Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks solo

Image from Ultimate Classic Rock

In 2012, in the TV room of the Penn Club in London, I saw a film about the history of a band I was once devoted to: Fleetwood Mac.

The group began in 1967 in London and evolved as a California band in the 70s. The initial combo, Mick Fleetwood and John and Christine McVie, were joined by Americans Lindsay Buckingham and Stevie Nicks.

It was a match made in heaven: the sound that quartet produced was truly divine. Great and early hits included Landslide, Dreams, The Chain, and Rhiannon. Like so many, this band had musical disagreements as well as tragic romances, alcohol abuse and drug problems. They also produced Gold Dust Woman and Never Going Back Again.

When trouble entered paradise in the form of Lindsay's affair with Stevie's best friend, one result was  Stevie's haunting rendition of Sara. The situation also contributed to her loss of control over her pre-concert need for drugs. She and Lindsay could break up, but the musical partnership was harder to walk away from. After her comeback, Stevie speaks of this frankly on film.

Fleetwood Mac reunited in 1997 and made the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. According to The Telegraph, the 2013 tour of Fleetwood Mac earned them a cool $17.4 million.

Stevie Nicks once worked as a waitress. While still young, she also produced a solo albums, Bella Donna, with Leather and Lace, and After the Glitter Fades, in which she muses "I never thought I'd ever make it here in Hollywood, I never thought I'd ever want to stay."