‘Fleetwood Mac,’ the Band’s First Album With Stevie Nicks, Turns 50
Fleetwood Mac’s 1975 album Fleetwood Mac didn’t just shake up the band’s roster; it shaped the genre-defying quintet into the classic rock icons they are today. Formed in the UK in 1967, Fleetwood Mac had already endured multiple line-up changes and bitter legal battles by the time they relocated to America and entered the studio to record Fleetwood Mac.
Only Mac’s namesake, Mick Fleetwood, and married duo John and Christine McVie remained from the previous crew; they were now joined by John Fleetwood’s discoveries — Lindsey Buckingham and his girl Stevie Nicks, who had been recording together as “Buckingham Nicks.” The ladies took the lead on some of the songwriting and when Fleetwood Mac released the self-titled album — sometimes known as the band’s own “White Album” — on July 11, 1975, the band’s look and energy felt brand-new.
To celebrate 50 years of Fleetwood Mac, here are five fun facts about the adjective disc.
1 The band had already released another album called Fleetwood Mac
In 1968 — when the band was sometimes called “Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac,” a name that combined the band’s founder and both Fleetwood’s and John McVie‘s last names — they released their debut album, and called it … Fleetwood Mac.
Seven years later, the band celebrated its rebirth of sorts by naming their tenth album Fleetwood Mac, too.
2 Fleetwood Mac took over a year to reach No. 1
The album wasn’t an immediate smash, but that didn’t deter the band. Fleetwood Mac took their show on the road to introduce their new members and new sound to music lovers up close and personal. Fifty-seven weeks after Fleetwood Mac (the second) was released, it reached the top of the Billboard US 200.
Years later, Nicks told the U.K. music mag Uncut that “we just played everywhere and we sold that record. We kicked that album in the ass.”
3 Fleetwood Mac had almost as many radio hits as Rumours
Fleetwood Mac charted three hits — the Nicks-penned “Rhiannon,” and Christine McVie’s “Say You Love Me” and “Over My Head” — on the Billboard Top 20. Rumours, which is considered the band’s blockbuster, only charted one more song, with four major radio hits in Buckingham’s “Go Your Own Way,”, Nicks’ “Dreams,” and McVie’s “You Make Loving Fun” and Don’t Stop.”
Fleetwood Mac also featured the fan favorites “Landslide” and “Monday Morning,” both of which became hits as the years went by.
4 Rumours and Fleetwood Mac have very similar covers
Much is made of Fleetwood Mac’s propensity for never having all of the band members on its album covers — and sometimes none at all. But Fleetwood Mac and Rumours boast covers that have a lot in common, and likely a lot to say. Though no official analysis is readily found, the covers invite plenty of viewer interpretation.
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Fleetwood Mac features a rangy, dapper Fleetwood, dressed for riding and sipping champagne. Next to him is John McVie, with something going on with his legs. Is he kneeling, as most folks suggest? Or are his legs foreshortened, ending in pant cuffs and shoes where his knees should be? And what of that crystal ball he seems to toss?
With new members playing a major role on this new album, and personal relationships roiling, could it suggest that the two originals feel a bit cut off at the knees in terms of power within the band? Does the crystal ball suggest an uncertain future? Or is it ultimately just a cool Herbert Worthington III image?
Four years later, Fleetwood was back in profile on the Rumours cover, only this time with Nicks, dressed as a ballerina and bowing. Both are holding the crystal ball in their hands. By then, even the band members couldn’t ignore public speculation about the interpersonal soap opera that was Fleetwood Mac. Buckingham and Nicks had broken up, as had the McVies, and Fleetwood and Nicks were briefly involved. So it’s hardly a stretch to infer that Fleetwood and Nicks were embracing the idea that all the turmoil made for great songwriting and seemed to secure the future of the band’s popularity, if not its longevity.
Or maybe it’s just another cool Herbert Worthington III image.
5 It, too, spawned a lawsuit
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Music producer Keith Olsen was the guy who introduced Mick Fleetwood to Buckingham and Nicks when the latter visited him at LA’s Sound City Studios. Olsen had produced the pair’s album Buckingham Nicks, and played Fleetwood a few tunes from that record. Fleetwood liked what he heard, and when Fleetwood Mac, decamped to the states and needed new members, he invited Lindsey and Stevie to join. Olsen helped produce Fleetwood Mac.
After Fleetwood Mac and Fleetwood Mac proved major hits, Olsen sued for what he felt were justified royalties. The official outcome of the suit was never made public.
What’s your favorite Fleetwood Mac tune? Tell us in the comments below.
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