The twisted history that marks Fleetwood Mac's various lineups over the years carries over to their decades of records. That makes our list of the Best Song From Every Fleetwood Mac Album a bit complicated.
Early standout singles like "Albatross," "Black Magic Woman," "Oh Well," "Man of the World" and "The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)" aren't found on the original U.K. pressings of their albums from the late '60s and early '70s; you'll have to track down one of the group's many compilations for most of those songs.
The band's history – especially before the arrival of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks took them to a whole other level – is incomplete without those essential singles. Still, the nine albums made before the U.S.-bred couple joined the fledgling U.K. blues band contain some good songs buried among the shuffling grooves, by-the-numbers covers and forgettable, misguided attempts at finding some direction. But sometimes you gotta dig pretty deep to find them.
That's not the case with the records Fleetwood Mac made during their peak period. In fact, singling out just one great song from albums like Fleetwood Mac, Rumours and Tusk isn't easy. Entire box sets could be constructed from the dozen-year period between 1975 and 1987. Once Buckingham left, and eventually Nicks too, things got a bit messy again, even though Christine McVie – who appears on all but the first Fleetwood Mac album, though not always as a member – continued to write and sing some good songs.
But, again, sometimes you gotta dig pretty deep to find them. Christine turns out to be the band's MVP throughout their half-century career, keeping the band alive – along with Mick Fleetwood and John McVie – when it looked like it was DOA. But they've always been more than just the sum of their parts, as you'll see in our below list of the Best Song From Every Fleetwood Mac Album.
'Fleetwood Mac' (1968): "Shake Your Moneymaker"
Fleetwood Mac's debut album, which is also known as ' Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac,' is mostly a showcase for co-founder, singer and guitarist Green, who replaced Eric Clapton in John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers. It's a mix of originals and covers by some of Green's most revered blues artists – especially Elmore James, whose "Shake Your Moneymaker" is the show-stopping song on the band's most purely blues album. A strong intro by a band that was just getting started.
'Mr. Wonderful' (1968): "Stop Messin' Round"
Fleetwood Mac's second album is one of their weakest, even though Chrsitine McVie (still known as Christine Perfect) makes her first appearance. She'd have to wait another three years before becoming an official member of the band. Peter Green was still in charge, and he was still infatuated with bluesman Elmore James, whose sound is all over 'Mr. Wonderful.' The most spirited ripoff is "Stop Messin' Round," an original that shows off the group's air-tight blues swing.
'Then Play On' (1969): "Rattlesnake Shake"
The band's third album went through a few configurations after its release, including a second U.S. version that included "Oh Well," which would have been 'Then Play On''s best song if it were on the original U.K. pressing. But it wasn't, so we're going with another Peter Green scorcher from the era, "Rattlesnake Shake." It's one of the group's fiercest rockers, still rooted in the blues and pushed forward by the band's interplay. Green was gone after this LP, leaving the singing and guitar playing to Danny Kirwan and Jeremy Spencer.
'Kiln House' (1970): "Station Man"
The first of several transitional Fleetwood Mac albums, 'Kiln House' was the band's first without Peter Green, last with Jeremy Spencer and one that includes uncredited contributions by Christine McVie, who'd join the band as a full-time member shortly after its release. "Station Man" sums up the period the best – a shuffling boogie that clocks in at nearly six minutes and features Danny Kirwan leading the group closer to more contemporary waters as a new decade dawned
'Future Games' (1971): "Sands of Time"
Christine McVie, who's contributed to every Fleetwood Mac album since their second, is finally promoted to a full-time member. And American Bob Welch is on board for the group's biggest push away from the blues of its early years and toward the radio-friendly pop that would take the band to superstar status in a half-decade. Danny Kirwan wrote half of 'Future Games'' songs, including "Sands of Time," which sounds like a sign of things to come with its intricate guitar work and dreamy pop foundation.
'Bare Trees' (1972): "Sentimental Lady"
Bob Welch had a Top 10 solo hit with his "Sentimental Lady" in 1977, and he had his old bandmates Mick Fleetwood and Christine McVie (who played on the original Fleetwood Mac recording) guest on it. Lindsey Buckingham, who joined after Welch left, also showed up on the solo version. The original track, a highlight on the otherwise empty 'Bare Trees,' is more subdued than the later redo, but the song's strong melodic hook and Welch's delicate delivery carry things.
Penguin' (1973): "Did You Ever Love Me"
Fleetwood Mac's seventh album is one of their messiest. Danny Kirwan was gone, and Bob Weston and Dave Walker (on his only Mac record) were added to the ever-changing lineup. The best song, "Did You Ever Love Me," was written by Christine McVie and Bob Welch and sung by McVie and Weston. It's the LP's most memorable track from a lengthy stretch of spotty recordings by the band. They'd shuffle around for a couple more years before hitting on a winning formula.
Mystery to Me' (1973): "Hypnotized"
Fleetwood Mac were inching closer to the pop music that would make them one of the planet's biggest bands in a couple years. Much credit goes to Christine McVie and Bob Welch, who wrote the bulk of material found on 'Mystery to Me." The highlight is Welch's "Hypnotized," a moody slow-burner that turned up as the B-side of the inferior "For Your Love" single. It's also one of the band's most musically adventurous tracks from the pre-Buckingham years, steering it toward something approaching jazz. Welch's finest moment with Fleetwood Mac – and maybe of his entire career.
'Heroes Are Hard to Find' (1974): "Heroes Are Hard to Find"
Christine McVie has long been Fleetwood Mac's ace in the hole. She became a full-time member with 1971's 'Future Games,' and by 1973's 'Penguin' she was penning highlights like "Did You Ever Love Me" with Bob Welch. Here, she wrote and sang their ninth LP's title track all by herself, and managed to top everything else around it – though, granted, that wasn't too hard in this case. Either way, "Heroes Are Hard to Find" paved the way for Mac's huge makeover the next year.
'Fleetwood Mac' (1975): "Rhiannon"
The entire dynamic of the band changed after Americans Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joined the onetime British blues rockers on their 10th album. The self-titled record became their first No. 1 (first to crack the Top 30, in fact), and set them up as one of the era's biggest acts. Together, Buckingham and Nicks contributed more than half of the album's songs, and "Rhiannon" – Nicks' rumination on "an old Welsh witch" – became one of several key tracks that jump-started the band. It also almost gave Fleetwood Mac their first Top 10 single.
'Rumours' (1977): "Go Your Own Way"
'Fleetwood Mac,' from 1975, was one thing, but 'Rumours' was on a whole different level. Almost every song on the 1977 LP is a classic; you could build a Fleetwood Mac's Greatest Hits album out of 'Rumours' alone. Its very best track, though, is Buckingham's kiss-off to former girlfriend Nicks, "Go Your Own Way." It's super-bitchy and super-hooky, and features a killer guitar solo. It also reached the Top 10, a first for the band after nearly a decade of records. But really, if you want to pick another song for this album, we're totally okay with that.
'Tusk' (1979): "Tusk"
For the follow-up to their superstar-making 'Rumours,' Fleetwood Mac's three singer-songwriters went their own ways on a mesmerizing double album that contains some of their best work. But 'Tusk' was essentially Lindsey Buckingham's project, a studio-as-playground masterpiece that shaped as one the era's most endlessly fascinating, and most expensive, records. It's only fitting one of his songs takes the spotlight here. The title track piles on layers of percussion, found sounds and the University of Southern California's marching band to become one of the weirdest singles to ever hit the Top 10.
'Mirage' (1982): "Gypsy"
Following the sprawling double LP 'Tusk,' a creative high point but somewhat of a commercial disappointment, the band took a break from recording and each other. 'Mirage' featured a stripped-down and leaner Fleetwood Mac, a return to the radio-friendly songcraft that made them one of the late-'70s' biggest groups. Stevie Nicks' "Gypsy" is one of her all-time best, originally slated for her debut solo album 'Bella Donna' but held back for Fleetwood Mac. Wise move, since Lindsey Buckingham's sterling production and guitar solo elevate the song, already one of Nicks' catchiest, to a majestic place.
'Tango in the Night' (1987): "Everywhere"
Lindsey Buckingham's last studio LP with the band for more than 15 years includes his great "Big Love." But Christine McVie's "Everywhere" is the album's centerpiece, another of her deceivingly straightforward pop love songs that subtly burrows itself under your skin. Like many of her later period songs, its shimmering beauty rides along a masterful hook and melody. "Everywhere" was the fourth single released from 'Tango in the Night,' the final Mac LP to include the classic lineup.
Behind the Mask' (1990): "Save Me"
Lindsey Buckingham left the band before their 15th album, though he plays guitar on one track. New guys Billy Burnette and Rick Vito contribute songs and vocals, but it's Christine McVie who once again checks in with a highlight. "Save Me" often sounds like a product of its era, with late-'80s/early-'90s production and other lamentable studio choices dominating much of 'Behind the Mask,' but it doesn't get in the way of McVie's melody here. This is Fleetwood Mac's final Top 40 song in the U.S. to date.
'Time' (1995): "I Do"
Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham are missing (though Buckingham sings backing vocals on one track), and Bekka Bramlett and Dave Mason are here. Nobody cared, and the album couldn't even crack the Top 200 in the U.S. Christine McVie was still around, and co-wrote and sang five cuts, including highlight "I Do." It's not quite vintage Fleetwood Mac, but her warm voice and easy way with a melody are as close as 'Time' gets to reminding you this is a Fleetwood Mac album.
'Say You Will' (2003): "Peacekeeper"
The 1997 concert reunion album 'The Dance' sparked a revival of the band's huge catalog of hits. Their first studio album since the return included limited input by Christine McVie, who was no longer in the band, but Lindsey Buckingham was back and he ended up contributing songs earmarked for a solo LP – including "Peacekeeper," a relatively straightforward pop-rock cut that reins in his famous experimental streak.
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