**Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham’s Legendary Duo Album ‘Buckingham Nicks’ Finally Remastered After More Than 50 Years**
*Published: September 22, 2025, 6:00 p.m. ET*
Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham’s first and only duo record, *Buckingham Nicks*, has finally been remastered and reissued more than half a century after its initial commercial failure turned it into one of rock’s greatest cult mysteries. RadarOnline.com has the inside story of the album’s making—and the pair’s infamously fractured relationship.
Originally released in September 1973, just 16 months before Nicks and Buckingham joined Fleetwood Mac, the album was a commercial flop. It quickly went out of print and was never made available on CD or legal streaming platforms.
### Why Did The Original Album Disappear?
Despite its failure, the gauzy, 10-track folk-rock set became legendary as the opening chapter of the duo’s creative partnership. The album showcased the vocal harmonies and emotional interplay that would soon reshape Fleetwood Mac.
“It’s like sharing ownership of an old car,” Nicks, now 77, once said of the tangled rights to the album, which were split between herself, Buckingham, and producer Keith Olsen. “The stars never seemed to exactly align.”
For Buckingham, who turns 76 next month, the reasons for the album’s disappearance were less clear. “One of Stevie’s managers has the masters in her house,” he revealed in an interview years later. “Why? Well, because somebody’s got to have them somewhere. The politics of Fleetwood Mac are strange.” He added with a chuckle, “Better hurry up! That’s all I can say.”
### The Long-Awaited Reissue
Those delays have finally ended. Teased in cryptic social media posts earlier this summer, *Buckingham Nicks* is now available on vinyl, CD, and digital formats—sourced from the original analog tapes.
“We knew what we had as a duo,” Nicks writes in new sleeve notes. “It stands up in a way you hope it would.” Buckingham echoed her sentiment, saying, “By these two kids who were pretty young to be doing that work.”
### The Early Days: Two Kids from Menlo-Atherton High
The “two kids” first met at Menlo-Atherton High School in California’s Bay Area in 1966. Buckingham was a champion swimmer and budding guitarist, while Nicks had recently relocated from Arizona. They moved to Los Angeles in 1971 to pursue music, with Nicks surviving on waitressing jobs while Buckingham honed his songwriting skills.
“I believed Lindsey didn’t have to work, that he should just lay on the floor and practice his guitar and become more brilliant every day,” Nicks once said.
### The Making of *Buckingham Nicks* and What Happened Next
The duo recorded *Buckingham Nicks* at Sound City Studios with producer Keith Olsen. Despite strong material—including tracks like “Crystal” and “Frozen Love”—Polydor’s promotion was lackluster. Sales were dismal, and plans for a follow-up album fell apart. One demo from these sessions, “Without You,” was later resurrected on Fleetwood Mac’s 2013 EP *Extended Play*.
Fate intervened on New Year’s Eve 1974 when Mick Fleetwood visited Sound City to audition for the studio. Olsen played him “Frozen Love,” and Fleetwood was captivated by Buckingham’s guitar solo. Buckingham agreed to join Fleetwood Mac only if Nicks came along.
Within three months, the new line-up had recorded the self-titled *Fleetwood Mac*, featuring Nicks’ now-classic songs “Rhiannon” and “Landslide.” The rest, as they say, is history.
### The Birth of *Rumours* and a Turbulent Relationship
The band’s iconic 1977 album *Rumours*, written amid Nicks and Buckingham’s breakup, sold more than 40 million copies and defined an era. Yet the volatility in their relationship never disappeared.
Nicks has said she gave Buckingham “more than 300 million chances,” while he admitted their relationship was “like a marriage without the marriage papers.”
### A Legacy Revisited
Half a century later, the duo have set aside old conflicts to resurrect the album that started it all.
“If we had stayed in San Francisco, we would have still been famous,” Nicks reflected in an earlier interview. “But Fleetwood Mac was our destiny.”
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*Buckingham Nicks* is now available in remastered form for new and longtime fans alike to rediscover the origins of one of rock’s most iconic musical partnerships.
https://radaronline.com/p/secrets-of-stevie-nicks-and-lindsay-buckingham-lost-album-release/
