Fleetwood Mac self-titled turns 50
Album Review ★ Alyssa Bushman ★ @lissyb_21 ★ 1k Words
Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, Christine McVie, John McVie, Mick Fleetwood. Consisting of five of the most influential names in music history, Fleetwood Mac is one of the most well-known bands in the world. With melodic harmonies and entrancing arrangements that remind you to stop and sway along to the music. Their tenth studio album, Fleetwood Mac, turns 50 this year. While it is not their most popular album, in my opinion, it perfectly sets up their most popular album, Rumours. Endearingly titled ‘The White Album’ by fans and ‘Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac’ by Stevie Nicks, this album would be the first recorded album with the band after introducing Stevie and Lindsey.
With the exit of Bob Welch from the band, that left three members of the band. Mick was left to find a new guitarist for the band and stumbled upon Lindsey Buckingham while recording at Sound City Studios. Lindsey said that he would join the band on one condition: his songwriting partner and girlfriend, Stevie Nicks would also be joining. The band was set in stone on January 1st of 1975. They would spend the next couple of months hammering out what would become their tenth studio album, Fleetwood Mac.
With eleven heavy songs, this album shows the true writing powers of Stevie, Lindsey, and Christine. The album opens with “Monday Morning” written by Lindsey Buckingham. This song feels like taking life day by day. This is the first time we get to hear the harmonies of the band in full. It is a super lively arrangement with fun drum patterns that Mick Fleetwood uses to walk the song along. The transition into “Warm Ways” is super calming. “Warm Ways” was written by Christine, and it has her genuine tone and has a more whimsical feel compared to the sunny acoustic vibe that Lindsey tends to lean towards.
The next song was written by Michael and Richard Curtis. “Blue Letter” was a last-minute addition to the album. While recording another song on the album, they overheard the brothers rehearsing the song and decided to record it for the album. It is a beautiful song about a mysterious woman who wrote letters and put them in a blue envelope.
The next song was a breakout hit for Stevie Nicks as far as writing for the band. “Rhiannon” is the name of a mythical Welsh witch. Nicks found this out after finding the name in a book and falling in love with it. In her own words about the band’s ability to bring the feeling of this song to life, she mentions “that's what the band got really well was that uplifting of wings kind of a feel”.This is one of the main songs that would lead to many people speculating that Stevie herself was a witch, although she has since denied being a practicing witch, just an admirer. “Rhiannon” is about a woman who cannot and will not be tied down by anything.
Christine McVie would write the next song on the album, “Over My Head”. Taking the lead on the vocals in this song, McVie’s voice tends to lean a little huskier than Stevie’s light voice. They really balance each other out well. It has a super funky riff in the back played by then husband, John McVie on bass. It has a jazzy folk feel to it that really lands well in the album.
“Crystal”, written by Lindsey and Stevie, is about how, through their turbulent relationship, they will always have each other. This was written at a time when Lindsey and Stevie needed each other. “Crystal” would eventually be used in the Practical Magic soundtrack.
“Say You Love Me” is another incredible Christine McVie hit that has stood the test of time. Having Stevie and Lindsey fill in the harmonies on this song gives it an extra something. The banjo makes this feel more pop. McVie delivers gutsy vocals that show off her range in this well-loved song.
My personal favorite on the album, and one that has also stood the test of time, is “Landslide”. This song is always there for you when you need it. It will creep up on your playlist after a breakup, when you are moving out of your parents’ house for the first time, when you have to make a decision that you know is going to change a lot. Stevie Nicks wistfully describes living in Aspen for three months post the album Buckingham Nicks and before she and Lindsey joined Fleetwood Mac. It was at this time that she was at a crossroads decision to continue trying to make music work with Lindsey or to try and find something more stable. Every decision starts to feel delicate when it feels like you are alone in making them. This song acts as a reminder that you are not alone.
The final stretch of the album greets us with “World Turning”. This song was mainly written by Christine McVie with some help from Lindsey Buckingham. While no longer credited on the song, Peter Green introduced this song in 1968, and had called it “World Keep on Turning”. “World Turning” for the rest of Fleetwood Mac’s touring career would be used as the introduction to Mick Fleetwood’s iconic drum solo.
Christine and Lindsey will continue to close out the album with the songs “Sugar Daddy” and “I’m So Afraid”. “Sugar Daddy” is a more light-hearted contribution from McVie about wanting some financial stability, no matter where it comes from. “I’m So Afraid” is one of the only hard rock songs, when played live, that we hear from Fleetwood Mac. Although the recording itself comes off as more folk rock. Buckingham has been quoted as saying he labored meticulously for four years over this song to get the guitar parts exactly perfect.
Fleetwood Mac has been a powerhouse band since its inception. No matter what stage of life you are in, there is a Fleetwood Mac song to help get you through. Fleetwood Mac by Fleetwood Mac perfectly encapsulates the penultimate writers that all of the members were.
