Fleetwood Mac: From Blues Beginnings to Legendary Status
Originally a British blues band known as Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, the group released their debut and follow-up albums in 1968. These two albums consisted of both original tracks and blues covers, such as Dust My Broom and Shake Your Moneymaker by Elmore James.
What’s particularly interesting about these early years is that none of the hits appeared on the albums themselves. Instead, they were released as singles, starting with Black Magic Woman (later made famous by Santana), Need Your Love So Bad, and Albatross, all in 1968.
Albatross was an instrumental and became the band’s only #1 hit in the U.K. — quite remarkable considering the success they would achieve in the 1970s.
By the time of their second album, Christine Perfect had joined as a session player on keyboards. She would later marry bassist John McVie and become Christine McVie, although it would take a few more albums before she became a full band member.
Before their next album, another single, Man of the World, was released. This was the band’s only release on the Immediate Records label.
The third album, Then Play On, originally didn’t include Oh, Well. However, after the track became an independent hit, it was added to the American pressing and subsequent reissues.
Fleetwood Mac: Transition and Change in the Early ’70s
Oh, Well was a significant hit for Fleetwood Mac, reaching the top 10 in 10 territories. The single featured two different versions of the song, one on the A-side and the other on the B-side.
In late 1969, the band travelled to Chicago, where they met a group of blues legends, including Buddy Guy, Otis Spann, and Willie Dixon, to record an album titled Blues Jam At Chess. This album featured a mix of original songs and blues covers, with a clear influence from Elmore James, whose compositions appeared multiple times on the double album.
By the time Fleetwood Mac released their fourth studio album, Kiln House (1970), Peter Green had departed. Soon after the album’s completion, Christine McVie became a full-time member. With this change, the band’s style evolved from blues to a more folk-rock sound, with the tracks now largely composed by the band members themselves.
In 1971, Fleetwood Mac released Future Games, which introduced new guitarist Bob Welch. Welch contributed several tracks to the album, but, like the previous records, Future Games didn’t produce any hit singles. As with earlier releases, any notable tracks were often released as independent singles rather than appearing on the album.
The next few years saw Fleetwood Mac enter a transitional phase, with members coming and going, and no major hits on the horizon. Bare Trees (1972), Penguin (1973), Mystery To Me (1973), and Heroes Are Hard to Find (1974) were albums that reflected these changes. By the time Heroes Are Hard to Find was released, only three members remained: Mick Fleetwood (drums), John McVie (bass), and Christine McVie (keys).
Fleetwood Mac: The Arrival of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks
As Mick Fleetwood was searching for new studios in Los Angeles, he came across Lindsey Buckingham and invited him to join Fleetwood Mac as a singer and guitarist. Buckingham agreed, but only on the condition that his partner, Stevie Nicks, could join him. The pair had been together since high school, performing as a folk duo, already releasing an album, and maintaining a romantic relationship.
The debut for this new lineup came in 1975 with Fleetwood Mac, the band’s 10th studio album. This was the second time the band used the name for an album, the first being their debut in 1968. This self-titled release proved to be a commercial success, reaching #1 more than a year after its release. Three singles charted in the top 20: Rhiannon (written by Stevie Nicks), Over My Head, and Say You Love Me (both written by Christine McVie). The album reintroduced Fleetwood Mac to the world as a folk-rock outfit with new members and sold seven million copies worldwide.
Following the success of this album, the band set out to create what would become their masterpiece: Rumours (1977). It’s well known that during the recording of Rumours, the band members’ marriages fell apart, and this personal turmoil is reflected in the album’s lyrics. Tracks such as Go Your Own Way, Second Hand News, Dreams, The Chain, Don’t Stop, and Gold Dust Woman all became classics. Rumours went on to sell over 40 million copies worldwide, cementing Fleetwood Mac’s place in rock history.
Despite the personal upheavals and rampant drug use within the band, the success of Rumours kept Fleetwood Mac together. Their next album, Tusk (1979), was a self-indulgent, costly venture that marked a stark contrast to their previous work. The title track Tusk epitomised this with its lavish production. At $1.4 million, Tusk remains the most expensive rock album ever made, largely due to the band’s decision to record in various studios across the globe. However, despite the extravagant costs, Tusk was seen as a commercial flop.
Fleetwood Mac: From Tusk to the Present – A Legacy of Change and Endurance
After the ambitious Tusk, Fleetwood Mac followed up with a live album and another studio release, Mirage (1982), which unfortunately didn’t see much commercial success.
It was a relief for the band when Tango in the Night (1987) finally brought them back to the charts, thanks to hit singles like Little Lies and Everywhere, both written by Christine McVie.
In the years that followed, Fleetwood Mac released a Greatest Hits album, but then faced further turmoil as Lindsey Buckingham departed the band. The result was Behind the Mask (1990) and Time (1995), both of which failed to produce any significant hits. By 1997, the band decided to reunite the classic lineup for a live album, The Dance, which proved to be a successful comeback.
However, the band’s dynamic continued to shift when Christine McVie left shortly before their final studio album, Say You Will (2003). Following this, Fleetwood Mac released another live album (2004) and an EP in 2013.
In 2018, Lindsey Buckingham was dismissed from the band, and Fleetwood Mac recruited Mike Campbell from Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers and Neil Finn of Crowded House for their world tour. According to Wikipedia, both Mike and Neil are now officially part of the current lineup.
Fleetwood Mac, which started in 1968, continues to tour and record, with 13 members having come and gone over the decades. The band has sold an astounding 120 million albums, a testament to their lasting influence on the music world.
Fleetwood Mac Tunes | Related Pages
Everywhere | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| E B | E B |
Can you hear me calling, out your name…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Everywhere (Fleetwood Mac) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Go Your Own Way | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Go Your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| F (Fsus2) | F (Fsus2) | F (Fsus2) | C (C6) |
Loving you, isn’t the right thing to do…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Go Your Own Way (Fleetwood Mac) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Need Your Love So Bad | Chords + Lyrics
You can learn how to play Need Your Love So Bad by Fleetwood Mac using chords, lyrics, a chord chart, and a Spytunes video guitar lesson.
| A | A | A7 | A7 |
Need someone’s hand, to lead me through the night…
Fleetwood Mac on the web
