Fleetwood Mac

Rumours - 1977

This classic rock album is the one that everybody remembers Fleetwood Mac for. Of course, by now everyone knows the story

behind the conceiving of this album, as two couples (Buckingham-Nicks and the McVie couple) intimate relationships were

shattered during the recording of it. As such, the circumstances couldn’t help but affect the band’s music. Nevertheless,

though most of the tracks echo the ongoing more lyrical aspect, rarely has the commotion gone down so easy or been so much

fun to listen to.

The lyrics are witty and to the point, sometimes poignant and loving (mostly McVie, whose four songs are generally on a

optimistic track), other times dowright scathing (Buckingham). Again the band flaunts three excellent songwriters and

distinctive singers in Buckingham, Nicks, and McVie, and the bottom end is held down by the stellar Fleetwood/McVie rhythm

section. Rumours has a perfect mixture of beautiful low tempo ballads (“Songbird,” “Oh Daddy”), catchy mid-tempo numbers

(“Second Hand News,” “Never Going Back Again,” “You Make Loving Fun,” “I Don’t Wanna Know”), and impressive rockers (“Go Your

Own Way,” “The Chain”). Nicks’ “Dreams” was the album’s biggest hit, while the catchy sing along “Don’t Stop” came to the

fore again years later when Bill Clinton selected it as his campaign song. Rumours stayed at #1 on the U.S. charts for a

staggering 31 straight weeks, during which time Fleetwood Mac toured extensively and became the biggest band in the

world.

Presently the band is situated alongside names like Beatles, The Eagles or Zeppelin with one of the best selling albums of

all time.