Fleetwood Mac Celebrate 50th Anniversary of Iconic 1st Album With Stevie Nicks & Lindsey Buckingham
It’s been 50 years since the revamped Fleetwood Mac released their iconic “White Album.” The self-titled album was released on July 11, 1975, and not only did it announce the rebirth of the band originally founded by Mick Fleetwood and Peter Green in 1967, but it also introduced the world to powerful songwriting duo Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks.
The band’s 10th studio album, simply titled Fleetwood Mac, featured Fleetwood, Buckingham, Nicks, and John and Christine McVie.
It took more than a year, but the album became a Billboard No. 1 in September 1976, spawned by a ton of touring and the singles “Rhiannon,” "Over My Head," and "Say You Love Me.” “We just played everywhere, and we sold that record," Nicks told Uncut, per Ultimate Classic Rock. "We kicked that album in the a--.”
In a 1981 interview with The Source, Nicks revealed that she was hesitant to include the song "Crystal“ on the Fleetwood Mac album, as she had previously recorded it for the 1973 album Buckingham Nicks with her then-boyfriend.
“John McVie wanted to put that on the Fleetwood Mac album the first time he heard it. He said 'I want this on the album,'” she recalled. “And I didn't really because it took the place of a new song. Since I write so much, it's I don't need to keep putting old songs that take places of new songs, which means those new songs are backlogged for the next and for the next and for the next. But he was insistent.”
Nicks noted that she agreed to include the song after Christine McVie performed a gorgeous piano piece for the ending.
Fifty years later, there is little chance of the band performing together again. Christine McVie died in 2022, and Nicks and Buckingham are estranged after years of difficulties.
“I always have a fantasy that [Stevie] and Lindsay would pal up a bit more and just say everything’s OK for them both,” Fleetwood, 78, told Us Weekly in 2024. “But we’ve had such an incredible career.”
In honor of the 50th anniversary of the white album, Fleetwood Mac has released a limited edition picture disc. There is also a high-fidelity reissue of the album set to drop on August 8, which can be pre-ordered HERE.