By Corey Moss and Jon Wiederhorn, with additional reporting by Kristen Davis
07/25/2001

While Stevie Nicks continues to search for Shangri-La on tour, Fleetwood Mac singer/songwriter/guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, bassist John McVie and drummer Mick Fleetwood are shacked up in a rented house in Bel Air, California, working on songs for the next Fleetwood Mac album.

And though Nicks has stranded her bandmates without a female lead singer for the time being, she hasn't left them empty-handed. Before hitting the road, she gave them 17 demos she had recorded over the years.

"We're actually going to make a record, we're not just gonna tour," Nicks told VH1. "It'll happen next year."

The album will mark the first time Nicks has recorded in the studio with Fleetwood Mac since 1990's Behind the Mask, and the first time she and Buckingham have both fully collaborated on a band album since 1987's Tango in the Night.

But the classic three-singer/songwriter lineup behind the 1970s smashes Fleetwood Mac and Rumours won't quite be intact. When Nicks rejoins the band in the studio after her solo tour, she'll be the lone female voice, as Christine McVie has decided not to take part in the new record.

It's no secret that McVie did not enjoy the 1997 Fleetwood Mac reunion tour, but it was previously unclear whether or not she would join the band for the upcoming record. "She's done," Nicks said curtly.

"It's great," she continued, "because Lindsey and I originally moved to Los Angeles to sing together, and once we joined Fleetwood Mac that stopped because the second we became a trio, we could no longer be a duo. This will allow Lindsey and I to actually go back to what we started out doing."

Playing with Fleetwood Mac again is something Nicks surely looks forward to, but at the moment she's focusing on her tour, and this week there were setbacks when she had to postpone two concerts after falling ill. She missed a show Tuesday (July 24) in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and canceled Wednesday's performance in Raleigh, North Carolina. Rescheduled dates will be announced soon, according to each of the venues. Nicks' spokesperson had no comment on her condition.

Nicks is scheduled to resume touring Friday in Charlotte, North Carolina.