TOUR-BOUND MAC LOSES KEY MEMBER

Fleetwood Mac, one of the most turbulent and successful rock groups of the last decade, is going back on the road this fall for the first time in five years--but without key member Lindsey Buckingham.

Mitch Schneider, publicist for the Los Angeles-based group which has sold more than 40 million records, said Tuesday the remaining four members of the band will hold a press conference here next week to outline the tour and introduce two new members.

At that time, the group will formally announce that singer-guitarist Buckingham--widely regarded as the chief architect of the group’s hugely commercial sound--is no longer in the band.

Though Stevie Nicks--probably the best-known member of Fleetwood Mac--joined the group with Buckingham in 1975, she is remaining in the band, along with drummer Mick Fleetwood, singer-keyboardist Christine McVie and bassist John McVie.

The 37-year-old writer and guitarist’s exit marks the latest change in a band that has sustained numerous, often dramatic, personnel shifts since it was formed in England in 1967.

A source close to the situation said efforts were made by other band members in recent weeks to persuade Buckingham to set aside a long-planned solo LP project and join them on the road, but he stood steadfast in his decision to continue with that LP. Other members apparently interpreted his refusal to join the tour as a sign that he had “departed the band” and took steps to bring in other musicians.

Buckingham, who co-produced the group’s latest hit album, “Tango in the Night,” suggested in interviews shortly after the release of the LP in May that he was considering leaving the band to concentrate on a solo career, but his remarks were generally discounted by others in the group.

When asked by The Times in June about life without Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, the band’s co-founder and main spokesman, pointed to all the other personnel changes over the last two decades. “The only way you could stop this band is with a firing squad,” he quipped.

Still, several longtime industry insiders contacted by The Times on Tuesday raised questions about the band’s ability to successfully continue without the musical leadership of Buckingham.

In a statement released Tuesday, Buckingham said: “Back in 1985, I was working on my third solo album when the band came to me and asked me to produce the next Fleetwood Mac project. At that point I put aside my solo work, which was half finished, and committed myself for the next 17 months to produce ‘Tango in the Night.’

“It was always our understanding that upon completion of the . . . album, I would return to my solo work in progress. Of course, I wish them all the success in the world on the road.”

Though Fleetwood Mac enjoyed moderate success in its early years, the commercial breakthrough followed the addition of Buckingham and Nicks, who had previously recorded an album together for Polydor. The band’s “Fleetwood Mac” album in 1975 sold more than 4 million copies, while its “Rumours” in 1976 sold more than 12 million in the United States alone--one of the half dozen biggest LP sellers ever.

While subsequent Fleetwood Mac LPs failed to equal “Rumours’ ” success, all three sold at least a million copies each. Though the band was accused of standing still artistically in 1982’s “Mirage,” the recent “Tango in the Night” received considerable critical support.