PART 17 (Chapters 1 & 2): 1983. The history continues tomorrow.
This Caffé
Latté special tribute spans the decades since the release of the group’s debut
album in 1968, stopping off at 100 of the best tracks from its 50 years of
recorded output as a band and as soloists in chronological order.
FLEETWOOD
MAC
100
GREAT SONGS OVER 50 YEARS
The group’s history defies the
odds. There’s been several line-up changes; shifts in musical directions and
internal relations that rival those in soap operas. Throughout it all, 2
members have remained its core: Mick Fleetwood and John McVie.
The latter 2 founded Fleetwood
Mac with Peter Green, in 1967. That same year, Jeremy Spencer joined the fledgling
group’s line-up.
In 1968, Fleetwood Mac released
its debut album followed by another 2
new singles: “Black Magic Woman” and the UK #1 “Albatross”. By now, Danny
Kirwan was in the line-up. Fleetwood Mac released a series of singles and early
albums.
By 1971, Green and Spencer had
been replaced by Christine McVie (John’s wife) and Bob Welch. ‘Bare Trees’
followed in 1972, the last album to feature Kirwan. Bob Weston and Dave Walker
joined. The former was ditched before the completion of the ‘Mystery To Me’ LP later
that year. Weston was sacked prior to the group’s 1974 album, ‘Heroes Are Hard
To Find’.
When Welch quit, Fleetwood Mac asked
Lindsey Buckingham, Fleetwood asked him to join the band. He agreed on the
condition that his partner Stevie Nicks would also be recruited. They all
agreed. Finally, the platinum-selling line-up of Fleetwood Mac was in place.
Buckingham and Nicks were now flanked by Christine McVie, Mick Fleetwood and
John McVie. The first album to feature this new combination was ‘Fleetwood Mac’
in 1975.
Follow-up album ‘Rumours’ was
recorded while all of the members dealt with the end of their relationships.
Mick’s marriage to Jenny was over. John & Christine McVie were divorced.
Buckingham and Nicks had ceased being a couple. Despite the odds, the band
created a classic LP filled with exceptional tracks. It reached #1 all over the
globe. In America, it spent a total of 31 weeks at the top. The album has sold
in excess of 40 million copies worldwide.
In 1977, former member Bob Welch
enjoyed solo success with singles from his ‘French Kiss’ album. It featured a
reworking of “Sentimental Lady”, a track he had contributed to Fleetwood Mac’s
‘Bare Trees’ and “Ebony Eyes”.
Meanwhile, Fleetwood Mac released
the highly anticipated follow-up to ‘Rumours’ in 1979, the ambitious double
album ‘Tusk’. The next year saw the release of a live album which contained
some new tracks. In 1981, Nicks and Buckingham both released solo albums.
‘Mirage’, issued in 1982, was a
return to form for Fleetwood Mac, containing the radio-friendly hits “Hold Me”
and “Gypsy”. The following year, Nicks issued a new solo album- ‘The Wild
Heart’ and Buckingham delivered “Holiday Road” for the film ‘National Lampoon’s
Vacation’.
THE WILD HEART
- Stevie Nicks
UK: #28; USA:
#5
67STAND BACK
Writer:
Stevie Nicks
68NIGHTBIRD
Writers:
Stevie Nicks & Sandy Stewart
69SABLE ON BLOND
Writer:
Stevie Nicks
Lindsey Buckingham (Single)
USA: #82
70HOLIDAY ROAD
Writer:
Lindsey Buckingham
With each update
on this site, tracks will be added to the spotify playlist- FLEETWOOD MAC Caffé
Latté selects 100 GREATEST SONGS (1968 -
2018).
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