When Stevie Nicks’ name was on a product, she would always give it her all. It’s obvious when Stevie Nicks held the room, even in a band like Fleetwood Mac that was built on democracy and only occasionally used vocal harmony to support songs by Lindsey Buckingham or Christine McVie. Nicks felt the least connected to the band’s landmark Tango In the Night album from the 1980s, even though every incarnation of the group had its fair share of issues.
To be fair, the band had already been attempting to manage each member’s solo career. So, getting everyone together wasn’t going to be easy. While Buckingham was scoring comparable numbers with a few of his hits, Nicks had achieved solo success. She did this with some of her greatest songs.
Nicks was in terrible shape before the record had even started because no one had bothered to clean up their act. So, she checked herself into rehab just before the sessions started. Fleetwood Mac’s hits like “Welcome to the Room…Sara” and “Seven Wonders” remain among their best. However, McVie is the true highlight of the performance.
Although McVie had written several hit songs for Fleetwood Mac, including “Everywhere” and “Little Lies,” Buckingham and Nicks had their share of standout performances. After her release from rehab, Nicks felt that she was missing from most of the album.
Nicks recalled telling the band in Gold Dust Woman that she needed more representation because “it’s not even like I’m on this fucking record,” in contrast to the old Fleetwood Mac projects where everything felt like a democracy. There’s no way I can hear myself. Perhaps I didn’t spend much time in the studio. You are aware of my illness. How is it going to look when the record comes out? I might have to tell Rolling Stone that I didn’t work on the record?”
Nicks is not entirely wrong. Even though she appears frequently on the album, her backing vocals on “Everywhere” seem more felt than heard. They resemble McVie’s smokey voice more than her signature crooning. However, that could be a sign of this Mac generation.
Even though Nicks’s vocals were eventually added back into “Everywhere,” she acknowledged that she was finding it difficult to finish a number of the songs. The chorus of the song “Little Lies” does a fantastic job of showcasing each member of the band. It almost gives the impression that everyone is at least in agreement. Things were not right once the band put down their instruments. This was the album that finally caused the band to disintegrate after Buckingham left.
