Mick Fleetwood Speaks to Billboard About Blues Experience and Fleetwood Mac Reunion

 

Out Now!

Inside Mick Fleetwood’s Collaborative Blues Album With Ukulele Pro Jake Shimabukuro

Their album, 'Blues Experience,' includes a heartfelt tribute to the late Christine McVie

By Gary Graff 

Billboard

Jake Shimabukuro is still pinching himself. And Mick Fleetwood is smiling ear to ear.

That’s how the two are feeling as they bring out Blues Experience, a collaborative album that finds the ukulele virtuoso and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame drummer exploring the blues over nine tracks – one of which is a moving tribute to Fleetwood’s late Fleetwood Mac bandmate, Christine McVie.

“I’m really excited about this project,” Shimabukuro tells Billboard via Zoom from Hawaii, where he lives (and where he met Fleetwood, another Hawaii resident). “It’s such a departure from anything I’ve ever done, but I love that because it really feels like I learned a lot from this experience. In my wildest dreams I never would have imagined that this album would exist someday. And I love those kinds of things…the most unlikely collaborations or combinations coming together to do something very different and unique.”

Fleetwood — who has some 40 ukuleles hanging on the walls of his home as decorations — adds that the appeal for him was to work with someone he calls “an explorer. He’s fascinated with music. He comes from a very traditional musical background, but he’s done an extraordinary amount of projects with anyone from Neil Young to Bette Midler, all this strange, bizarre, super-eclectic stuff that’s obviously intrigued him on his journey. That’s what led to, ‘What can a funny old drummer — me — do with someone like this?'”

Fleetwood and Shimabukuro had met a number of times over the years, establishing a friendly relationship. “We basically were passing in the night for years, always saying, ‘We’ve got to do something together,’” recalls Fleetwood. Meeting up again at a Shimabukuro show in Maui during early 2023 put the idea on the front-burner for both, and by March they were in a studio Fleetwood has near his home, with “no pressure, no agenda, just to get in there to see what happens.” Four songs in four days — “recording everything live and just experimenting and having a lot of fun,” according to Shimabukuro — proved they were creatively in sync. Shimabukuro was even happy to plug into a vintage Fender Princeton amplifier that helped him craft a sound that “really seemed to work nicely for this genre and this style.”

The Wild Story of Tusk - Lindsey Buckingham Interview

The Independent
October 17, 2024

With lobster and champagne arriving at the studio by the crateload, the making of Fleetwood Mac’s radical 12th album is pure rock’n’roll history. As the album turns 45 this week, Mark Beaumont speaks to Lindsey Buckingham about those storied sessions, and going his own way after the commercial success of ‘Rumours’

For Lindsey Buckingham, making Tusk was akin to following Jurassic Park with some small indie cult flick. “Here we are in Spielberg-land,” he says of life after selling 16 million copies of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours in 1977, en route to its eventual 40 million global sales. “But if you’re willing to do what you want to do and lose nine-tenths of your audience, then you’re Jim Jarmusch or somebody. That’s what I’ve been valuing ever since Tusk.”

On its 1979 release, 45 years ago this week, Tusk was one of the boldest, bravest, and most bewildering records in rock’n’roll history, the very grandest of rock follies. Fleetwood Mac were following Rumours, the ninth-best-selling album of all time, with this experimental, often ramshackle double record full of junkyard clatter, Kleenex box drums and a full-on marching band. A record that was willing to risk the sort of monumental folk-rock success most bands can only dream of in order to stay creatively invigorated and relevant within an evolving post-punk landscape.

At the time, Tusk sold four million albums: a career-making phenomenon for most acts but a major knockback for Fleetwood Mac. However, as their late-Seventies era has been rediscovered and re-evaluated by subsequent generations, Tusk has become regarded as a triumph of art and creativity over the crass demands of mainstream commerce.

“There was a certain amount of esteem that it did garner from people who might have thought Rumours maybe a little too safe or a little too decadent or a little too California,” the former Fleetwood Mac singer and guitarist, now 75, says down the line from his Californian home, happy to discuss a record that acts as an origin story for his decades of musical exploration since. “But it did take a number of years for it to reveal itself. People, younger artists especially, began to appreciate it, not just for the creativity but for the reason it was done. They could see that there was a method to the philosophy of it.”

Tusk is arguably the most punk record of the Seventies; the ultimate in nonconformist, anti-commercial artistic expression with far, far more than a last-minute punt deal with Virgin Records on the line. For Buckingham, though – relatively fresh in Fleetwood Mac, having joined with then partner Stevie Nicks on New Year’s Eve 1974 and hit the biggest of big times on just his third album release – it was merely the natural next step of an artist following the instincts that were serving them so well.

“With our first album [1975’s seven-million-selling Fleetwood Mac] and then with the Rumours album, everything we’d done had been from our gut, from our heart,” he says. “And [Tusk] was where we wanted to go creatively and emotionally.” The inevitable “far greater, extreme expectations” from their label Warner Bros to repeat the formula of Rumours seemed counterintuitive: this was the Rumours formula.

Stevie Nicks’ SNL Performance Sparks iTunes Chart Resurgence

Following Stevie’s performance on *Saturday Night Live*, her music catalog saw a significant boost on iTunes, with both her latest single, "The Lighthouse," and the classic hit "Edge of Seventeen" making a notable impact—both songs were performed during the show.

On October 13th, *The Lighthouse* re-entered the iTunes Top 100 at No. 17 after peaking at No. 3 following its initial release on September 27th. As of Monday afternoon, the single has climbed back to No. 3 on the chart.

*Edge of Seventeen* re-entered the Top 100 at No. 81 on October 13th, reaching a peak of No. 37. Currently, it sits at No. 39 as of Monday, October 14th.

On the Top 100 Rock Songs Chart, *The Lighthouse* has held the No. 1 position since October 13th, while *Edge of Seventeen* peaked at No. 3. Additional charting tracks include *Stand Back*—peaking at No. 15 and currently at No. 16—*Leather and Lace* at No. 20, and *Stop Draggin' My Heart Around* at No. 32.

Regarding albums, *Crystal Visions: The Very Best of Stevie Nicks* peaked at No. 66 on the iTunes Top 200 Albums, while *Bella Donna* reached No. 179.

It’s remarkable how a single appearance on a show can reignite interest in an artist’s catalog. Even Fleetwood Mac’s songs and albums have seen a resurgence as a result.

Stevie Nicks "The Lighthouse" CD Single Available Nov 1, 2024

Stevie Nicks will release a CD and 7 inch vinyl single 

of "The Lighthouse" Nov 1st and Nov 29, 2024

Pre-order the CD Single NOW through her website.

"The Lighthouse" 7 inch vinyl will be available to order Nov 29, 2024 through her website, or you can look for it on November 29th during Record Store Day Black Friday. Check your local viny store. 

I can't remember the last time Stevie actually released a physical single in North America, maybe the 90's?

Stevie Nicks Returns to ‘SNL’ at a critical time to impart a critical message

Stevie Nicks Returns to ‘SNL’ After 40 Years With Powerful Women’s Rights Anthem ‘The Lighthouse’

Nicks also performs "Edge of Seventeen," the classic from her 1981 debut solo album.

By William Vaillancourt

Rollingstone

Stevie Nicks, whose last Saturday Night Live appearance came in December 1983, returned to the late night show at a critical time to impart a critical message.

Nicks first sang “The Lighthouse,” a call-to-action for women’s rights that she wrote shortly after Roe v. Wade was overturned two summers ago.

“Don’t let them take your power / Don’t leave it alone in the final hours,” she sings. “Don’t close your eyes and hope for the best / The dark is out there, the light is going fast.”

Nicks, although not explicitly endorsing a presidential candidate, recently praised Taylor Swift’s message supporting Vice President Kamala Harris.

Nicks’ second performance was a rousing rendition of “Edge of Seventeen,” one of the standout tracks from her 1981 debut solo album, Bella Donna.

“Edge of Seventeen” is also ranked number 217 on Rolling Stone‘s “Greatest Songs” list.

Saturday Night Live recap: Despite delays, Ariana Grande and Stevie Nicks deliver an entertaining episode

By Andy Hoglund

Entertainment Weekly

Tonight, we have a special match-up: Bowen Yang's Wicked costar Ariana Grande is being teamed with a deep cut SNL musical guest, a genuine legend: Stevie Nicks. Here is how big Stevie Nicks is: Not only was her first time playing at 8H way back in 1983, but there's a classic sketch spoofing Nicks that itself is over 25 years old! Longevity and lore, folks. SNL50.

Stevie Nicks performs "The Lighthouse"

"The Lighthouse" was released last month as a rally cry for women, intended to reinvigorate the fight for reproductive healthcare. "I have my scars, you have yours/ Don't let them, take your power," she sings. "They'll take your soul, they'll take your power, unless you save it." What a ballad.

As noted, Nicks first played 8H way back in the early '80s. Gary Kroeger recalls that season 8 performance: "I was in my 20s when she did SNL during my time there! When she came on the scene 10 years earlier, I was in my teens! Was I a fan of Stevie Nicks? Of course I was! She was one of, if not the Goddess of Rock and Roll. I was too nervous to say hello. My recollection was that she didn't hang out much and I don't recall her at the after-party, but that doesn't mean my memory is correct. Only that I was too shy to say anything. She was terrific on the show."

Sheryl Crow plays guitar and bass, and sings on this track, which she co-produced. (And yes, she has played at 8H three times.)

Stevie Nicks performs "Edge of Seventeen"

After this episode's second "delay of game," we return from commercial — and it's worth it! "Edge of Seventeen" is on the menu, and I know somewhere Joan Cusack is pleased. A timeless classic. I am a fan of this! 

Another sign of Nicks' longevity: 45 years ago today, Fleetwood Mac released their album Tusk. 

Stevie Nicks is reflecting on her first solo Saturday Night Live appearance

Stevie Nicks reveals sister-in-law saved 1983 SNL set by singing backup: 'Literally right before we went on'

"It was very scary to go on the show," she recalled ahead of her return to "SNL" this weekend.

By Wesley Stenzel 

Entertainment Weekly

Stevie Nicks is reflecting on her first solo Saturday Night Live appearance that almost ended in disaster.

The "Landslide" singer and on-and-off Fleetwood Mac member said a last-minute lineup change in her band nearly tanked her Dec. 10, 1983, performance on the show, she told PEOPLE. "You know, we practiced and practiced, and everything went well," Nicks said. "At the time, I had my friend who wrote 'Stand Back,' and she was gonna do the second song, which was called 'Nightbird' — and she freaked out and had terrible stage fright, so she couldn't do it."

That's when Lori Perry jumped in to save the day. "So one of my singers, who ended up being my sister-in-law Lori, she said, 'I'll do it,' and she's crazy, but she said, 'I'll do it,'" Nicks recalled. "This is literally right before we went on, and so we went on and we did it, and it came out perfect!"

The "Dreams" singer said the last-minute chaos inadvertently added to the performance's power. "It was one of those shows, that even with that horrible wrench that was thrown in the middle of it, it came off beautifully," she said. "I've never been so proud of anything as I was of that night. It was a magical show, and I was thrilled, and it definitely kicked my solo career up."

Nicks noted that her SNL debut came about two and a half years into her solo career. She released her first solo album, Bella Donna, in 1981, spawning her acclaimed solo hit, "Edge of Seventeen." Her second solo album, The Wild Heart, came out in June 1983, about six months before her SNL performance.

Despite her success as a solo artist, Nicks remained anxious about performing on SNL. "It was nerve-wracking because it was not Fleetwood Mac; it was my solo career, so it was very scary to go on the show when you've been in a huge band and now you're going on Saturday Night Live as a solo artist," she said.

Nicks will return as a musical guest for the first time since 1983, and she still sees performing on the NBC show as a tremendous achievement despite seismic shifts in the entertainment landscape. "Performing on Saturday Night Live is now as it was then. It’s just about the biggest thing you can do, bigger than a stadium show because it's going to go out all over the world," she said. "So if you wanna talk about being nervous about something! It doesn't matter how many shows you've done or how much you practice, you're going to be nervous!"

Nicks plans to perform her new track "The Lighthouse," which was written as a response to the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade. "I'm really excited to play the new song," she said. "You can never say that Saturday Night Live does not help you to gain lots of new followers, younger people, older people, etc. And so to be asked to do it again... I never thought I would do it again — so to be asked to do it again has thrown me into an absolute nervous frenzy, but I'm really excited."

Stevie Nicks will perform on the third episode of Saturday Night Live's 50th season, hosted by Ariana Grande, on Saturday, Oct. 12.