"Rumours"

[Carol Baynes]

Si asked us all yesterday what our all time favourite album is. I gave one my usual waffling non-answers where I end up listing about ten very good albums I hold dear to my heart. Albums that have soundtracked my life and seen me through the good times and bad times.
Thinking about this, I was almost confused to admit the truth- that my favourite album is probably a rather unfashionable adult orientated rock album from the late '70s and not, say, some obscure slice of '60s psychedelia or Mod, or even a sold indie artifct from the '80s or '90s...after all that's what a lot of my record and CD collection is.
Actually, it's so ecleptic I'm probably doing myself a diservice there, as there's heaps of Jazz, rock and even country.
But there I go again; selling my choice short. It's feels so unreprentative of my taste, yet at the same time it does. Make sense? No, I thought no!

Flettwood Mac's "Rumours" is, to my mind, one of the greatest albums of all time. I can't quite explain why. When I first heard it I had just been introduced to The Smiths and older punk era stuff like The Stranglers and The Buzzcocks. I was only 15. In that context, what on Earth attracted me to this album?
I was particualrly fond of "Tango in the night" at the time, which I'd got as a present at Christmas 1987, so there was eagerness to hear what else they'd done. I got "Rumours" for free, actually, as my Dad had some scheme at work where he got free albums off some supplier.
Perhaps proof that I didn't hear enough 'non-electronic' production in the '80s was how shockingly raw "Rumours" sounded to my young ears, that were being raised on Stock, Aitken and Waterman. Luckily as my music taste was expanding, I was ready to give it a chance (just as I'd given The Stranglers' "Black and white" a chance the month before).

"Rumours" is the sound of a band splitting up, personally if not professionally, but determined to stay together. It's a collection of songs about what happens when you abuse love- that greatest of gifts in life- and how you can have a second chance at happiness. Just because you got it wrong once, doesn't mean it'll never be right again. "Don't stop" is one of the most affirming rock songs ever. Always cheers me up. As does "You make loving fun"; not to mention the mystic resonance of "Dreams".
Elsewhere things get darker, with journeys into the black places where drugs and other excess cloud the journey to happiness. It's not the twee album I first thought- it's layered, both musically and thematically. The music, as it is, is sublime and often quite raw (in the sense you can hear every sound and every instrument).
The whole thing is also mildly sleazy, drenched in that Californian sunshine from which can grow the fullest vines. But "Rumours" is the story of what happens when the grapes go sour and the wine is overindulged.'Put your kingdom up for sale...'

So, Fleetwood Mac, the great blues group who became an American phenomenon. Possibly one of the most unfashionable bands ever, but how wonderful they are, and never more so than here on "Rumours".

Anyone else a fan of The Mac, or just love this album in particular?

[Rob McCow]

Rumour has it that it's just about PS's favourite album, overall. I've never even heard it myself, but on a poll we did a while ago of 'favourite albums' it was there or thereabouts in almost everyone's list!

[Carol Baynes]

Rumour has it that it's just about PS's favourite album, overall. I've never even heard it myself, but on a poll we did a while ago of 'favourite albums' it was there or thereabouts in almost everyone's list!

It's "The talons of Weng-Chiang" of music!

[Anthony Williams]

I keep meaning to listen to it - I've got it on vinyl, but you can 100% guarantee that whenever I want to listen to it on the player in the living room, that my Dad is watching something on the telly!

Ant x

[Milky Tears]

The Chain and Second Hand News are also top chooons.

[Pip Madeley]

I prefer "Tusk".

[Stephen Morgan]

Speaking as someone who remembers when Rumours was a current chart album, and what a long run it had as a chart album, it did however take me a long time to actually get round to buying the thing.
The singles from it hardly set the charts alight, and, although I liked Dreams, it took me til You Make Loving Fun, the fourth release from the album, to actually sit up and take notice that this was indeed a phenomenal album. Bearing in mind that 1977 was the year of punk rock, which also went over my head as I was more into the disco sounds of the likes of Donna Summer that year, Rumours was hardly going to make an impact on my record buying habits, Donna Summer, Diana Ross, Rod Stewart, Elton John, Commodores, I disn't actually buy Rumours until 1982 when it became a budget release, it was only then I realised what a great album it was, and also made me realise that there was other good stuff out there besides what I was buying.
Viv bought me the special edition CD a couple of years ago, with some demo tracks and alternative takes which show the direction the album could have gone if the group had not honed the tracks to perfection. Rumours deserves its place in rock history as one of the greatest albums ever, it's sublime.
Some other great albums from the same era include Marley's Exodus, Supertramp's Even In The Quietest Moments, Ted Nugent's Cat Scratch Fever (which I haven't heard in an age) and of course The Eagles Hotel California.
As for Pip's choice of Tusk, a good album yes, but they tried too hard to emulate the sound and success of Rumours, the result was patchy and a little disappointing, with only the Stevie Nicks tracks standing out, well, they were the ones that appealed to me anyway, Sisters of The Moon, Sara. Oddly enough, I bought Tusk on release in '79 along with Stevie Wonder's Secret Life of Plants.

[Carol Baynes]

I prefer "Tusk".

Elaborate!

[Carol Baynes]

Speaking as someone who remembers when Rumours was a current chart album, and what a long run it had as a chart album, it did however take me a long time to actually get round to buying the thing.
The singles from it hardly set the charts alight, and, although I liked Dreams, it took me til You Make Loving Fun, the fourth release from the album, to actually sit up and take notice that this was indeed a phenomenal album. Bearing in mind that 1977 was the year of punk rock, which also went over my head as I was more into the disco sounds of the likes of Donna Summer that year, Rumours was hardly going to make an impact on my record buying habits...

A very British point of view, it's true. "Rumours" was globally huge, especially in the US. Ironic, since they were originally a UK band, and had one of their biggest hits here and in the rest of Europe ("Albatross"; still their only UK no.1 single in 1968.)
"Dreams" was no.1 in America though, and all the other singles were top ten. Strangely though, despite the minor hits it offered the charts in the UK, it was still a no.1 album here and spent more time on the charts than most other albums. Ever.

But forget the statistics. Hear the music!

[Pip Madeley]

I just prefer "Tusk" to "Rumours" because I enjoy it more as an full album. Yes, it's a bit uneven in places, but there's a lot going on with the different musical styles/approaches all coming together. There's a lot of creativity on display. Plus, it has 'Sara', one of Stevie Nicks' finest moments. A rewarding listen!

[Carol Baynes]

I just prefer "Tusk" to "Rumours" because I enjoy it more as an full album. Yes, it's a bit uneven in places, but there's a lot going on with the different musical styles/approaches all coming together. There's a lot of creativity on display. Plus, it has 'Sara', one of Stevie Nicks' finest moments. A rewarding listen!

Yeah, Pip, I can appreciate that point of view. As an aside I hope it doesn't come across as if I'm being the (slightly ) older condecending cow...I love the fact you know this stuff, just as I did when I was back then. If you see where I'm coming from...
I'm home early and playing "Rumours" now...it's meaning a lot now, which is perhaps why I felt it needed raving about. Oooh, 'happy/sad'...always a weird one.

[Stephen Morgan]

How do you feel Carol about The Mac's eponymous 1975 album? It has the sublime Rhiannon on it along with Say You Love Me. It's a good album, but merely sets the stage for Rumours I think.

[Pip Madeley]

That's alright Carol, I know what you mean. Try to be happy rather than sad though.
This is a happy place!

Think I might have to watch my Fleetwood Mac DVD tomorrow, "The Dance".

[Carol Baynes]

HI! Don't you love quick responses?

I've got "fleetwood mac" on vinyl somewhere in that pile! it's on the reprise label isn't it...I remember the steamboat logo. havn't played it for years, as you can probably tell! It's good, in my opinion, but not as strong an album. I'd agree it sets the stage for "Rumours" a bit, although I'm presuming most of the relavant couples were more together then. "Rhiannon" though, is something else. Great song.

[Captain Tancredi]

I guess this is one that's going to have to go onto The List, then- which reminds me, I'm about three or four albums behind, but having said that my backlog is quite 80s and 90s-centred at the moment...payday on Friday anyway.

[Carol Baynes]

That's alright Carol, I know what you mean. Try to be happy rather than sad though.
This is a happy place!

Think I might have to watch my Fleetwood Mac DVD tomorrow, "The Dance".

Oh I know it is (a happy place! ) But it's the kind of album that suits a certain mood and bittersweet type of reflection about my love life I think.

[Pip Madeley]

Well, I can empathize with you there. But then again, I try not to think about such things.

[Wayne]

So, Fleetwood Mac, the great blues group

Now you're talking! It's the Peter Green era for me! :wayne Before those bloody women came along & turned 'em into a pop group!

[Pip Madeley]

[Stephen Morgan]

Now you're talking! It's the Peter Green era for me! :wayne Before those bloody women came along & turned 'em into a pop group!

Oh well! you can't please every Man of the World, but The Mac had turned into some kind of hitless Albatross before Christine McVie and Stevie Nicks came along, and without their input Rumours would not have turned the group's fortunes around and become the mega succesful group they were.

You might think they were Black Magic Women, but each incarnation of the band has its merits don't you think Wayne?

[Pip Madeley]

Oh well!

Part one.

[Wayne]

Hits? HITS? HITS? I'd rather have great tracks like "Oh Well".

but each incarnation of the band has its merits don't you think Wayne?

Well Stevie Nicks was very pretty back in the day.
(Unlike Mick Fleetwood)

[MacNimon]

Oh well! you can't please every Man of the World, but The Mac had turned into some kind of hitless Albatross before Christine McVie and Stevie Nicks came along, and without their input Rumours would not have turned the group's fortunes around and become the mega succesful group they were.

You might think they were Black Magic Women, but each incarnation of the band has its merits don't you think Wayne?

I agree. The group has changed it's sound so much over the years that it's hard to believe that it's the same group! From the brilliant blues-rock sound of the Peter Green era through the folk-pop sound of the late 70s Rumours era to the excellent pop-rock Tango In The Night era and beyond, each incarnation of the group has it's own merits. Although obviously not everything can be called a classic, and the group has had more than it's fair share of ups and downs over the years...but they always seem to pull themselves back together every so often and give us a belter of an album.

The only era of the group that I'm not familiar with is that post-Peter Green/pre Buckingham & Nicks time from the early 70s. I'll really have to rectify that one of these days.

[Carol Baynes]

@ Pip's photo