Fleetwood Mac

About Fleetwood Mac

English super-band Fleetwood Mac have defied genres throughout their career. While they were at it, the hot-blooded band members might as well have sat down and written some of the original scripts for VH1's Behind the Music-they lived the highs and lows of rock excess and nearly tore each other apart in the process. Which is not to take attention away from Fleetwood Mac's first-rate bluesy rock tunes. Far from it, the band has defined their own genre-bending blend of blues rock and mystic pop-the band's inherent, volatile chemistry adding spice to an already potent blend. The ever-changing band began life with the swinging 60's blues act John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers. The Bluesbreakers never made much of a splash Stateside but they were fixtures on the swinging London scene and alumni included guitar god Eric Clapton. Boozy drummer Mic Fleetwood was recommended to the band, where he met bassist John McVie. After plenty of Bluesbreaker drama, Fleetwood Mac released their debut full-length LP, the self-titled Fleetwood Mac. The electric, riff-based album stirred up local buzz, but it was a far cry from their future smash hit pop rock albums. Indeed, it wasn't til they hooked up with Stevie Nicks that they got their musical focus. 1975's self-titled LP saw a dapper Mick Fleetwood mugging in a vintage Victorian costume and the singles, "Rhianon" and "Landslide," showcased Nicks' mysterious and powerful vocals. On Fleetwood Mac's undisputed classic Rumors, they brought fans a gypsy carnival of tempestuous, self-reflective drama. The album's tracks saw Fleetwood Mac candidly addressing everything from the band's fondness for cocaine ("Gold Dust Woman") to intimate affairs between Christine McVie and their touring lighting director ("You Make Loving Fun.")