Thursday, June 05, 2014

Mick Fleetwood, the drummer and co-founder of the mega-selling band Fleetwood Mac, tells all

Mick Fleetwood and Anthony Bozza
Play On: Now, Then & Fleetwood Mac 


In this candid, intimate portrait of a life lived in music, Mick Fleetwood sheds new light on well-known points in his history, including many incredible moments of recording and touring with Fleetwood Mac, as well as personal insights from a man who has been a major player in blues and rock 'n' roll since his teens.

The group Fleetwood Mac has sold over 140 million records worldwide, and they continue to attract a huge following, selling out their biggest arena tour ever in 2013, decades after their debut.  Finally, the group's admirers will have a unique portrait of what made Mick and the rest of the group tick in the midst of their massive success and personal trials.

Release Date: October 7, 2014
Hardcover, e-book and Audio Book
320 pages, 16 pages of photos
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company


Tuesday, June 03, 2014

Mick Fleetwood now has his own facebook page!








Mick Fleetwood... The man of many adventures now has his own Facebook page... Officially!  'Like' it because many updates promised to come.

With Christine recently joining the Facebook community... and with Lindsey and Stevie pages well established, all we need to see is one for John!!

Annouced via Fleetwood Mac's official Facebook page

Monday, June 02, 2014

Elton John Band Musical Director Davey Johnstone adds overdubs to new Stevie Nicks album

Davey Johnstone, who is Elton's Musical Director in the studio and in his touring band, The Elton John Band, did some overdubbing work for Stevie at her house for the new album.  Davey previously worked with Stevie back in 1981 on Bella Donna adding acoustic guitar to many of the tracks on the album.


VIDEO: Stevie Nicks singing "It's So Easy" and "When Will I Be Loved" at The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2014

Full performance of the 5... Stevie comes in right after Sheryl with "It's So Easy", then the 5 ladies and Glenn Frey perform "When Will I Be Loved".



Stevie on singing with Carrie Underwood
The 2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremony, airing on HBO  Saturday (31) night, features some of the Rock Hall’s stronger performances in recent years.

Among the highlights are the remaining members of inductee Nirvana performing with Joan Jett, St. Vincent, and Lorde, as well as Stevie Nicks, Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, and Carrie Underwood beautifully saluting inductee Linda Ronstadt in song.

In this exclusive clip, Nicks talks about how the ladies’ performance of “When Will I Be Loved” came about — it was a lot looser than you’d think— and has some very high praise for Underwood. Let’s just say she’s glad Underwood wasn’t around during Fleetwood Mac’s formative years.

HBO will show the induction ceremony, which took place April 10 at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, throughout June on both HBO and HBO2. The show premieres May 31st at 8pm.

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Sunday, June 01, 2014

Mick Fleetwood Goes His Own Way: Talking Drums Pt.2 "My red, African talking drum is my voice"


Sunday Express
June 1, 2014
by Mick Fleetwood

Every musician has his own Stradivarius.  My "Don't Leave Home Without It" is a beautiful, red, African talking drum.  It was made for me by Speedy, a Nigerian drummer (he played with Georgie Fame in London). Speedy presented me with the drum 46 years ago. It is completely impossible to replicate; I have tried several times but nothing comes close to the sound of that drum.

My red, African talking drum is my voice.  It is a part of me, a portable way to express myself. When I play it, this primitive, one-drum signature becomes a part of my body.  It allows me to participate without the cumbersome grandeur of a drum kit and it takes me back to the basics: the intense need we humans have to communicate.

I'm so attached to my talking drum that it comes with me on every tour, whether it is part of our set or not.  In all this time, only once has it disappeared.  Early Fleetwood Mac was on tour and in Dearborn, Michigan, in 1969 when the talking drum was stolen from the side of the stage in some funky little club.  I was heartsick over it. Lucky for me, the nefarious characters who hung around the club had a wide network. Word spread quickly as to the ownership of that drum. Some thief had a change of heart and returned it a few days later.

Needless to say, after that, it's always the first thing I train my drum tech to put away after a gig. I tell him to guard it with his life!

When I have it in my hands, it's like my muse takes over. I don't have a plan or a song mapped out; I never know what I'm going to play. It's like jazz, improvised. I chase the moment, blend the notes with the pitch of the drum. Over the years, I began embellishing my performance by talking nonsense, speaking in tongues, exposing the audience to bits of the provocative streaming of my subconscious.

Almost inaudibly, I croon, mostly pitiful fragments, such as: Don't leave me! I can't stand to be alone! I add some heavy breathing and a sprinkle of: Don't you want me? And it's cooking.

The audience begins echoing my calls and there you have it. A fire starts and the intricate improvisation around the beat of my African drum takes off!  This is my moment.

Fortunately for me, Lindsey Buckingham is never far from the stage when I begin this "Mad Man" routine. He's standing by, the proverbial vaudevillian hook in hand, just in case I get too obtuse or carried away beyond the point of return.

Just think. Without Lindsey I could still be out there, howling at the moon, me and my beloved, red African talking drum, making love to the night.


"Everywhere" by Fleetwood Mac re-enters UK and Ireland's Top 100 chart + Other chart updates

CANADA - May 25, 2014
TOP 150 CATALOGUE ALBUMS CHART
# 57 (40) Fleetwood Mac - Rumours

IRELAND - May 29, 2014
Fleetwood Mac's 1988 single "Everywhere" re-entered the top 100 singles chart in Ireland and also the top 40 catalogue singles chart for the UK. This could be due to Christine's songwriters award she received a couple of weeks ago in London from the IVOR's.

TOP 100 SINGLES CHART
# 92 (R/E) Fleetwood Mac - Everywhere

TOP 100 ALBUMS CHART
# 46 (75) Fleetwood Mac - The Very Best Of

UK - May 31, 2014
TOP 40 CATALOGUE ALBUMS CHART
# 32 (20) Fleetwood Mac - Rumours

TOP 40 CATALOGUE SINGLES CHART
# 24 (R/E) Fleetwood Mac - Everywhere

AUSTRALIA - June 2, 2014
TOP 50 CATALOGUE ALBUMS CHART
# 5   (6)   Fleetwood Mac - The Very Best Of
# 28 (32) Fleetwood Mac - 25 Years The Chain [box set]

TOP 40 DVD MUSIC CHART
# 31 (19) Sound City - Real To Reel (feat. Lindsey, Stevie and Mick)

U.S.A. - June 7, 2014
Fleetwood Mac's "Greatest Hits" makes a reappearance on this weeks Billboard 200, re-entering at No.146.  On the catalogue chart, the album moves back into the top 50 at No.33.

BILLBOARD TOP 200 ALBUMS CHART
# 146 (R/E) Fleetwood Mac - Greatest Hits

TOP 50 CATALOGUE ALBUMS CHART
# 33 (R/E) Fleetwood Mac - Greatest Hits