Lindsey Buckingham ‘Fine’ with Fleetwood Mac ‘Covers Band’ Lineup
Lindsey Buckingham said he’d heard that the lineup of Fleetwood Mac that toured without him came across as something of a “covers band” – but that he felt that was “fine.”
In an interview that took place before Stevie Nicks finally spoke out about the dispute that led to Buckingham’s dismissal, the guitarist said he was still hoping for a reunion.
The veteran group brought Neil Finn and Mike Campbell in to hit the road in 2019. Speaking to Mojo, Buckingham said: “It would be so appropriate for the five of us to go out again, even if you want to call it a farewell tour. I didn't see the last shows but I heard it it was a little generic, like a covers band. That's fine, because there's always a fraction of people who are coming for the brand, per se, and aren't going to differentiate in terms of members as long as Stevie is up there.” He added: “But it would be great for us to share it one last time. I know Mick [Fleetwood] and Christine [McVie] would love that to happen. Wait and see.”
He also reflected that, while he was happy with his upcoming self-titled solo album, there was a difference between such a project and working with his former band. “[M]y solo work is often more esoteric, and you lose nine out of 10 listeners because you're disconnecting from their idea of what Fleetwood Mac is. But I wanted to make a pop record here.” He noted that the record had gone through some changes behind the scenes as a result of his firing, his subsequent heart surgery and the end of his marriage. “I wrote these songs when my wife and I had been together a long time,” he said. “Things drift. Suddenly, you're at a point where everyone is pulling to reboot the entire scenario of domestic life. That's something that happens. So while a lot of these songs are celebrating long-term relationships, they're doing it in a non-romanticized way.”