Fleetwood Mac

1967–1970: Formation and early years

Fleetwood Mac were formed in July 1967 in London, England, by Peter Green after he left the British blues band John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers. Green had previously replaced guitarist Eric Clapton in the Bluesbreakers and had received critical acclaim for his work on their album A Hard Road. Green had been in two bands with Mick Fleetwood, Peter B's Looners and the subsequent Shotgun Express (which featured a young Rod Stewart as vocalist), and suggested Fleetwood as a replacement for drummer Aynsley Dunbar when Dunbar left the Bluesbreakers to join the Jeff Beck Group. John Mayall agreed and Fleetwood joined the Bluesbreakers.

1973–1974: Name dispute and "fake Fleetwood Mac"

In late 1973, after the collapse of the US tour, the band's manager, Clifford Davis, was left with major touring commitments to fulfill and no band. Fleetwood Mac had "temporarily disbanded" in Nebraska and its members had gone their separate ways. Davis was concerned that failing to complete the tour would destroy his reputation with bookers and promoters. He sent the band a letter in which he said he "hadn't slaved for years to be brought down by the whims of irresponsible musicians". Davis claimed that he owned the name 'Fleetwood Mac' and the right to choose the band members. He recruited members of the band Legs, which had recently issued one single under Davis's management, to tour the US in early 1974 under the name "The New...

1995–2008: Reformation, reunion, and Christine McVie's departure

Just weeks after disbanding Fleetwood Mac, Mick Fleetwood started working with Lindsey Buckingham again. John McVie was added to the sessions, and later Christine McVie. Stevie Nicks also enlisted Buckingham to produce a song for a soundtrack. In May 1996, Fleetwood, John McVie, Christine McVie, and Nicks performed together at a private party in Louisville, Kentucky, prior to the Kentucky Derby, with Steve Winwood filling in for Buckingham. A week later, the Twister film soundtrack was released, which featured the Nicks-Buckingham duet "Twisted", with Fleetwood on drums. This eventually led to a full reunion of the Rumours line-up, which officially reformed in March 1997.

Musical style

Fleetwood Mac's musical style has been described as pop rock, soft rock, blues rock, British blues, art pop, and folk rock. While describing the evolution of their sound, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote, "Originally, guitarists Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer provided the group with their gutsy psychedelic blues-rock sound, then the band moved toward pop/rock with the addition of keyboardist/songwriter Christine McVie." With the arrival of Buckingham and Nicks, the group completed their move toward "California pop" rooted in American folk stylings.

Blue Letter

"Blue Letter" is a song written by brothers Richard and Michael Curtis, first released by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac on their eponymous 1975 album, Fleetwood Mac. It was the only song on the album not written by a band member.

A remixed version of "Blue Letter" was included on the B-side of "Warm Ways".

Background

Brothers Michael and Richard Curtis met the young couple Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, then known as rock duo Buckingham Nicks and unaffiliated with Fleetwood Mac, through Polydor Records. The group of four became fast friends and worked together on two demos. The first was "Blue Letter", which, like many of the songs on the Fleetwood Mac album, was intended for the second Buckingham Nicks LP. Unlike "Blue Letter", the second demo titled "Seven League Boots" was not adopted by the group and was later reworked to become Crosby, Stills, and Nash’s 1982 hit, "Southern Cross".

Legacy

The song inspired the name of a set of Fleetwood Mac related archives, called "The Blue Letter Archives", self-described as the site for "over 750 articles published about the band, reviews of their albums, and information regarding their solo careers".

Crystal

"Crystal" is a song written by Stevie Nicks. The song originally appeared on her debut studio album with Lindsey Buckingham, Buckingham Nicks (1973).

Two years later, after the duo joined Fleetwood Mac, the band re-recorded "Crystal" and released it on their 1975 Fleetwood Mac album. Buckingham sang lead vocals on both of these recordings.

I'm So Afraid

"I'm So Afraid" is a song written by Lindsey Buckingham for the British-American band Fleetwood Mac for their tenth album, Fleetwood Mac. The song was intended for a second Buckingham Nicks album, but the album never came to fruition.

It was also issued as the B-side to "Over My Head", which became the band's first top 20 hit in the United States. Buckingham has performed "I'm So Afraid" on numerous tours, both with Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist.

Background

Like all other Buckingham and Nicks compositions on Fleetwood Mac's 1975 eponymous album, "I'm So Afraid" was written before Buckingham joined Fleetwood Mac. He wrote the song around the time he was suffering from a bout of mononucleosis. Buckingham remembered that he recorded a demo of the song after the release of Buckingham Nicks and that this version largely resembled the recording that appeared on Fleetwood Mac, albeit without an "effective rhythm section" according to Buckingham. Once he presented the song to the rest of Fleetwood Mac, he then opened up the arrangement for John McVie and Mick Fleetwood to create their own bass and drum parts to accompany the song.

Critical reception

"I'm So Afraid" has generally received positive reviews from music critics. In his review of the band's 1975 self-titled album, Bud Scopa of Rolling Stone thought that the song stood out upon repeated listens. In 2022, the same publication ranked the "I'm So Afraid" 34th on its list of the top 50 greatest Fleetwood Mac songs, labeling it a "paranoid blues blowout". The Rolling Stone Album Guide called the song a "soulful closer". Simon Reynolds of Spin was complimentary of Buckingham's vocal delivery on the song and compared its bassline to the work of Joy Division.

Landslide

"Landslide" is a song by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, written by Stevie Nicks, first featured on the band's 1975 album Fleetwood Mac. A live version from the reunion album The Dance was released as a single in 1998, climbing to No. 51 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 10 on the Adult Contemporary chart in 1998.

Composition and recording

Stevie Nicks has said that she wrote "Landslide" while contemplating either going back to school or continuing on professionally with guitarist Lindsey Buckingham. At the time, Nicks was financially supporting both herself and Buckingham by taking up jobs as both a waitress and a cleaning lady. Following the release of their debut album Buckingham Nicks, they had been dropped from their recording contract by Polydor Records before they could release a follow-up. Nicks wrote the song while visiting Aspen, Colorado, sitting in someone's living room "looking out at the Rocky Mountains pondering the avalanche of everything that had come crashing down on us ... at that moment, my life truly felt like a landslide in many ways."

Live performances and release

"Landslide" is one of Fleetwood Mac's most frequently performed during tours. Nicks has sung it on every Fleetwood Mac tour since joining the band, with the exception of the Shake the Cage Tour, and has performed it on all of her own solo tours from 2005's Two Voices Tour onwards. A live performance of "Landslide" recorded on 27 June 1980 at the London Wembley Arena was included on Live. For early live performances of "Landslide", Buckingham played the song on an Ovation guitar with a built-in pickup. Other live recordings of "Landslide" also appear on Live in Boston (2004), Crystal Visions – The Very Best of Stevie Nicks (2007) (with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra), The Soundstage Sessions (2009), Soundstage (2004) and the Live in...

Reception

In a contemporary review, Rolling Stone wrote that Nicks seemed "lost and out of place" on "Landslide" and that her voice sounded "callow and mannered".

Other cover versions

Anohni recorded the song for the tribute album Just Tell Me That You Want Me: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac.

Monday Morning

"Monday Morning" is a 1975 song written and sung by Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham. It is the first track from the multi-platinum, second eponymous album Fleetwood Mac.

The song was included on the band's 2002 compilation album, The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac.

Background

Like "Rhiannon" and "I'm So Afraid", "Monday Morning" was intended for a second Buckingham Nicks LP, but the album never came to fruition as their label, Polydor Records, dropped the duo from their roster before they could record a follow-up. Buckingham said that there was originally some uncertainty surrounding the prospects of these songs given their lack of a record deal.

Critical reception

Bud Scopa of Rolling Stone thought that "Monday Morning" had the most "initial appeal" of Buckingham's compositions on Fleetwood Mac's 1975 eponymous album. Record World characterised it as a "commercial pleaser". Billboard labelled "Monday Morning" as one of the "best cuts" from Fleetwood Mac in their 1975 review of the album. In 2018 review, the same publication called it both "buoyant" and "surging". Matthew Greenwald of AllMusic described the song as "a brilliant opening to a brilliant album" which he attributed to Buckingham's "strong pop instincts and craftsmanship". Paste ranked the song number 30 on its list of the 30 greatest Fleetwood Mac songs, calling it a "bold first offering from Buckingham".

Over My Head

"Over My Head" is a song recorded by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac for their self-titled 1975 album. The song was written by keyboardist and vocalist Christine McVie.

"Over My Head" was the band's first single to reach the Billboard Hot 100 since "Oh Well", ending a six-year dry spell on the American charts.

Composition

Christine McVie composed the song using a portable Hohner electric piano in a small apartment in Malibu, California. McVie had moved into the apartment with her then-husband John McVie (Fleetwood Mac's bassist) after the completion of the band's concert tour promoting Heroes Are Hard to Find, which was the album that preceded the band's 1975 self-titled release.

Recording

The original rhythm track consisted of just vocals, drums and a Dobro. Other instruments were added later to embellish the song, including McVie's Vox Continental organ and an electric guitar. McVie said that the addition of these instruments helped to culminate "a really pleasant atmosphere". Buckingham used open D tuning on the studio version and also played a Fender Stratocaster with the same tuning for some early live performances. Rick Turner installed a Stratoblaster into the guitar, which boosted the signal of the instrument by several decibels. Buckingham also played some guitar harmonics during certain portions of the song.

Release and single remix

In the U.S., Reprise Records selected "Over My Head" as the lead single from the 1975 LP Fleetwood Mac, a decision that surprised the band, who believed that "Over My Head" was the least likely song on the album to become a single. Nevertheless, the song reached No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in early 1976. The single's success helped the group's eponymous 1975 album sell eight million units. The commercial success of "Over My Head" was partially attributed to a $25,000 AM radio campaign that used the recording as its theme song.

Critical reception

Cash Box wrote that "versatility is again demonstrated with a boiling rhythm subtly driving a soft McCartney-like vocal, shaded by organ and sweet, answering harmony." Record World said the song has a "clean, confident folk-rock sound" and that "Christine McVie takes the lead here over a network of jangly acoustic guitars, singing in a rich, deep voice." In a 1975 review, Billboard described McVie's vocal performance as "a completely distinctive voice, with a sexy huskiness that is unique in pop today."

Rhiannon

"Rhiannon" (also released as a single under the title "Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win)") is a song written by Stevie Nicks and originally recorded by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac for their eponymous 1975 album, then issued as a single the following year. The song peaked on U.S. charts at no. 11 in June 1976.

The song peaked at no. 46 in the UK singles chart for three weeks after re-release in February 1978.

Composition and recording

Nicks wrote "Rhiannon" after reading the novel Triad by Mary Bartlet Leader. Nicks was so taken by it that she felt she "had to write something" about the character. Nicks then composed "Rhiannon" on the piano and recorded a demo of the song onto a cassette tape. The Welsh legend of Rhiannon is mentioned in the novel, but the characters in the novel bear little resemblance to their original Welsh namesakes.

Single remix and release

The single version of the song was mixed on 19 January 1976, in studio 1 at Wally Heider Studios. Ken Caillat had previously mixed a live version of the song two days earlier from a performance at the King Biscuit Flower Hour radio show, and was interested in engineering the sessions for the radio edit, although the band had already booked Kelly Kotera for the session. However, the studio's computer-automated console crashed, and Kotera struggled to mix the song manually, which occurred as both Lindsey Buckingham and Richard Dashut hovered over him throughout the session. Dashut then asked Caillat to mix the song, which he agreed to.

Post-release

After writing the song, Nicks learned in early 1978 that Rhiannon originated from a Welsh goddess and discovered that the lyrics in her song also applied to the Welsh Rhiannon. Nicks told the Los Angeles Times that a fan sent her "four paperback novels in a Manila envelope" five years after she first wrote "Rhiannon" in 1973. Included in the envelope was Evangeline Walton's adaptation of the ancient British Mabinogion, which Nicks then bought the rights to after being "transfixed" by the prose. Nicks researched the Mabinogion story and began work on a Rhiannon project, unsure of whether it would become a movie, a musical, a cartoon, or a ballet. She created several Rhiannon-centered and themed songs from this unfinished project, including...

Reception

Billboard described "Rhiannon" as a "haunting song" with an "infectious melody". Record World said that "Stevie Nicks' vocal evokes a magic that is hard to ignore on this scintillating track." Harvey Kubernik of Melody Maker wrote that the song "cemented a relationship with the important AM audience that Fleetwood Mac has been seeking in the States for years."

Say You Love Me

"Say You Love Me" is a song written by English singer-songwriter Christine McVie for Fleetwood Mac's 1975 self-titled album. The song peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks, and remains one of the band's most recognizable songs.

Its success helped the group's eponymous 1975 album sell over eight million copies worldwide.

Background

McVie wrote "Say You Love Me" after her fifth year in the band while she was married to the group's bassist, John McVie. "Say You Love Me" was the first song the band rehearsed during the making of their self-titled 1975 album. McVie recalled that Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks impressed her with their vocal harmonies during the run-through of the first chorus. "I started singing the chorus and those two came in from nowhere with the most amazing harmonies. It was one of those moments you remember forever." The version used on the single release has overdubbed additional guitar work and a faster fade-out.

Reception

Billboard praised McVie's singing, noting the "easy" guitar playing, and the "good, catchy bridge." Cash Box said that "it’s an intelligent and commercial single...the music seems to flow, in mid-tempo rock rhythm; the song has a fat sound" and that "the vocals are distinctive." Record World said that "Christine McVie takes the lead this time and belts out a gutty vocal which is underpinned by chiming guitars and a banjo."

Cover versions

Shirley Eikhard covered the song in 1976. It became a hit in Canada, spending two weeks at number 34 on the pop singles chart and number four on the Adult Contemporary chart.

Warm Ways

"Warm Ways" is a song by the British/American music group Fleetwood Mac. It was included as the second track on the band's 1975 album titled Fleetwood Mac and was one of the four songs on the album solely written and sung by Christine McVie.

The song was also issued as a single in the United Kingdom.

Background

During the making of Tusk album, Buckingham borrowed aspects of his guitar playing on "Warm Ways" and repurposed it for "Over & Over", another song written by McVie. Buckingham had played slide guitar on "Warm Ways", a technique that he seldom utilised. Hernan Rojas, who served as the engineer for Tusk, said that Buckingham was reminded of "Warm Ways" when he first heard "Over & Over". These two tracks, along with "Never Forget" from Tusk, are among the few Fleetwood Mac songs to feature Buckingham on slide guitar.

Critical reception

PopMatters wrote that the song "lives up to its title and then some", adding that the music possessed a "wistful" quality. Writing for NPR, Annie Zaleski noted how McVie stretched out the syllables on a few lyrics found in "Warm Ways", which Zaleski said "illuminate[d] the coziness of sleeping by a beloved."

World Turning

"World Turning" is a song written by Christine McVie and Lindsey Buckingham for the British/American rock band Fleetwood Mac's tenth album, Fleetwood Mac. Fleetwood Mac took inspiration from a song included on their 1968 debut album titled "The World Keeps on Turning" and reworked it for their 1975 album.

The band has since performed "World Turning" live on several concert tours, often with an extended drum solo.

Background

The origins of "World Turning" date back to 1968 when Fleetwood Mac's first album, titled Fleetwood Mac, was released. One of the tracks included on the album was "The World Keep on Turning", which was written by founding member Peter Green. The band reinterpreted this song for the 1975 Fleetwood Mac sessions and truncated the title of their updated version to "World Turning". Fleetwood referred to the song as "an intersection of both eras of the band".

Covers

The song was covered by former Fleetwood Mac member Bob Welch on his 2006 album His Fleetwood Mac Years and Beyond, Vol. 2.

Dreams

"Dreams" is a song by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, written and sung by Stevie Nicks for the band's eleventh studio album, Rumours (1977). In the United States, "Dreams" was released as the second single from Rumours in March 1977, by Warner Bros., while in the United Kingdom, the song was released as the third single in June 1977.

A stage performance of "Dreams" was used as the promotional music video.

Background and composition

The members of Fleetwood Mac were experiencing emotional upheavals while recording the Rumours album. Mick Fleetwood was going through a divorce, Christine McVie and John McVie were separating, while Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks were ending their eight-year relationship. "We had to go through this elaborate exercise of denial," explained Buckingham to Blender magazine, "keeping our personal feelings in one corner of the room while trying to be professional in the other."

Recording

Producer Ken Caillat made an eight bar drum loop of Fleetwood's drumming to create "deep hypnotic effect". Caillat said of the loop that "It's funny, but when people talk about the classic rhythm section of Mick Fleetwood and John McVie and they point to this one song, I'm always amused that they're talking about a drum loop." The electric guitars were sent through four different signals: "a direct signal, a miked signal, a signal running from the output of the amp head, and another direct signal from a volume pedal". These signals were then panned in stereo, which in producer Richard Dashut's estimation, allowed for the guitars to move across the left and right channels "in a very majestic way".

Reception

Billboard characterised "Dreams" as a "midtempo ballad with its easily-apparent lyric examination of her breakup" with Buckingham. They also highlighted Nicks' "breathier" vocal delivery and thought that the song's "simple, precise bass-drums line underpins the uncluttered instrumental backing." Cash Box believed that "Dreams" was "subdued in comparison" to "Go Your Own Way" with its "softly droning bass [that] backs Stevie Nicks' alluring lead vocal." Record World said that the single appeared "certain to extend the group's hot streak" and concluded by saying that "Stevie Nicks' vocal makes these dreams a melodic reality." New York Times critic John Rockwell called the single a "classy record" and commented on the appeal provided by...

Chart performance and legacy

In the United States, "Dreams" reached the number-one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on 18 June 1977, and held it for one week. On the Adult Contemporary chart, "Dreams" peaked at number 11, making it the band's highest-charting single on that chart during the 1970s. On the UK Singles Chart, "Dreams" went to number 24, staying in the top 40 for eight weeks during its initial run.

Never Going Back Again

"Never Going Back Again" is a song written by Lindsey Buckingham that was first released by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac on their eleventh studio album Rumours (1977). The song was also released as the B-side to the top-ten single "Don't Stop" in the US and the "You Make Loving Fun" single in the UK.

It was also the B-side of "Dreams" in the Netherlands. "Never Going Back Again" has been covered by other artists, including Colin Reid and Matchbox Twenty.

Background and composition

"Never Going Back Again" is one of several songs on Rumours that Buckingham wrote in the wake of the breakup of his relationship with fellow Fleetwood Mac member Stevie Nicks. Buckingham recalls it being one of the last songs written for the album, after he had started a rebound relationship with another woman. Buckingham regards it as a sweet and naive song and does not consider the lyrics to be very deep. The song reflects a desire not to repeat previous mistakes.

Recording

"Never Going Back Again" consists of an acoustic guitar and vocals, both of which are performed by Buckingham. He played the acoustic guitar using a Travis picking technique and drew inspiration from the work of Ry Cooder. Buckingham wanted to orchestrate the song with a single acoustic guitar that could "carry the track in total." To capture the optimal sound, producer Ken Caillat suggested that Buckingham's acoustic guitar be restrung every 20 minutes. Caillat pitied the guitar tech's job of restringing the acoustic guitar three times an hour for "the entire day", but approved of Buckingham's "magnificent" instrumental passages. When Buckingham was overdubbing his vocals, he realized that the acoustic guitar parts were in the wrong key,...

Critical reception and legacy

Rolling Stone critic John Swenson described "Never Going Back Again" as "the prettiest thing on [Rumours]", saying that the "delightful" vocal "belies the bad-news subject matter." Stylus Magazine critic Patrick McKay regards it as one of the "strongest tracks" on Rumours. While Spin critic Chuck Eddy described "Never Going Back Again" as "an arty trance." Fleetwood Mac biographer Cath Carroll praises "Never Going Back Again" as "a melodically uncluttered song with a simple chorus and a sharp resolve that says everything in a few elegant phrases." Music historian George Case described "Never Going Back Again" as a "gorgeous" song with "bubbly SoCal philosophies about relationships."

Cover versions

Matchbox Twenty covered "Never Going Back Again" on Legacy: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac's Rumours. The Matchbox Twenty version is set in a minor key. Billboard Magazine critic Steve Knopper describes this version as "gloomy." Billboard writer Chuck Taylor describes this version as updating the original version's "unassuming demeanor with a subtly aggressive chug-along rock pulse." According to Matchbox Twenty drummer Paul Doucette, the band intended to play around with the song before coming up with their dark interpretation of what Doucette calls "a sad record when you think about it." Doucette felt that the version they came up with "turned out great." Matchbox Twenty lead vocalist Rob Thomas stated that "we took drums from 'Tusk' and...