FLEETWOOD MAC 101
Lesson Eight: Stevie Flies High
After "Mirage" and the ensuing tour in 1982,
Fleetwood Mac was on yet
another "break." There was a lot of curiosity if they would
come back after
this album. After all, the band took two years off before getting back
together for "Mirage." And in that time off Stevie and Lindsey
had solo
albums. What would this hiatus bring?
Well, in 1983 Stevie released another solo album, "The Wild
Heart." This
album went to Number 5 on the Billboard Charts and got people nervous
about the future of Fleetwood Mac, as Stevie Nicks had released yet another
smash solo album.
"The Wild Heart" yielded the hits:
'Nightbird,' which climbed to number 33
'If Anyone Falls,' which went to number 14
and the smash hit 'Stand Back,' which shot to number 5.
Stevie then went on a massive tour.
In 1984, Lindsey Buckingham released his second solo album, "Go
Insane."
The album only spent 16 weeks on the charts, and peaked at number 45.
It did yield a hit, 'Go Insane,' which went to number 23.
On this album, Lindsey wanted to prove that he had what it took to make an
album almost entirely on his own. He did almost all of the singing and
played almost all of the instruments on all of the songs.
The inner jacket of the album actually says, "All performances by Lindsey
Buckingham, except Bryant Simpson, bass on 'Go Insane' and Gordon Fordyce,
keyboard and cowbell on 'I Want You' and howling on 'Play in the Rain'."
Lindsey went on a short tour afterwards.
1984 also saw the release of Christine McVie's album
"Christine McVie." She
hadn't released an album since "Christine Perfect" in 1969.
Christine's album went to number 26 and yielded two hits:
'Love Will Show Us How,' which went to number 30, and
'Got A Hold On Me,' which made it to number 10!
The album was totally Christine in style. The songs were uplifting and
cheerful, much like her songs while in Fleetwood Mac. It was at this time,
she soon married. Her new husband was a fellow musician who helped work
on
this album, Eddy Quintela. Christine also went
on a short three month tour
to promote her album.
In 1985, Stevie released yet another solo album!!
"Rock A Little" was yet another smash hit.
It climbed to number 12 on the Billboard charts and yielded the hits:
'Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You,' a touching slow piano song,
which only went to number 60,
'I Can't Wait,' which went to number 16, and another smash hit,
'Talk to Me,' which sailed to number 4.
Stevie then went on another sold out world tour in 1985-86.
She was in high demand all across the globe, and the pressure was starting
to get to her.
All the members of Fleetwood Mac had used drugs, and Stevie was quite a coke
user. This turned in to quite a heavy addiction, as being on sold
out world tours took quite a toll on her. She went to the doctor one day,
and he told her that she
was in grave danger of getting a brain hemorrhage. And it could be the
next
time she did cocaine. That was enough to scare Stevie into rehab.
While in
rehab, she was prescribed Klonopin, which she also
became addicted to. She
wasn't aware at the time that she was addicted however. She only came to
realize it when she tried to get off of the prescription, and she couldn't.
She continued touring however, as she devoted herself to her fans, and there
were millions worldwide.
During this hiatus, Mick also formed a band, Mick Fleetwood's Zoo. They
also made a record and toured in 1983.
John took a true break from music and continued his passion of sailing.
It had been almost five years now since Fleetwood Mac released their last
album. It was now 1986, and fans were eagerly awaiting more Fleetwood
Mac.
The band was contemplating another album. But Stevie was still on her
"Rock
A Little" tour. Could they come back
together and make another album?
If so, what about Stevie? She didn't need Fleetwood Mac anymore, she was a
rock diva in her own right. Would she devote any more time to the old
band?
Questions circled about the future of Fleetwood Mac.
We will answer those questions in Lesson Nine!!