Latest news with #PeterGreen
Irish Daily Star
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Star
People are just realising what the band name Fleetwood Mac means after 58 years
When it comes to music, Fleetwood Mac are a band that has played a big part in a lot of people's lives. The British-American rock band, who formed in London in 1967, was put together by guitarist and singer Peter Green. Over 50 years later, the group have sold more than 120 million records worldwide, which ranks them as one of the world's best-selling bands. Even so, it seems that after all this time, some people still don't know the meaning behind their name - especially if they've become fans later down the line. On Reddit , lots of music fans talk about the iconic group, known for hits such as "Dreams" and "Go Your Own Way", however it seems they're always learning something new about the band. On Quora, another person asked: "How did Fleetwood Mac get their name?" The simple question generated a host of replies. Fleetwood Mac perform onstage during the 2018 iHeartRadio Music Festival (Image: Getty Images for iHeartMedia) One replied: "Fleetwood Mac got their name from a combination of the last names of two of its founding members, Mick Fleetwood and John McVie. The band was originally formed in 1967 as a blues band led by Peter Green, and they were initially called 'Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac'. The name was later shortened to simply 'Fleetwood Mac'." Another suggested: "Peter Green, the lead guitarist at the time in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers was given by John Mayall studio time, as a gift to do with whatever he wanted. He made the instrumental recording of the song 'Fleetwood Mac' with Mick Fleetwood & John McVie, the drummer and bass player respectively at the time in The Bluesbreakers." However, if you didn't know how the band got its name, you may be surprised to learn it's actually quite simple how it all came together. Green actually named the band by combining the surnames of drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie - two musicians who remained with the band throughout its various line-up changes. If you knew the founding members were called Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, you'd probably guess where the band got its name from, but the idea to merge the rhythm sections' names actually took a little while to develop. Christine McVie (L) and Stevie Nicks of music group Fleetwood Mac (Image: Getty Images) The story goes it all began when co-founder Peter Green replaced Eric Clapton in John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, which also comprised of Fleetwood and McVie. Then a name for the new band came about after Peter, Mick and John started recording songs - something which John Mayall reportedly gave them space to do. During these recording sessions, one song turned out to be a sprawling instrumental and it was dubbed "Fleetwood Mac" due to the vital contributions of the drummer and bassist, with Mac being a shortened version of McVie. Later, Green suggested using it to name the band itself, and the idea soon stuck. However, despite inspiring the moniker, Green was the first to leave the band. By the time they reached the mid-'70s, the group had altered quite a bit, and added Christine McVie - then Christine Perfect. Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks later concluded what would be the enduring line-up. As many people know, it wasn't always full of joy though, as the five piece ended up turning their affairs, break-ups and utter heartbreak into major music with their iconic album Rumours in 1977.
Chicago Tribune
05-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Biblioracle: ‘Fleetwood Mac All the Songs' is my kind of coffee table book
When I found out that there is a 608-page book weighing in at over five pounds titled 'Fleetwood Mac All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track,' I knew I had to get my hands on a copy and see what's doing. It's not that I'm anything more than an average (or slightly above) Fleetwood Mac fan. Like everyone else, I'm well-versed in the 'Rumours'-era mega-hits like 'Don't Stop' and 'The Chain,' and I even have some passing knowledge of their pre-Buckingham/Nicks incarnation as a heavy blues outfit led by Peter Green, but that's about it. Sure, I've watched the 'Classic Albums: Rumours' episode three or four times, relishing the story of how interpersonal drama mixed with drug use and alcohol abuse was turned into one of the greatest albums of all time, but who doesn't like a story that's both a train wreck and something like the opposite? When 'Fleetwood Mac All the Songs,' was delivered to my doorstep, the thumping noise scared the dogs, and when I opened the box and saw the book inside, it was love at first sight. This is my kind of coffee table book, and if you're at all interested in the ins and outs of a band — even if you're not a huge Fleetwood Mac fan — I think you will find it fascinating. Produced by two French music journalists, Olivier Roubin and Romuald Ollivier, the book delivers on the promise of its title. It truly breaks down every song by Fleetwood Mac, starting with its blue-rock origins, moving through a middle period where they were led by singer-songwriter-guitarists Bob Welch and Danny Kirwan, on through the mega-act years, and even beyond into some Fleetwood Mac incarnations I didn't know existed and that members of the band would maybe prefer to forget. But not Roubin and Ollivier. They forget nothing. Each song is broken down in terms of origins, songwriting and production, plus frequent trivia tidbits that were often my favorite parts. For example, I discovered that 'Second Hand News,' a favorite somewhat lesser-known track from 'Rumours' has a rhythm pattern borrowed from The Bee Gees, and the percussion is augmented by Lindsey Buckingham pounding on a Naugahyde chair with a pair of sticks. Maybe that's not interesting to you, but there's a real pleasure to learning these things, and going back to the music and listening with more attentive ears to see what you can now hear. In addition to the breakdown of each song and album, the authors include profiles of all of the band members over the years, and also of the producers, engineers and others who worked with Fleetwood Mac. Mini-essays work through the big events in the band's history, the tours, the drama, the break-ups. There was absolutely no culling process in terms of what was included in the book. Everything is present. It would be ridiculous to claim that I've read the entire book. I haven't even come close. It's 608 pages! But after initially going through the material I was most familiar with, I turned back to the beginning of the Peter Green-era and started reading along as I listened to music I'd been aware of, but never really, truly heard. It's been both fun and instructive. Deep down, I think I just appreciate a truly obsessive project like this. I can't imagine the depth of dedication it would take to pull this book together. It seems like a lifetime of work in and of itself. This is a book that would make a great gift for the right person, and you probably all know one right person. John Warner is the author of books including 'More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI.' You can find him at John Warner tells you what to read based on the last five books you've read. 1. 'Lonesome Dove' by Larry McMurtry 2. 'The Power of One' by Bryce Courtney 3. 'Cutting for Stone' by Abraham Verghese 4. 'North Woods' by Daniel Mason 5. 'The Wide Wide Sea' by Hampton Sides — Jim G., Naperville For Jim, I'm feeling like it's a good time to bring one of my top-5 all-time novels into the mix, 'Mrs. Bridge' by Evan S. Connell. 1. 'We Are the Culture: Black Chicago's Influence on Everything' by Arionne Nettles 2. 'If Beale Street Could Talk' by James Baldwin 3. 'John Adams and the Fear of American Oligarchy' by Luke Mayville 4. 'The Captain's Daughter' by Alexander Pushkin 5. 'Abide with Me' by Elizabeth Strout — Bill B., Des Plaines Bill should dive into Kent Haruf's 'Plainsong' next. 1. 'Becoming Madam Secretary' by Stephanie Dray 2. 'A Woman of Substance' by Barbara Taylor Bradford 3. 'Still Life' by Sarah Winman 4. 'The Bandit Queens' by Parini Shroff 5. 'The Rose Code' by Kate Quinn — Lynne A., Waukegan This is a little outside Lynne's list, but I think it's a reasonable reach, 'The Book of Goose' by Yiyun Li.
