157: FLEETWOOD MAC
Fleetwood Mac is the tenth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 11 July 1975 by Reprise Records. It was the band's second eponymous album, the first being their 1968 debut album. Among Fleetwood Mac fans, the album is often referred to as The White Album. This is the first Fleetwood Mac album to feature Lindsey Buckingham as guitarist and Stevie Nicks as vocalist, after Bob Welch departed the band in late 1974. The album was also the band's last to be released on the Reprise label until 1997's The Dance (the band's subsequent albums until then were released through Warner Bros. Records, Reprise's parent company).
The album peaked at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart dated September 4, 1976, 58 weeks after entering the chart. The album also spawned three top twenty singles: "Over My Head", "Rhiannon" and "Say You Love Me", the last two falling just short of the top ten, both at number 11. The album was certified seven times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over seven million copies. The album eventually peaked at number 23 on the UK Albums Chart[13] but was a prelude to a run of hugely successful albums for the band in Britain, including four number ones: Rumours, Tusk, Tango in the Night and Behind the Mask.
In 1974, Fleetwood Mac relocated from England to California to manage the band's affairs better. In California, they recorded another album, Heroes Are Hard to Find, and set out on tour. Shortly after finishing up the tour, Bob Welch (guitarist, singer, and composer) announced that he was leaving what had become Fleetwood Mac's ninth lineup in eight years, so that he could be part of the power trio Paris. Now looking for both a new guitarist and a recording studio, Mick Fleetwood met with producer Keith Olsen at Sound City Studios to listen to some demos. There, Olsen played Fleetwood an album he had recently engineered, called Buckingham Nicks. Fleetwood particularly enjoyed the guitar solo on the song "Frozen Love", and decided to hire both Olsen and the guitarist, Lindsey Buckingham.[15] However, Buckingham would not accept Fleetwood's offer unless he agreed to also hire Buckingham's musical and romantic partner, Stevie Nicks.After an informal interview at a Mexican restaurant, Mick Fleetwood invited both Buckingham and Nicks to join the band. Within three months, the band had recorded the album Fleetwood Mac. The band's tenth lineup proved to be their most successful. However at the time, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks were close to breaking up when they joined the band. This tension ultimately helped inspire the band's next album, Rumours.
During the recording sessions, bassist John McVie took offense to Buckingham's assertive nature in the studio, particularly when telling other members what he wanted them to play. McVie informed Buckingham that this would not be tolerated. "The band you're in is Fleetwood Mac. I'm the Mac. And I play the bass".
Many of the songs on Fleetwood Mac were written before Buckingham and Nicks joined the band. "Rhiannon", "I'm So Afraid", and "Monday Morning" were written and performed live by the duo and were initially slated to appear on a second Buckingham Nicks album. "Crystal" was recycled from the first Buckingham Nicks album, but with a different arrangement. Read more