Fleetwood Mac's pre-"Rumours" days are rich with bluesy offerings that are well worth revisiting

‘Fleetwood Mac: 1969 to 1972’

Available at Amazon

Sun.Star Weekend

The first thing that comes to mind when mentioning Fleetwood Mac is their seminal album “Rumours.” But the band’s pre-”Rumours” days are rich with bluesy offerings that are well worth revisiting on the new box set “Fleetwood Mac: 1969 to 1972.”

The highlight of the four-album, vinyl collection is the first re-mastered edition of “Then Play On,” Fleetwood Mac’s 1969 debut album on Reprise Records. This is a raw, young blues-fueled Fleetwood Mac and the sense of urgency to their music is on full display. The opening, bongo-backed track “Coming Your Way” bristles with pace and the all-out house rocker “Fighting For Madge” showcases guitarist Peter Green as a force to rival Eric Clapton of that era.

“Future Games” is another winning platter, though it presents a softer Fleetwood Mac. By 1971 we find them putting together the less edgy sound that would prove to be the backbone to their radio mainstay hits to come. “Fleetwood Mac: 1969 to 1972” aptly presents the formative years of one of the most successful bands in history.

Christine McVie completes a line-up that millions of fans the world over thought that they’d never again see

Newsmaker: Christine McVie

by Kevin Hackett
The National

Not many of us can claim to have been born perfect, but Christine McVie – or Anne Christine Perfect on her birth certificate – definitely can. The 70-year old British singer-songwriter, famed for her work with the rock group Fleetwood Mac, was born “oop north” in Bouth, England, in July 1943, to Cyril and Beatrice Perfect, and has, of late, been rather quiet. But this past Tuesday morning, word started circulating that she would be rejoining her former bandmates and embarking on a world tour, completing a line-up that millions of fans the world over thought that they’d never again see sharing a stage.

No doubt this news will have gone straight over the heads of today’s youth, but those of a certain generation will know exactly why this is such a big deal. Because while today’s immaculate, manicured and coiffured young pop stars are groomed to perfection by armies of agents and publicists, the story of Fleetwood Mac reads like an epic, tragic blockbuster akin to Pride and Prejudice. They just don’t make them like that anymore, and Christine Perfect, once she became Mrs McVie, played a starring role in one of the great rock soap operas of our time.

John McVie extends admin agreement with Reach Music for Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain"

John McVie Renews with Reach
Fleetwood Mac bassist and co-writer of their classic song "The Chain", John McVie has extended his administration agreement with Reach Music. "The Chain" has been covered by artists such as Shawn Colvin and Tantric, while also being sampled by Bone Thugs-n-Harmoney and Project Pat. It is also credited as the only Fleetwood Mac song written by all of the original members (Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie).

Reach Music is the foreign publishing administrator for John McVie's share of “The Chain”.

via Reachmusic

After those brutal break-ups and angry punches Fleetwood Mac return

More on Sunday.  Article published in the Irish Mail on Sunday Supplement (January 12, 2014). This article was originally published by The Daily Mail December 28th.  

Check it out on-line at Daily Mail-Online

Don't miss Stevie Nicks in her first appearance on American Horror Story!  

Episode 10 of the series airs in the UK and Ireland TONIGHT (Jan 14) on FOX at 10PM.

Stevie also appears in the season finale episode which is scheduled to air on January 29th 

in the U.S. and Canada on FX and a week later in Australia, UK and Ireland.

Fleetwood Mac's original songbird is to rejoin the band, and will bring optimism, beauty and bittersweet melancholia

With Christine McVie back, Fleetwood Mac will return to their magical best
The Guardian
by Tim Jonze

When Mick Fleetwood announced to a Hawaii audience that Christine McVie would be rejoining Fleetwood Mac on a permanent basis, you couldn't really argue with his assertion that it was the "the worst kept secret there is". During an interview in December 2013, McVie surprised me by saying she would be "very delighted" to reclaim her place in the group she left in 1998. Not long after, Steve Nicks responded by telling Billboard that McVie "didn't need to ask". You hardly needed Hercule Poirot's mobile number to work out what "woman wanting to rejoin a band" plus "band happy to let woman rejoin band" might equal.

Still, the fact that McVie, who turned 70 last year, wants to renounce a hermetic life in a mansion in Kent, which seemed to consist largely of cooking, gardening and looking after dogs, in favour of stepping back on the road with one of the best and most dysfunctional bands of all time is cause for celebration.

It's pointless to talk about a "best" member of Fleetwood Mac, for without any of them the band are significantly depleted. But McVie was always my personal favourite. Compared to the other two songwriters – Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham – her songs had a simplicity and clarity to them. This was partly down to the fact her music stemmed from the blues she played growing up: Don't Stop and Say You Love Me, the band's first top 40 hit with the classic 1970s lineup, both get their momentum from what McVie terms "that left-hand boogie bass thing".

Continue at The Guardian

Welcome Back Christine McVie! Fleetwood Mac hope to make a tour announcement in 2014

Christine McVie is back with Fleetwood Mac officially.

The band's publicist, Liz Rosenberg, has confirmed to Billboard that McVie has rejoined the band after departing the group in 1998.

Rosenberg says that McVie "has indeed re-joined Fleetwood Mac and we are hoping to make an announcement about a possible tour for the full tilt Macsters some time in 2014."

Billboard

Welcome back Christine!!

Fleetwood Mac had the 7th highest grossing North American Tour of 2013 earning 67m from 47 shows

Pollstar have released their year end 2013 North American Tour Numbers and Fleetwood Mac as expected were one of the top grossing North American tours from 2013. With gross earnings in North America of just under 67 million derived from 47 shows in 46 cities, playing to 604,000 people, the band came in at No.7 on Pollstars Top 200 listing.

On the world-wide stage, they ranked 14th with total gross box office receipts totaling 94 million.  To view the complete Top 200 North American Tour Numbers and the Top 100 Worldwide Tour Numbers, head on over to Pollstar

Stevie Nick sat down with Ultimate Classic Rock to speak about her new documentary "In Your Dreams"

Stevie Nicks Explains How Dave Grohl Jump-Started Her Documentary

Ultimate Classic Rock

Stevie Nick sat down with Ultimate Classic Rock to speak about her new documentary "In Your Dreams". part of the group of interviews Stevie conducted in early December right around the release of the film.

Continue at Ultimate Classic Rock

Clearly all these little video interviews are longer than 2 minutes. It's unfortunate that those that conducted the interviews don't post the full version... looks a little disjointed when it's only one segment.

Chart Update: Fleetwood Mac back on US Charts, No.1 in Austrlia + Stevie Nicks is up on US charts

USA - January 18, 2014
Fleetwood Mac re-enter the Top 200 Albums Chart in the U.S. this week with "Greatest Hits" coming in at No.192. The album also moves back into the top 40 on the 50 top selling catalogue titles.

On the Top 40 Music Video Sales Chart Stevie's "In Your Dreams" DVD logs a 5th week on the chart up one place to No.21.

BILLBOARD TOP 200 ALBUMS CHART
# 192 (R/E) Fleetwood Mac "Greatest Hits"

TOP 50 CATALOGUE ALBUMS CHART

# 40 (R/E) Fleetwood Mac "Greatest Hits"

TOP 40 MUSIC VIDEO SALES CHART
#21 (22) Stevie Nicks - In Your Dreams DVD

Chart run thus far:
TW     LW    Weeks On
21       22      5 In Your Dreams Stevie Nicks
22       18      4 In Your Dreams Stevie Nicks
18       12      3 In Your Dreams Stevie Nicks
12         7      2 In Your Dreams Stevie Nicks
  7         -      1 In Your Dreams Stevie Nicks

UK - January 18, 2014
Second week in a row "The Very Best Of" is up on the charts in the UK. Two weeks ago it was No.70, last week No.60, this week up seven spots to No.53.

TOP 100 ALBUMS CHART
# 53 (60) Fleetwood Mac "The Very Best Of"