While most bands undergo a number of changes over the course of their career, few groups experienced such radical stylistic changes as Fleetwood Mac. Initially conceived as a hard-edged British blues combo in the late '60s, the band gradually evolved into a polished pop/rock act over the course of a decade. Throughout all of their incarnations, the only consistent members of Fleetwood Mac were drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie -- the rhythm section who provided the band with its name. Ironically, they had the least influence over the musical direction of the band. Originally, guitarists Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer provided the band with its gutsy, neo-psychedelic blues-rock sound, but as both guitarists descended into mental illness, the group began moving toward pop/rock with the songwriting of pianist Christine McVie. By the mid-'70s, Fleetwood Mac had relocated to California, where they added the soft-rock duo of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks to their lineup. Obsessed with the meticulously arranged pop of the Beach Boys and the Beatles, Buckingham helped the band become one of the most popular groups of the late '70s. Combining soft rock with the confessional introspection of singer/songwriters, Fleetwood Mac created a slick but emotional sound that helped 1977's Rumours become one of the biggest-selling albums of all time. The band's retained their popularity through the early '80s, when Buckingham, Nicks and Christine McVie all began pursuing solo careers. The band reunited for one album, 1987's Tango in the Night, before splintering in the late '80s. Buckingham left the group initially, but the band decided to soldier on, releasing one other album before Nicks and McVie left the band in the early '90s, hastening the group's commercial decline. Then in 1997 the rumours-era band reconciled for a full reunion, live album and tour, Christine McVie retired from the band, but the remaining members continued to record and tour as Fleetwood Mac and in 2015 Christine McVie rejoined the band for their "On With The Show' world tour. The rumours-era five piece finally splintered with the sacking of Lindsey Buckingham in January 2018, though Fleetwood Mac continued to tour with two additional guitarists to replace Lindsey. At the end of 2022 the 'Fleetwood Mac Chain' was finally shattered with the passing of Christine McVie that now likely brings an end to Fleetwood Mac as a functioning band.
The roots of Fleetwood Mac lie in John Mayall's legendary British blues outfit, the Bluesbreakers. John McVie (bass) was one of the charter members of the Bluesbreakers, joining the group in 1963. In 1966 Peter Green replaced Eric Clapton and a year later, Mick Fleetwood (drums) joined. Inspired by the success of Cream, the Yardbirds and Jimi Hendrix, the trio decided to break away from Mayall in 1967. At their debut at the British Jazz and Blues Festival in August, Bob Brunning was playing bass in the group, since McVie was still under contract to Mayall. He joined the band a few weeks after their debut; by that time, slide guitarist Jeremy Spencer had joined the band. Fleetwood Mac soon signed with Blue Horizon, releasing their eponymous debut the following year. Fleetwood Mac was an enormous hit in the U.K., spending over a year in the Top 10. Despite its British success, the album was virtually ignored in America. During 1968, the band added guitarist Danny Kirwan. The following year, they recorded Fleetwood Mac in Chicago with a variety of bluesmen, including Willie Dixon and Otis Spann. The set was released later that year, after the band had left Blue Horizon for a one-album deal with Immediate Records; in the US, they signed with Reprise/Warner Bros., and by 1970, Warner began releasing the band's British records as well. Fleetwood Mac released English Rose and Then Play On during 1969, which both indicated that the band were expanding their music, moving away from their blues-purists roots. That year, Green's "Man of the World" and "Oh Well" were number two hits. Though his music was providing the backbone of the group, Peter Green was growing increasingly disturbed. After announcing that he was planning to give all of his earnings away, Green suddenly left the band in the spring of 1970; he released two solo albums over the course of the '70s, but he rarely performed after leaving Fleetwood Mac. The band replaced him with Christine Perfect, a vocalist/pianist who had earned a small but loyal following in the UK by singing with Spencer Davis and the Chicken Shack. She had already performed uncredited on Then Play On. Contractual difficulties prevented her from becoming a full-fledged member of Fleetwood Mac until 1971; by that time she had married John McVie. Christine McVie didn't appear on 1970's Kiln House, the first album the band recorded without Peter Green. For that album, Jeremy Spencer dominated the band's musical direction, but he had also been undergoing personnel problem.
During the band's American tour in early 1971, Spencer disappeared; it was later discovered that he left the band to join the religious cult the Children of God. Fleetwood Mac had already been trying to determine the direction of their music, but Spencer's departure sent the band into disarray. Christine McVie and Danny Kirwan began to move the band towards mainstream rock on 1971's Future Games but new guitarist Bob Welch exerted a heavy influence on 1972's Bare Tree's. Kirwan was fired after Bare Tree's and was replaced by guitarists Bob Weston and Dave Walker, who appeared on 1973's Penguin. Walker left after that album, and Weston departed after making its follow-up, Mystery to Me (1973). In 1974, the group's manager Clifford Davis formed a bogus Fleetwood Mac, and had the band tour the US. The real Fleetwood Mac filed and won a lawsuit against the impostors -- after losing, they began performing under the name Stretch-- but the lawsuit kept the band off the road for most of the year. In the interim, they released Heroes Are Hard To Find. Late in 1974, Fleetwood Mac moved to California, with hopes of re-starting their career. Welch left the band shortly after the move to from the group Paris.
Late in 1974, Mick Fleetwood was looking at Recording Studios for the band's new album when he heard a track from Buckingham Nicks being played to him by the owner of Sound City Studios, the Buckingham Nicks album was recorded by the soft-rock duo Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. The duo were then asked to join the group on the strength of that recording and their addition revived the band's musical and commercial fortunes. Not only did the pair write songs, but they brought distinctive talents the band had been lacking. Buckingham was skilled pop craftsman, capable of arranging a commercial song while keeping it musically adventurous. Nicks had a husky voice and a sexy, hippie gypsy stage persona which gave the band a charismatic frontwoman. The new lineup of Fleetwood Mac released their eponymous debut in 1975 and it slowly became a huge hit, reaching number one in 1976 on the strength of the singles "Over My Head," "Rhiannon," and "Say You Love Me." The album would eventually sell over five million copies in the US alone. While Fleetwood Mac had finally attained their long-desired commercial success, the band was fraying apart behind the scenes. The McVies divorced in 1976, and Buckingham and Nicks' romance ended shortly afterward. The internal tensions formed the basis for the songs on their next album, Rumours. Released in the spring of 1977, Rumours became a blockbuster success, topping the American and British charts and generating the Top 10 US singles "Go Your Own Way," "Dreams," "Don't Stop," and "You Make Loving Fun." It would eventually sell over 17 million copies in the US alone, making it the second biggest-selling album of all-time. Fleetwood Mac supported the album with an exhaustive, lucrative tour and then retired to the studio to record their follow-up to Rumours. A wildly experimental double-album conceived largely by Buckingham, Tusk (1979) didn't duplicate the enormous success of Rumours, yet it did go multi-platinum and featured the Top 10 US singles "Sara" and "Tusk." In 1980, they released the double-album Live. Following the Tusk tour, Fleetwood, Buckingham and Nicks all recorded solo albums. Of the solo projects, Stevie Nicks' Bella Donna (1981) was the most successful, peaking at number one and featuring the hit singles "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around," "Leather and Lace" and "Edge of Seventeen." Buckingham's Law and Order (1981) was a moderate success, spawning the US Top 10 "Trouble." Fleetwood, for his part, made a world music album called The Visitor. Fleetwood Mac reconvened in 1982 for Mirage. More conventional and accessible than Tusk, Mirage reached number one in the US and featured the hit singles "Hold Me" and "Gypsy."
After Mirage, Buckingham, Nicks and Christine McVie all worked on solo albums. The hiatus was due to a variety of reasons. Each member had their own manager, Nicks was becoming the group's breakaway star, Buckingham was obsessive in the studio and each member was suffering from various substance addictions. Nicks was able to maintain her popularity, with The Wild Heart (1983) and Rock A Little (1985) both reaching the Top 15. Christine McVie also had a US Top 10 hit with "Got A Hold On Me" in 1984. Buckingham received the strongest reviews of all, but his 1984 album Go Insane failed to generate a hit. Fleetwood Mac reunited to record a new album in 1985. Buckingham, who had grown increasingly frustrated with the musical limitations of the band, decided to make it his last project with the band. When the resulting album, Tango in the Night, was finally released in 1987 it was greeted with mixed reviews but strong sales, reaching the Top 10 and generating the Top 20 hits "Little Lies," "Seven Wonders" and "Everywhere." Buckingham decided to leave Fleetwood Mac after completing Tango in the Night, and the group replaced him with guitarists Billy Burnette and Rick Vito. The new lineup of the band recorded their first album, Behind the Mask, in 1990. It became the band's first album since 1975 to not go gold.
Following its supporting tour, Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie announced they would continue to record with the group, but not tour. Rick Vito left the band in 1991, and the group released the box set 25 Years -- The Chain the following year. The classic Fleetwood Mac lineup of Fleetwood, the McVies, Buckingham and Nicks reunited to play President Bill Clinton's inauguration in early 1993, but the concert did not lead to a full-fledged reunion. Later that year, Nicks left the band after a dispute with Mick Fleetwood over her song "Silver Springs" and was replaced by Bekka Bramlett and Dave Mason. The new lineup of Fleetwood Mac began touring in 1994, releasing Time the following year to little attention. Christine McVie appeared on the album but declined to tour with the band. While the new version of Fleetwood Mac wasn't commercially successful, neither were the solo careers of Buckingham, Nicks and McVie, prompting speculation of a full-fledged reunion in 1997.
The Dance, an MTV special, reunited the rumours-era line up of Fleetwood Mac, the album hit No.1 on the US Billboard charts and was followed by a US tour. 1998 saw Fleetwood Mac get inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame and pick up a lifetime achievement award at the UK Brit Awards. With Stevie Nicks fresh off her 2001 release and accompanying tour to promote Trouble In Shangri-La she joins Fleetwood, John McVie and Lindsey Buckingham in the studio to work on their forthcoming studio album, the first with Nicks since Behind The Mask and the first with Buckingham since Tango In The Night. Not joining the band is Christine McVie, she has retired from the music business and returns back to her roots in England, McVie contributes keyboards to two tracks on the new album. Before the release of the new album Fleetwood Mac release a double album retrospective entitled The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac on October 15th 2002.
In May 2003 Fleetwood Mac released Say You Will as a four-piece, a world tour followed throughout 2003 and 2004 that took the band across North America, Europe and Australia. A live retrospective on the tour was released as a DVD/CD combo set titled Live In Boston in 2004. Fleetwood Mac also released a fly-on-the-wall documentary of the recording of the Say You Will album titled Destiny Rules, this documentary is also shown on VH-1 in a commercial free screening. Limited group activity happens till 2009 when Fleetwood Mac again reconvene for a World Tour that is titled 'Unleashed: The Hits', this tour again takes the four-piece band across North America, Europe and Australia, a further sabbatical till 2012 where new tracks are recorded by Buckingham, Fleetwood and John McVie, with Stevie Nicks providing backing vocals, some of these tracks are released on the band's 2013 Extended Play four track EP with a new re-recorded Buckingham Nicks demo track that was lost since the 70s, the band follow up the release of Extended Play with a world tour that takes the band across North America and Europe, where in London, UK Christine McVie joins the band on stage for two nights to perform "Don't Stop".
Early in 2014 Christine McVie confirms that she has rejoined Fleetwood Mac and the five-piece head out on the 'On With The Show' tour that will takes the band across North America in the autumn of 2014 with European and Australia / New Zealand dates in 2015. Christine McVie also joins Lindsey, Mick and John in the studio to record new tracks for a future Fleetwood Mac album, however Stevie Nicks does not join the band to record new music, the subsequent new tracks from Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie are released on a duet album Lindsey Buckingham / Christine McVie in 2017 that also feature Mick Fleetwood on drums and John McVie on bass. Early in 2018 Lindsey Buckingham is unceremoniously sacked from Fleetwood Mac due to the insistence from Stevie Nicks that she can never work with Lindsey again and either he goes or I go. Fleetwood Mac then replace Lindsey with Mike Campbell and Neil Finn for their subsequent 'An Evening With Fleetwood Mac' world tour that ran throughout 2018 and 2019 in North America and Europe. In early 2019 Lindsey Buckingham had open heart surgery and recuperated at home before re-embarking on his solo career with new self-titled album in 2021 and accompanying North American and European tour in 2021 and 2022. On 30 November 2022, Christine McVie sadly passed away drawing a likely close to Fleetwood Mac as a functioning band.
|
