on August 13, 1967, known as Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac. McVie was aware of the performance and that was the impetus he needed to join Fleetwood Mac, taking the place of Brunning in the group.

 

The group signed a recording contract with Blue Horizon and released their self-titled debut Blues album in 1968.  It reached #4 in the U.K. and is notable for containing the original version of "Black Magic Woman" that Santana would turn into a classic in 1970.

Later in the year, Fleetwood Mac released the album Mr. Wonderful.  For their second release, the group brought in horns and a keyboardist who was a friend, Christine Perfect of the group Chicken Shack.  The group and Christine first crossed paths at the Windsor Jazz and Blues Festival.  

Danny Kirwan, 18 years old at the time, joined as a third guitarist of the group.  Kirwan contributed immediately on the single "Albatross", a moody instrumental which reached #1 in the U.K. and the Netherlands.  An albatross is a bird that sailors believed brought bad luck to them; hence the expression "an albatross around your neck".  "Albatross" inspired the Beatles song "Sun King" for their 1969 album Abbey Road.

Fleetwood Mac went on a tour of North America, and it was during that tour that they recorded the double album Fleetwood Mac in Chicago at the famous Chess Records Studio, inviting some of the all-time greats in blues--Buddy Guy, Willie Dixon, and Otis Spann to play on the album.

Fleetwood Mac switched to Immediate Records and released a single "Man Of The World" that was a European hit but success was contained there.  

"Man Of The World" reflected a lot about Green's then mental health state.  Peter at the time was struggling with the group's success and his own fortune.  "It's a very prophetic song," Fleetwood told Rolling Stone.  "When he made those songs, we had no idea that he was suffering internally as much as he was," Mick continued.  "But if you listen to the words, it's crucifyingly (sic) obvious what was going on. But a beautiful song. A poignant song".

 

The band had to change labels again when Immediate fell into financial difficulty, and manager Clifford Davis steered them to Reprise, a division of Warner Brothers Records.  Fleetwood Mac released the album Then Play On in 1969.  The release signaled a change from purely blues to rock & roll, and the single "Oh Well" (#1 in the Netherlands and #2 in the U.K.) has become a concert staple every since.

 

The instrumental "Underway" is one of several songs on the album that Green developed from jam sessions.

 

In 1970, the Mac released the album Kiln House, with Christine Perfect again playing keyboards and singing backup vocals.  Christine and McVie had married by this point and after the album, Christine joined the group permanently.  The album's title is taken from a converted house in Truncheaunts Lane in Hampshire, England.  The band leased the house and lived there with their families for six months in 1970.  Mick was married to his wife at the house on June 20.  Here is the instrumental "Earl Gray" written by Kirwan, featuring wonderful interplay between piano and guitars.

CBS released the compilation The Original Fleetwood Mac.  

Green ended up giving away most of his money, a good part of it to the London charity called War on Want, which gave aid to developing nations.  "Last thing at night they used to put pictures on telly of starving people," Green said in a 1996 interview with Mojo, "and I used to sit there eating a doughnut and thinking, 'Why have I got this big stash that I don't need when probably I'm going to die with it and all this is going on?'"  This is Peter's "The Green Manalishi (With The Two Prong Crown)".

Although Spencer (who sat out most of the previous album) played a larger role on Kiln House, Kirwan's songs are a big factor too.  Danny wrote "Jewel-Eyed Judy".

During a tour of Europe, Green took LSD in Munich, Germany and according to Davis, "He was never the same again."  Green recorded another song with the group and toured the U.S. and Europe, but left the band shortly afterwards.  From this point forward, Fleetwood became the new leader of the group and would prove to be the glue that held it together even in its darkest moments.  The members of Fleetwood Mac were shaken by Green's departure.  It was Fleetwood who persuaded the others to remain.

You remember the preface to this feature saying the story has lots of twists and turns?  Here is where it really gets strange.  While touring in February of 1971, Spencer told the other members he was going to "get a magazine".  He never returned.  The hours slipped into days and the band looked for him everywhere.  Finally, they located Spencer in a religious cult group called the Children of God and Jeremy wouldn't leave.  

Spencer essentially disappeared and wasn't heard from until years later.  It wasn't until 1979 that the music world heard the name Jeremy Spencer, when he finally returned to Earth One and made a record called "Travelin'".  It, by the way, is one of our Top Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*, which you can check out on our website.

Desperate for a guitarist to be able to fulfill the concert dates, they turned to Green, who came back temporarily for that purpose.  The group returned home and held auditions.  A friend of the group recommended her friend Bob Welch, who was living in Paris, France at the time.  The band heard a tape of his songs and hired him without hearing and seeing him perform live.

(John, Christine, Mick, Danny, Bob)

Welch's tenure in the group was important in that he introduced them to Jazz and most notably Country Rock.  In 1971, Fleetwood Mac released the album Future Games.  The group had gradually been building a base in Europe, but Future Games did not chart in the U.K. and did better in the U.S.  

The group followed with the album Bare Trees in 1972 and went on tour to promote it.  Kirwin by this time had become an alcoholic, which alienated him from the group.  Before one show in August, Kirwan smashed his guitar and refused to perform, then criticized the rest of the group afterward.  Fleetwood fired him after the incident.

(Christine McVie, Walker, Welch, Fleetwood, Weston, John McVie)

So in September, the group brought in guitarist Bob Weston, formerly with Long John Baldry,  as well as former Savoy Brown vocalist Dave Walker.  This lineup recorded the album Penguin, released early in 1973.  John favored the band mascot the penguin.  He had been fascinated watching birds when he lived near the London Zoo.  McVie was a member of the Zoological Society and would spend hours at the zoo studying and watching the penguins.  But Walker didn't fit in, and he too was fired after the accompanying tour.

 

Later in the year, Fleetwood Mac released the album Mystery to Me.  The song "Hypnotized", written by Welch, got some airplay. It is about the possibility of a visit from alien life.  Weston played a great guitar party making the most of limited effects available to guitarists at the time.  

"'Hypnotized' was primarily inspired by [Carlos] Castaneda's books, the [Charles] Hickson Pascagoula UFO sighting (in Pascagoula, Mississippi), some stories told to me by friends, and some personal experiences," Welch told American Songwriter.

But the group were eight albums in, and there were problems creeping into the marriage between Christine and John.  And during the subsequent tour, Weston did the worst thing he could do, both as a human being and as a member of the band--he had an affair with Fleetwood's wife.  Fleetwood naturally was devastated.  The group fired Weston and the band was unable to complete the final 26 concerts and thus, the group had a lot of unfulfilled promotion for the album.  Fleetwood Mac was close to splitting up, and in fact, they gave it serious thought.

Manager Clifford Davis, meanwhile, was thinking about Clifford Davis.  He was afraid that the canceled dates would affect his reputation.  He claimed that he owned the rights to the name 'Fleetwood Mac' and recruited members to tour the U.S. in 1974 under the name of 'The New Fleetwood Mac' to perform rescheduled concerts.  Worse yet, Davis told these musicians that Fleetwood was committed to the project and had given the go-ahead to hire musicians and that he would join them when he could.

That tour of unauthorized musicians began and initially was successful.  But soon people found out that this was not the real Fleetwood Mac and audiences and promoters reacted accordingly.  Finally after a concert in Edmonton, Canada where bottles were thrown onstage, the band quit and the rest of the tour was scrapped.

But Davis kept the name, and the battle
over who owned the rights to the name resulted in the original group being inactive for nearly a year and the case being active for four years. Welch urged the rest of the group to relocate to L.A. to be closer to Warner Brothers Records, and they agreed. And rather than hire a new manager, they decided they would manage their own activities.

A letter written by promoter Bill Graham to Warner Brothers convinced the label that the real Fleetwood Mac could resume recording, and the group recorded the album Heroes Are Hard to Find.  

So now we're nine albums in and they were attracting a following but not selling albums in mass numbers.  That's a long, long time and a ton of hard work and sweat (and as we've seen, lots of trouble, heartaches, and turmoil to go through).  Their perseverance to get this far and knowing how they were finally rewarded in spades is highly admirable.  The casual fan roots for people like this to make it--knowing how hard it is to make the hard climb to stardom makes one feel like Fleetwood Mac really deserved to make it.  And they did.

Up to this point, the group had achieved three Top 10 albums in their native U.K. (none since the first three), and success was contained there.  The band that went through more guitarists than they probably cared to had to do it once again.  Bob Welch had been frustrated with all the legal problems and he wasn't one for constant touring, and he too, like Peter Green, Jeremy Spencer, Danny Kirwan, and Bob Weston had done before him, left Fleetwood Mac and had a moderately successful solo career ("Sentimental Lady", "Precious Love", and others).

The unique story of this legendary hard-working band continues.  You can hear it exclusively on Inside The Rock Era!