[SteveMacD]

Originally Posted by KarmaContestant

I can agree with that, but it's unfair to target Stevie when everyone has quit Fleetwood Mac at one time or another except Mick and John.

STEVIE DIDN'T QUIT THE BAND??? Huh? She very publicly quit the band, and she reneged on playing the Super Bowl pre-game in 1993 (with the BTM line-up). Stevie's loyalty hasn't been iron clad.

Well, that's an interesting opinion, because from my perspective it's pretty clear to me that even though Stevie and Lindsey were going nowhere, so was Fleetwood Mac.

If anything, Fleetwood Mac (and Christine Perfect McVie) were has-beens in 1974, having had big hits in Europe. Fleetwood Mac even had a Greatest Hits compilation by that point. In reality, they were rebuilding their careers by moving to L.A. and managing themselves (another example of Mick using the band to not lose everything, as some would say). They were on a major label. They had never been dropped by a label. They had been on television in Europe and the United States. Even the publicity from the Fake Mac scandal in 1974 helped their cause in some strange way. "Hypnotized" was a radio staple.



How many hits did Fritz or Buckingham Nicks ever have? How many times were they ever on national television? Be honest. Lindsey and Stevie walked into a dream situation. They joined a band that had gone through frequent personnel changes, making it easier for the fan-base to accept them as is, and were slightly under the radar at a major label, which gave them the freedom to be themselves. I'm not saying they weren't a major part of the band's success, just that the band was also a major part of their success. Without Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks as everybody has come to love her would not exist. Without "Tusk," Lindsey wouldn't be considered a genius.

I would say it's the other way around - in both cases - Lindsey and Stevie bailed out Fleetwood Mac. No one could have predicted it, but in hindsight, it's obvious.

How so? Their first hit single was "Over My Head," and that could have just as easily been on any album prior that featured Christine. In fact, Christine had most of the hit singles during the heyday. Again, I come back to who benefitted most from the union. Christine McVie wasn't a waitress or cleaning lady, and wasn't at risk of becoming one.

Yes, The Dance reignited all three careers, that is undeniable, but it wasn't Stevie who came knocking on their door. She is the one who had to be persuaded, and without her and Lindsey, The Dance would never have had any traction.

Well, what would have been the point of a reunion album if the two people who left the band weren't a part of that reunion? And, don't kid yourself. Stevie was done after the SA tour. She was a joke, fodder for late night shows. "The Dance" completely changed that. It made her relevant to a new generation. It wouldn't have happened for her as a solo artist.