On this day (September 4) in 1976, Fleetwood Mac topped the Billboard 200 for the first time with their 1975 self-titled album. The LP climbed the chart for more than a year before it reached the top. While it only occupied the pole position for a single week, the record went on to be incredibly commercially successful. It has since been certified 9x Platinum by the RIAA.
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This was, fittingly, Fleetwood Mac’s second self-titled album. The band, then under the leadership of Peter Green, released their self-titled debut album in 1968. It’s common for a band’s first album to be eponymous. After all, it is an introduction, of sorts, to the world. The band went through several personnel changes over the years. However, the most substantial came before they recorded their 1975 album, This Fleetwood Mac is the first to feature Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks.
How a Stevie Nicks Song Made Fleetwood Mac a Hit
Fleetwood Mac released their second self-titled album on July 11, 1975. It debuted at No. 183 on the Billboard 200 chart dated August 2. The album climbed the chart and initially peaked at No. 9. At that point, it still would have been their most successful album in the United States. The band had already released 10 albums, and only one had broken into the top 40.
After hitting its peak, Fleetwood Mac began its slow but steady descent from the top 10. Then, in February 1976, the band released the Stevie Nicks-penned classic “Rhiannon,” and the album started climbing. In June, the band released “Say You Love Me,” penned by Christine McVie, as the fourth and final single from the album. The climb continued.
Both singles narrowly missed the Hot 100’s top 10, peaking at No. 11. However, their popularity was enough to push the album ever higher on the Billboard 200. After 57 weeks, it finally reached No. 1 on the chart dated September 4.
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