Fleetwood Mac | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 11 July 1975 | |||
Recorded | January–February 1975 | |||
Studio | Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, California | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 42:12 | |||
Label | Reprise | |||
Producer | ||||
Fleetwood Mac chronology | ||||
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Singles from Fleetwood Mac | ||||
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Fleetwood Mac is the tenth studio album by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 11 July 1975 in the United States and on 1 August 1975 in the United Kingdom [7] by Reprise Records. It is the band's second eponymous album, the first being their 1968 debut album, and is sometimes referred to by fans as the White Album. [8] It is the first Fleetwood Mac album with Lindsey Buckingham as guitarist and Stevie Nicks as a vocalist, after Bob Welch departed the band in late 1974. It is also the band's last album 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 on 4 September 1976, 58 weeks after entering the chart, [9] and 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. It has been certified 7x platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over seven million copies in the United States. [10] Peaking at number 23 on the UK Albums Chart, [11] it was the start of a run of hugely successful albums for the band in Britain, with six number ones, Fleetwood Mac being followed by Rumours (1977), Tusk (1979), Mirage (1982), Tango in the Night (1987), and Behind the Mask (1990). [12]
In 1974, Fleetwood Mac relocated from England to California to manage the band's affairs better. [13] In California, they recorded an album, Heroes Are Hard to Find , and set out on tour. Shortly after finishing the tour, Bob Welch (guitarist, singer, and composer) left the band, ending Fleetwood Mac's ninth lineup in eight years, [14] to form the band Paris. [13]
Prior to Welch's departure, Mick Fleetwood met with producer Keith Olsen at Sound City Studios to listen to some demos. [13] [14] There, Olsen played Fleetwood an album he had recently engineered, titled Buckingham Nicks . [13] Fleetwood particularly enjoyed the guitar solo on the song "Frozen Love", [14] and decided to hire both Olsen and the guitarist, Lindsey Buckingham. [13] However, Buckingham would not accept Fleetwood's offer unless he agreed to also hire Buckingham's musical and romantic partner, Stevie Nicks, even though they were close to breaking up. After an informal interview at a Mexican restaurant, Mick Fleetwood invited both Buckingham and Nicks to join the band, and this tenth lineup of the band proved to be its most successful. Within three months, the band had recorded the album Fleetwood Mac. [14]
During the recording sessions, bassist John McVie clashed with Buckingham over creative decisions made in the studio, particularly over some of the album's bass parts. McVie reminded Buckingham that "The band you're in is Fleetwood Mac. I'm the Mac. And I play the bass." [15] Buckingham told Billboard that Christine McVie was more receptive to Buckingham's creative input.
"It was so clear that right away that Christine and I had this thing. She was just really looking for direction. She was open to me taking liberties with her songs. So early on, that was probably the first thing that hit me about being in Fleetwood Mac was being extremely aware that I had something to contribute to Christine’s songs as a producer and possibly as a co-writer." [16]
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. Fleetwood praised these songs as "show stoppers, even as rough sketches recorded on Lindsey's four-track. [17]
Like all of the band's studio albums, the front cover photo of Fleetwood Mac does not show the whole band, [18] including, in this case, only drummer Mick Fleetwood (standing) and bass guitarist John McVie (kneeling).
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Blender | [19] |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [20] |
Entertainment Weekly | A [21] |
Mojo | [3] |
Pitchfork | 9.0/10 [22] |
Q | [23] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [24] |
Uncut | 9/10 [25] |
The Village Voice | A− [26] |
Fleetwood Mac was released on 11 July 1975. [14] [27] Though the band experienced only modest success immediately after the release, they were determined to promote their new album, and after touring for several months, they started to see the results of their hard work. [14] In an interview with Uncut, Stevie Nicks said of the album: "We just played everywhere and we sold that record. We kicked that album in the ass." 15 months after its release, Fleetwood Mac reached the top of the US charts. [14]
In 2003, the album was ranked number 182 on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time", [28] maintaining the ranking in a 2012 revised list. [29]
All of the singles that derived from Fleetwood Mac used mixes of the songs different from those used on the album (and occasionally different takes, as in the case of "Over My Head"). A "single mix" was also created for "Blue Letter", and this mix was only available as the B-side of the "Warm Ways" single from 1975 [12] until it was included as a bonus track on the 2004 re-issue of the album (along with an instrumental called "Jam #2" and the single versions of "Say You Love Me", "Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win)", and "Over My Head").
In the US, the album 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. A version of "Landslide" taken from the live reunion album The Dance was released as a single in the US in 1998 and reached number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100. [12]
In the UK, the album's first single was "Warm Ways", [12] which was not released as a single in the US. Initially, the album generated limited interest in the UK, and the first three singles released by the new lineup failed to enter the UK Singles Chart, while "Say You Love Me" reached number 40. [11] Following the massive success of Rumours two years later, however, interest in the band reignited, Fleetwood Mac was re-released in 1978, and a reissue of "Rhiannon" peaked at number 46. [12]
The album debuted at number 183 on the US Billboard 200 chart dated 2 August 1975. [30] It eventually reached its peak at number one on the chart dated 4 September 1976, which was 57 weeks after it had entered the chart. [9] On 11 September 2018, the album was certified seven times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over seven million copies in the United States. [10]
In the UK, the album initially did not enter the charts and made its debut at number 49 on the UK Albums Chart dated 6 November 1976, well over a year after the album's release. [31] It peaked at number 23 its second week on the chart. [32] On 5 July 1978, the album was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for sales of over 100,000 copies in the UK. [33]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
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1. | "Monday Morning" | Lindsey Buckingham | Buckingham | 2:48 |
2. | "Warm Ways" | Christine McVie | C. McVie | 3:54 |
3. | "Blue Letter" |
| Buckingham | 2:41 |
4. | "Rhiannon" | Stevie Nicks | Nicks | 4:11 |
5. | "Over My Head" | C. McVie | C. McVie | 3:38 |
6. | "Crystal" | Nicks | Buckingham | 5:14 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Say You Love Me" | C. McVie | C. McVie | 4:11 |
2. | "Landslide" | Nicks | Nicks | 3:19 |
3. | "World Turning" | C. McVie, Buckingham | C. McVie, Buckingham | 4:25 |
4. | "Sugar Daddy" | C. McVie | C. McVie | 4:10 |
5. | "I'm So Afraid" | Buckingham | Buckingham | 4:22 |
Fleetwood Mac
Additional personnel
Production
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [51] | 4× Platinum | 280,000^ |
Canada (Music Canada) [52] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [33] | Gold | 100,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [10] | 7× Platinum | 7,000,000‡ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band formed in London in 1967 by guitarist and singer Peter Green. Green named the band by combining the surnames of drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie, who have remained with the band throughout its many lineup changes. Fleetwood Mac have sold more than 120 million records worldwide, making them one of the world's best-selling bands.
Lindsey Adams Buckingham is an American musician, record producer, and the lead guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Fleetwood Mac from 1975 to 1987 and 1997 to 2018. In addition to his tenure with Fleetwood Mac, Buckingham has released seven solo studio albums and three live albums. As a member of Fleetwood Mac, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Buckingham was ranked 100th in Rolling Stone's 2011 list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Buckingham is known for his fingerpicking guitar style.
Stephanie Lynn Nicks is an American singer-songwriter, known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist.
Tusk is the twelfth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released as a double album on 12 October 1979 in the United States and on 19 October 1979 in the United Kingdom by Warner Bros. Records. It is considered more experimental than their previous albums, partly as a consequence of Lindsey Buckingham's sparser songwriting arrangements and the influence of post-punk. The production costs were initially estimated to be about $1 million but many years later were revealed to be about $1.4 million, making it the most expensive rock album recorded to that date.
Rumours is the eleventh studio album by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 4 February 1977, by Warner Bros. Records. Largely recorded in California in 1976, it was produced by the band with Ken Caillat and Richard Dashut. The recording sessions took place as the band members dealt with breakups and struggled with heavy drug usage, both of which shaped the album's direction and lyrics.
Mirage is the thirteenth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 2 July 1982 by Warner Bros. Records. This studio effort's soft rock sound stood in stark contrast to its more experimental predecessor, 1979's Tusk. Mirage yielded several singles: "Hold Me", "Gypsy", "Love in Store", "Oh Diane", and "Can't Go Back".
Say You Will is the seventeenth and final studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 15 April 2003. It followed 1995's Time and was their first album since 1970 without vocalist/keyboardist Christine McVie as a full member following her departure in 1998, although she participated in some songs as a guest musician; it would be her last time being involved with the band in a studio capacity before her death in 2022. Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks shared keyboard duties throughout the album.
Tango in the Night is the fourteenth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 13 April 1987 by Warner Records. As a result of Lindsey Buckingham's departure later that year, it is the fifth and final studio album with the band's most successful lineup of Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, John McVie, and Stevie Nicks, though Christine McVie would make guest appearances on the band's 2003 album, Say You Will. This lineup did not reconvene again for another album until 1997's live album The Dance.
Behind the Mask is the fifteenth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 9 April 1990. It was the first album released by the band after the departure of guitarist Lindsey Buckingham. He was replaced by Billy Burnette and Rick Vito, both guitar players, singers and songwriters. Fleetwood Mac thus became a six-piece band with four singer/songwriters.
The Dance is a live album by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 19 August 1997. It hailed the return of the band's most successful lineup of Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, John McVie, and Stevie Nicks, who had not released an album together since 1987's Tango in the Night, a decade earlier. It was the first Fleetwood Mac release to top the U.S. album charts since 1982's Mirage.
Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 21 November 1988 by Warner Bros. Records. It covers the period of the band's greatest commercial success, from the mid-1970s to the late-1980s.
"The Chain" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on their 1977 album Rumours. It is the only song from the album with writing credits for all five members.
"Rhiannon" (released as a single under the title "Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win)") is a song written by Stevie Nicks and originally recorded by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac on their eponymous album in 1975; it was issued as a single the following year. The song's U.S. chart peak was in June 1976, when it hit no. 11. The song peaked at no. 46 in the UK singles chart for three weeks after re-release in February 1978.
Live is a double live album released by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac on 5 December 1980. It was the first live album from the then-current line-up of the band, and the next would be The Dance from 1997. The album was certified gold by the RIAA in November 1981. A deluxe edition of the album was released on 9 April 2021.
"Little Lies" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac from their 14th studio album, Tango in the Night (1987). It was written by band member Christine McVie and her then-husband, Eddy Quintela, with lead vocals performed primarily by McVie; the chorus features backing vocals by Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. The song was released in August 1987 by Warner Bros. Records, as the third single from Tango in the Night. McVie recalled that she wrote the song at her pool with a pad and paper; while Quintela was listed as one of the songwriters, McVie stated in an interview with MOJO that his role in the creation of "Little Lies" was minimal.
"Hold Me" is a 1982 song by the British-American rock group Fleetwood Mac. It was the first track to be released as a single from the band's thirteenth album Mirage. Written by Christine McVie and Robbie Patton, McVie and Lindsey Buckingham shared lead vocals on the song. The single reached #4 on the US Billboard Hot 100, the band's first to break the top five since 1977.
"Say You Love Me" is a song written by English singer-songwriter Christine McVie for Fleetwood Mac's 1975 self-titled album. The song peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks, and remains one of the band's most recognizable songs. Its success helped the group's eponymous 1975 album sell over eight million copies worldwide.
"Love in Store" is a song by British-American rock group Fleetwood Mac. The song is the opening track on the 1982 album Mirage, the fourth album by the band with Lindsey Buckingham acting as main producer with Richard Dashut and Ken Caillat. "Love in Store" was written by Christine McVie and Jim Recor and it became the album's third single in the US. Released in November 1982, it went on to peak at No. 22 for three weeks as the follow-up to Top 20 hits "Hold Me" and "Gypsy". It also peaked at number 11 on the Adult Contemporary chart. The song features lead vocals by Christine McVie with prominent vocal harmonies by Stevie Nicks and background vocals by Lindsey Buckingham.
"Monday Morning" is a 1975 song written and sung by Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham. It is the first track from the multi-platinum, second eponymous album Fleetwood Mac. The song was included on the band's 2002 compilation album, The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac. "Monday Morning" was performed on all of the band's tours from 1975 to 1978. It reappeared on the Unleashed Tour in 2009 and the An Evening with Fleetwood Mac Tour in 2018–2019.
Lindsey Buckingham Christine McVie is a studio album by Fleetwood Mac vocalists Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie, released on June 9, 2017. Four of the five "classic members" of Fleetwood Mac are featured on the album; vocalist Stevie Nicks is the sole member absent. The album sold over 22,000 units in the United States in its first week and debuted within the top 20. It proved to be even more successful in the United Kingdom, where it debuted at No. 5. In November 2017, the album was also certified silver with sales exceeding 60,000 units.