Drama plagued the history of Fleetwood Mac just as much as it inspired the band. Trouble made changeups not only inevitable but also pretty necessary. But for all this dramatic change, there is one song every single lineup of Fleetwood Mac has played.
Mick Fleetwood on drums and John McVie on bass remained the consistent core of the band’s membership. Guitarist Peter Green started the line of transient guitarists that would eventually lead to the recruitment of Lindsey Buckingham and – by proxy – Stevie Nicks. This lineup is one footnote in Fleetwood Mac history, connected to all others by one song.
Every lineup of Fleetwood Mac is united by one song
Following Green, who separated in 1970, would be Jeremy Spencer, a founding guitar player who left in ’71. Just a year later, guitarist no. 3 Danny Kirwan would do the same. All the while, members vied for leadership positions, including hopefuls Bob Welch, Dave Walker, and Bob Weston.
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On top of all this, Green’s leaving enabled McVie’s wife Christine Perfect to step in as a vocalist and keyboardist.
11 guitarists would play for Fleetwood Mac, with only one lineup being perhaps the most famous, if also most troubled, quartet. But even after their dissolution, the band endured – and Buckingham would play material from bandmates past; under Buckingham’s supervision, every lineup of Fleetwood Mac would at some point play “Oh No,” originally by Green.
One song eased growing pains
What makes this all the more remarkable is how greatly Fleetwood Mac has evolved in sound over the years. Jazz evolved for a time to folk and soft rock, then back again. But “Oh No” was a reliable bridge between all these evolutions.
“Oh No” was originally composed in ’69 by Green. It originally circulated as a single, then appeared on the U.S. version of Then Play On. In its fully realized version, “Oh No” is actually two parts of varying length, though during concerts only the first part is played.
Eventually, Welch took over leadership of the band and, sure enough, made sure to include this song in their setlist. Guitarist Billy Burnette also used “Oh No” to release growing pains when he and Rick Vito replaced Buckingham. When Dave Mason swapped in by ’93, he played while Burnette sang. The late ’90s saw the near elimination of this chart-topper, but in 2009, the return of Buckingham meant the return of “Oh No,” and it was player over 80 times just that year.
Finally, with the firing of Buckingham in 2018, replacement Mike Campbell entered the lineup and, sure enough, utilized this very familiar Fleetwood Mac song as his signature performance, having fallen in love with it back when he was performing it as a cover. So, through change and challenges, one thing remained the same.