Christine McVie: Fleetwood Mac’s irreplaceable “voice of reason”
If Fleetwood Mac were designed by a music mogul like Simon Cowell, the five members of its chart-topping lineup would have simply never been put together.
Nothing on paper said that this band would be a good mix. To start with, by the time it came to recording Rumours, they had two couples who were completely on the rocks, battling to keep their relationship alive amidst this gruelling pressure to write a record.
Its founding member, John McVie, was watching his wife Christine McVie drift further away from him to a point where she even began writing love songs about the lighting tech, with whom she had quickly developed a relationship. Then there was, of course, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, the American duo who had been recruited for their solid partnership to then unexpectedly shoot the band to global fame by populating the album with a string of fierce break-up tracks.
It was as toxic a band environment as one could feasibly wish for, yet here they were, an unlikely transatlantic community who were bound together despite all the odds. Mick Fleetwood had a job on his hands to steer his ship into the studio year after year, and by doing so, became something of the de facto father; in fact, the track ‘Oh Daddy’ was even an ode to the Englishman’s role as such.
But for Nicks at least, it was Christine McVie who stepped in to provide a more maternal figure. McVie had been there since the very early days, when Peter Green was leading the band forward, through to the Bob Welch era and right up until the moment the Americans joined, and thrust them into dream-rock immortality.
She had seen the ebbs and flows of the band, operating in an industry brimming with misogyny, and so took the somewhat vulnerable Nicks under her wing, particularly during a time when she would have felt isolated and confused about how her personal and professional life were converging. While the pair shared an apartment together during the brutal Rumours recording sessions, retreating there after days of fighting and performing, it was still within the group environment where McVie’s protection was so clearly felt for Nicks.
She explained, “When Christine is around, the atmosphere is much better. Lindsey likes her a lot and recognises her talent and doesn’t have any baggage with her. She’s sort of the Earth Mother who can speak truth to anybody. That’s always been her role. She’s not just a great voice — she’s the great voice of reason.”
Realistically, that five-piece should have called it quits after Rumours and saved themselves the pain of continued heartbreak and a general decline in music standards. But they beat on nevertheless, and McVie was an integral part of that.
Decades of world touring continued for the five, even when every ounce of sense said they shouldn’t hit the road together, particularly for Nicks, who was tasked with plunging to the depths of her own trauma during the set. But had the quiet and calm influence of McVie not been present, then maybe she wouldn’t have.
