Fleetwood Mac’s Top 10 most downloaded tracks

[TheSorcerer]

Originally Posted by Dragonfly

Landslide is the one I'm most surprised to be there really as it was never a hit here.

But it's a Fleetwood Mac classic. It's been featured in concerts since the 1970s, it's been featured in hit films, hit TV shows, it's played on the radio, other artists have performed it, it's been talked about a lot in music magazines. I'm certainly not surprised to see it in the top 10, even in the UK.

Originally Posted by Ulpian

Hello! UK calling!

Of course we know about Stevie. But she didn't really tour Europe in the 80s whereas she did tours of America. As a result, the band stuff is always more popular.

We're well aware of who Stevie Nicks is!

Stevie toured Europe in 1989 and the tour was a success from I've read. She managed to play Wembley twice as well as Birmingham NEC Arena which is pretty good going. I guess a few would argue that the tour was a success because it was on the back of the hugely successful Tango in the Night and Fleetwood Mac's successful tour just a few years prior.



I remember reading an article about Fleetwood Mac years ago and Stevie talked about being ignored by British journalists when they interviewed the band during promotional trips in the 1970s. She went on to mention that she didn't really understand why she had to be there if they weren't going to listen to what she had to say.


I think some Fleetwood Mac fans in the UK do resent what Fleetwood Mac went on to become in the 1970s. The original blues incarnation of the group were big in the UK and scored a string of hit singles and albums on the chart. Some fans do see Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham as the reason why Fleetwood Mac morphed into a soft rock band. The Bob Welch era of the band didn't chart in the UK which is probably why some UK fans aren't aware that it was during this period that the California sound was introduced and not just when Stevie and Lindsey joined. People in the UK see Fleetwood Mac as having two identities - the Peter Green line-up and the Rumours line-up. This has never really been a big deal in the US as Fleetwood Mac never broke through into mainstream popularity until 1975/6. I might get some stick for saying this and that's fine, but I believe that if Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham hadn't joined Fleetwood Mac then the band would be just another one of those nostalgic acts that tour theaters in the UK.


As for Stevie Nicks and her solo career, I don't think the sound on her earlier solo releases was as popular here in the UK as it was in the US. Her earlier albums, especially the first three, have a very American sound to them and I don't think tracks like Edge of Seventeen, Stand Back, I Can't Wait and Talk to Me were ever destined to become hits in the UK. Rooms on Fire, at least to me, has more of a Fleetwood Mac sound and may be the reason why it became successful here in the UK. Plus it came off the back of TITN. Stevie's lack of touring here is a major gripe of mine. She could easily tour successfully here today if she really wanted to, plenty of smaller bands head over here without hits under their belt and sell out shows. If Lindsey Buckingham can do it then so can Stevie. In Your Dreams had its second highest chart position in the UK and she still didn't tour here. It really Pissed me off that did.

It just goes to show you that chart positions mean bugger all. Dreams, Sara, Rhiannon and Gypsy were never major hits on the UK charts and are now regarded as Fleetwood Mac classics. Oh Diane, which made the 10 in the UK in 1982, is largely forgotten.

[Villavic]

Well in the early 80s she got lot of peruvian fans...

[Dragonfly]

Originally Posted by TheSorcerer

But it's a Fleetwood Mac classic. It's been featured in concerts since the 1970s, it's been featured in hit films, hit TV shows, it's played on the radio, other artists have performed it, it's been talked about a lot in music magazines. I'm certainly not surprised to see it in the top 10, even in the UK.



Stevie toured Europe in 1989 and the tour was a success from I've read. She managed to play Wembley twice as well as Birmingham NEC Arena which is pretty good going. I guess a few would argue that the tour was a success because it was on the back of the hugely successful Tango in the Night and Fleetwood Mac's successful tour just a few years prior.



I remember reading an article about Fleetwood Mac years ago and Stevie talked about being ignored by British journalists when they interviewed the band during promotional trips in the 1970s. She went on to mention that she didn't really understand why she had to be there if they weren't going to listen to what she had to say.


I think some Fleetwood Mac fans in the UK do resent what Fleetwood Mac went on to become in the 1970s. The original blues incarnation of the group were big in the UK and scored a string of hit singles and albums on the chart. Some fans do see Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham as the reason why Fleetwood Mac morphed into a soft rock band. The Bob Welch era of the band didn't chart in the UK which is probably why some UK fans aren't aware that it was during this period that the California sound was introduced and not just when Stevie and Lindsey joined. People in the UK see Fleetwood Mac as having two identities - the Peter Green line-up and the Rumours line-up. This has never really been a big deal in the US as Fleetwood Mac never broke through into mainstream popularity until 1975/6. I might get some stick for saying this and that's fine, but I believe that if Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham hadn't joined Fleetwood Mac then the band would be just another one of those nostalgic acts that tour theaters in the UK.


As for Stevie Nicks and her solo career, I don't think the sound on her earlier solo releases was as popular here in the UK as it was in the US. Her earlier albums, especially the first three, have a very American sound to them and I don't think tracks like Edge of Seventeen, Stand Back, I Can't Wait and Talk to Me were ever destined to become hits in the UK. Rooms on Fire, at least to me, has more of a Fleetwood Mac sound and may be the reason why it became successful here in the UK. Plus it came off the back of TITN. Stevie's lack of touring here is a major gripe of mine. She could easily tour successfully here today if she really wanted to, plenty of smaller bands head over here without hits under their belt and sell out shows. If Lindsey Buckingham can do it then so can Stevie. In Your Dreams had its second highest chart position in the UK and she still didn't tour here. It really Pissed me off that did.

It just goes to show you that chart positions mean bugger all. Dreams, Sara, Rhiannon and Gypsy were never major hits on the UK charts and are now regarded as Fleetwood Mac classics. Oh Diane, which made the 10 in the UK in 1982, is largely forgotten.

You make some great points there Sorcerer, and in no way was I trying to put Stevie down - I'm just baffled as to why the most popular member of the band hasn't had more success with her Mac songs. As you say, Gypsy and Sara are so much better than Oh Diane (only my opinion) and yet they flopped and Oh Diane made the top 10!

Good point too about Landslide, I can see why it's there now having taken into account what you said.

There is definitely a certain section of Brits who do resent the post Peter Green line-ups and the more pop/rock sound that Lindsey and Stevie added. I have argued many times with people about it but they just dismiss anything if Peter wasn't involved - which is their loss as far as I'm concerned. Only one PG era song makes that list though so the Rumours era band clearly has a massive following here.

[Jondalar]

Originally Posted by Dragonfly

You make some great points there Sorcerer, and in no way was I trying to put Stevie down - I'm just baffled as to why the most popular member of the band hasn't had more success with her Mac songs. As you say, Gypsy and Sara are so much better than Oh Diane (only my opinion) and yet they flopped and Oh Diane made the top 10!

Good point too about Landslide, I can see why it's there now having taken into account what you said.

There is definitely a certain section of Brits who do resent the post Peter Green line-ups and the more pop/rock sound that Lindsey and Stevie added. I have argued many times with people about it but they just dismiss anything if Peter wasn't involved - which is their loss as far as I'm concerned. Only one PG era song makes that list though so the Rumours era band clearly has a massive following here.

I wonder if a lot of her problems over there are from the disc jockeyes. They sorta rule. Maybe they blew her off.

[vivfox]

Originally Posted by TheSorcerer

Oh Diane, which made the 10 in the UK in 1982, is largely forgotten.

Thank God for letting that song die in the desert and never seeing the promised land of eternal airplay.

[Andrew Smith]

Originally Posted by vivfox

Thank God for letting that song die in the desert and never seeing the promised land of eternal airplay.

I don't agree. Maybe it's a bit cheesy but it's catchy and likable aswell, and that's the main thing.