Rediscovered: Buckingham Nicks – (Polydor 1973)

Before they joined Fleetwood Mac and helped steer the band into rock superstardom, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham were just another struggling duo with a dream and a record deal. That first step came in the form of Buckingham Nicks, their debut album, released in September 1973. It didn’t sell. It barely charted. But it changed everything.

A California dream, recorded at Sound City

Recorded at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, California, Buckingham Nicks is a ten-track snapshot of two young songwriters trying to find their place. The album includes early versions of songs that would later become Fleetwood Mac staples, like “Crystal”, which was re-recorded for the band’s 1975 self-titled album.

Other standout tracks include Nicks’ emotionally charged “Crying in the Night”, the stark and reflective “Races Are Run”, and “Long Distance Winner”, which she would later revive for her 1998 box set Enchanted: The Works of Stevie Nicks. There’s also “Frozen Love”, a sprawling track that, according to producer Keith Olsen, played a key role in what happened next.

“Mick Fleetwood heard ‘Frozen Love’ when he came to check out the studio. That’s how he discovered Lindsey.”
— Keith Olsen, via Sound on Sound

A label letdown, then a life-changing call

Despite the strength of the material and the undeniable chemistry between the pair, Polydor Records wasn’t impressed. Olsen later recalled that the label felt the album “lacked imagination.” Still under contract, Polydor reluctantly released the album and issued two singles: “Don’t Let Me Down Again” and a remixed version of “Crying in the Night”.

Neither single gained radio traction. Album sales were poor, and after a short US tour, Polydor dropped the duo. But just as things seemed to stall, fate intervened. Mick Fleetwood, scouting for a studio and a guitarist to replace Bob Welch, heard Buckingham’s playing on Frozen Love and made a call that would reshape the future of rock.

Fleetwood offered Lindsey Buckingham a spot in Fleetwood Mac. Buckingham accepted, on one condition: Stevie Nicks comes too.

A cult album

Although Buckingham Nicks has since developed a cult following, it has never been officially reissued on CD or digital platforms. Both Nicks and Buckingham own the rights to the recordings, but have resisted calls for a re-release.

The only track to receive a commercial digital remaster is “Long Distance Winner”, which appeared on Nicks’ Enchanted compilation. A few other songs, such as “Stephanie” and “Frozen Love,” have surfaced on radio-only promotional CDs, but fans are still waiting for a proper reissue.

In an era where even the most obscure LPs are getting deluxe vinyl re-releases, Buckingham Nicks remains an outlier. And yet, it might be one of the most important “unsuccessful” records of the 1970s.

Because without it, there may never have been a Fleetwood Mac as we know it.