Fleetwood Mac is a band that has been going on for roughly 30 years. Founding members Mick Fleetwood and John McVie (hence the name of the band) wanted to start a rock 'n' roll band, as was the trend at the time. The number of members fluctuated at around 6 at a time, as they found it very hard to find the right style from different people. Hits such as 'Albatross' were however created, so it was possible to see the potential.
Just when things started to falter a little, John met a woman named Christine. They fell in love instantly and were married within 3 months! John knew that she had a talented voice and could play the odd instrument or two, and asked her to join the band. The new look band created a few albums that did relatively well, but they were not quite the stars that they wanted to be. However, things were about to change.....
In 1973, the band were playing in at a small venue when they saw a double act consisting of lovers Lyndsay Buckingham (male) and Stevie Nicks. There music style attracted Fleetwood Mac, and felt that the pair could add the final touch to the band. They asked them to reherse with the band and things went from there.
Their first albums together was the self-titled LP 'Fleetwood Mac'. This was a hit in the U.S. as it entered the Billboard chart in the top ten, and the single 'Rhiannon' was a number 1 smash. Their next album, they felt, could not possibly live up to the standard of the first album. They knew however that 'Rumours' was good, but they were unsure about how it would sell. The album sold 3 million copies worldwide in its first week, and made each member megastars and millionaires literally overnight. Singles such as 'Go Your Own Way', 'The Chain' (the old Formula 1 theme), 'Don't Stop', 'Dreams' and 'You Make Loving Fun' all became classics in their own right.
Such success also took its strain on the members of the band. Stress and drug abuse were the main factors, and the band began to rupture.
Their next follow up album was very successful, but it was nothing compared to the freak success of previous album 'Rumours'. The next album was a compilation of old and new Fleetwood Mac performing live. In 1985, 'Mirage' was released, and would set the course for a return to the top of the charts with songs such as 'Gypsy'. Two years later, the very successful album 'Tango in the Night' was released. It was a number 1 smash in both the U.S.A. and the U.K. Singles such as 'Everywhere', 'Oh Diane', 'Little Lies' and especially 'Big Love' became classics in their own right.
However, after the recording of 'Tango in the Night', the band literally said "enough is enough", as the conflict between them reached boiling point. They seemingly departed the scene of music together with the compilation 'Fleetwood Mac: Greatest Hits', and the world had seemed to have lost the last epic super-group. Many low-key compilations were released to basically keep the army of hardcore fans happy, as well as topping up their bank balances. It seemed impossible ever to see these supremely talented musicians playing together again. However, Bill Clinton, of all people, came to the rescue. During his 1995 presidential campaign, he used the hit 'Don't Stop' as his theme tune on roadshows etc. Clinton obviously won the election, and for his presidential party, he invited Fleetwood Mac to perform.
It is well pressed that even Clinton himself did not expect them to agree, but they did. Fleetwood Mac stated that it would only be a VERY special one-off performance. At the end, each member was amazed at the new found maturity and fondness of each other. A few months later, the phone-calls became more frequent and meetings between them became a large part of their social calender once more. In 1997, they decided to regroup and do minor tours. The last album to be released is 1997's 'The Dance', which is a recording of one of the live shows, but it also contains a couple of new songs. The last major appearance made by them in the U.K. was to receive the 1998 Brit Awards Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award.
