Why did Fleetwood Mac replace Lindsey Buckingham with two guitarists?
Fleetwood Mac went through a lot of lineup changes. Even before it took its most successful and well-known form in the 1970s, it had already been through a number of other players and sounds when Peter Green was the leader. But after Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham joined, they became not only two of the best-known members but two essential elements – a point proven when they had to call in not one but two guitarists to replace Buckingham.
It’s certainly bragging rights. Whatever happened behind the scenes that led to Buckingham walking away, or perhaps even being fired, in 2018, it surely made him feel better when he saw that the band couldn’t find one person capable of carrying his role in the band, so they needed to get two. It’s certainly a testament to the guitarist’s looming talent that they literally needed to double the manpower in order to even reach the quality he was hitting.
But it’s slightly more complex than Buckingham simply being so good no one could pull it off. However, that is, in part, true. When Buckingham joined the band alongside Nicks on New Year’s Eve 1974, the group’s music shifted. Morphing from the blues band it started out as, this new lineup established itself as a rock and roll act in part due to the influences and skills the new members were bringing in. Despite being the newest additions, the band’s albums from then on were largely centred around the pair. Nicks’ witchy, emotive songwriting gave them many of their biggest hits, and Buckingham’s unique guitar compositions provided some of their best musical moments. From the very beginning, they made themselves irreplaceable as their own personal talents began leading the way.
In Buckingham’s case, beyond his own lyrical and songwriting efforts, his guitar playing brought something new to the table. He doesn’t play guitar like a typical rock player would. He manages to morph rhythm and lead guitar together at once. He doesn’t use a pick; he plays with all five fingers on his right hand, and he even plays a custom guitar built to suit his style. A song like ‘Big Love’ is a perfect example as he manages to weave between finger-picking and striking chords in an instant. For a song with so much going on guitar-wise and so many layers and elements, the videos of him managing to perform the song solo are astounding as a prime example of his abilities.
But it all seemed to come naturally to him, which is exactly the issue. This style of playing is clearly just what comes to him. It’s clearly the way he learnt or the skill he’s honed, applying his own individual flair and skill set to Fleetwood Mac’s music. So when he was no longer in the band, it was always going to be tricky for any other player to slot into his place, having to try and relearn the instrument in his style as the songs demanded.
That’s not all, though. In addition to playing guitar, Buckingham also sang. So now, any replacement needs to be not only talented in the same way as him instrumentally but be able to carry his guitar parts while also singing and performing to the same quality. That’s a big ask and tough to find.
So when Buckingham left in 2018, they called in two plays to replace him, allowing him to split up his parts into two more manageable sections. They split it into the more traditional division of one rhythm guitarist and one lead, allowing one to do vocals too and the other to focus on the instrumentation.
In reality, even when Buckingham was in the band, sometimes this would be the case. Often, at the band’s gigs, there would be additional session plays on stage, including a rhythm guitarist in the background to help him out. But largely, the decision to replace Buckingham with two players, rather than just one, is exactly as emboldening and smug as it sounds – he was simply so talented they needed double the men to match him.
Who replaced Lindsey Buckingham in Fleetwood Mac?
In 2018, when Buckingham officially quit the band or perhaps was fired during what Mick Fleetwood described as an “ugly” falling out, he was replaced by Neill Finn on rhythm guitar and vocals and Mike Campbell on lead guitar.
But this wasn’t the first time he’d walked away. In 1987, when he quit after an early big bust-up with the group, he was also replaced by two people. Back then, Billy Burnette and Rick Vito took his place, stepping in at the last minute to save the band’s 1987 to 1988 tour. It wouldn’t be until 1997 that they would all reconcile and bring Buckingham back into the fold.
