Thursday, July 17, 2014

“We’re thrilled to be a reformed five-piece band” - Mick Fleetwood on Fleetwood Mac

Hawaii's Luxury Magazine
by Bill Mossman

It’s not every day that a junkie rolls out of bed prepared to flaunt his addiction to anyone in sight, but MICK FLEETWOOD is someone who’s always more than happy to oblige. Between the time the sun rises above Haleakala and the stars come out over ‘Iao Valley, the British-born drummer known for his hyperactive ways and wild rock ‘n’ roll days is often found firing things up and inhaling that sweet Maui air. Even his dear old mum loves being a part of his fast-paced addiction. Fleetwood’s life, it seems, has always been about the roll.

Fleetwood at his home on Maui
Welcome to the highly addictive world of celebrities and their car collections. Strewn across a handful of his properties from Kula to Napili is Fleetwood’s impressive fleet of motorcars, which includes Model A Fords, Ferraris, twin-turbo Porsches and BMW 750s. Of the latter, he owns not just one but three of these gleaming models. “I’m a BMW freak!” he admits. Of course, these rides are not just for show-they’re for ‘go’ every day of the week. On Sundays, for example, Fleetwood can be found forcing his 6-foot, 6-inch frame into a 1933 Austin 7-a tiny perambulator of an old English car he’s owned since he was a young man wreaking

havoc on the streets of London-just so that he can take his 97-year-old mother, Biddy, on open-top rides and lunch dates in. It’s still his favorite automobile to this day, having earned the nickname “Lettuce Leaf ” for its racing green color.

“That car actually remained in England for years at the house of my ex-brother-in-law, Eric Clapton,” explains Fleetwood, who was once married to Jenny Boyd, the sister of Pattie Boyd who was once wife to first George Harrison and later Clapton. “One day about 10 years ago, Eric called me up and said, ‘Hey, Mick, you’ve still got your car here. What do you want me to do with it?’ And I said, ‘Oh, my god-it’s still there?!’ The poor car had been sitting in an apple orchard with birds nesting in it! So I had it shipped over to Hawai’i and refurbished.”

Whether talking about his very first vehicle, a taxi cab he purchased from a London neighbor for 12 pounds, his oil-leaking Jaguar XJ-120 that nearly killed him after the transmission fell out while he was bombing down a motorway in England, or a little Deux Chevaux that carried all his supplies during a brief period in his 20s when he seriously considered leaving music to become a window cleaner or painter, it’s clear that motorcars are an important part of Fleetwood’s makeup. It’s also a habit he doesn’t plan on kicking anytime soon. “I’ve had cars that I probably should have unloaded a long time ago, but I just can’t. That’s what car lovers do, you know? They’re addicted. But I suppose that’s an addiction I can be thankful for.”

Older and wiser (and quite fittingly looking more Gandalf-like) these days, Fleetwood passes much of his time in careful reflection as he approaches his 67th birthday. A good portion of his life has been spent in total abandon with well-documented substance abuse battles, but age and experience have tempered his conduct in recent years. He pours a lot of time into outside ventures, including the launch of his own wine line and his return to restaurant ownership with Fleetwood’s on Front Street in Lahaina. “I look at the restaurant as a long-term plan,” says Fleetwood, whose first foray into the food industry business did not go so well. “It’s a way that I can be really active as a person. I love being around people.” He loves it so much, that the restaurant hosts a Hawaiian blessing each night on its rooftop for employees and diners. “It’s not really a touristy thing because it’s really poetic and really heartfelt,” he says of the ceremony. “But it’s my way of saying the islands changed me years ago.”

The man with the infectious mouth-agape drumming style discovered Hawai’i in the mid-’70s, shortly after adding guitarist/vocalist Lindsey Buckingham and vocalist Stevie Nicks to a lineup that included John McVie and his then-wife, Christine, on bass and keyboards/ vocals, respectively. That incarnation of Fleetwood Mac (the first was formed in 1967 with blues-rock guitarist Peter Green, who abhorred the spotlight and chose to name the band after its rhythm section of fellow group founder Fleetwood and McVie) went on to produce one of the biggest-selling albums of all time in Rumours. It’s also the lineup that recently reunited following Christine McVie’s decision to rejoin the band after a 16-year absence from the business.

“We’re thrilled to be a reformed five-piece band,” says Fleetwood of the group, which will be embarking on a world tour this fall. “With Christine’s decision to return, it’s like having the final piece of our crazy puzzle put back together again.”

As for Hawai’i, it’s become more than just a place for Fleetwood to, as he says, “come and lick my wounds.” He still resides in the same home in Napili that he bought from John McVie years ago, and doesn’t plan on changing full-time residency any time soon.

“Life is good,” he says. “When things appear to be a little down, we in Hawai’i have a lot to be grateful for. We’re blessed to be living in one of the most beautiful places on this planet.”

Fleetwood Mac Album Charts Update: USA, Australia, UK and Ireland

Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, in it's third week back on the Top 200 Albums Chart in the U.S., takes a dip sliding from No.99 last week to No.135 on the chart dated July 24, 2014.  Over on the Top 50 Catalogue Albums Chart the album also moves down to No.23 from No.18 last week.

In Ireland, "Rumours" re-enters the Top 100 Albums Chart at No.90. with "The Very Best Of" moving up to No.60 from No.80 last week.  In Australia it's all about 1988's "Greatest Hits" with the album moving up to No.44 this week on the Top 100 albums chart after re-entering the chart last week at No.98.  On the Top 40 Digital Charts, the album is up 19 places to No.19. On the Top 50 Catalogue Albums Chart the album moves up substantially all the way to No.3 from No.25 last week.  Sales are a bit flat on "The Very Best Of" with a slight move down on the top 100 chart to No.82 from No.78 last week.

USA - July 24, 2014
BILLBOARD TOP 200 ALBUMS CHART
# 135 (99) Fleetwood Mac - Rumours

TOP 50 CATALOGUE ALBUMS CHART
# 23 (18) Fleetwood Mac - Rumour

IRELAND - July 10, 2014
TOP 100 ALBUMS CHART
# 60 (80) Fleetwood Mac - The Very Best Of
# 90 (R/E) Fleetwood Mac - Rumours

AUSTRALIA - July 14, 2014
TOP 100 ALBUMS CHART
# 44 (98) Fleetwood Mac - Greatest Hits
# 82 (78)  Fleetwood Mac - The Very Best Of

TOP 50 DIGITAL ALBUMS CHART
# 19 (38) Fleetwood Mac - Greatest Hits

TOP 50 CATALOGUE ALBUMS CHART
# 3  (25)  Fleetwood Mac - Greatest Hits
# 17 (16) Fleetwood Mac - The Very Best Of

TOP 40 DVD MUSIC CHART
# 28 (R/E) Sound City - Real To Reel

UK - July 19, 2014
TOP 40 CATALOGUE ALBUMS CHART
# 20 (34) - Fleetwood Mac - Rumours

"Mixes done, Album mastered, Photos chosen exciting stuff with Stevie Nicks Chris Lord-Alge Waddy Wachtel" - Dave Stewart

Today (July 12th)... Dave posted this pic with this caption. Lucky guy is listening to a referece copy of the new album!



"Mixes done , Album mastered , Photos chosen exciting stuff with Stevie Nicks Chris Lord-Alge Waddy Wachtel"
Photo: Dave Stewart

Great news!!! Looks like the work is done and the package complete! Looks like the ball is in the labels court now to schedule the release and get the word out. Exciting stuff!

July 16, 2014
Unconfirmed tracklisting appeared briefly on wikipedia July 16th (Removed today, July 17th) showing the following tracks on Stevie's upcoming album.  Personally, I think this is bogus, typically something as important as a tracklist and the actual album title (which still hasn't been published) should and will come via a Reprise Records press release accessing one of their many avenues to release such information rather than some sort of haphazard random post on a wikipedia page which can be altered simply by anyone.  But for historical purposes and to make note, this is the track list that was posted preceded with the words "Reprise Records confirmed". The list of songs has since been removed:

TRACKLISTING

1. 24 Karat Gold
2. Gold and Braid
3.The Black Space Needle
4. Something Exquisite
5. Star Shine Silver
6. Priest of Nothing
7. My Sanctuary, My Stronghold
8. All the Beautiful Worlds
9. I Call You Missing
10. The Maker of Birds - Rhiannon's First Song
11. The Forest of Black Roses - Rhiannon's Second Song
12. Forsaken Love - Rhiannon's Final Song
13. Cecelia
14. The Charmed Ones Remain
15. Turnstile 69
16.Blue Water

This tracklist was confirmed as fake.

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Fleetwood’s band delivers ‘only on Maui’ sounds

Photo Aubrey Hord
Rock star drummer Mick Fleetwood performed with his band at the Castle Theater at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center on Thursday evening and pulled in a mix of friends and special guests to create a truly unique “only on Maui” moment for music fans. Youth taiko drummers from Zenshin Daiko, directed by Anthony Jones, created a wall of resonant drumbeats to back up the sounds of The Mick Fleetwood Blues Band (Rick Vito on guitar, Lenny Castellanos on bass and Paul Johnstone on keyboard), along with Glen Lacy on the African djembe drum, Carlos Garcia on hand drums and Paul Marchetti on more drums. Willie K and Eric Gilliom added their vocals and guitars, and a brass element was added with Johnny Zangrando on saxophone and Henry Arroyo on trombone.

Source: The Maui News

(19 Aubrey Hord Photos) View Facebook Gallery


Photo Andrew Stuart

A Very Happy Birthday to Fleetwood Mac's Christine McVie.

Happy Birthday Christine!
Wishing you the most fabulous day today - and every day!... 
Your fans cannot wait to see you live on stage this fall! 

'71 today, 71 today, I've got the key to the door, never been 71 before'


Thursday, July 10, 2014

Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" back in the U.S. Top 100 on Billboards Top 200 Album Chart

Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" is on a little bit of a tear on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart.  In it's second week back on the chart, the album moves into the Top 100 up to No.99 this week, from No.139 last week. On the Top 50 Catalogue Albums Chart, the album moves into the Top 20 coming in at No.18 from No.27 last week. The album is trending up, so it should go further up the chart next week.

Incidently, in the U.S. Amazon right now has the MP3 album on sale for $3.99.

In Australia "Greatest Hits" re-enters the Top 100 Albums Chart with the consistently selling "The Very Best Of" down this week to No.78 from No.67 last week.  Another consistent seller in Australia has been the 4CD box set "25 Years - The Chain". This week on the Top 50 Catalogue Albums Chart the set drops to No.43 from No.27 last week.

(Previous weeks chart positions in parenthesis).

USA - July 19, 2014
BILLBOARD TOP 200 ALBUMS CHART
# 99 (139) Fleetwood Mac - Rumours

TOP 50 CATALOGUE ALBUMS CHART
# 18 (27) Fleetwood Mac - Rumour

AUSTRALIA - July 7, 2014
TOP 100 ALBUMS CHART
# 78 (67)  Fleetwood Mac - The Very Best Of
# 98 (R/E) Fleetwood Mac - Greatest Hits

TOP 50 CATALOGUE ALBUMS CHART
# 16 (11) Fleetwood Mac - The Very Best Of
# 25 (28) Fleetwood Mac - Greatest Hits
# 43 (27) Fleetwood Mac - 25 Years The Chain [box set]

IRELAND - July 3, 2014
TOP 100 ALBUMS CHART
# 80 (56) Fleetwood Mac - The Very Best Of

UK - July 12, 2014
TOP 40 CATALOGUE ALBUMS CHART
# 34 - Fleetwood Mac - Rumours