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Mick Fleetwood wants a Fleetwood Mac reunion with “everyone who’s ever played” in the band | NME

By Will Richards
26th March 2021

“I’m not done. And if I can get John McVie off his boat, he’s not done either!”

Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, and John McVie of Fleetwood Mac arrive at the 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards on January 26, 2018 in New York City. CREDIT: Steve Granitz/Getty Images

Mick Fleetwood has shared his desire for a full Fleetwood Mac reunion, and “everyone who’s ever played in Fleetwood Mac would be welcome”.

The news comes after Fleetwood revealed this month that he has reconciled with former bandmate Lindsey Buckingham – and would like to think a reunion could happen.

Guitarist Buckingham, who first left the band in 1987 before returning in 1997, was fired by the band in 2018, with Fleetwood adamant until now that his former bandmate would never be allowed to rejoin the band. Last year, he maintained his stance ruling out a reunion.

Elsewhere in Fleetwood Mac’s revolving door of band members, Stevie Nicks left in 1991 before returning alongside Buckingham in 1997, while Christine McVie rejoined the band in 2014 after retiring. The band’s latest tour in 2018 saw Buckingham replaced by Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers’ Mike Campbell and Crowded House’s Neil Finn on guitars.

NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 07: Mick Fleetwood and Lindsey Buckingham perform at Madison Square Garden on October 7, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)

Asked who he thinks will be a part of Fleetwood Mac when the band next tours in a new interview by the Los Angeles Times, Fleetwood said: “I hope the whole fucking lot of them! I’m not done. And if I can get John McVie off his boat, he’s not done either!

Continue reading Mick Fleetwood wants a Fleetwood Mac reunion with “everyone who’s ever played” in the band | NME

Mick Fleetwood Open to Reunion With Lindsey Buckingham, Imagines Fleetwood Mac Farewell Tour | Rolling Stone

By Andy Greene
Rolling Stone
March 1, 2021

“Fleetwood Mac is such a strange story,” says the drummer. “I would love the elements that are not healed to be healed”

Musician Mick Fleetwood attends the 2019 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Barclays Center on Friday, March 29, 2019, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

With the concert industry shut down for the foreseeable future and his bandmates spread to various spots around the planet, Mick Fleetwood truly doesn’t know what the future holds for Fleetwood Mac. But that hasn’t stopped the drummer from looking ahead and sketching out a possible farewell tour in his mind.

“I’m very aware that we’ve never played that card,” he tells Rolling Stone on the phone from his Hawaii home. “I think the vision for me, and I think it would be hugely appropriate, is that we actually say ‘this is goodbye’ and go out and actually do that. That has always been my vision and I’m a flatly confident that we can do that. We owe it to the fans.”

The comments appear to contradict Christine McVie’s recent statements to the BBC where she said that bassist John McVie was “a little bit frail” and no longer had “the heart for it.” She also said, “If we do it, it’ll be without John and without Stevie [Nicks], I think…I’m getting a bit old for it now. I don’t know if I can get myself back into it.”

McVie later walked back the comments, and Fleetwood says they shouldn’t be taken literally. “I think she got out of bed on the wrong side that day,” he says with a laugh. “She meant to say, ‘We’ve done so much. I don’t know whether or not we can keep going.’ Anything other than that, she can speak for herself. But I can assure you we are alive and well. And she has no regrets. She just got caught up in whatever she was saying and she also felt she had been misunderstood.” Continue reading Mick Fleetwood Open to Reunion With Lindsey Buckingham, Imagines Fleetwood Mac Farewell Tour | Rolling Stone

Fleetwood Mac Prep Deluxe Edition of 1980 Live Album, Drop ‘The Chain’ Performance | Rolling Stone

By Angie Martoccio
Rolling Stone
Feb 10, 2021

Majority of the album was recorded during the Tusk tour

UNITED KINGDOM – JUNE 25: WEMBLEY ARENA Photo of FLEETWOOD MAC, L-R: John McVie, Lindsey Buckingham, Christine McVie, Stevie Nicks performing live onstage (Photo by Pete Still/Redferns)

Fleetwood Mac are revisiting their 1980 live album for a super-deluxe edition out April 9th via Rhino.

Fleetwood Mac Live was mostly recorded mostly during their tour for Tusk, but the super deluxe-edition will contain unreleased live music recorded between 1977 and 1982. The collection comprises a three-CD/two-LP set, as well as a bonus 7-inch single of previously unreleased demos for “Fireflies” and “One More Night.” To accompany the release, the band dropped a raucous version of “The Chain” from the Richfield Coliseum in Cleveland, Ohio, which took place on May 20th, 1980.

The deluxe edition of Live is packaged in a slipcase containing a booklet, an itinerary for the Tusk tour, and a history of the album by writer David Wild. “Then and now, Fleetwood Mac Live artfully marks a fascinating time period for a group that, in one form or another, has been on the global stage for more than half a century,” he wrote. “It’s a wildly entertaining rock & roll circus in full swing under a big tent of the band’s own creation as they leave audiences dazzled in locales from Paris, France, to Passaic, New Jersey.”

Rhino is also selling a “Tour Edition” limited to 1,000 copies, which contains replicas of ephemera, from a backstage pass to an iron-on patch. Both editions are available on Rhino’s website. 

Continue reading Fleetwood Mac Prep Deluxe Edition of 1980 Live Album, Drop ‘The Chain’ Performance | Rolling Stone

Christine McVie doesn’t think Fleetwood Mac will tour with Stevie Nicks again | NME

Feb 9, 2021
By Sam Moore
NME Online

She also expressed doubt about going back out on the road again

Christine McVie, Stevie Nicks, and Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac perform onstage during the 2018 iHeartRadio Music Festival at T-Mobile Arena on September 21, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Picture: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)

Christine McVie has said that she doesn’t expect Fleetwood Mac will tour with Stevie Nicks again in the future.

The keyboardist and vocalist was asked about the band’s future plans in a new interview with BBC Radio 2’s Johnnie Walker.

Speaking on Sounds Of The 70s (listen to the full interview here at the 1:13:20 mark), McVie said that the question of touring with Fleetwood Mac was currently “an impossible question to even answer”.

“If we do, it will be without John [McVie] and without Stevie, I think,” McVie said. “I think I’m getting a bit too old for it now, especially having had a year off. I don’t know if I can get myself back into it again.

“I know Mick [Fleetwood] would do it in a lightning strike,” she added. “But I couldn’t possibly say. We’re certainly not touring this year either.” Continue reading Christine McVie doesn’t think Fleetwood Mac will tour with Stevie Nicks again | NME

Fleetwood Mac’s Mick Fleetwood says cocaine use left him with two-year memory gap | NME

Feb 5, 2021
Nick Reilly
NME Online

“I remember not working for two years. I can’t even remember what I did”

Mick Fleetwood (Picture: Getty)

Fleetwood Mac‘s Mick Fleetwood has revealed that he can’t remember two years of his life, after previously battling a heavy cocaine habit.

The drummer explained that there was a period “way after” making the iconic 1977 album ‘Rumours’ when he didn’t work for two years and has no recollection of his life during the period.

He told Classic Rock magazine: “There’s no doubt we were well equipped with the marching powder. That’s a well-worn fairytale that gets more like a war story, that gets more and more aggrandised.

I’m not minimalising the fact that we were definitely partaking in that lifestyle.

“But these weren’t a bunch of people crawling across the floor with green froth coming out of their mouths, we were working, you know?

“That went on for a long, long time, Stevie Nicks has addressed it, so I’m not divulging anything that she hasn’t spoken about. Continue reading Fleetwood Mac’s Mick Fleetwood says cocaine use left him with two-year memory gap | NME

BMG buys Mick Fleetwood’s Royalties for an array of Fleetwood Mac hits – Including TikTok sensation Dreams

Music Business Worldwide

Once upon a time – from around 2008 to around 2015 – BMG was arguably the most acquisitive company in the music rights space.

That’s all changed in recent years, with BMG largely retreating from an M&A marketplace that has seen heavily-funded entrants such Hipgnosis Songs Fund, Round Hill, and Primary Wave keep on raising big money… and keep on spending it.

Indeed, MBW understands that it’s been nearly three years since BMG made a large-scale full acquisition in music rights. Instead, the company has switched its focus to organic growth, with positive results: after years of consecutive double-digit increases, BMG half-year revenues rose again to $308m in the first six months of the pandemic-hit 2020.

Today, though, BMG has announced its return to the acquisition table – and shown the music industry that it still has the resources to make serious music buyouts now and again.

Bertelsmann-owned BMG has confirmed that it has outright acquired Mick Fleetwood’s royalty interest in over 300 recordings, including all of Fleetwood Mac’s biggest hits.

An important distinction: this doesn’t mean BMG has acquired the underlying master rights to classic catalog albums like Rumours and Tango In The Night, which are owned by Warner Music Group.

However, it does mean that, from now on, whenever certain records by Fleetwood Mac make money, then BMG makes money. (The BMG acquisition includes Mick Fleetwood’s interest in all of Fleetwood Mac’s recorded works, apart from their first two albums.)

As a result, BMG will participate in the aftermath of the global viral success of Dreamson TikTok, which generated over 3.2 billion views/streams globally during an eight-week period in the second half of 2020.

Other Fleetwood Mac hits covered by the deal include recordings such as The Chain, Go Your Own Way, and Landslide from albums including Fleetwood Mac (1975), Rumours (1977) and Tango In The Night (1987).

Today’s news continues something of a sell-off trend within Fleetwood Mac’s ranks: In December, Stevie Nicks sold an 80% stake in her publishing rights to Primary Wave for around $80m, while earlier this month, Lindsey Buckingham sold 100% of his song rights to Hipgnosis Songs Fund for an undisclosed fee. Continue reading BMG buys Mick Fleetwood’s Royalties for an array of Fleetwood Mac hits – Including TikTok sensation Dreams

Hignosis fully acquires Lindsey Buckingham Song Catalog, including 100% writer and publisher share of Fleetwood Mac Hits

Hipgnosis Songs Fund isn’t playing as 2021 gets underway.

Just one day after it announced the acquisition of Jimmy Iovine’s production royalties, the Merck Mercuriadis-led entity has confirmed yet another major rights buyout.

This time, Hipgnosis has acquired 100% of Lindsey Buckingham’s publishing rights, including both his publishing and writer’s share, across 161 songs.

Those songs include an array of hits that Buckingham wrote and/or co-wrote for Fleetwood Mac, including Go Your Own Way and The Chain.

Hipgnosis previously acquired a 25% stake in Buckingham’s song catalog via its buyout of a publishing portfolio from Kobalt for $323m in September (announced in November).

As part of its new agreement with Buckingham, announced today (January 5), Hipgnosis also acquires a 50% share of any unreleased compositions.

Today’s news means that the majority of publishing rights for songs penned by two of Fleetwood Mac’s biggest songwriters – Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks – are now owned by modern, highly acquisitive, rights management firms. (Nicks sold 80% of her publishing rights last year to Hipgnosis rival Primary Wave for around $80m.)

Merck Mercuriadis, founder of Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited, said: “Lindsey Buckingham is one of the greatest guitarists, songwriters and producers of all time yet is still so underrated. His work with Fleetwood Mac has brought the world unparalleled joy over the last 45 years and he belongs in any discussion featuring Brian Wilson and Paul McCartney. It’s wonderful to welcome him and his iconic songs both as a solo artist and with Fleetwood Mac to the Hipgnosis family”. Continue reading Hignosis fully acquires Lindsey Buckingham Song Catalog, including 100% writer and publisher share of Fleetwood Mac Hits

At Home with Lindsey Buckingham | Culture Sonar

Editor’s Note: This is a review of a live stream event performed earlier this month by Lindsey Buckingham. It consisted of a Q&A ahead of the concert, then an intimate show performed from his home studio in L.A.

***

Question and Answer Session:

When can we expect new music, and where will you be touring
The album that we will be releasing in the near future is something that has been waiting in the wings for about three years now. For now, we are talking about the United States, Europe, and Australia, which is more than I’ve ever done as a solo artist.

Future collaborations?
Maybe a duet album with a younger female artist, yet to be determined. Even Mick Fleetwood and I were talking about doing a project together, so who knows? There’s still lots of time.

Do you have a favorite song that you do live where you really like to “shred” it?
There are two kinds of shredding. I always love doing something like “Big Love” or “Never Going Back Again,” which represents the full orchestral style with just one instrument. Then there’s lead guitar shredding. I always love “I’m So Afraid.” Those three songs have been re-envisioned and re-engineered for the stage.

How did you create your guitar style?
I was completely self-taught, so there was nobody there to tell me that I had to use a pick. It comes down to the music I happened to be exposed to, but probably more importantly because I made my own way and made my own rules.

What was your biggest contribution to Fleetwood Mac?
I just saw what my role needed to be. They needed a musical visionary and leader, they needed someone who could organize, and produce. I somehow was able to hold the line with the role I needed to fulfill for the band. Continue reading At Home with Lindsey Buckingham | Culture Sonar

Stevie Nicks Sells a Share of Her Publishing Rights for $100 Million | Rolling Stone

By
December 4, 2020
Rolling Stone

Nicks joins a number of major artists who’ve sold their catalog rights to investors and talent management companies this year

Stevie Nicks performs at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Barclays Center on Friday, March 29, 2019, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Stevie Nicks has sold a majority of her publishing catalog to publisher and talent management company Primary Wave, the company announced Friday, with the Fleetwood Mac star becoming one of the highest-profile artists to capitalize on the booming song publishing acquisition market to date.

Primary Wave didn’t share financial details of the sale, but The Wall Street Journal reported that Nicks sold an 80% stake in the catalog, valuing the deal at about $100 million. The deal includes several of Nicks’s biggest hits as a solo artist and member of Fleetwood Mac including “Landslide,” “Edge of Seventeen” and “Dreams,” the last of which returned the charts for the first time in 40 years after resurfacing on TikTok.

Primary Wave has previously purchased stakes in several prominent artist catalogs like Disturbed and Ray Charles.

“To say we’re excited to welcome the incredible Stevie Nicks to the Primary Wave family would be a dramatic understatement,” Primary Wave’s founder and CEO Larry Mestel said in a statement. “If Primary Wave were starting our company today, Stevie Nicks would be one of the shining pillars, a true legend among legends. She is a groundbreaking artist, and the longevity of her iconic career comes from writing songs, instantly recognizable and critically acclaimed, that stand the test of time.” Continue reading Stevie Nicks Sells a Share of Her Publishing Rights for $100 Million | Rolling Stone

Mick Fleetwood thinks it’s unlikely that Lindsey Buckingham will rejoin Fleetwood Mac | Metro UK

Patrick Dane
November 21, 2020
Metro UK

Fleetwood Mac’s Mick Fleetwood has spoken about playing with former lead guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, calling the possibility a pipe dream.

The band’s de facto leader has said it’s unlikely that Lindsey Buckingham will return. (Picture: Getty Images)

Fleetwood Mac’s Mick Fleetwood has spoken about playing with former lead guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, calling the possibility a pipe dream.

Fleetwood, who founded the band in 1967, has acted as the de facto leader of the band since its inception. In a new interview, he talked about the messy breakup with Buckingham in 2018, saying that reunion will be unlikely.

Buckingham was notoriously fired from the group for a disagreement on the direction and scope of a tour, while a spat with band member Stevie Nicks has also been cited as reason for the departure.

The guitarist and singer then sued the band for a breach of oral contract, with the case eventually settled out of court.

Buckingham was later replaced by Mike Campbell and Neil Finn. Continue reading Mick Fleetwood thinks it’s unlikely that Lindsey Buckingham will rejoin Fleetwood Mac | Metro UK