Stevie goes Solo

  I know I seem to always steer towards talking about Stevie Nicks, but it is only because she is just so gosh darn interesting! I just can't seem to help it!  Anyway, after completing the Tusk Tour, she was left with somewhat a confused feeling.  She had three great albums under her belt with Fleetwood Mac.  However, there were only so many songs that she could have on each Fleetwood Mac record.  You have to think, she wasn't the only songwriter in the band.  You had Christine McVie as well as Lindsey Buckingham writing songs for each album.  This might give you a better idea as to how limited Stevie's songs were for each album...

All of Nicks' songs will be in BOLD

Fleetwood Mac White Album (1975)
1.Monday Morning
2. Warm Ways
3. Rhiannon
4. Over my Head
5. Crystal (collaboration of both Nicks and Buckingham from Buckingham Nicks Record)
6. Say You Love Me
7. Landslide
8. World Turning
9 Sugar Daddy
10. I'm So Afraid
                                                                   (Total: 2 1/2)
Rumours Album (1977)
1. Second Hand News
2. Dreams
3 Never Going Back Again
4. Don't Stop
5. Go Your Own Way
6. Songbird
7 The Chain
8. You Make Loving Fun
9. I Don't Wanna Know
10. Oh Daddy
11. Gold Dust Woman
                                                  (Total: 3..thats a bit better...)
Tusk Album (1979)                                                                      
1. Over and Over
2. The Ledge
3. Think About Me
4. Save Me a Place
5 Sara
6.What Makes You Think You're the One?
7. Storms
8 That's All for Everyone
9. Not that Funny
10 Sister of the Moon
11. Angel
12. That's Enough for Me
13. Brown Eyes
14. Never Make Me Cry
15. I Know I'm Not Wrong
16. Honey Hi
17. Beautiful Child
18 Walk a Thin Line
19. Tusk
20. Never Forget
                                                                      (Total: 5...out of 20)

  Wow, even writing this myself just now, I never realized how limited Stevie Nicks' songs were on each album.  Think about it this way.  With all three albums combined together, there were a total of 41 songs.  Stevie Nicks got credit for writing 10 1/2 songs. 10 1/2 out of 40!  For the record, (pun) that isn't a lot for a successful songwriter. Stevie Nicks was (and still is to this day) a prolific songwriter meaning that she writes songs constantly.  Being able to only allow lets say, three songs on each album was simply not enough.  She needed another outlet for her songs and that is the reason as to why she started a solo career after the making of the Tusk album.

Here is a video that clearly explains Nicks' thought process as to why she started a solo career... (PS.  Try not to get distracted by the narrator's accent. It makes me laugh a little every time... )


So there you have it.  A brief reasoning as to why Stevie Nick's "left" Fleetwood Mac in 1981.  I put the word left in quotes because she never actually really left.  She would go back and forth between her solo work and her work with Fleetwood Mac.  She was constantly balanced between the two commitments and still does to this day.  She will record and album when Fleetwood Mac is in their "downtime" and then tour with that album within the same time period.  Once Fleetwood Mac decides to make another album, she is always there to rehearse and tour with the band.  Obviously, this process has worked because she has been successful with her solo work and Fleetwood Mac for over twenty years now.

  I wonder what the band members thought when she walked in the door informing them of her new idea to go solo.  Want to know what I heard?  I heard that when she finished making her Bella Donna album in 1981, she left a signed album for Lindsey Buckingham to have.  I think she left it somewhere outside the studio or his house.  Anyways, he never picked it up.  Can we blame him?  I mean if you put yourself in Lindsey's shoes then you could see as to why he was frustrated.  Think about it.  He was asked to join Fleetwood Mac in late 1974.  They never asked Stevie if she wanted to join.  They only needed a guitar player and they asked for him only.  Fleetwood Mac already had a female lead and that was Christine Mcvie.  It was Lindsey who suggested that they take his girlfriend into the band.  They become a huge success with Fleetwood Mac and Nicks' seems to be getting a bit more attention than Buckingham.  There were always ego struggles between the two band mates/lovers and it must have been hard simply as a man, to know that your ex girlfriend is getting all the attention on stage, and you are partially to blame.  His ego must have been shot.  He was ( and still is) an incredible guitar player who in my opinion didn't get enough recognition.  Stevie was the focal point, for she understandable had that amazing stage presence and voice.  She wore amazing clothing that screamed "Look at me!", and it must have driven Buckingham bananas!  To wrap it up, if this speculation is true that Buckingham somewhat snubbed Stevie and her new album...I can't really blame him.  Whether she meant the signed album to be a nice gesture or simply a big "In your face Buckingham!", I would have been peeved if I were in his boots.

Till next time...
JDSkills