In 1986, Fleetwood Mac reunited to record "Tango in the Night". The album, which was originally slated to be a Lindsey solo project, wasn't released until 1987. It produced four Top 20 hits: "Big Love," "Everywhere," "Seven Wonders" and the MTV favorite "Little Lies." In spite of the albums success or maybe because of it, Lindsey Buckingham announced that he was formally quitting Fleetwood Mac to pursue a solo career. Fleetwood Mac then did what they had done so many times before -- adapt to change.
The Lindsey-less Mac went out on a successful tour which produced the wildly popular "Tango In The Night" tour video which was filmed on October 21st and 22nd at the Cow Palace in San Francisco CA. Then the band took another break during which Stevie Nicks released her "Other Side Of The Mirror" solo album.
Then the group (still without Lindsey Buckingham), reconvened to record "Behind The Mask" in 1990. The record quickly went platinum and The Mac once again proved that they were unstoppable. But even with a new seemingly solid lineup, changes were on the horizon yet again. Even after a sold-out World Tour which satiated Mac-hungry European fans in particular, guitarist Rick Vito cited personal decisions and left the band in 1991. Mac stalwart Stevie Nicks also decided to call it quits, leaving the future of Fleetwood Mac in question yet again.
Following another round of solo albums and side-projects, Fleetwood Mac decided that it was time to release a boxed set to commemorate the band's 25th anniversary. The 1992 collection was called "The Chain" and boasted four new songs.
That same year, a man named William Jefferson Clinton wanted to be U.S. President and was looking for a theme song for his campaign. He chose The Mac's "Don't Stop" which the band ended up playing live when Clinton was inaugurated. Clinton may have gone on to become President, but the "Rumours" lineup as an ongoing recording unit was not to be. Apparently, there were some disagreements as to the direction of the band at the time, and Stevie and Lindsey decided to opt out of any future projects. So Mick Fleetwood, forever the Macster, carried on without them.
In 1994, Fleetwood Mac recorded an album tentatively titled "Another Link In The Chain".Mick had assembled an entirely new lineup consisting of him and John McVie, Christine McVie, "Tango" vet Billy Burnette, "Zoo" vocalist Bekka Bramlett, and ex-Traffic guitarist Dave Mason. While waiting for their album to be released, Fleetwood Mac embarked on a World Tour, opening for Crosby, Stills and Nash. They also toured in 1995 on an entirely different bill with Orleans as the opening act , Pat Benatar, co-headlining with 70's power ballad pioneers REO Speedwagon.
In October 1995, almost an entire year after the album was initially recorded -- and after the tour had already ended -- , Warner Brothers finally released the Mac's new album, which was now called "Time". The album sold poorly and the tour didn't fare much better. After all, it's hard to sell tickets for a tour when you're given no album to promote, have no support from your label, and have an essentially brand new lineup of a legendary band to push. Bandmember frustration ensued and yet another incarnation of Fleetwood Mac would enter the annals of Mac recording history.
In late 1996 it was announced that the "Rumours"-era lineup of Fleetwood Mac -- Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Christine McVie, Stevie Nicks, and Lindsey Buckingham -- would be reuniting for a new album and tour. "Rumours"-era Mac fans were overwhelmed with joy. Their Mac was back! That album, "The Dance", was precipitated by a hugely successful MTV special and was released in August 1997. A wildly successful tour and DVD release followed soon after. The album spawned the hit "Silver Springs" -- an old Stevie-penned track that was originally supposed to be on the "Rumours" LP back in 1977.
The late '90s also saw a passel of releases of previously unreleased live recordings of the Peter Green/Jeremy Spencer version of Mac, including "Shrine '69" and three volumes from a 1970 concert in Boston titled "Live in Boston - Remastered (Vol. 1, 2 & 3)”).
At the start of the millennium, several of the current and former members of Fleetwood Mac were recording solo albums. Stevie Nicks, Billy Burnette, Rick Vito, and Peter Green all produced solo efforts between 2000-2002.
In October 2002, Reprise Records released "The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac", a 36-track double disc compilation CD. The UK version with the same name contains 21 tracks. We are pleased to announced that the album has already been RIAA Certified Platinum
The solo releases kept coming -- the soundtracks kept coming -- the collaborations kept coming. But the fans wanted new studio material from their favorite band. Lindsey was all set to release a solo project he had been working on tentatively entitled "Gift Of Screws" but was encouraged by Warner Brothers to morph his material into a new Fleetwood Mac project. Stevie had just released 2001's "Trouble In Shangri-la" and had just finished her summer tour. John and Mick were ready to participate but unfortunately Christine wasn't. She opted out of recording with The Mac -- a stinging loss to long-time Mac fans.
April 2003 saw the release this effort. An 18-track Buckingham/Nicks - penned opus called "Say You Will". The album marked The Mac's first studio release since "Time" in 1995. It also marked the first time Lindsey was in the Mac's studio lineup since 1987 and the first time in some 30 years that Christine McVie wasn't. But "Say You Will" proved to be not about what was missing. It was about what was still there and stronger than ever.
VH1 filmed an insightful, telling documentary about the making of the album. It was called "Destiny Rules" and it aired on March 14, 2004 in the States. The special proved to be hugely popular with fans.
On March 24, 2004 the band released, or shall we say RE-released, "Fleetwood Mac" (aka The White Album), "Rumours", and "Tusk" w/bonus tracks. We were reminded yet again as to how very lucky we are to be Fleetwood Mac fans these days.
And for an incredible 15 months in 2003-2004, The Mac toured the world promoting "Say You Will". The tour is expected to come to an end in the Fall of 2004 but not without the band having entertained hundreds of thousands of fans all over the world.
And the tour was hugely successful -- so much so that PBS aired two separate Mac related "Soundstage" specials this summer. One for Lindsey Buckingham solo (with Stevie Nicks as a special guest) and the other a broadcast of a September 2003 Boston show (released to stores June 15, 2004 as the "Live In Boston" concert DVD).
As far as what the future holds for Fleetwood Mac, it's always hard to say for sure with this band. But we have heard Mick say that Stevie & Lindsey solo albums will happen first-- then a Mac release soon after.
To date Fleetwood Mac has sold over 100 million albums, making them one of the most popular bands in rock history. This band has given us a breath-taking catalogue of material from their collective and solo careers that is unparalleled. They've experimented with a range of musical styles that is unprecedented. They've made us laugh and made us cry -- but most of all they've made us proud as fans.
16 bandmembers, 39 years. The Fleetwood Mac Legacy Plays On...
Research by: Jan Freedland & John Fitzgerald
Written by Jan Freedland
If you have any interesting facts or insights that you'd like to add to Part Three of The Mac Story, please drop us a line.