Fleetwood Mac by The Cosmic Carnival - The Incredible Story

FLEETWOOD MAC
"The Incredible Story"
performed by The Cosmic Carnival

Fleetwood Mac stands alongside the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and Queen as one of the most influential bands in music history. Founded in 1967 by guitarist Peter Green and drummer Mick Fleetwood as a British blues rock outfit, the classic lineup of Mick Fleetwood, Peter Green, Jeremy Spencer, and John McVie was already outselling the Beatles and Rolling Stones by 1969. Blues-driven rock tracks like "Black Magic Woman" and "Oh Well" became worldwide hits.

In 1970, the band hit a serious crisis. Lead guitarist Peter Green struggled to cope with the pressure of success and fell into drug addiction, eventually leaving the band without warning. Second guitarist Jeremy Spencer faced similar troubles and walked out mid-tour in the United States.

These departures forced Fleetwood Mac into a dramatic reinvention in the early 1970s. Christine McVie joined on keyboards and Bob Welch came in as the new lead guitarist, marking the start of the band's pop-rock era. Few acts in music history have pulled off such a complete stylistic overhaul without losing their audience.

In 1974, Bob Welch left, and Mick Fleetwood happened to meet two new musicians at the same recording studio. Lindsey Buckingham joined as guitarist and vocalist, and Stevie Nicks as an additional singer - another couple in the band alongside Christine and John McVie, and a stroke of musical genius.

The first album by this lineup, simply titled "Fleetwood Mac", came out in 1975 and contained several hit singles including "Rhiannon" and "Over My Head".