INTERVIEWS: Mick Fleetwood on the Release of Fleetwood Mac's "Extended Play" and Touring

Mick Fleetwood On Fleetwood Mac: 'It Would Make A Great Play'
NPR.org
April 13, 2013

Not long ago, the idea of Fleetwood Mac ever touring again seemed far-fetched at best. But as of this spring, not only is the band back on the road — according to drummer and founder Mick Fleetwood, they're having an easier time filling seats than in the past.

"We seem to have a band of angels up there organizing what we do down here. ... I don't know; maybe people think we're never gonna do this again, or we're all gonna drop dead or something," Fleetwood says. "But on a positive note, I think it's indicative of Fleetwood Mac's extremely interesting story — that just when you think it's sort of going into a ditch, it comes out the other side."

This week, Fleetwood Mac unveiled another surprise: a four-song EP of brand-new music, released digitally via iTunes and simply called Extended Play. Mick Fleetwood spoke with NPR's David Greene about the band's uncommon staying power. Hear the radio version on Morning Edition tomorrow (the audio will then be archived at the link on this page).

There have been drugs; there have been relationship ups and downs in the band. Does that mean you almost have to come to the edge, and then kind of come back from the edge to keep doing what you're doing? Is that necessary?

God knows I don't know whether it's necessary, but the fact is it happened. And without getting artsy-fartsy or therapeutic, the reality is you have to take responsibility — not only as a person within the group of people, but then you look at it as a collective, which is the band known as Fleetwood Mac. And we have.

A lot of your fans, I think, see you still out there — after all the roller-coaster and the soap opera — and a lot of fans are like, "Wow. Fleetwood Mac, through all the changes, all the years, different faces — they're still here." Are you surprised that you're still here as well?

[Laughing] Hmm ... no. I'm not. I think what I have to confess to is that I had nothing else to do apart from keep this band going. So I'm sort of not surprised.

It sounds like you're almost a prisoner to the band and the idea.

Well, that's an interesting phrase. And in truth, just as of late — the last few years, really — I've had to work at just not being this creature that almost gets obsessed: "It's gotta continue," and "What if ... ?" And I've truly done pretty good at letting go. And it's truly appropriate: We've done way too much, all of us, to be herded into my world of, "At all costs, Fleetwood Mac."

So now, what you see is really pretty much a version of a bunch of people that happen to want to do something. And they haven't been coerced or crafted, or sold their soul to the company store. ... All of that stuff is gone. Which makes this, again, a really, really clear vision of what we're doing. And I can't think of any other band that I know that has gone through the arc of all of these [changes], even before Stevie and Lindsey. It would make a great play, and I hope one day that we somehow do that.

And of course, you've played a role in the play. You've had the struggles that we all know about with drug addiction; there was a relationship with you and Stevie Nicks that a lot of people read about. Is there a song from Fleetwood Mac that you feel like kind of captures your role in the whole play?

I'd say "The Chain." [That song's message should] be written on my grave: "That's what he did. He half-killed himself keeping this bunch together."

Are you playing that song out on the tour right now?

Yeah. It's one of the songs, I think, that if we didn't play, we'd be lined up and shot.

Listen to all four tracks streaming at NPR

Mick Fleetwood The Fleetwood Mac drummer talks about the band's new EP, tour & more

Fleetwood Mac releases new EP today, plays Tulsa’s BOK Center Wednesday
Newsok.com
by: Brandy McDonnell

Fleetwood Mac debuted its first new music in a decade today, dropping an EP appropriately titled “Extended Play” on iTunes. Click here to download and listen.

The EP includes four songs: the poppy tracks “Sad Angel” and “Miss Fantasy,” the wistful piano ballad “It Takes Time” and “Without You” and a previously unreleased track that singer/songwriter Stevie Nicks penned about singer/songwriter/guitarist Lindsey Buckingham back in their pre-Fleetwood Mac Buckingham Nicks duo days.

The majority of Fleetwood Mac’s most famous lineup — drummer Mick Fleetwood, bassist John McVie, Buckingham and Nicks — is touring North American to mark the 35th anniversary reissue of their most iconic album, “Rumours,” as well as celebrating the release of new music.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers are bringing their “Fleetwood Mac Live 2013” trek to the BOK Center on Wednesday night. The legendary band previously played the Tulsa venue the last time it hit the road together, on 2009′s sold-out “Unleashed Tour.”

Fleetwood spoke enthusiastically about the planned EP in a phone interview prior to the tour’s April 4 launch in Ohio. Hopefully, the EP will herald the coming of a full-length follow-up to 2003′s “Say You Will,” he said.

Continue to the original site for the rest.

Fleetwood Mac Extended Play EP - Now Available Everywhere!

"EXTENDED PLAY "

OUT NOW!

1. Sad Angel
2. Without You
3. It Takes Time
4. Miss Fantasy


Now Available in the U.S. and Canada Plus
UK | Ireland | Australia | New Zealand | Belgium | France | Denmark | Netherlands | Germany | Norway | Sweden | Switzerland | Finland | Luxembourg | Austria | Greece | Italy| Portugal | Japan | Spain.


Check your countries iTunes for availability.

Released through LMJS Productions LLC (Lindsey, Mick, John, Stevie Productions)

Fleetwood Mac released on Tuesday, April 30th without much fanfare their four song EP with songs “Sad Angel”, “Without You” "It's Takes Time" and "Miss Fantasy".  All four songs are expected to also be released on CD, though no date has been announced. This could possibly lead to a full album from the band depending on how this does - so GO BUY IT!

Fleetwood Mac has been performing “Sad Angel,” and “Without You” on their tour. The latter track dates back to the early ’70s and Buckingham-Nicks. 

"Sad Angel" I've loved from the beginning and it doesn't disappoint.  John's bass is dancing all over this track, in fact on all of them his bass really stands out which is great... LOVE IT!   

WOW! "It Takes Time" is beautiful! and so un-Lindsey with only piano and strings... 

"Without You"... Who could go without?  Loved the old demo.  Nice redux!  Warm sounding guitar.

"Miss Fantasy"  Like this one... so great to hear the full on band sound for a change on a Lindsey song. Stevie's vocals could have been a little more prominent on this, but its cool just happy to finally hear new music.

Thanks Fleetwood Mac!

PRESS RELEASE:

LOS ANGELES, April 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Fleetwood Mac, currently on a hugely successful 48 city concert tour of North America, have confirmed that they are releasing an EP of new material today titled "Extended Play" exclusively for purchase on iTunes at  http://smarturl.it/FleetwoodMacEP. "Extended Play" includes three new songs "Sad Angel," "It Takes Time" and "Miss Fantasy" written by Lindsey Buckingham and produced by Lindsey Buckingham and Mitchell Froom.  A fourth cut, "Without You" was written by Stevie Nicks and co-produced by Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham.  "Without You" was a lost song from the Buckingham/Nicks days which had been missing and happily rediscovered when someone posted an early demo of it on YouTube.  The first single, "Sad Angel" is also being released to radio today.  "Extended Play" is the first recording of new Mac music since the release of "Say You Will" over a decade ago.

"We all felt that it would be great to go into the studio and record new material before embarking on this tour and the result has been remarkable – our best group of songs in a long time.  It's a work in progress but we're so enthused by what we've done that we thought we'd share some of it with our fans in the form of an EP now... We're performing two cuts, 'Sad Angel' and 'Without You' in the show and the response has been terrific," commented Buckingham. 

Fleetwood Mac are multi-Grammy winning Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees. Their classic Rumours album released in 1977 is one of the most successful albums in recorded history with sales exceeding 40 million.  It planted itself at the top of the pop charts for over 31 weeks and had four top ten singles.  A special edition of Rumours celebrating its release 35 years ago was recently released on Warner Bros. Records.

For further information and tour schedule:   fleetwoodmac.com

Press Contact:
Liz Rosenberg Media
liz@lizrosenbergmedia.com
karenmoss@lizrosenbergmedia.com
nadia@lizrosenbergmedia.com
212-991-4290

REVIEW - Uncasville, CT: Fleetwood Mac appears to have at least a few good years left as a top-flight destination for concertgoers

Concert Review: After 38 Years, Fleetwood Mac Is Still Going Their Own Way And Sounding Fine
By John Voket
The Newtown Bee

Photo by Brad Joblin

UNCASVILLE — After enjoying modest success as a hard rocking blues band throughout the late 1960s and early ‘70s, Fleetwood Mac catapulted its presence to the center of the rock-and-roll radar screen in 1975, after acquiring the talents of a pair of musical star-crossed lovers – Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham.

While the rhythm section of band co-founders Mick Fleetwood and John McVie continues to anchor the band’s material — including a brand new song ­— the talents of Buckingham and Nicks were a driving force behind the band’s satisfying 2½-hour show April 20 at Mohegan Sun Arena.

Review: Fleetwood Mac Live in Pittsburgh "He thrashed and smacked his guitar strings like a man gone mad"

Review: Fleetwood Mac Live in Pittsburgh - April 26, 2013
by Nicole Chynoweth
pghcitypaper

Three years have passed since Fleetwood Mac’s last tour, but their performance at Consol Energy Center last night proved their on-stage spark is hardly exhausted. For about two and a half hours, the band sent the crowd on a nostalgic journey through their back catalog with many of their greatest hits, as well as a long lost demo and a new track from their upcoming EP. While the band as a whole put on a great show, the musical chemistry between Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks could not be ignored.

“Second Hand News” opened up the show, presenting Buckingham’s awe-inspiring fingerpicking skills almost immediately. As soon as the last chord sounded, Mick Fleetwood, seated atop an impressively large drum kit, rattled his shimmering chimes and broke into “The Chain.” John McVie’s dark, ominous bass solo hypnotized the squealing audience. Both songs set the tone for the evening: the Mac is back.

After “Dreams,” Buckingham took to the mic to discuss Fleetwood Mac’s return to the road.

REVIEW | PHOTOS: Fleetwood Mac - Live in Minneapolis / Saint Paul - April 28th

Fleetwood Mac Live 

Saint Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center

April 28, 2013

Top and bottom left Photo by Jefferson Wheeler - View gallery at Star Tribune.

The Fleetwood Mac Poster is an original design by Adam Turman commissioned by Xcel Energy and given to Fleetwood Mac as a gift.

Photo by: Scott Takushi - View Gallery at Pioneer Press

Fleetwood Mac review: Wait, this is starting to sound familiar

by Ross Raihala

Pioneer Press

Something felt rather familiar about Fleetwood Mac's Xcel Energy Center show Sunday, April 28, and it wasn't just the band's songs, which remain some of the biggest-selling, most widely known of the rock era.

Instead, it was the set list -- the very order in which the group played those songs -- that was secondhand news. Four-fifths of Fleetwood Mac's most famous lineup last headlined the downtown St. Paul hockey arena in March 2009, and Sunday they performed a whopping 17 of the same songs. Of course, with a band like this, there are hits they're always going to play ("Don't Stop," "Go Your Own Way," "Landslide"). But this wasn't just hearing the same old numbers four years later, but hearing them largely in the same sequence.

Just like in '09, "The Chain" led into "Dreams" early in the show and then "Big Love," "Landslide" and "Never Going Back" occupied the same three-song stretch at the midway point. And once again, the sequence of "I'm So Afraid," "Stand Back" and "Go Your Own Way" wrapped things up and opened the door for virtually the same encore, with "Say Goodbye" added to "World Turning," "Don't Stop" and "Silver Springs."

So what was different this time around? Well, most notably, Stevie Nicks was much more present and didn't let her energetic frenemy Lindsey Buckingham steal the spotlight quite as much (even though the crowd cheered at nearly everything he did). At 64, her voice has lost much of its power, but she still looks terrific and she seemed to be enjoying herself much more Sunday night than four years back.

Buckingham reportedly wanted to record a fresh disc for 2013, but Nicks couldn't get her act together in time. They did manage to work in one brand-new track, the upbeat and poppy "Sad Angel," and one number they dug out from the vaults, "Without You" (an unreleased snoozer from the pair's pre-Mac band Buckingham Nicks).

They also upped the total number of songs drawn from 1979's "Tusk" -- the expensive, Buckingham-led flop that derailed the band's career -- from three to four. In addition to Nicks' ballad "Sara" and Buckingham's monstrous "Tusk," they worked in "Not That Funny" and "Sisters of the Moon," with Buckingham taking the opportunity to once again harangue the crowd about the album's initial failure. (Dude, it's been 34 years. Let it go already!)

Beyond that, the band kept to the oldies, with the vast majority of the songs originally written and recorded in the mid-to-late '70s. It was a nice surprise to hear "Eyes of the World," a deep cut from 1982's under-appreciated "Mirage" album, although almost any one of the other album cuts from that era would've been a better choice. As always, Christine McVie was missed. She retired in 1998 and while she was always a distant third behind Buckingham and Nicks, her softer, more romantic songs lent the band a certain humanity they've been lacking in the years since.

Lindsey Buckingham, not croaky Stevie Nicks, carried Fleetwood Mac Sunday night at the X.
by: Jon Bream
Star Tribune

Lindsey Buckingham wore the exact same outfit again. Black leather jacket, black V-neck T-shirt, black boots and, presumably, the same bluejeans.

That’s what the rock star sported when he performed a solo concert in November at the Dakota Jazz Club, the most impersonal (and loudest) performance probably ever in that intimate space. On Sunday at the sold-out Xcel Energy Center, he gave one of the most impassioned performances ever in a Twin Cities arena, this side of Bruce Springsteen.

Oh, sorry, it wasn’t actually a Lindsey Buckingham show. It was Fleetwood Mac, the band that made him famous. But singer/songwriter/keyboardist Christine McVie retired in 1998 and Stevie Nicks — Buckingham’s former lover whose romance and breakup has been the subject of many of the band’s songs — needed a good half of Sunday’s 2 ½-hour show to warm up her voice.

Granted, her voice is lower, harsher and less fluid than before, but her versions of “Rhiannon” and “Sara” were so croaky and lifeless that she couldn’t have placed in the top 5 in a Stevie Nicks sound-alike contest.

Nicks, 64, finally found her voice for “Landslide,” a duet with Buckingham, his voice and acoustic guitar. After saying she usually dedicates the song each night to a family member, Nicks said on Sunday, it would be a rare dedication to her “one and only husband,” Minnesotan Kim Anderson, who was in the audience and, of course, is no longer her husband (they divorced after a short marriage; he was the widower of her best friend, who died of leukemia).

Nicks’ incurable romanticism has fueled her art and Fleetwood Mac. She got so inspired during “Landslide” on Sunday that at song’s end she and Buckingham blew kisses at one another. Of course, they followed that with a scorching “Never Going Back Again,” during which Buckingham sounded maniacally determined on vocals and guitar and Nicks offered credible vocal harmonies.

Although she did only a few slow-motion revolutions of the famous Stevie Nicks dervish dance, she hit her vocal stride, delivering “Gypsy” with conviction while facing drummer Mick Fleetwood (another of her exes).

She finally became the bewitching Nicks of yesteryear on “Gold Dust Woman,” investing the song with mystery, passion and her trademarked accouterments of shawls and scarves (the top hat would come later, thank you).

But while Nicks clearly was a favorite of the 16,000 fans on Sunday, it is Buckingham who elevates Fleetwood Mac into an exciting arena attraction 36 years after the blockbuster “Rumours” album made them one of the biggest bands of the 1970s. On Sunday, he was a live-wire ringmaster, a guitar monster, a heartfelt singer, a hammy performer and, as Mick Fleetwood put it, “our inspiration.”

With all of the Buckingham/Nicks soap-opera songs, the comforting, buoyant tunes (and sweet vocal harmonies) of McVie were missed. The band did her “Don’t Stop,” with Buckingham and Nicks alternating as lead singer on the verses. But this really was the Lindsey Buckingham Show.

Buckingham, 63, tried to provide context with his introductions to songs. For instance, he explained that “Big Love” was written as a “contemplation on alienation” but now he sees it as “a meditation” on change. Indeed, his transformation to de facto frontman of Fleetwood Mac has helped the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group maintain its magic.

A set list & a few more thoughts about Fleetwood Mac at the X

Lindsey Buckingham claims Fleetwood Mac has recorded a bunch of new material. He promises an EP to be released in days. On Sunday at the sold-out X, 16,000 fans heard only one new number – plus one obscure Buckingham Nicks song.

Despite its title, “Sad Angel” was peppy rocker, asking the sad angel if she’d “come to right the war.” The vocal harmonies between Buckingham and Stevie Nicks felt different, and the song had almost an Americana vibe, with guitars ringing like Springsteen.

As for “Without You,” the Buckingham Nicks rarity was an un-dynamic slice of dated folk-rock with pretty straightforward lyrics.

Although Nicks wasn’t in acceptable voice for the first half of the show (as chronicled in my review), she, like Buckingham, was fairly chatty. She was certainly friendlier than at Big Mac’s last St. Paul gig, in 2009.

At the end of the evening, after Buckingham and everyone else had left the stage, Nicks told the crowd that “it’s all your fault. We throw the songs out and you catch ‘em with dream catchers and throw them back at us.” OK, discuss amongst yourselves.

The surviving Fleetwood Mac quartet was augmented by two female backup singers (including Nicks’ sister Lori Nicks), a guitarist and a keyboardist/guitarist, all of whom were introduced. There also was a second drummer behind Fleetwood’s kit who was anonymous.

Fleetwood Mac’s set list on Sunday:

Second Hand News/ The Chain/ Dreams/ Sad Angel (new) / Rhiannon/ Not That Funny/ Tusk/ Sisters of the Moon/ Sara/ Big Love/ Landslide/ Never Going Back Again/ Without You (Buckingham Nicks outtake)/ Gypsy/ Eyes of the World/ Gold Dust Woman/ I’m So Afraid/ Stand Back (Nicks solo hit)/ Go Your Own Way ENCORE 1 World Turning/ Don’t Stop ENCORE 2 Silver Springs/ Say Goodbye



Fleetwood Mac at Xcel Energy Center, 4/28/13
By Tony Nelson
Sunday, April 28, 2013
City Pages + Photo Gallery (Photos by Tony Nelson)

More than 35 years since their mega-platinum Rumours album, Fleetwood Mac reconvened for another

major tour, which came to Xcel Energy Center Sunday night. Since keyboardist and vocalist Christine's McVie's retirement, their shows have become very much the Lindsey Buckingham/Stevie Nicks show, of course backed by the most solid rhythm section of Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, and a few additional musicians. Sticking mostly to their peak period of mid-'70s to mid-'80s, the two alternated between their many hits, relying on their long and storied history of romance and breakup, using that tension to fuel their strong chemistry. The two traded places in the spotlight with Nicks occasionally leaving for wardrobe changes -- mostly variations on her trademark flowing gowns suitable for twirling.

Two big exceptions to the predictable "best of" set included a brand new tune, "Sad Angel." The upbeat, almost country-ish acoustic shuffle will be part of a new EP to be released in a few days, according to Buckingham. The second, "Without You," while new to most everyone was actually a very old tune Nicks explained they'd literally forgotten about and only rediscovered when it popped up on YouTube and sparked their interest in reviving it.

While their stage set included the now customary multiple jumbo screens and choreographed digital animation, the focus was always on the four bandmates, who occasionally slowed the tempo for the quieter numbers but never seemed to let up on their intensity over the two-and-a-half hour show, much to the delight of the capacity crowd.

Songs from each of the band's albums of the Buckingham-Nicks era were featured, but some of the loudest cheers came for the brief acoustic set midway through the show with Buckingham's insanely frenetic solo version of "Big Love", Nicks's "Landslide," and Buckingham's "Never Going Back Again," which was drawn out for a little extra drama. One of rock's most innovative, versatile (and occasionally overlooked) guitarists, his playing was continually and appropriately in the spotlight as was his energetic presence as band leader and all-around driving force, something Fleetwood acknowledged during the band intros at the end of the night.

The drama continued with a powerful version of the '75 classic "I'm So Afraid", followed by Nicks's solo hit "Stand Back" and the rousing closer "Go Your Own Way" -- for which Nicks donned her classic top hat. The last encores brought an emotional end to the evening with Nicks's Rumours-era b-side "Silver Springs" and ending with the bitter sweet "Say Goodbye" from the 2003 Say You Will LP, an acoustic song Buckingham wrote about finding closure to his relationship with Nicks and sung as a tender duet directly to each other. After the last song, both Fleetwood and Nicks came out for a final curtain call and to thank the audience for both a wonderful night and possibly a wonderful career as it's obviously possible that this could be the last visit by the iconic group.

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REVIEW: Fleetwood Mac Newark, NJ - Stevie Nicks "rode the wind like a kite" Mick "a marvel throughout the show"

Fleetwood Mac Live at Prudential Center - Newark, NJ April 24, 2013
Still restless, Fleetwood Mac goes deep at Prudential Center
By Tris McCall - The Star-Ledger + Photo Gallery

Guitar in hand, Lindsey Buckingham crouched as he walked, approaching the microphone like a cat on the prowl. Mick Fleetwood gave him a heavy downbeat on a tom and he pounced, barking out the verse to “Not That Funny,” an abrasive deep cut from “Tusk,” the 1979 experimental-pop double album on which he spent the capital Fleetwood Mac had earned with the blockbuster “Rumours.”

Fleetwood Mac has frequently been a band of complementary voices without a clear leader. But “Tusk” was Buckingham’s baby, and the Mac set at the Prudential Center in Newark on Wednesday felt very much like Buckingham’s show.

The band is famous for interplay between huge personalities. Christine McVie, the electric pianist and songwriter who acted as a serene counterbalance to Buckingham’s spastic energy, has spent the last decade in retirement from the group, and wasn’t present. Stevie Nicks remains a commanding onstage force, but her voice is diminished — she no longer tries to reach high notes that once seemed to come effortlessly to her. Bassist John McVie is dedicated to self-effacement; drummer Mick Fleetwood remains a powerhouse, but pointedly called Buckingham the band’s musical mentor. Funny, that: it was Fleetwood who, in 1974, invited Buckingham and Nicks to join a group half-named after him, and whose thunderous backbeat holds the group together.

Fleetwood Mac is celebrating the 35th anniversary of “Rumours” with a reissue and a tour. The band played seven of its cuts, and each one drew an ecstatic response from the packed house. But the group seemed more energized by other material.

Buckingham introduced four straight songs from “Tusk” with fighting words about artistic independence and the importance of creativity. Later, he held the stage alone for his flashy solo reading of the 1987 hit “Big Love,” and closed the evening with the quiet, acoustic “Say Goodbye.” He took some chances with the “Rumours” material, too, slowing down “Never Going Back Again” to a crawl, and punking up “Go Your Own Way.” “I’m So Afraid,” the brooding final cut on the band’s self-titled 1975 album, became a launching pad for a guitar solo that, while spectacular in its dexterity, flirted with self-indulgence.

Buckingham and Nicks dissolved their romantic partnership more than 30 years ago — yet the concert kept reminding us of it. The stars emerged hand in hand, beaming like a presidential couple getting off Air Force One, for the encore set. Earlier in the show, Nicks concluded “Sara” with a turn at Buckingham’s microphone and a sweetly flirtatious dance with him. “Without You,” a love song from the pair’s early years as Buckingham Nicks, was presented as evidence of their initial romantic illusions.

A cynic, or even a passionate fan, might reasonably ask why the two continue to poke the embers of a relationship that cooled ages ago, and if that is threatening to eclipse the manifold dimensions of one of rock’s most fascinating groups.

In the late ’70s, Fleetwood Mac was singular. Here was a successful rock band where men and women engaged in musical and lyrical dialogue on equal footing; their stories of love and betrayal bore a stamp of authority that comes from lived experience and mutual respect between romantic partners. Christine McVie’s work was an indispensable part of that dialogue. It is a testament to the depth and quality of the Fleetwood Mac catalog that the band could play for nearly 2½ hours while swerving around McVie’s rapturous songwriting. Nevertheless, she was missed like a lost limb.

The band did not lack energy. Stevie Nicks took a few songs to warm up, and her performances thereafter were often inexact, but when she lost herself in an outro, as she did during a strong reading of “Gypsy,” she rode the wind like a kite. “Stand Back,” a lively but mechanical Nicks solo hit from the ’80s, was made organic by McVie’s bass and Fleetwood’s fills.

The drummer was a marvel throughout the show: His martial intro to “Eyes of the World,” steady stomp during “Tusk” and dramatic build-up before the climax of “Sisters of the Moon” added drama to songs that might otherwise have flatlined. He is the rapid, healthy pulse of a group that, 50 years into its run, remains restless.

Photos Brian Killian