“He became a hero”: the drummer Mick Fleetwood could only dream of living up to
Fleetwood Mac may have experienced numerous transitions over the years and adapted and evolved based on the various lineups they went through, but through thick and thin, there was one constant: the drumming of Mick Fleetwood. Whatever trials and tribulations the band went through, Fleetwood maintained its heartbeat, providing a steady foundation while preserving its core sound.
There’s a lot to digest when reflecting on the Fleetwood Mac story. However, the biggest, most career-defining cornerstone is definitely Rumours, the album that saw them reach their peak not only in terms of dynamics but sonically, too—the Mac no longer rode the coattails of Eagles and Jackson Browne. They were their own entity and a forceful one at that.
It’s easy to guess each band member’s favourites on this particular album, especially Stevie Nicks’ and Lindsey Buckingham’s, as both found themselves amid a tumultuous fiery storm that gifted the world the whimsical grooves of ‘Dreams’ and the fast-paced rhythmic beats of ‘Go Your Own Way’. For this reason, Fleetwood once described being a big fan of the latter, mostly due to how it makes him feel playing it.
“I love playing this song,” the drummer once said. Adding: “It’s one of my favourites because I get to kick the hell out of my drums, and it’s got that wonderfully primal part. It’s a great ‘let loose’ stage song, in which I can revert to my old animal ways and not be quite so polite. Lindsey is a full-on rock ‘n’ roller on this song, and that I love.”
Beyond Fleetwood Mac, there are many virtuosos who occupy the drummer’s mind; some he directly extracts tidbits from and others he could only dream of paralleling. Any world-class drummer will likely effortlessly list off each and every one of their favourites and how they impacted their own sound, but there’s one that remains completely unreachable to Fleetwood, and that’s the unrivalled prowess of Sandy Nelson.
Perhaps lesser-known than his other cherished favourites like John Bonham, Nelson contributed to several well-known hits throughout the 1950s and 1960s, including Teddy Bears’ ‘To Know Him Is To Love Him’, The Hollywood Argyles’ ‘Alley Oop’ and Kathy Young and the Innocents’ ‘A Thousand Stars’. Although not necessarily a household name now, he was once one of the most popular rock and jazz drummers around.
“Sandy Nelson was someone who was played on the radio, and I couldn’t believe you’d have a drummer with a hit record. He became a hero,” Fleetwood said, describing the ways Nelson felt he could be more than just a drummer. “My dream was to be Sandy Nelson,” he concluded. “And all I’ve done is drum, so I have no complaints.”
