Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek,CA), May 18, 1996
Section: Time Out
LATEST FLEETWOOD MAC DISBANDS
Howard Cohen
"I can still hear you saying/You would never break the chain . . ."
Almost 20 years ago, "The Chain" served as the centerpiece of Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours." Recorded while the members of its most famous lineup were all enduring painful romantic breakups with each other, the album resonated with record buyers who related to its soap opera aspect and its bright, passionate pop/rock.
To this day, "Rumours" remains the top-selling studio album by a rock group in history and is behind only Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and the Eagles' first greatest hits album.
"The Chain," though never a single, became the group's theme. After all, the band formed by celebrated guitarist Peter Green in 1967 as a British blues act stumped skeptics who felt Green's defection in 1970 would be insurmountable.
The cast of characters to follow featured some of rock's most storied tales one member disappeared to follow God, another aimlessly wandered the streets of England, yet another was fired for sleeping with Fleetwood's wife. By the '90s, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, star players on "Rumours," also bailed out.
But Fleetwood Mac continued.
Until now. The chain has broken, Fleetwood Mac has disbanded.
Fleetwood, through his Los Angeles publicist, says, "The Fleetwood Mac as we know it is no longer." He is referring to the latest lineup, which featured Dave Mason and Bekka Bramlett. Fleetwood blames record company apathy (that incarnation's 1995 album, "Time," sold only 32,000 copies, according to SoundScan, and received no promotion from Warner Bros.). "We worked hard on that record and no one knew it existed."
Fleetwood Mac watchers should know by now to never rule out a reunion. Fleetwood himself says "never say never." The improbable has already happened: Nicks, Buckingham and Fleetwood recently teamed to record "Twisted" for the movie "Twister," and Fleetwood is in an L.A. studio cutting drum tracks for Buckingham's forthcoming fourth solo album.
Still, Christine McVie's "All Over Again," released on last fall's "Time," seemed all too final.
"Well it's time to say goodnight/And finally turn out the light/How do I say in some simple way/How much you have been on my mind."
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