The singer-guitarist on his new anthology, solo tour and getting fired from the band he helped make famous
LIndsey Buckingham in 2018. Ryan Pfluger for Rolling Stone
Lindsey Buckingham and his wife, Kristen, were at home in Los Angeles on January 28th, watching the Grammy Awards ceremony on television, when the phone rang. Fleetwood Mac’s manager Irving Azoff was calling with a message for Buckingham from Stevie Nicks. The gist of it, Buckingham says, quoting Azoff: “Stevie never wants to be on a stage with you again.”
Two nights earlier, the most popular and enduring lineup of Fleetwood Mac — Nicks, Buckingham, singer-keyboard player Christine McVie, bassist John McVie and drummer Mick Fleetwood — performed in New York at a MusiCares benefit show honoring the group. “We rehearsed for two days, and everything was great,” Buckingham claims. “We were getting along great.”
But on the phone, Azoff had a list of things that, as Buckingham puts it, “Stevie took issue with” that evening, including the guitarist’s outburst just before the band’s set over the intro music — the studio recording of Nicks’ “Rhiannon” — and the way he “smirked” during Nicks’ thank-you speech. Buckingham concedes the first point. “It wasn’t about it being ‘Rhiannon,’ ” he says. “It just undermined the impact of our entrance. That’s me being very specific about the right and wrong way to do something.”
As for smirking, “The irony is that we have this standing joke that Stevie, when she talks, goes on a long time,” Buckingham says. “I may or may not have smirked. But I look over and Christine and Mick are doing the waltz behind her as a joke.”
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,
Fleetwood Mac debuts new members, pays tribute to Tom Petty during tour launch in Tulsa
One year and one day after the loss of gone-too-soon Tom Petty, Fleetwood Mac launched a new North American tour and unveiled a new roster at Tulsa’s BOK Center.
The additions, who came aboard following the departure of Lindsey Buckingham, are Mike Campbell, former guitarist of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and Neil Finn, vocalist for Crowded House and Split Enz.
“I can’t tell you how much it means to us that you are all here tonight to share this with us,” Campbell told a sold-out crowd.
Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood was asked in a pre-concert interview if the set list would include any Crowded House or Petty songs, or whether there might be a tribute to Petty.
“I can attest that there will be,” Fleetwood said.
Fleetwood didn’t want to cite specific songs — why ruin the surprise? — but answers came when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band, no stranger to personnel changes, began a new chapter Wednesday night.
The Petty tribute, an emotional highlight of the show, came during the encore. The first song of the encore was Petty’s “Free Fallin’” with vocals provided by Stevie Nicks, a longtime Petty friend. Images of Petty were shown on a screen behind the stage as Fleetwood Mac performed the song. Judging by the number of mobile phones held high, it was the most video-ed moment of the night.
Songs appear on forthcoming compilation, ‘Solo Anthology – The Best of Lindsey Buckingham’
Lindsey Buckingham performed two songs from his forthcoming album, Solo Anthology –The Best of Lindsey Buckingham on Monday’s Jimmy Kimmel Live. The anthology – comprising album, live and alternate versions of songs culled from Buckingham’s solo, collaborative and soundtrack material – bows on October 5th via Rhino.
On Kimmel, Buckingham performed “Trouble,” which first appeared as the lead single to his solo debut, 1981’s Law and Order. He also delivered “Soul Drifter,” a song originally from his third solo effort, 1992’s Out of the Cradle. Backed by his four-piece band, Buckingham tenderly sang the songs, buoyed by the group’s harmonies.
Buckingham embarks on a North American fall tour beginning October 7th in Portland, Oregon, at Revolution Hall and it wraps in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on December 9th. The 34-date trek is his first tour since he was fired from Fleetwood Mac in April.
Fleetwood Mac will celebrate 50 years of service to the music community with their first ever total career package ’50 Years – Don’t Stop’.
After forming in 1967, the first Fleetwood Mac album was released in February 1968. This compilation will open with ‘Shake Your Moneymaker’ from that album.
The original Fleetwood Mac featured Mick Fleetwood, Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer. John McVie and Danny Kirwan were next to arrive for the first album. Christine Perfect (who married John McVie) was there from the second album.
Fleetwood Mac was a revolving door of musicians. California duo Buckingham – Nicks joined in December 1974 and evolved the sound to the contemporary rock band we know today.
The new compilation features rare photos, includes liner notes by veteran music writer David Wild, and highlights the talented musicians who have recorded under the Fleetwood Mac banner over the years, including Peter Green, Mick Fleetwood, Jeremy Spencer, John McVie, Danny Kirwan, Christine McVie, Bob Welch, Bob Weston, Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, Billy Burnette, Rick Vito, Dave Mason, and Bekka Bramlett.
50 Years: Don’t Stop is released on 16 November 2018.
“Change is not an unfamiliar thing in Fleetwood Mac,” drummer and co-founder Mick Fleetwood tells Billboard as the group gears up for the Oct. 3 launch of its An Evening with Fleetwood Mac tour.
Matt Baron/Shutterstock Mick Fleetwood attends MusiCares Person of the Year Gala on Jan. 26, 2018 in New York City.
But even by Mac standards — 18 members, not counting touring adjuncts, over its 51 years — the latest shift is a doozy.
You’d have to be living under a rock to not know that Lindsey Buckingham is out of the group again, due to disagreements over the timing of the upcoming tour and other issues. Joining Fleetwood, bassist John McVie, singer Stevie Nicks and signer-keyboardist Christine McVie now is the eyebrow-raising duo of Split Enz/Crowded House veteran Neil Finn and Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell in his first public endeavor since Tom Petty’s death last Oct. 2
It’s as dramatic a move as any in Fleetwood Mac’s storied career — perhaps even greater than Buckingham’s last departure, in 1987, which brought Billy Burnette and Rick Vito into the band. The schism still rankles, of course, but as the Mac makes ready to hit the road in North America — with dates booked into early April — Fleetwood is accentuating the positive and predicting plenty of, er, future games for what he promises is not a one-off but rather the new lineup of his band.
All parties, including Lindsey, were talking during the past couple of years about a definite tour for 2018. The events that transpired probably weren’t the way you envisioned commemorating the 50th anniversary of Fleetwood Mac’s first two albums.
No, it’s fair to say that it wasn’t. Having said that, the reality was, in simple language, we weren’t happy, and the details of that are part of the fabric, almost, of the story of Fleetwood Mac. We weren’t expecting this time, but it also does not seem surprising. Every man and woman in Fleetwood Mac wish Lindsey well in any ventures he’s doing and also have a huge respect for what he did with Fleetwood Mac; Having said that, it wasn’t working for us and we made the decision as a band to continue, and that’s what we’ve done with open heart. We’ve found two unbelievably talented gentlemen that have more than their own story to tell — which, by the way, is what’s made this work. They’re stylists, and they have their own integrity as artists, which I think was a huge help in what we’re doing. Continue reading Mick Fleetwood Talks Moving Forward Without Lindsey Buckingham, Working a Tom Petty Tune Into Fleetwood Mac’s Setlist | Billboard→
Eyebrows were raised earlier this year when it was announced that Fleetwood Mac had kicked out their longtime member Lindsey Buckingham.
Not only that, but the legendary band added Crowded House’s Neil Finn and The Heartbreaker’s Mike Campbell to their lineup.
Ahead of their North American tour next month, the band performed live on TV for the first time today (September 5), singing their classic track ‘The Chain’ on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Watch a clip from the performance below:
Buckingham was reportedly fired from the band over a disagreement regarding their tour. Instead, Buckingham will go out on his own tour just a few days after the band’s opener.
Last month, Mick Fleetwood said of Buckingham’s departure: “Obviously this is a huge change with the advent of Lindsey Buckingham not being a part of Fleetwood Mac. “We all wish him well and all the rest of it. In truthful language, we just weren’t happy. And I’ll leave it at that in terms of the dynamic.”
On including Campbell and Finn in the group, he said: “We are a week into rehearsals and it’s going really well and we’re looking forward, in true Fleetwood Mac style. “If you know anything about the history of this band, it’s sort of peppered with this type of dramatic stuff. It’s a strange band really.
The new-look Fleetwood Mac also performed their classic hit ‘Gypsy’ on the show, with Stevie Nicks on lead vocals. Watch the full performance below:
Lindsey Buckingham has announced a two-month tour of theaters across North America lined up for the fall, marking his first solo performances since he split with Fleetwood Mac earlier this year.
He also revealed details of a three-CD compilation of his solo career that will arrive on Oct. 5.
Buckingham’s tour will start at the Revolution Hall in Portland, Ore., on Oct. 7 and conclude at the Sands Events Center in Bethlehem, Penn., on Dec. 9. Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday and Saturday. You can get full details, including pre-sale information, at Buckingham’s website.
A list of tour dates is below.
Solo Anthology – The Best of Lindsey Buckingham consists of three discs comprised of material from throughout his solo career, including “Holiday Road” and live versions of some of his most famous Fleetwood Mac songs. The set also includes two never-before-released tracks, “Hunger” and “Ride This Road.” A one-disc distillation of the collection will be available, as will a six-LP vinyl version that will be released on Nov. 23.
Tickets for all but the Wilmington, N.C., and New London, Conn., shows come with a CD or digital download of the single-disc version of Solo Anthology. You can see the track listing below the tour dates.
Drummer and band co-founder was open about guitarist’s split from the storied group
Mick Fleetwood has spoken about guitarist and co-vocalist Lindsey Buckingham’s departure from Fleetwood Mac, ahead of the band’s upcoming tour of North America.
Buckingham left the group in April after a 40-year career, and it was later announced that he would be replaced on tour by Mike Campbell [Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers] and Neil Finn [Crowded House].
His departure from the band caused shock for fans, particularly given the conflicting statements issued by himself and the remaining members of the band.
At the time, Buckingham claimed he was fired and accused the band of “losing perspective”. Speaking to Billboard, Fleetwood has now said he remains positive for the future of the band.
“Obviously this is a huge change with the advent of Lindsey Buckingham not being a part of Fleetwood Mac,” he said.
“We all wish him well and all the rest of it. In truthful language, we just weren’t happy. And I’ll leave it at that in terms of the dynamic.”
He praised Campbell and Finn as he spoke about rehearsals for the tour, and added: “If you know anything about the history of this band, it’s sort of peppered with this type of dramatic stuff. It’s a strange band, really.
“It’s ironic that we have a 50-year package coming out with all the old blues stuff with Peter Green, all the incarnations of Fleetwood Mac, which was not of course planned.”
Fleetwood Mac’s tour of North America begins in October this year and runs until April 2019
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