The album Stevie Nicks called her “most in-demand” record
When you’ve reached the level that Stevie Nicks has in her career, record sales don’t seem to matter as much.
She could have easily retired as one of the biggest legends in rock and roll music thanks to Rumours alone, but her decision to keep going was because she truly loved the idea of expressing herself whenever she was onstage or in the studio. But even if Rumours has reached the heights that few albums have been able to, Nicks felt that people were still waiting to get their hands on some of her deep cuts as well.
Looking at her time in Fleetwood Mac, though, the best songs could often feel a bit too specific for fans to look away from. Calling them a rock and roll soap opera would have been an understatement given what they were doing behind the scenes, but every time a new album came out since Rumours, it always felt like catching up with them. The tension didn’t go away, but neither did the songs, and even up until Tango in the Night, Nicks was laser-focused on making the best tunes she could muster.
Then again, the magic often came when she and Lindsey Buckingham worked together. Despite not wanting to sing or even speak to each other once they broke up, they were always the glue that held the classic lineup together, and even if they meant yelling at each other a few times between takes, it was usually worth it so that people could listen to songs like ‘Dreams’ and ‘Go Your Own Way’.
Even for a band on that level, Nicks always felt that songs were shelved for no good reason. She already had to deal with the classic ‘Silver Springs’ being cut from one of their best albums, but when looking back on her origins, she always felt that her early album Buckingham Nicks was the greatest fascination for musicians.
After all, this was the incubation period when she and Buckingham were first discovering themselves, and while it does have a handful of future Fleetwood Mac cuts on it, Buckingham’s decision to keep it on the shelf may have had more to do with them not wanting to show everyone their humble beginnings. But as far as Nicks was concerned, the mystery surrounding the album only made it more interesting for people to check out.
For years, Nicks would regard the album as one of the most sought-after records of her career, explaining, “It’s still the number one most in-demand vinyl record that has never made it to CD. Atlantic Records wants to release it and there are other record companies that are very interested in releasing it, but it’s all Lindsey. If he doesn’t call me back so we can get this released, I’m going to put a big ad in Billboard saying: ‘Lindsey Buckingham is totally at fault for the reason that Buckingham/Nicks is not out on CD.’ Because it’s all him, I’m doing what I can to get it out there.”
And now that it’s out in the world fully intact, it’s not like Buckingham needed to hide anything. ‘Crying in the Night’ is easily as good as anything that the duo had recorded with Fleetwood Mac, and even if not every song was a home run or anything, there’s a reason why Mick Fleetwood saw something in Buckingham if you listen to the middle solo of the album closer ‘Frozen Love’.
While Buckingham Nicks stuck around as a passing fascination for a while, the fact that people wanted a physical copy for so long says a lot more about the record. Whether Buckingham was holding things up out of embarrassment or general apathy, the fact that it can be released in 2025 and receive a lot of attention is proof that absence only makes the heart grow fonder.
