Category Archives: UK Articles

Fleetwood Mac, Reviews, Tour Info, UK Articles

Fleetwood Mac at O2 arena, SE10 | The Times

Leave a comment

Ed Potton
Published at 12:01AM, May 29 2015
The Times

Four out of Five stars

After leaving one of the most dysfunctional bands in rock, Christine McVie is back, and Fleetwood Mac’s classic line-up are performing together for the first time in 16 years. “Our songbird has indeed returned,” beamed Mick Fleetwood, and the giant drummer wasn’t the only one feeling elated during a show full of potent renditions of their Seventies standards: The Chain, Go Your Own Way, Rhiannon.

John and Stevie, O2 Arena
John McVie and Stevie Nicks from Fleetwood Mac Marilyn Kingwill

Elation or desolation — they don’t really do anything in between.

Their woes, singer-guitarist Lindsey Buckingham noted wryly, have been “quite well documented”. From past ones — the implosion of Christine’s relationship with bassist John McVie and Buckingham’s with singer Stevie Nicks — to present ones — John is in remission from cancer. When Nicks dedicated a song to Adele (“You’re gonna be me in 40 years”), you could imagine Adele appreciating the sentiment but not envying everything Nicks has been through. Continue reading Fleetwood Mac at O2 arena, SE10 | The Times →

Fleetwood Mac, Reviews, Tour Info, UK Articles

Fleetwood Mac, O2 Arena, review: ‘Nothing less than extraordinary’ | The Telegraph

Leave a comment

By Neil McCormick
27 May 2015

The soap opera of the band member’s personal lives has always lent a certain depth and texture to Fleetwood Mac, says Neil McCormick

*****

Members of the rock band Fleetwood Mac stand together on stage after performing a concert on NBC's 'Today' show in New York City...Members of the rock band Fleetwood Mac stand together on stage after performing a concert on NBC's 'Today' show in New York City, October 9, 2014. Fleetwood Mac is currently on a world concert tour. From left to right are bassist John McVie, keyboard player and vocalist Christine McVie, vocalist Stevie Nicks, guitarist and vocalist Lindsey Buckingham and drummer and vocalist Mick Fleetwood. REUTERS/Mike Segar (UNITED STATES - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT)
Members of the rock band Fleetwood Mac stand together on stage after performing a concert on NBC’s ‘Today’ show in New York City, October 9, 2014. Fleetwood Mac is currently on a world concert tour. From left to right are bassist John McVie, keyboard player and vocalist Christine McVie, vocalist Stevie Nicks, guitarist and vocalist Lindsey Buckingham and drummer and vocalist Mick Fleetwood. REUTERS/Mike Segar (UNITED STATES – Tags: ENTERTAINMENT)

The Chain made for a suitably dramatic opening, showing off the restored Fleetwood Mac to full effect with that fantastic bass, thunderous drums, blood quickening guitar solo and gorgeous wall of harmonies insisting the chain cannot be broken. Going straight into You Make Loving Fun drove the point home, showcasing Christine McVie’s smooth vocal and funky keyboards. “I think we can safely say our girl is back” trilled Stevie Nicks.

This tour marks the full reunion of the classic line-up, with the return of Christine McVie after 16 years. The band have become almost the definition of a heritage act in her absence, regularly touring sets of their greatest hits to nostalgic audiences, so you can’t really say she was missed. But there is no doubt she restores some balance, both in musical and pop cultural terms.

Musically, she takes some of the weight off virtuoso guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, her smooth, lush pop songs softening his sharper arty edges. Flowing gems as potent as Everywhere, Little Lies and Songbird were restored to their rightful place in the centre of a Fleetwood set and for that alone audiences have reason to be grateful.

But there is a sense too that the dysfunctional family is back together, healing old wounds with the balm of time and music, a message that, in itself, speaks volumes to lifelong fans

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 07: Christine McVie performs at Madison Square Garden on October 7, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)
NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 07: Christine McVie performs at Madison Square Garden on October 7, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)

Fleetwood Mac make much of their history of “ups and downs” as Buckingham puts it. Now that Christine is back playing again with ex-husband bassist John McVie there are three former couples on stage, if you take into account that drummer Mick Fleetwood romanced singer Nicks behind the back of Buckingham. Continue reading Fleetwood Mac, O2 Arena, review: ‘Nothing less than extraordinary’ | The Telegraph →

Christine McVie, Fleetwood Mac, Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks, Tour Info, UK Articles

Going their own way | The Sunday Times

Leave a comment

Dan Cairns
Published: 24 May 2015

Reunited for a mammoth tour, Fleetwood Mac are now planning an album. But for all their attempts to put on a show, they are still riven by backstage tensions

Return of the Mac: from left, John and Christine McVie, Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham and Mick Fleetwood (Al Pereira )

Forty years after the line-up that conquered the world with Rumours first came together, Fleetwood Mac are still having problems agreeing on anything much. The return to the fold 16 months ago of Christine McVie, after an absence of 16 years, is one development they all speak positively about, with none of the usual caveats and festering agendas.

“There’s Stevie on one side of the spectrum,” says Lindsey Buckingham, the band’s coiled, restless, 65-year-old musical director and, what seems like a lifetime ago, Stevie Nicks’s boyfriend, “and me kind of on the other, in terms of sensibilities. Christine sort of bridges that gap.”

Where Buckingham talks in the clinical manner of a scientist, Nicks dives right in. “Christine’s coming back was like the return of my best friend after years away. It’s much more fun now. We were always a force to be reckoned with, and that’s happened again.” Continue reading Going their own way | The Sunday Times →

Christine McVie, Fleetwood Mac, John McVie, Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks, Tour Info, UK Articles

“Come Back But You Can’t Leave Again!” Fleetwood Mac Speak | MOJO

Leave a comment

By MOJO STAFF
MAY 21, 2015

All five members – Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood, Lindsey Buckingham, John and Christine McVie – open up in exclusive interviews in the new issue of MOJO.

EVEN FOR A band who have experienced more than their fair share of intrigue, drama and line-up turmoil, Christine McVie’s return to Fleetwood Mac may be the most extraordinary turn-up yet.

MOJO260_FleetwoodMac_tease-770A classic shot of Fleetwood Mac on the cover of MOJO 260, on sale in the UK from Tuesday, May 26.

Ahead of enormous UK shows and even (whisper it) a new album, all five members of the band have elected to speak to MOJO in a series of individual interviews tackling the entirety of their career.

That includes good times, bad times, “carnage and intrigue” and a massive “rubber dildo called Harold”… of course.

Plus the free, 15-track CD that comes with the magazine traces Fleetwood Mac’s roots through a series of classic blues and rock’n’roll recordings, including songs from Buddy Holly, Robert Johnson, Elmore James and more.

The new issue of MOJO (July 2015 / #260) will be on sale in the UK from Tuesday (May 26). But first, here’s a taster of some of the things Fleetwood Mac are getting off their collective chests: Continue reading “Come Back But You Can’t Leave Again!” Fleetwood Mac Speak | MOJO →

Fleetwood Mac, Tour Info, UK Articles

Giddings broke down in tears when he found out Fleetwood Mac had agreed to perform | Isle of Wight Mail

Leave a comment

TUE MAY 12, 2015
IAN WILLIAMS
ISLE OF WIGHT MAIL

ISLE of Wight Festival organiser John Giddings broke down in tears when he discovered Fleetwood Mac had agreed to headline his bash.

Fleetwood Mac liveThe American musical legends will close the Main Stage on the Sunday when they play the event for the first time.The Little Lies band are rumoured to have turned down Glastonbury for the opportunity to perform at the festival which takes place between June 11-14.

Giddings revealed he started to sob after receiving email confirmation that the group would be topping the bill at his annual musical gathering.

He said: “I was standing in my bedroom and I was too scared to open the email because I was convinced it was going to say: ‘Thank’s very much, but no thanks’.

“It came from their manager and their agent. I had gone directly to their manager because their is more than one with five people being in the band.

“He said I had no chance. So I tried to surround them all and talk them all into it at the same time.

“I started crying when I read the email. I read it out to my wife. It was a magic moment. Saturday morning, 10.30.”

Giddings admitted Fleetwood Mac and fellow headliners Blur had long been on his wishlist. Continue reading Giddings broke down in tears when he found out Fleetwood Mac had agreed to perform | Isle of Wight Mail →

Fleetwood Mac, John McVie, Mick Fleetwood, Peter Green, Release Info, Solo Activity, UK Articles

Release of ‘Live in 1967’ from John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers that includes Mick Fleetwood, John McVie & Peter Green

Leave a comment

Live in '67 Low Res Cover copyOn Apr 20th Forty Below Records will release ‘Live in 1967’ from John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers on CD that includes the first live captured performance of Mick Fleetwood, John McVie and Peter Green before they formed Fleetwood Mac.

John Mayall’s Bluesbrealers – Live in 1967

John Mayall – Vocals, Harmonica
Peter Green – Guitar
John McVie – Bass Guitar
Mick Fleetwood – Drums

In 1967, before there was a Fleetwood Mac, Peter Green, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood were John’s Mayall Bluesbreakers. The four musicians were only together for three months, which makes it even more remarkable that a staunch fan from Holland was able to sneak a one channel reel to reel tape recorder into five London clubs and capture this exciting glimpse into music history. For almost fifty years these tapes habe remained unheard until John recenetly got them and began restoring them with the technical assistance of Eric Come of Forty Below Records. Come adds “While the source recording was very rough and final result is certainly not hi-fidelity, it does succeed in allowing us to hear how spectacular these performances are.”

You can pre-order this CD, MP3 or Vinyl via the links below:
CD | Vinyl | MP3
Continue reading Release of ‘Live in 1967’ from John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers that includes Mick Fleetwood, John McVie & Peter Green →

Fleetwood Mac, John McVie, Original Content, Stevie Nicks, UK Articles, Video Clip, Website Content

Archive clips of Fleetwood Mac on BBC Four ‘Biggest band Breakups and Makeups’

Leave a comment

BBC Four in the UK aired a new music documentary program last night (10th April 2015) that delved into the biggest band breakups and makeups, of course any program that focused on disfunctional bands had to include Fleetwood Mac, and we were not disappointed, below is the section of that show that covers Fleetwood Mac’s turbelent relationships….

The clips contains archive footage of brief soundbites with John McVie and Stevie Nicks from interviews shown on the BBC in the past, as well as live clips of Don’t Stop, Dreams, Go You Own Way and On Diane (however Oh Diane has Dreams playing over the clip).

One item that I found very encouraging is that the BBC have kept good quality archive footage of the Fleetwood Mac at 21 documentatry that aired originally in 1988 and the Oh Diane clip from The Late Late Breakfast show that aired originally in 1982.

Enjoy the very brief snippet from the show and if you wish to watch the complete one hour documentatry and you are able to view BBC iPlayer, the link for the full program is below..

– http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05q472d

 

Fleetwood Mac, Mick Fleetwood, UK Articles

Fleetwood Mac album may take ‘a couple of years’ to finish | The Guardian (UK)

Leave a comment

The Guardian (UK)
10th March 2015

Mick Fleetwood says Stevie Nicks has yet to contribute songs, but Lindsey Buckingham has ‘a great chunk of wonderful songs’

Fleetwood Mac

As ever, Fleetwood Mac seem unable to agree among themselves, though at least this time there are no blizzards of cocaine and bitter relationship splits involved. Earlier this year, Lindsey Buckingham – the band’s de facto leader – told PBS the group will end this year, or shortly afterwards.

But now drummer and founder Mick Fleetwood has said it may be “a couple of years” before they get round to releasing the album Buckingham insists will be their swansong. Fleetwood says the band’s touring has got “in a good way, out of control” and so they have been unable to finish the album.

Fleetwood told ABC Radio (via Classic Hits): “We’re building up this whole sort of dossier of material, a glut of stuff.” Buckingham apparently “has a great chunk of wonderful songs pretty flushed out and finished”, and the only thing missing is new material from Stevie Nicks, who has been ambivalent about committing to a new record.

Still, Fleetwood said: “My inclination is, the music will not be wasted. It will come out one way or another. I truly hope and I quietly believe it will be Fleetwood Mac, and Stevie will do some lovely stuff, and within the next couple of years we will get that done.”

Fleetwood Mac have been touring heavily over the last year, with many more shows to come this year – with Christine McVie back in the band playing keyboards, which also widens their choice of material. In recent years, with McVie absent, the band have chosen not to play her songs.

The band come to the UK this summer for a series of dates, including a headline show at the Isle of Wight festival.

Fleetwood Mac, John McVie, Mick Fleetwood, Peter Green, Press Kits, Release Info, Solo Activity, UK Articles

Early Fleetwood Mac History: Release of pre-Fleetwood Mac live album | Press Release

Leave a comment

JOHN MAYALL’S BLUESBREAKERS LIVE IN 1967 – ALBUM RELEASED 20TH APRIL 2015

John Mayall’s Bluebreakers – Live in 1967, an ultra rare collection of, never-before-heard, live recordings featuring John Mayall, Peter Green, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood, will be released on 20th April, on Forty Below Records.

Live in '67 Low Res Cover copyIn 1967, before there was a Fleetwood Mac, Peter Green, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood were John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers.  The four musicians were only together for three months, which makes it even more remarkable that a staunch fan from Holland was able to sneak a one channel reel-to-reel tape recorder into five London clubs and capture this exciting glimpse into musical history.

For almost fifty years these tapes have remained unheard until Mayall recently got them and began restoring them with the technical assistance of Eric Corne of Forty Below Records.  Corne adds “While the source recording was very rough and the final result is certainly not hi-fidelity, it does succeed in allowing us to hear how spectacular these performances are.”

The significant discovery of these live recordings will surely thrill Mayall fans around the world but, moreover, it has enabled the creation of an historical document, which captures a very special moment in the evolution of British Blues music.

John Circa '67 Low res

Lindsey Buckingham, Original Content, Release Info, Reviews, Solo Activity, UK Articles, Video Clip, Website Content

Lindsey Buckingham: Out Of The Cradle – Album appreciation…

Leave a comment

It seems as though the first ‘real’ solo album from Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham is not getting the love and attention that this album deserves, recently deleted from the UK iTunes store, no official release of the four music videos and limited appearances of live tracks in Lindsey’s recent solo live shows.

It’s our opinion that it’s about time that this fine collection of songs was re-visited and re-appreciated, but first, here’s some brief history…..

177410_1_f

Out Of The Cradle was released in 1992, five years after Lindsey had departed Fleetwood Mac to concentrate fully on his solo career and could be considered as his one and only true solo album where he was not a member of Fleetwood Mac (all other solo albums were recorded and released whilst he was juggling being a member of the band and releasing solo albums at the same time).

The solo album sessions actually began in the mid-eighties and the early tracks that these sessions produced morphed into what would become the Fleetwood Mac comeback album ‘Tango In The Night’, that was released in 1987, tracks such as Big Love and Family Man were originally recorded for Lindsey’s next solo album with Lindsey and longterm co-producer ‘Richard Dashut’ co-producing again, these tracks were turned over to the wider group effort, as the Tango sessions consumed Lindsey completely as vocalist, writer, guitarist, producer and arranger, the third solo album was put of the back burner whilst the Mac returned to it’s glory days with ‘Tango In The Night’. Continue reading Lindsey Buckingham: Out Of The Cradle – Album appreciation… →