Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band formed in July 1967, in London. The band have sold more than 100 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling bands of all time. The two most successful periods for the band were during the late 1960s British blues boom, when they were led by guitarist Peter Green and achieved a UK number one with “Albatross”; and from 1975 to 1987, as a more pop-oriented act, featuring Christine McVie, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. Fleetwood Mac’s second album after the incorporation of Buckingham and Nicks, 1977’s Rumours, has sold over 40 million copies worldwide, making it the eighth-highest-selling album of all time. (More from Wikipedia)
Another important British Invasion band, Fleetwood Mac had a major change or two in direction over their career. Like Manfred Mann, they started off as an important blues-rock English band; after several line-up changes – including the addition of two women, Christine McVie and Stevie Nicks – Fleetwood Mac evolved into a best-selling pop-rock band. Their 1977 album, Rumours (primarily named for the numerous personal upheavals in the lives of the two couples in the band, John McVie and Christine McVie, and Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks) became the sixth biggest selling album of all time; Wikipedia reports worldwide sales of 40 million copies, with certified sales of 26.8 million. When Bill Clinton wanted a song to replace the ancient “Happy Days are Here Again” that had been played for 60 years at Democratic Party Conventions, “Don’t Stop (Thinking About Tomorrow)” from this album was his choice for the 1992 Democratic Convention following his nomination for President.
The new direction for Fleetwood Mac was not limited to personnel changes or new musical experimentation; this has been common in bands long before rock and roll came along. Fleetwood Mac relocated to Los Angeles in the mid-1970’s; also, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks were Americans. Thus, it is difficult to know even how to define the band. Wikipedia calls them “a British-American rock band formed in 1967 in London”, but more than a few comments in the Wikipedia “Talk” section grumble about even calling their latter-day music “rock”. In Allmusic, their article starts off: “While most bands undergo a number of changes over the course of their careers, few groups experienced such radical stylistic changes as Fleetwood Mac. Initially conceived as a hard-edged British blues combo in the late ’60s, the band gradually evolved into a polished pop/rock act over the course of a decade. Throughout all of their incarnations, the only consistent members of Fleetwood Mac were drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie – the rhythm section that provided the band with its name.”
(June 2014)
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Items: Fleetwood Mac
