Why did Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham’s first project fail?
Fleetwood Mac are one of the most well-known and well-loved bands of all time. Penning soft rock soundscapes about their broken internal relationships, they secured their place in music history with the iconic Rumours in 1977, and their legacy has been unwavering ever since. From the hazy ‘Dreams’ to the sparkling ‘Everywhere’, their music still finds its way onto radios and playlists, winning over generations of fans.
As is well known, both Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham were essential to this success. While Nicks became the band’s formidable frontwoman, infusing their music with harmony and melody, Buckingham gifted the band with his innovative guitar playing. Between them, they wrote some of Fleetwood Mac’s best work, including ‘Dreams’, ‘Go Your Own Way’, and ‘The Chain’.
Without their contributions, Fleetwood Mac might never have gained their mammoth legacy, one which far eclipsed the duo’s previous project. Before they joined the band, the couple put out a self-titled record under the name Buckingham Nicks in 1973, but it would never achieve the same heights as Fleetwood Mac did. It harnessed all the same songwriting talents, so why was it so much less successful?
Buckingham Nicks is pretty difficult to locate these days. The record flopped upon release in 1973, and it hasn’t been re-released since. It’s not even available to listen to on streaming sites, which only contain live recordings of the pair. If you do manage to track down the studio recordings, though, you’ll find that they’re not too far off the sound of Fleetwood Mac. Nicks and Buckingham’s songwriting prowess is already clear, and so too are their soft rock stylings.
Waddy Wachtel, who contributed guitar to the record, deemed the songs “magical” during an appearance on the Legends Podcast, and he’s not wrong. The collection of tracks provided a glimpse at the entrancing songwriting that was to come when the pair joined Fleetwood Mac. “It’s such a drag that that album just flopped,” he added, “you know, ‘cause there’s great material on it.”
From the soft finger-picking of ‘Stephanie’ to the gorgeously rocking closing track ‘Frozen Love’, there was some great material, but it went unnoticed and unappreciated at the time of release. Though it had Polydor’s name attached to it, the label did little to push the record, and it fell flat. Still, there was hope for the couple on the horizon when the record just so happened to grace the ears of Mick Fleetwood.
Though Buckingham Nicks might not have won over wider audiences, it earned the pair the attention and admiration of Fleetwood, who would eventually recruit Buckingham to join his band. They came as a pair, so, on Buckingham’s stipulation, Nicks joined the band too and the Fleetwood Mac we all know and love was born.
Buckingham Nicks was certainly magical in its own right, but it lacked a certain fullness and edge that the pair would hone during their time with Fleetwood Mac. The record had no hits like ‘Everywhere’ or ‘The Chain’, which were more suited to background listening than the charts, but Fleetwood saw potential.
Bolstered by their collaborations with Fleetwood and the McVies, Buckingham and Nicks truly came into their own in Fleetwood Mac. They would come together to create some of the most iconic harmonies, melodies and riffs of all time, forging a legacy for Fleetwood Mac that went far beyond Buckingham Nicks. Still, their previous project is a worthy listen for fans of the pair.
