According to the L.A. Times, Fleetwood Mac members Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie are planning to release their first…wait for it…duets album! There’s no doubt that Lindsey and Christine have long had musical chemistry. After all, some of their best songs — “Don’t Stop” and “Hold Me” — have been Buckingham/McVie collaborations, not to mention Billboard Top 5 singles and now SiriusXM classic rock radio staples.
But are they serious? Maybe. Stevie has made it clear that she isn’t in a hurry to release another Fleetwood Mac album, arguably residual effects from the contentious 2003 Say You Will sessions, where Stevie and Lindsey bickered like bitter ex’s (cue: their screaming match in Destiny Rules documentary DVD). The rest of the band is clearly restless to get back on the road and probably hoping to support something besides Rumours for the gazillionth time. So now they’re tired of waiting.
But the proposed name of the album, Buckingham McVie, sounds like a little…cheeky…and far too similar to the iconic Buckingham Nicks brand. And will they seriously go down the indie route again, like 2013’s Extended Play. (Warner Bros. Records is unlikely to back a Fleetwood Mac release without Stevie Nicks.) Sounds a little fishy.
With Mick Fleetwood and John McVie still involved in the project, it seems more likely the latest media bombshell is intended to light a fire under Stevie to finally get on board with a legitimate Fleetwood Mac release. It’s a passive-aggressive approach, but it may ultimately get Stevie to declare, “Uh, not over my dead body! Still, with Stevie’s 24 Karat Gold Tour to pick up again this February in the States, with a possible leg in Australia and New Zealand to follow, the dream of another Fleetwood Mac album with the classic 1975 lineup seems to be fading.
Whatever happens, the latest news adds yet another dimension to the crazy Fleetwood Mac story, whether it’s “the-drama-of-the-moment” posturing or going their own way, once again.
