Sanity Sunday Musical Break- Fleetwood Mac

Sunday, March 10, 2019

Sanity Sunday Musical Break- Fleetwood Mac

by Nomad

(Norman Seeff, 1978)

This week's sanity break shines a light on one of the greatest groups of the 70s and 80s- Fleetwood Mac. Formed in London in 1967, Fleetwood Mac made its live debut at the Windsor Jazz and Blues Festival in England.

Over the years, both in terms of performing artists and style, this band went through a lot of alterations and members changes. In fact, the most-familiar lineup of Fleetwood Mac, (Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, Christine and John McVie) was actually the 10th lineup of the band.
Fleetwood Mac has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, making them one of the world's best-selling bands. (For a full history of the band, click here.)

Here are a few trivia points about the band:

Founding member Jeremy Spencer suddenly quit the group back in 1971. During a tour, he went out of the hotel to buy a paper and disappeared for several days. It was discovered he had joined the cult called Children of God. He never returned. The cult started in 1968 in Huntington Beach, California and would go on to gain a sordid reputation with its encouragement of sexual contact between adults and children.

Drugs - and sex- became a major problem for certain members. Stevie Nicks' cocaine habit in the 70s and 80s was so bad that she reportedly burned a hole in the cartilage of her nose. (There was also a lot of sleeping around between members and their spouses.) Ah, good times.

The band’s blockbuster album “Rumours” sold a reported 25 million copies from 1977 to 1997. The record went on to sell another 20 million copies from 1997 to 2017. That’s the definition of a timeless piece of art.

A 1970 issue of Melody Maker announced Christine McVie was retiring from music to become a housewife. Spoiler alert: she changed her mind.

Christine's maiden name is Perfect.

The song, Gypsy, was based on the time before Lindsey Buckingham and Nicks joined Fleetwood Mac. They were living in a cheap LA rental, sleeping on a mattress on the floor with Nicks earning money as a waitress.