Stevie, a UK One-Hit Wonder? (Blog Post)

[David]

The European love is a more recent phenomenon--the Internet Age, roughly.

Fleetwood Mac has grown in popularity in Europe, too. In 1976, when they were the coolest "new" rock band on the U.S. concert circuit, with hits on the radio, they were doing nothing in Europe. Remember how they went to the UK in fall 1976 not to perform but only to do a week's worth of press? The public over there was still residually interested in the Peter Green lineup (already considered a classic) but not in the new lineup.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, outside the U.S., Fleetwood Mac was most popular in Australia and Japan. They didn't make any splash in Europe until Lindsey had already split and they were touring for Tango.

I think Stevie's 1989 hit came in on the coattails of that touring in 1988. And the band's 1990 album was apparently a big hit in Europe and/or the UK. I always thought it reflected badly on the European fans that they didn't embrace the Mac back when the band was creative and hip--but only when it was artistically rather desperate.