Search - Fleetwood Mac :: Life Becoming A Landslide

In 1971, original guitarist Jeremy Spencer walked out of the group in order to join a religious cult and in '72, Danny Kirwan, by then principle guitarist and songwriter, was asked to leave following a serious drinking problem that caused violent outbursts and refusals to play. Internal struggles were also present at this time; John McVie was drinking too much as well, and his marriage to Christine was under pressure, and Mick Fleetwood's wife began an affair Kirwan's replacement, guitarist Bob Weston. Weston was soon sacked, following which the group's 1973 US tour was cancelled. In 1974 a fake Fleetwood Mac emerged and began performing in the US. Put together by ex-manager Clive Weston, who claimed he owned the name, the new line-up did not contain anyone who had ever previously performed with the group. Although the matter was resolved via the courts, for the best part of '74 the real Mac were prevented from performing or recording. At the end of 1974 Bob Welch, rhythm guitarist, songwriter and by then musical director, was fed up with the legal hassles and constant touring, and he left the group in December. Searching for a replacement guitarist, Mick Fleetwood came across Lindsey Buckingham and offered him the role. Buckingham accepted on the proviso that his partner, Stephanie Nicks, could also join. The pair was added to the line-up on New Year's Eve 1974, less than a month following Welch's departure. And the rest, as they say, is history, albeit one that provided for many more years of internal struggle, but one augmented by the kind of success that most bands can only dream of.