Over the last 30 years or so, Fleetwood Mac fans have grown accustomed to long waits between studio albums -- but if recent statements made by Lindsey Buckingham are accurate, the band could end its nearly 10-year recording drought in the not-too-distant future.

Speaking with Rolling Stone, Buckingham made it clear that his recent burst of solo activity doesn't mean he isn't interested in getting back to the Mac. Saying he's "had a lot of growth" over the last decade, he explained that "I sort of caught up on the need to explore the more esoteric side of the palette."

What that means in the short term is that Buckingham is back in the right head space for another tour with the band. "Fleetwood Mac is gonna start rehearsing probably the beginning of February and I'm actually looking forward to it. I miss those guys," he revealed, echoing recent statements made by Stevie Nicks. And although going on the road will momentarily put the brakes on a new record, Buckingham hastened to add that he'd "Absolutely, absolutely" be game for more recording. In fact, he was recently in the studio with the group -- or most of it, anyway.

"About six, seven months ago, John [McVie] and Mick [Fleetwood] were over here and we actually cut some tracks, and we did enough for maybe half an album," he revealed. "But you gotta get Stevie on board with that, and at the time, she was really quite caught up in what she was doing...but I would love to do that because John and Mick were playing their asses off."

All of which is to say that relations between the members of Fleetwood Mac these days are about as healthy as they get for the famously fractious rock legends. "Sometimes I wish we were the Eagles. That's one thing they've always been able to do is want the same thing for the same reasons," Buckingham joked, adding, "They probably don't share the same sensibilities as people and they may not spend much time together, but somehow they're able to put that aside and get on with the business of doing business, and there's something to be said for that."

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