Fleetwood Mac Member ‘Not Happy’ About Replacement

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Neil Finn, who is known for his songwriting and work in Australian rock band Crowded House recently reflected on joining Fleetwood Mac in 2018 as one of the two guitarists who replaced Lindsey Buckingham.

Neil Finn talks about Lindsey Buckingham

Although many rock bands experience turbulence, drama, and frequent lineup changes, Fleetwood Mac’s journey was particularly tumultuous. Despite internal conflicts and other challenges, they are regarded as one of the most influential bands in history. Notably, guitarist Lindsey Buckingham’s departure in 2018 required not one, but two members to replace him due to his exceptional talent and contribution to Fleetwood Mac.

Finn was accompanied by guitarist Mike Campbell in 2018 and looked back on what it was like to be part of the band in a recent appearance on the Broken Record Podcast.

Although Finn admits that he never got the chance to meet Buckingham, he has nothing but respect of the man and his work in Fleetwood Mac.

“I’ve not met him,” Finn said (via Guitar World). “I have a feeling we’d probably get on just fine. [But] I don’t think he was very happy about the situation.”

The likely reason why Lindsey wouldn’t be thrilled to meet Finn is probably because he was practically fired in 2018. However, at the same time, his replacement in the band understands how this goes.

“I don’t think he would have blamed me for it particularly. And I think he probably had some awareness of my songs,” Neil offered. He then added:

“I would hope at some point he might have thought, ‘Oh, well, at least somebody that can write a good song has taken my part.'”

Neil Finn is a great songwriter who has achieved success both as a solo artist and as a band member. Despite his vast experience, Neil admits that playing Fleetwood Mac’s music wasn’t as simple as it may seem. While many beginners may learn “The Chain” or any of the band’s hits, Neil points out that the songs have many nuances to them. When discussing his work in Fleetwood Mac between 2018 and 2022, he offered:

“Fleetwood Mac have redefined themselves so many times, have been so many different kinds of bands. I related to that and I thought, ‘Oh, maybe I can do that.’ You think you know the way that songs work, but then when you actually learn them, you find that there’s more going on than you realized.”

“Even ‘Go Your Own Way,’ which you think you’ve heard,” Finn explained. “You think it is a very simple song, but just learning it is more difficult than you think. I think I have more quirks and nuances in the way that I put songs together than Lindsey does, but somehow, they’re hard.”

After keyboardist and vocalist Christine McVie passed away in late 2022, drummer and founder Mick Fleetwood said that the band likely won’t be doing anything again. Vocalist Stevie Nicks said the same more than once.