Fleetwood Mac's 1975 Album "Fleetwood Mac" Turns 45

FLEETWOOD MAC 

"FLEETWOOD MAC" 45th ANNIVERSARY

Truth be told, I was not eager to hear the album simply titled  Fleetwood Mac that July  of 1975. Don’t get me wrong, I was a big fan beginning with their 1972 album Bare Trees , and had played it on the radio along with subsequent Fleetwood Mac albums Mystery to Me (one of my favorite “desert island discs”) and Heroes Are Hard to Find  in 1974. I even sought out the earlier Peter Green / Danny Kirwan/ Jeremy Spencer-era Fleetwood Mac albums, playing the original ” Black Magic Woman”,”Rattlesnake Shake”,”Green Manalishi”,”Oh Well” and “Station Man” on the radio as well, but I thought that the chemistry of the late American Bob Welch and Christine McVie‘s songwriting brought out the best in the band.

After Bob Welch left Fleetwood Mac, his first solo album in the Fall 1975 came and went in about 15 minutes, not unlike the 1973 Buckingham Nicks  album, which was the sole output of Welch’s replacements, singer/guitarist Lindsey Buckingham and singer/songwriter Stephanie”Stevie” Nicks. So on balance I didn’t see how this major change could do anything except diminish Fleetwood Mac.

Boy was I wrong! That 1975 Fleetwood Mac album sold over twenty times as many copies as any previous Fleetwood Mac album. The unsung hero is actually producer/recording engineer Keith Olsen, who had produced and recorded the Buckingham Nicks album, imparting a fat, warm, upfront sound to their music. It was in that context that bandleader Mick Fleetwood first noticed Lindsey Buckingham’s guitar-playing and singing abilities, but at the time it was Keith Olsen’s studio and recording techniques that Mick was auditioning, not the musicians. When Fleetwood fell in love with the sound that he heard, he wisely decided to embrace all of it – the musicians Buckingham and Nicks, the producer Keith Olsen – and incorporate it all into the next Fleetwood Mac album, which featured “Monday Morning”,”Over My Head”,”Say You Love Me”,”Rhiannon”,”Crystal”, and “Landslide”. Not only did that decision change the fortunes of all involved, it would also change the sound of contemporary music for years to follow. Nicks, Fleetwood, and former member Buckingham all share their recollections with me in great detail in this classic rock interview In the Studio . –Redbeard

56 minute show with archival interview footage from Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham - with tracks played from the album. Listen below.

WIN Fleetwood Mac's "Then Play On" Celebration Edition

COMPETITION 

Next week MICK FLEETWOOD AND FRIENDS will be drawing 2 names at random from their mailing list subscribers to win a copy of the new deluxe ‘Celebration’ edition of Fleetwood Mac’s Then Play On. If you want to enter, sign up to their mailing list www.mickfleetwoodandfriends.com 

YOU HAVE TO BE IN IT TO WIN IT

FLEETWOOD MAC, STEVIE NICKS AND LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM INDEPENDENCE DAY SALE

INDEPENDENCE DAY SALE! 20% OFF STORE WIDE 

FLEETWOOD MAC, STEVIE NICKS AND LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM RELEASES THROUGH RHINO RECORDS ON NOW THROUGH SUNDAY, JULY 5, 2020

(Free Domestic Shipping)
Rhino Records

FLEETWOOD MAC RUMOURS (DELUXE EDITION) (4CD) Regular Price: $49.98 Special Price $39.98	FLEETWOOD MAC THE DANCE 2LP  Regular Price: $31.98 Special Price $25.58
FLEETWOOD MAC SAY YOU WILL 2LP  Regular Price: $31.98  Special Price $25.58	FLEETWOOD MAC 50 YEARS – DON’T STOP 5LP  Regular Price: $99.98  Special Price $79.98
FLEETWOOD MAC 50 YEARS – DON’T STOP 1CD  Regular Price: $18.98  Special Price $15.18	FLEETWOOD MAC 50 YEARS – DON’T STOP 3CD Regular Price: $34.98  Special Price $27.98
FLEETWOOD MAC 1975-1987 BOXED SET  Regular Price: $119.98  Special Price $95.98	STEVIE NICKS BELLA DONNA (REMASTERED)(VINYL) Regular Price: $21.98  Special Price $17.58
STEVIE NICKS THE WILD HEART (REMASTERED)(VINYL) Regular Price: $21.98  Special Price $17.58	STEVIE NICKS 24 KARAT GOLD -  SONGS FROM THE VAULT (2LP) Regular Price: $26.98  Special Price $21.58
STEVIE NICKS STAND BACK 1-CD  Regular Price: $14.98  Special Price $11.98 STEVIE NICKS STAND BACK: 1981-2017 (3CD) Regular Price: $34.98  Special Price $27.98	LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM SOLO ANTHOLOGY:  THE BEST OF LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM  (DELUXE EDITION) 3CD  Regular Price: $29.98  Special Price $23.98 LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM SOLO ANTHOLOGY 6LP Regular Price: $119.98  Special Price $95.98

Fleetwood Mac's "SEVEN WONDERS" Certified SILVER in the UK

Fleetwood Mac's "SEVEN WONDERS" was certified SILVER on June 26, 2020 by the Official Charts Company in the UK as having sold 200K units in the UK.

Other certifications in the UK in 2020 include Gypsy, Landslide, Everywhere, You Make Loving Fun, Big Love and Go Your Own Way.

Fleetwood Mac UK and Ireland Album Charts Update

Fleetwood Mac soldiers on in the UK on the Top 100 albums chart. "50 Years - Don't Stop", now in it's 84th week in the Top 100, is currently at No.11 down from No.9 last week.  The 50 track compilation was released in November, 2018.

Rumours in this latest 172 week chart run of it's 884 overall weeks within the Top 100 since it's release is still within the Top 20 after re-entering seven weeks ago. This week the album is down to No.17 from No.14. On Vinyl, Rumours is at No.7, down from No.5 last week on the Top 40 Vinyl Albums Chart.

In Ireland, 50 Years - Don't Stop is up to No.9 from No.10 and Rumours up to No.15 from No.18 on the Top 50 Albums chart. 

In the US, Rumours is at No.70 on the Billboard Top 200 up from No.75 last week.

In Canada, Rumours is at No.50 on the Top 100 Albums Chart up from No.55 last week.

SPOTIFY LISTENERS VOTE FOR FLEETWOOD MAC TO HEADLINE GLASTONBURY

Fleetwood Mac have been named the ultimate Glastonbury headline act by Spotify listeners.

The annual music festival was forced to cancel its 2020 event - which was due to take place this weekend - due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and as festival goers around the country lament the lack of live music, Spotify have unveiled the list of the ultimate Glastonbury line-up.

The streaming service had the UK public vote for the artists they'd most like to see take to the stage at the iconic festival, and have revealed 'The Chain' hitmakers Fleetwood Mac came out on top as the most sought after festival headliner.

The band were closely followed by legendary musician Sir Elton John and Led Zeppelin, indicating a theme of nostalgia which is currently sweeping the nation. - MSN

Photo Kevin Mazur

Fleetwood Mac Planning "Celebration Edition" Re-Release of "Then Play On"

Fleetwood Mac are planning an expanded reissue of their 

third studio album, Then Play On.

Titled the ‘Celebration Edition,’ the re-release will be available on CD or vinyl and is due out Sept. 18. Eager fans can pre-order the album now.

This reissue will feature the original U.K. track listing of the LP, along with four bonus songs. The CD version includes a media book, while the double LP vinyl will come with a 16-page book pack. Both versions will feature a foreword written by Mick Fleetwood, as well as brand new sleeve notes penned by Fleetwood Mac biographer Anthony Bozza.

See the full track list for the Celebration Edition of Then Play On below.

Originally released in 1969, Then Play On was the first Fleetwood Mac album to feature Danny Kirwan, and the last with Peter Green. Stylistically, it ventured further afield than the band’s first two LPs, deviating from blues rock to include influences of folk and psychedelia. The album is also notable for featuring the song “Oh Well,” the first Fleetwood Mac single to chart on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

The Celebration Edition is being reissued as a prelude to the worldwide release of the Mick Fleetwood and Friends Celebrate the Music of Peter Green concert film later this year, according to a news release. Recorded in February 2020, this all-star event featured performances by Pete Townshend, Billy Gibbons, Steven Tyler, David Gilmour, Bill Wyman, Kirk Hammett and Noel Gallagher.

Fleetwood Mac, 'Then Play On' Celebration Edition Track Listing:

1. "Coming Your Way"
2. "Closing My Eyes"
3. "Fighting For Madge"
4. "When You Say"
5. "Show-Biz Blues"
6. "Under Way"
7. "One Sunny Day"
8. "Although the Sun Is Shining"
9. "Rattlesnake Shake"
10. "Without You"
11. "Searching For Madge"
12. "My Dream"
13. "Like Crying"
14. "Before the Beginning"
15. "Oh Well – Pt. 1"
16. "Oh Well – Pt. 2"
17. "The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)"
18. "World in Harmony"

Pre-order at MickFleetwoodandFriends

Mick Fleetwood and Friends in Cinemas Sept 22 & 27

Mick Fleetwood & Friends

Mick Fleetwood has assembled a stellar cast of musicians to celebrate the music that established Fleetwood Mac as one of the biggest bands in the world – the music of Peter Green.

With a line-up featuring Neil Finn (Crowded House), Noel Gallagher (Oasis), Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top), David Gilmour (Pink Floyd), Kirk Hammett (Metallica), Jonny Lang, John Mayall, Christine McVie (Fleetwood Mac), Pete Townshend (The Who), Steven Tyler (Aerosmith) and Bill Wyman (The Rolling Stones), this once-in-a-lifetime concert event captured at The London Palladium on 25 Feb 2020 is an absolute must-see for any music fan out there.

Peter Green was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame together with Fleetwood Mac in 1998.  Rolling Stone magazine rates Peter as one of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of all time. Directed by award-winning concert director Martyn Atkins (Joni 75, Crossroads Guitar Festival, Cream at the Royal Albert Hall), the cinema event will be preceded by an introduction from Mick Fleetwood, plus exclusive rehearsal footage and interviews with some of the featured artists. Legendary sound producer Glynn Johns, who produced albums for The Who, The Rolling Stones, The Eagles and Led Zeppelin, will take charge of the audio production.

“The concert is a celebration of those early blues days where we all began, and it’s important to recognise the profound impact Peter and the early Fleetwood Mac had on the world of music.  Peter was my greatest mentor and it gives me such joy to pay tribute to his incredible talent.  I am honoured to be sharing the stage with some of the many artists Peter has inspired over the years and who share my great respect for this remarkable musician.”

– Mick Fleetwood

Release date:
22 September 2020

Showing in
UK & Ireland, Europe, USA, Australia & NZ.

Website to check for a screening near you: MickFleetwoodandFriends

Neil Finn, Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie

Neil Finn, Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie 

Share Song for the Homeless.

Crowded House frontman and current Fleetwood Mac member Neil Finn has enlisted the help of his bandmates Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie for a new song, “Find Your Way Back Home.”

The track was released in partnership with the homeless shelter Auckland City Mission, based in Finn’s native New Zealand, which will soon celebrate the 100th anniversary of its founding.

“There are all these people in all of our lives, I think, that we drift away from,” Finn told the New Zealand Herald. “There was a story there, that was a connection that I made. It just puts it in your backyard. I live in a pretty fortunate situation, and I move in circles that are not in daily contact with homeless people. So, it’s good to be able to find a pathway in your head to relate to some degree.”

“Find Your Way Back Home” features guest vocals from Nicks and a co-writing credit for McVie, who Finn asked to help pen the song while on tour with Fleetwood Mac. “I guess I had every incentive to make sure that the words were evocative, simple, relatable, truthful and not crass or message-y,” he said. “It’s easy to be nebulous and abstract, and I’m quite good at that in my songs generally. So, to be direct in a way is a real challenge.”

Nicks stated she was “honored to be a part of Neil’s song for the Auckland City Mission. He is on a mission to make this work, and I think this beautiful song he has written will certainly help.”

- Rollingstone

Fleetwood Mac Ends World Tour in San Francisco Nov 20, 2019

Fleetwood Mac ended their 2018/2019 World Tour rocking through its massive songbook on Wednesday (Nov. 20) at Oracle Park in San Francisco. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame act — featuring Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Christine McVie, Stevie Nicks, Mike Campbell and Neil Finn — performed as the headliners for the 10th annual Concert for UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals, which is held in conjunction with Salesforce’s annual Dreamforce event.

The band performed such fan favorites as “Rhiannon,” “Second Hand News” and “The Chain”. As many as 40,000 people attended.  Grammy-winning modern-rock hero Beck opened the show.

Fleetwood Mac Live in Las Vegas, November 16, 2019

Fleetwood Mac's last regular tour stop on the 2018-2019 World Tour was in Las Vegas at T-Mobile Arena.

Above photos: Ho Calderone

Above photos by: KTNV Action News and Sin City Times

Videos below

REVIEW - The ghost of a living man haunts Fleetwood Mac - November 12, 2019

Fleetwood Mac deliver time-tested hits in return to Rogers Place

TOM MURRAY
EDMONTON JOURNAL
PHOTOS: IAN KUCERAK

Considering the 11 talented musicians packed on the Rogers stage Tuesday night you wouldn’t think that was possible, but it’s true. The half-century-old group can still put on an entertaining and polished show, though the gap where guitarist, songwriter, and musical spark plug Lindsey Buckingham normally stands is very evident in the retooled Mac.

The band itself obviously knows this, which is why they brought in some heavy hitters to up the supergroup quotient. Neil Finn (of Crowded House and Split Enz) and Mike Campbell (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) split Buckingham duties, Campbell unspooling stinging solos, the affable and energetic Finn providing supportive guitar work and vocals.

Each got a few moments in the spotlight to shine on their own, Finn reaching all the way back to 1980 for I Got You and then later sharing the mic with Nicks on a lovely, understated Don’t Dream It’s Over. He also helmed an incendiary version of Go Your Own Way, while Campbell stepped up for Oh Well and led the band in tribute to his old boss with a Nicks-sung version of Free Fallin’. It was not unlike those Ringo Starr tours of the ’90s where the Beatles’ drummer brought along a cavalcade of celebrity musicians to take a turn at the mic for their best known songs.

Husky-voiced Stevie Nicks had to dip under the high notes a few times, understandable given that she’s edging in on 72. She still has the back catalog of perfect pop jams and mystic hippie moves to draw from, spinning during Gypsy and Dreams, giving herself over to full interpretative dance on psych-jam Gold Dust Woman. The drawn out Black Magic Woman was given a pronoun swap; after years of constant radio rotation Landslide was every bit as gorgeous and fragile as you would have expected, just as Rhiannon maintained the necessary sultry, mysterious vibe.