Buckingham Nicks By Buckingham Nicks

yo,

Buckingham Nicks is the first and only album from the duo composed of Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham.

Famous later as members of the huge Fleetwood Mac, their careers didn’t actually start there. As a young couple, Stevie and Lindsey tried to break into the industry with little to no luck — first with their band Fritz RMB, then with solo efforts — until this record became their real shot.

It wasn’t until they joined Fleetwood Mac that their talent was fully recognised, and honestly, the same can be said for the band. That connection benefited both sides: Stevie and Lindsey reshaped Fleetwood Mac’s sound while also expanding their own musical landscape in the process.

So, in an attempt not to load this with many more Fleetwood Mac comparisons, I’m here to dive into the duo’s self-titled record, released back in the ’70s but only now available on streaming.

Actually, before diving into the record, I thought it would be important to provide some background on how and why this album has just become available to stream. There’s a lot of story behind this, but I’ll try to keep this short since it isn’t the main focus here (though I might make a separate piece just on that in the future).

So, after Fritz RMB broke up, Stevie and Lindsey carried on as a duo and recorded their one self-titled album, Buckingham Nicks, released by Polydor in September 1973.

The record was a commercial flop and quickly went out of print, but one track, the amazing “Frozen Love,” that famously caught Mick Fleetwood’s ear when he heard it played at Sound City. Impressed by Lindsey’s guitar work, he invited him to join Fleetwood Mac, and Buckingham insisted Stevie come along too. That moment basically set up Fleetwood Mac’s classic era.

The album only ever saw limited reissues (last widely in the U.S. around 1981), briefly re-charted on Billboard’s Midline LPs in 1983, and then kind of disappeared. Finally, though, on September 19, 2025, it was remastered and officially released on CD, digital, and streaming via Rhino.

The rollout was pretty fun, too. In July, Stevie and Lindsey quietly teased the reissue in coordinated Instagram posts: Stevie shared handwritten lyrics reading And if you go forward… and Lindsey followed with I’ll meet you there — a line from “Frozen Love.”

Even Mick Fleetwood got in on it a day earlier, posting a video of himself listening to “Frozen Love” and calling it magic then, magic now, which got fans buzzing. Not long after, a huge billboard of the original 1973 cover appeared on Sunset Boulevard in L.A., marked with the release date September 19 — fittingly in the city where the album was recorded.

On announcement day, Stevie and Lindsey posted a joint video at the billboard, revealed that “Crying in the Night” would be available to stream ahead of the full release, and confirmed the record’s first official digital rollout. And we now finally have full access to this little project.

Now, with that out of the way, I can focus on the record. Thematically (and musically) speaking, this project reminds me a lot of Fleetwood Mac’s second self-titled record. Maybe because it was their first record with the band, but also the Soft Rock, Blues, and Folk sounds — plus Keith Olsen’s contributions on both albums — probably had something to do with it.

It essentially consists of songs performed by Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, reflecting their musical style and relationship at that time. You can already feel how these two were a volcano as a relationship — not only on the outside but also within the music (something that would be heavily explored later on Rumours too).

This works well as each pushes the other forward lyrically, musically, and most importantly, creatively, supporting each other in their own twisted way.

The album opens well with the soft “Crying in the Night,” where you can hear both Lindsey and Stevie contribute lyrically, something I really like on the project in songs such as “Without a Leg to Stand On” and “Crystal,” a song Stevie wrote about falling in love with Lindsey. It’s so beautiful that it was later added to Fleetwood Mac’s second self-titled album.

There’s also a funny duality on “Long Distance Winner,” written by Stevie, about how she dealt with their relationship and “Don’t Let Me Down Again,” written by Lindsey, that sort of works as a response to the previous song. Something very similar to what the duo would later do on Rumours with the tracks “Dreams” and “Go Your Own Way.”

Then you get something like “Lola (My Love),” which leans into a blues-Alabama vibe that I personally don’t resonate with much, but Lindsey’s guitar work is still cool. Moreover, not only love and relationships are explored on Buckingham Nicks — Stevie wrote “Races Are Run” honouring the duo’s days in Fritz RMB, which I think is pretty cool.

Moving on, I also enjoy Lindsey’s purely instrumental tracks, which work well as breaks from the lyrical intensity — pieces like “Stephanie” or “Django.” They’re weaker than the songs with vocals, sure, but they still feel appropriate and help bring the record together.

On that note, listening to this album made me realise how much credit Lindsey deserves. Most of the amazing guitar work across Fleetwood Mac’s projects really comes from him, and even though I kind of knew that already, this record makes me feel it fully.

There’s a reason this album feels so familiar alongside Fleetwood Mac’s biggest work. I’m not saying Lindsey and Stevie carried the band, as I do think their addition was both beneficial for them and the band. I’m just glad they made it in their careers as well as they did, and that Buckingham Nicks finally has the recognition it deserves.

Considering how long ago it was released and how much of a product of its time it is, it’s impressive how much motion and excitement it still carries. Super glad there are fans out there like me who still get excited about discovering and having the opportunity to check this record.

Overall, the record feels consistent, and it all builds to the peak for me: “Frozen Love.” Both vocals in the chorus, the way the track is structured, and Lindsey’s solo — such a perfect closer.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, this album didn’t blow my mind, but as a huge Fleetwood Mac fan, it was such a pleasant project to dive into. Obviously, I still prefer most of Fleetwood Mac’s material, but Buckingham Nicks feels like a beautiful little time capsule of where it all began (for the duo at least).

Everybody has said it already, but it’s worth repeating: Mick Fleetwood heard this record, and decided they needed to be in the band — and the rest is history. Without this album, there’s a good chance Fleetwood Mac’s classic era, the one we all know and love, might never have happened.

So while it may not be the most mind-blowing record of the ’70s, it’s still an important one, both musically and historically. And honestly, for fans like me, it’s just nice that this record finally gets the recognition and wider release it deserves after all these years.

8,2/10

Highlights:

• “Frozen Love”
• “Crying in the Night”
• “Don’t Let Me Down Again”

Peace,

Isi

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