NME articles: June 1970 - April 1977

[ButterCookie]

Just Call Me Mrs McVie June, 1970

Christine Perfect, who's self titled debut album was released in Britain by Blue Horixon records on June 13th has announced that she is to leave the music business. Also, in future, she will be content to be known as plain Mrs John McVie.

The main reason for this, she admitted, was that her solo career was not following it's predicted route. 'I'm not even making enough money to pay my band' she confided.

Green for Go May 1970
Peter Green has quit Fleetwood Mac, playing his final gig with the band at London's Chalk Farm Roundhouse. The band is looking for a suitable replacement.

Meanwhile, a British tour (due to commence on June 1st) has been cancelled. A Mac single featuring Peter Green, 'The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)', was released on Reprise earlier this month.

Christine Joins the Mac August 1970
Christine McVie has confirmed rumours that she is to join Fleetwood Mac. The band's manager Clifford Davis revealed that she had been invited to join after sitting with them at their Hampstead hideout and immediatley accepted the offer.

Big Mac Row February 1974
The strangest case of the two Fleetwood Mac's has turned into a major dispute between the original group and manager Clifford Davis, who recently launched a new band using the same name.

Davis contends that the group currently touring America as Fleetwood Mac is the only authentic Mac, even though none of its members have previously been connected with the group of that name. Their lineup is: Elmer Gantry, Paul Martinez, David Wilkinson, Craig Collinge and ex-Curved Air guitarist Kirby.

This outfit recently topped the bill at New York's Academy of Music and, on that particular evening, Gantry was ill with Laryngitis, causing it's remaining members to play a 43-minute insturmental set which was described by one critic as 'tedious, routine, bluesy rock - all right for a street band but decidedly not for a headline act'

Mac Are Back August 1974
Fleetwood Mac have been granted a high court injunction preventing anyone other than the original group - Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Bob Welch and Christine McVie - from operating under the name The Fleetwood Mac.

The band now inted to sue their old manager Clifford Davis for damages arising from his formation of a bogus group. The Mac are present in Los Angeles, where they have just completed an album for Warner Bros and are currently rehearsing in preparation for an American tour which is Due to start on October 1st to 'repair the damage done by the other band'

Fleetwood Mac's 'Bad B-Movie' Wins an Oscar August 1976
Fleetwood Mac released their eponymous album nearly a year ago. It became their first US Top 10 LP, had a good run and dropped out. Meantime the band went out on the road for five months solid, and for the past 3 months the album has been back in the top 5.

It spawned two hit singles - 'Over My Head' and 'Rhiannon' - and sold two million copies so far. In Britain it's only done 5,000.

But then, the Fleetwood Mac britain knew and loved in the 60's bears little relation to the current outfit. At the start of the 70's, Guitarist Peter Green went AWOL in New Orleans. The other guitarist, Jeremy Spencer, joined the Children of God cult. Mick Fleetwood describes this period as a 'bad B-movie'.

The arrival of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, just before they started recording 'Fleetwood Mac' proved the turning point.

'It felt right. It was very quick,' says Fleetwood, 'I think it's wrong to start analysing the why's and wherefores. That was it.'

It certainly was. And Stevie Nicks could quit her job as a waitress.

The Splits That Bind Fleetwood Mac April 1977
'Being in Fleetwood Mac is like being in group therapy!'

So Says drummer and leader Mick Fleetwood, and he should know. Just as the band acheived breakthrough with their 'Fleetwood Mac' album, they went into an emotional tailspin.

Long-standing singer/pianist Christine McVie split from bassist/husband John mid-way through the American tour.

Lindsey Buckinghamand Stevie Nicks stopped sharing a room soon after. And then Mick Fleetwood's own marriage broke up, although he has since salvaged it.

Scarecely the right atmosphere in which to record 'Rumours', the follow up to their 4 million selling album.

'It turned out to be the reverse', says Mick. 'Because it all came out in the music. Things never got bitchy. Sure, the atmosphere was confused - to say the least - but it wasn't destructive. We could all relate to eachothers desperation.'

[DefDumbandBlond]

These were great to read, thanks for posting on here Georgie.