“A parting of company took place, and it had to take place.”
Fleetwood Mac have confirmed that Lindsey Buckingham left the iconic rock group after reigniting his feud with Stevie Nicks.
The singer left the band in acrimonious circumstances last year and said he had been fired by Stevie Nicks, who reportedly became enraged after he was seen “smirking” while she delivered a speech at a benefit concert.
While Stevie reportedly refused to ever share a stage with Lindsey again, founder Mick Fleetwood told Mojo that it was Lindsey who ultimately received his marching orders.
“I don’t see any reason why we can’t do another tour and make another record.”
2019-02-13
Words: Will Stroude
With a 50-year legacy of friendship, fallouts and iconic folk-rock hits, the Fleetwood Mac story is as epic as they come in music.
Over the years band members Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Christine McVie, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks have married, divorced, made up, fallen out, and continued to release some of the most defining pop hits of the last century – and the drama hasn’t waned now most of them are in their seventies.
Disagreements over current world tour ‘An Evening with Fleetwood Mac’ led to Buckingham’s sacking from the group in April last year, with the guitarist and vocalist settling a lawsuit against his former bandmates in December.
Talk of that lawsuit is strictly off-limits as Attitude meets Christine McVie ahead of Fleetwood Mac’s two planned dates at Wembley Stadium this June, but the British-born singer is a characteristically open book when it comes to discussing the legacy of a band that has defined her life since 1970.
Despite standing as the (relative) calm at the centre of the Fleetwood Mac storm, McVie has had plenty her own ups and downs during the course of her career, most notably retiring from the group in 1998 for 16 long years after developing a debilitating phobia of flying
Former Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham is recovering after emergency open heart surgery but his vocal cords were damaged as a result, his wife has announced.
Kristen Buckingham, who is based in Los Angeles, said her husband had been taken to hospital late last week.
He is recovering at home and getting “stronger” every day, she said, posting a photo of him in his hospital bed.
Buckingham, 69, was fired from the British-American band last year.
He then launched a legal case before settling out of court.
“This past year has been a very stressful and difficult year for our family to say the least,” Mrs Buckingham said in her social media post.
“We feel so fortunate he’s alive. As does he. He looks forward to recovery and putting this behind him.”
Lindsey Buckingham, 69, is speaking out in his first televised interview since he was fired from Fleetwood Mac in April
In October he filed a lawsuit against the band after his firing was announced
He says long-time former girlfriend Stevie Nicks is behind his dismissal
‘It appeared to me that she was looking for something to hang on me, in order to instigate some kind of coup’ he said on Nicks
She gave the band an ultimatum – keep her or Buckingham in the group
He revealed that he and the band have reached a settlement
Buckingham added he hasn’t spoken to the band in a year, with the exception of Christine McVie, with whom he made an album and toured with last year
Fleetwood Mac singer Lindsey Buckingham has revealed he’s reached a settlement with his former bandmates, ending the heated lawsuit that sparked when he was kicked out of the group earlier this year.
Buckingham, 69, has spent 43 years with the acclaimed British-American band but was unceremoniously booted out in April, triggering his lawsuit filed in October that added to the group’s saga of internal conflict and drama.
In his first sit-down televised interview since the band’s split, he’s revealed that he and the band have settled the lawsuit and believes his former flame and band frontwoman Stevie Nicks, 70, was behind his firing.
A new career-defining set from Fleetwood Mac that spans their 50-year existence, released in multiple formats on Nov 16th, 2018.
This career spanning collection from Fleetwood Mac has been released as a single CD, three-CD set, 5-LP vinyl set, digital download and streaming edition and is a fine collection of songs that make up the career of Fleetwood Mac from the blues era of the late 60s, to the transition period of the early 70s, the later adult orientated rock era of the late 70s and 80s, to the final set of songs that make up the swansong of the band’s recording output. Each album is represented on this set, including one song from the 2013’s ‘Extended Play‘ release.
The set is chronological in sequence except for the streaming edition (of which I will cover off later in the piece) and most tracks have been remastered for this collection and sound extremely nice and bright. The highlighted of this set for me is the single mix of ‘Fireflies’ and the first-ever physical release of ‘Sad Angel’ from the 2013 ‘Extended Play‘ release, whereas most other tracks have been made available in remastered form on recent deluxe editions of Fleetwood Mac, Rumours, Tusk, Mirage and Tango In The Night, special mention should be made for the early to mid 70s songs that have also been remastered and should appeal to casual observers of the band who would not be familiar with these tracks. Continue reading Music Review: 50 Years – Don’t Stop from Fleetwood Mac→
The storied band, who are about to embark on a European tour, have found a home for themselves teetering on the brink of implosion – unwilling, or perhaps unable, to let each other go. Their new anniversary album, ’50 Years – Don’t Stop’, could hardly be more aptly titled.
Fleetwood Mac taking part in a US interview broadcast in 1975 ( Polaris )
Affairs, breakups, terrifying brawls between lovers, damage to instruments (and skulls), divorce, drug abuse, alcoholism, rows about money, musical differences, and lots and lots and lots of hit records: Fleetwood Mac might have sounded mellow at times, but off stage they were anything but.
“We’re a group of people who, you could make the argument, don’t belong in the same band together,” Lindsey Buckingham once said of his fractious group. “It’s the synergy of that that makes it work.”
Whether they’ve triumphed because of their famously volatile relationship, or in spite of it, Fleetwood Mac have risen from the ashes of their own self-destruction more times than seemed possible. In the past 50 years, they have found a home for themselves teetering on the brink of implosion – unwilling, or perhaps unable, to let each other go. Their new anniversary album, 50 Years – Don’t Stop, released a month after they announced a 2019 European tour, could hardly be more aptly titled.
Not that the current members haven’t tried to stop. Stevie Nicks left the band in 1990 over a dispute with Mick Fleetwood, but rejoined a few years later. Guitarist Lindsey Buckingham quit in 1987, just before the band’s world tour, to “get on with the next phase of my creative growth” – only to spearhead a reunion a decade later. When Christine McVie packed the whole thing in 1998, she even went as far as moving to a sleepy village in Kent. “There’s no more chance of [McVie returning],” said Stevie Nicks in 2012, “than an asteroid hitting the earth.” A little over a year later, McVie was back in the band, no asteroid in sight. Continue reading Don’t Stop: 50 years on, Fleetwood Mac are still rising from the ashes of their own self-destruction | The Independent→
(LONDON, U.K. Monday 22 October 2018) – Legendary, GRAMMY-award winning band Fleetwood Mac announced today a European tour, set to kick off in June with three exclusive performances currently announced in London, Dublin and Berlin. Produced by Live Nation, the tour will feature the newly announced line-up of Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Stevie Nicks, and Christine McVie along with newcomers Mike Campbell and Neil Finn.
Tickets for the tour will go on-sale to the general public starting on Friday, October 26th at 9am local time.
A limited number of LaneOne VIP Packages will also be available, including amazing seats with premium benefits such as transportation, preferred entrance and more. LaneOne premium VIP packages are available here.
“Fleetwood Mac has always been about an amazing collection of songs that are performed with a unique blend of talents. We jammed with Mike and Neil and the chemistry really worked and let the band realize that this is the right combination to go forward with in Fleetwood Mac style. We know we have something new, yet it’s got the unmistakable Mac sound,” said Mick Fleetwood.
“We are thrilled to welcome the musical talents of the caliber of Mike Campbell and Neil Finn into the Mac family. With Mike and Neil, we’ll be performing all the hits that the fans love, plus we’ll be surprising our audiences with some tracks from our historic catalogue of songs,” said the group collectively. “Fleetwood Mac has always been a creative evolution. We look forward to honoring that spirit on this upcoming tour.” Continue reading Fleetwood Mac (without Lindsey Buckingham) announce European Tour including Wembley Stadium in the UK→
Fleetwood Mac have announced a new European tour, days after it emerged the band were being sued for millions of dollars by ex bandmate Lindsey Buckingham for sacking him.
The Go Your Own Way hitmakers, who have sold more than 100m albums in a 51 year career, will perform gigs in Berlin, Dublin and London next June.
The iconic band, comprised of Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie – will be joined by newcomers, the Heartbreakers’ Mike Campbell and Crowded House’s Neil Finn.
Ushering in a new era for the band, Mick, 71, spoke of the ‘chemistry’ the band has with the new members, saying: ‘Fleetwood Mac has always been about an amazing collection of songs that are performed with a unique blend of talents.
‘We jammed with Mike and Neil and the chemistry really worked and let the band realise that this is the right combination to go forward with in Fleetwood Mac style.
‘We know we have something new, yet it’s got the unmistakable Mac sound.’
The group added: ‘We are thrilled to welcome the musical talents of the calibre of Mike Campbell and Neil Finn into the Mac family. With Mike and Neil, we’ll be performing all the hits that the fans love, plus we’ll be surprising our audiences with some tracks from our historic catalogue of songs.
He was unceremoniously fired from Fleetwood Mac in January.
Now longtime guitarist, singer and songwriter Lindsey Buckingham has filed a lawsuit against former bandmates: Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood, Christie McVie and John McVie for ‘breach of fiduciary duty, breach of oral contract and intentional interference with prospective economic advantage.’
According to court documents obtained by Radar Onlineand Us Weekly, Buckingham claims the firing cost him between $12 to $14million.
In the suit, Lindsey claims the lost wages are part of a deal the band signed with events promoter Live Nation for 60 shows over two-years, where members were to earn up to $14million each.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Buckingham said he received a call from band manager Irving Azoff two days after the band was honored at a MusicCares benefit show in New York.
‘Stevie never wants to be on a stage with you again,’ Azoff was quoted as saying.
Great reflection on a long and impressive solo career outside of the confines of Fleetwood Mac
This fantastic set of songs from Lindsey Buckingham’s solo career (1981 to present) provides an impressive array of musical talents and styles from the creative musical genius of the Rumors-era Fleetwood Mac that deserves to have a place in your record collection. Lindsey’s often overlooked solo career has included six impressive solo albums and three live albums that are covered well within this anthology set.
Two impressive unreleased songs are also included that were in contention for the aborted final Fleetwood Mac album that continues to show that Lindsey has the ability to still craft a very good pop/soft rock track. The set is concluded with a great live collection of songs from recent live solo tours that includes his best known Fleetwood Mac songs.
It is a wonder to me how this accomplished musician had not reached a wider audience, but I strongly recommend that you pick up this anthology set and see what you have been missing, be prepared to be very much impressed.
This review was for the three-CD deluxe anthology set (that has the same track list as the 6 LP vinyl set), not the single CD release and has been published on Amazon UK and the iTunes UK Music Store,
You must be logged in to post a comment.