The early seventies for Fleetwood Mac were a time of transition. Member changes in the position of guitarist seemed to plague the band: first Green, then Kirwan, and Spencer. They finally settled on Bob Welch (“Sentimental Lady” fame) who remained in the group until 1974. It wasn’t until the 1974 line up with Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks that Fleetwood Mac would soar.
Bob Welch’s departure from the band caused Mick Fleetwood to search for another guitarist. A house engineer at Sound City Studio played Fleetwood a track from a band called Buckingham-Nicks. Mick liked the track and then met Lindsey Buckingham, who happened to be at the studios that day. He was asked to join the band, but Buckingham had one condition: that his girlfriend would join with him. Fleetwood agreed and the 1974 line up was born. With Buckingham and Nicks on board, the band set out to complete their next album titled Fleetwood Mac (Brackett). Not to be confused with their very first eponymous album from 1968, this album was nicknamed their White Album.
Fleetwood Mac was released in July of 1975 and shot up the charts as the band went out on an aggressive promotional tour. It was the band’s first number one album on the Billboard Top 200 and remained in the Top 10 for 37 weeks. The album also scored three Top 20 singles with “Over My Head”, “Rhiannon”, and “Say You Love Me”. Not only did the album help them reach super stardom, it also is listed as one of the best albums of all time by Rolling Stone (rollingstone.com). At the same time the band was soaring, there was personal turmoil experienced by the band members. Romantic relationships were falling apart, tensions were mounting to release a successful follow-up, and drugs, as well as alcohol, were thrown into the mix. All that tension helped them create their next album.
In 1977, Fleetwood Mac released Rumours with roaring success. Any doubts the members may have had about another successful album were unfounded as Rumours spawned multiple Top 10 singles, and a number one hit in the song “Dreams”. The band hit another milestone with the song “Go Your Own Way”. It was the band’s first hit with a male vocalist (Lindsey Buckingham). The album also produced a record amount of advanced copy sales (800,000). This was the most Warner Brothers/Reprise had ever experienced (Brackett). Rumours wasn’t done setting new milestones, though. Overall, the album has sold over 40 million copies worldwide and has earned the spot of second best-selling album of all time.
Best-selling albums, hit singles, and Fleetwood Mac go together well. What began as a group of talented musicians in the sixties who saw some initial success ended up being a group that hit super stardom with the addition of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. The band truly found its groove with a melding of talent and dedication in 1974. The 1974 line up produced some of most popular songs on the radio, and reached many milestones not only for the band, but also for music.
~Jenna Jakes, WOGB
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