history of
Fleetwood Mac
Producing some of the highest-selling albums, ever, Fleetwood Mac has created a legacy that lives on. As lifelong fans of Fleetwood Mac, we understand the turmoil and strain that went into the band not only as whole but also as they navigated personal battles. These bumps in the road never stopped them from creating some of the most beautiful, poetic music every written.
"The way they wrote songs was so personal to the moment they were all living through. It makes for a roller coaster of emotions."
- damon downs, Vocals & guitar
"they never failed to put the music first"
- allan beckett, bass guitar
"They managed to combine each of their styles into their albums and also weren’t afraid to develop their sound."
- amy owen, vocals & keys
future games (1971)
Following Jeremy Spencer’s sudden departure during the Kiln House, Bob Welch joined as the band’s new guitarist, bringing new sounds that Mick Fleetwood was a big fan of. Christine’s promotion to full-time member saw her begin writing songs for the band, with “Morning Rain” being her first credit on a Fleetwood Mac studio album. The album’s title references the turbulent state of world affairs. This is reflected in the album’s artwork.
bare trees (1972)
Bare Trees was one of the first Fleetwood Mac albums to demonstrate an emphasis on rock music, thanks to the contributions of Danny Kirwan on songs such as; “Child of Mine” and “Sunny Side of Heaven” The title of the album was inspired by the poetry written by a neighbour of the band.
penguin (1973)
After John and Christine’s marriage, John found himself fascinated by penguins, so much so that the animal became name sake to the seventh album, as well as the iconic symbol of the penguin in a top hat. The album became the band’s best-selling album in the states, despite not being the band’s typical sound.
mystery to me (1973)
Mystery to Me would be the last album recorded in the United Kingdom due to the success overseas in the states. It featured more contributions from Bob Welch than any other Fleetwood Mac album, pursuing and active writing role alongside Christine McVie. The album artwork signified a saying from Bob Welch; “no matter how we stuff ourselves with knowledge, we’re all still monkeys”.
heros are hard to find (1974)
During the recording of this album, Bob Weston was fired from the band after having an affair with Mick Fleetwood’s wife. Shortly after this Bob Welch also decided to leave the band, forcing Mick Fleetwood to start the search for a new guitarist. This is when he stumbled across the music of Lindsey Buckingham.
Fleetwood Mac (1975)
Known as “The White Album” this was the first album to feature the iconic duo of Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham. This would also mark the introduction of the famous “Rumours” line-up.
rumours (1977)
1976 brought much heartbreak and struggle to the band – with breakups and affairs happening internally, the band focussed all their energy on creating music that mattered. The album rumours was a direct response to the tabloid news at the time. This also became one of the best-selling and most award-winning albums to date and was a great success for the future of the band.
Tusk (1979)
Tusk was nothing like the Rumours album featuring experimental sounds and instrumentals, a whopping $1.4 million was spent on the album making it the most expensive album of the time. The album gave way to the “Tusk” tour which would see the band haemorrhage money and be forced to sell live copies of the tour to recoup some of the money spent on the tour.
mirage (1982)
With a three-year gap in recording, Mick Fleetwood wanted to return to the “Rumours” sound of the band. The group travelled to France to record the album and return to the more traditional, softer sounds of Fleetwood Mac, releasing singles such as “Gypsy”. Following this time, the band went on to suffer personal setbacks which would lead to a further break allowing personal career development for the band members.
tango in the night (1987)
Tango in the Night began as a solo project for Lindsey Buckingham but quickly became a Fleetwood Mac project. Ironically, this would also be the year that Lindsey Buckingham would leave the band to pursue a personal solo career in music.
behind the mask (1990)
Lindsey was replaced by Billy Burnette and Rick Vito, making Behind The Mask the second album the band would perform as a six-piece band. Stevie Nicks also left the band during this time because of her disputes with Mick Fleetwood over the rights to the song “Silver Springs”.
time (1995)
Time was the first album in twenty-one years to not feature Stevie Nicks. In 1997 the Rumours line-up would once again perform together on the tour, “The Dance”, which would see the band reunited.
say you will (2003)
After leaving the band in 1998, Christine McVie would make her comeback as a guest on this final album, and the album would serve as a final send off the Fleetwood Mac band.
thank you fleetwood mac
Thank you to every songwriter, musician and producer associated with Fleetwood Mac over the many decades. Your incredible genius has given us our platform.