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Fleetwood Mac during their 1970s commercial heyday. Clockwise from top: John McVie, Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie and Lindsey Buckingham.]]Fleetwood Mac (formed in 1967) is an influential and commercially successful British/American rock band.In the late 1960s, the group experienced limited success as a fiery British blues band, consisting of acclaimed guitarists Peter Green, Danny Kirwan and Jeremy Spencer, drummer Mick Fleetwood and bass guitarist John McVie (the latter two providing the bandas name). After Green and Spencer left, Fleetwood Mac continued with guitarist Bob Welch and keyboardist Christine McVie, wife of John McVie. After Welch left, the group recruited American guitarist Lindsey Buckingham and singer/songwriter Stevie Nicks, who added greater pop sensibilities to the group. This incarnation became phenomenally popular in the late 1970s, selling 18 million copies of their 1977 album ''Rumours,'' an emotionally harrowing album fueled by the crumbling relationships of Nicks and Buckingham and the McVies. (Fleetwood also was going through a divorce from wife Jenny Boyd.)In the 1980s and 1990s, Fleetwood Macas albums became more sporadic and less critically and commercially successful. However, a 1997 reunion of the ''Rumours''-era line-up revived the group.Fleetwood Macas biggest hits include "Dreams", "Gypsy," "Little Lies," "Go Your Own Way" and "Don't Stop," which famously became the campaign song of American presidential candidate Bill Clinton in 1992. The group remains a perennially popular rock band, selling an estimated 100 million albums worldwide and being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In cable music channel VH1as 2000 countdown of the 100 greatest artists in rock and roll, Fleetwood Mac ranked 22.

Once singing the blues


The group began as '''Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac''' in 1967. This version of the group released a series of blues-based albums and singles which did moderately well in the United Kingdom and Europe. Founded by prodigious guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood, and bassist John McVie, the three were alumni of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, first appearing together on the album A Hard Road. After leaving Mayall, they were joined by slide-guitarist and Elmore James-fanatic Jeremy Spencer, and released two albums which put an English spin on Chicago blues. They also released a single, "Black Magic Woman," which, when re-recorded by Santana, about a year later, became a U.S. hit. Jeremy Spencer's comedic work with the band counterbalanced Peter Green's serious take on the blues. His performances tended towards parodies and loving pastiches of 1950's rockabilly. One of his FM songs, the B-side "Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked in Tonight," was jokingly credited to "Earl Vince and the Valiants" and later covered by 70's Scottish punk band the Rezillos.In mid 1968, Fleetwood Mac were joined by 18-year old guitarist and songwriter Danny Kirwan. At this point the band began shifting into a more melodic, introspective and experimental/progressive mode. Most performances were built around the twin leads of Green and Kirwan, and Kirwan's songwriting was featured in equal proportion to Green's. After releasing two successful singles, the instrumental "Albatross" (which remains the group's only #1 hit in the UK), and the quiet "Man of the World" UK, they produced the album Then Play On. Then Play On is usually considered to be the best Fleetwood Mac album of the Peter Green era. The epic 2-part "Oh Well" single followed UK, and was included on later pressings of the US LP (and all CDs).Unfortunately, Green's tenure at the helm of the group would not last long. Experimentation with various drugs, particularly LSD, accompanied burgeoning frustration with the commercial nature of the music industry. The situation was reflected in the tortured single "The Green Manalishi (With The Two Pronged Crown)," which was nonetheless a #10 UK hit. By 1970, Green had become so affected by these factors that he was unable to continue with the group he had founded. On May 28, 1970 he performed with Fleetwood Mac for the last time on stage.

Welch jellies the Mac


In the early 70s Fleetwood Mac went through further personnel changes, losing a number of members and gaining blues singer Christine McVie (John McVie's wife). Jeremy Spencer disappeared during a tour in early 1971: He had joined the religious group Children of God. When American guitarist Bob Welch joined them, the band adopted a southern California country-rock flavour, still tempered by the blues influence of the British members. Kirwan and Welch's tenures overlapped by two albums, but eventually Kirwan's erratic behavior on tour led to his dismissal in late 1972. Some of Fleetwood Mac's early hits in the Welch era include "Sentimental Lady" (from 1972's ''Bare Trees''), which Welch himself remade during his solo career in 1977, and the stirring "Hypnotized" (from 1973's ''Mystery To Me''). Bob Weston and Savoy Brown's Dave Walker were also briefly hired as guitarists during this phase of the band. The firing of Bob Weston during a late 1973 tour led to that tour's abrupt cancellation. This led their manager, Clifford Davis, to send a fake "Fleetwood Mac" on the road, which led to a year-long legal battle.

Rumours are flying


In late 1974, Bob Welch left the band, and Mick Fleetwood needed to fill the vacancy. To show Fleetwood his recording skills, Keith Olsen played a track titled "Frozen Love", which he had mixed for Buckingham Nicks (from ''Buckingham Nicks'', Polydor PD 5058, September 1973). Liking guitarist Lindsey Buckingham's playing, Fleetwood asked Buckingham to join the group. Buckingham agreed, on the condition that his musical partner and girlfriend Stevie Nicks also become part of the band.In 1975, the new lineup released the eponymous ''Fleetwood Mac''. This proved to be a breakthrough for the band and became a huge hit, and the group was catapulted into stardom. Among the hit singles from this album included Christine McVie's "Over My Head" and "Say You Love Me", and Stevie Nicks' "Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win)".But in 1976, with the success of the band also came the end of John and Christine McVie's marriage, as well as Buckingham and Nicks' longtime romantic relationship. Huge pressure was placed on Fleetwood Mac to release a successful follow-up album, which, when combined with their newfound wealth, led to creative and personal tensions, fuelled by large amounts of drug and alcohol consumption.The resulting album was ''Rumours'' in 1977, in which the band laid bare the inherent emotional turmoil experienced at that time. It became the best selling album of the year, and sold over 18 million copies worldwide by 1998. The RIAA certified ''Rumours'' as a diamond album. The LP spawned more hit singles than its predecessor, including Buckingham's "Go Your Own Way", and Nick's "Dreams" which made #1 on the US singles chart and remains the only piece by the band to have achieved that particular success. Also successful was "The Chain", a song credited to the entire group, partly composed by Nicks and Buckingham, with the chorus by Christine McVie from her song "Butter Cookie (Keep Me There)". The signature bass line at the end, composed by John McVie, was used as the main theme for BBC television coverage of Formula 1 racing. The group has said that "The Chain" was very much a jumble of pieces of music slapped together, but it was enough to make it a staple of their concerts and FM radio. For Christine McVie, the album yielded two major hits, "You Make Loving Fun" and her anthemic "Don't Stop", which became the group's signature song. Also from Christine McVie came "Songbird", the song that usually closed their live concerts.

The elephant comes to the Mac


''Rumours'' was arguably the point at which Fleetwood Mac was at the height of its popularity. Sales of future albums declined but the band still enjoyed critical success. This was particularly true of the follow-up album. Buckingham's response to the overwhelming popularity of ''Rumours'' was to avoid making a carbon-copy sequel. His expanded role as producer for the next album was influenced by the new wave style.The result - the quirky double album ''Tusk'' - was released in 1979. Spawning three hit singles: Lindsey Buckingham's "Tusk", which featured the USC marching band, Christine McVie's "Think About Me", and Stevie Nicks' seven minute opus "Sara" (cut to three-and-a-half minutes for the first CD version release, it has since been restored for CD reissue), ''Tusk'' remains one of Fleetwood Mac's most ambitious albums to date. The band embarked on a huge 18 month tour to support ''Tusk''. They travelled extensively across the world including USA, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, France, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. During that time, the band recorded music for the (''Live'', 1980). The next album ''Mirage'' was a return to the conventional. Buckingham had been chided by critics, fellow bandmembers and music industry figures for the apparent lack of commercial success enjoyed by Tusk. Recorded at a chateau in France, ''Mirage'' was an attempt to recapture the pop success of its predecessor-but-one. Hits included: Christine McVie's and Jim Recor's "Love In Store", Christine McVie's "Hold Me", Stevie Nicks' "Gypsy", and Lindsey Buckingham's "Oh Diane" which entered Top 10 in the UK. A minor hit was also scored by Buckingham for his "Eyes Of The World". Unlike the Tusk Tour, the band only embarked on a short tour over 18 American cities. They also headlined the first US Festival for which they were paid $500,000. Following ''Mirage'', the band went on hiatus which allowed members to pursue solo careers. Stevie Nicks released "Bella Donna", Lindsey Buckingham released "Law and Order" and Christine McVie released an eponymous album. All three met with relative success but it was Nicks who proved to be the most viable. During this time it was often rumoured that Fleetwood Mac had finally broken up. Buckingham, however, commented that he was unhappy to allow ''Mirage'' to stand as the group's last effort.The ''Rumours'' lineup of Fleetwood Mac would record one more album for the time being, ''Tango In The Night'', in 1987. The album was hugely popular, especially in the UK where it hit no.1 three times over a year. The album proved that Fleetwood Mac still had selling power and the album spawned four hits: Christine McVie and Eddy Quintela's "Little Lies", Christine McVie's "Everywhere", Sandy Stewart and Stevie Nicks' "Seven Wonders" and Lindsey Buckingham's "Big Love". The band intended to tour to support the album but Buckingham felt that he had fulfilled his commitments to the band, and wanted to leave. The split was not amicable but his relationship with the band would heal in later years.

The Mac carries on

  • ''Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac'' (Blue Horizon, 1968)

  • ''Mr. Wonderful'' (Epic, 1968)

  • ''English Rose'' (Epic, 1969US only)

  • ''The Pious Bird Of Good Omen'' (Blue Horizon 1969UK only)

  • ''Then Play On'' (Reprise, 1969)

  • ''Fleetwood Mac In Chicago/Blues Jam In Chicago vols 1 & 2'' (Blue Horizon, 1969)=

    Additional Compilations/Outtakes Collections

    =

  • ''Greatest Hits'' (CBS Europe, 1971)

  • ''The Original Fleetwood Mac'' (1967-8 recordings, released Blue Horizon 1971)

  • ''The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions 1967-1969 set'' (Columbia UK, 1999)

  • ''The Vaudeville Years of Fleetwood Mac: 1968 to 1970 set'' (released 1999)

  • ''Showbiz Blues 1968-1970 set'' (Companion to "Vaudville", released c. 2002)

  • ''Best of Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac'' (Columbia UK, 2000)

  • ''Original Fleetwood Mac: The Blues Years'' (3-CD set, Castle, 2000)

  • ''Jumping at Shadows: The Blues Years'' (Castle/Sanctuary, 2002)

  • ''Years'' (Sanctuary, 2005)

Category:Rock music groups de:Fleetwood Mac