It’s often said that the best music comes from deep inside, or from a broken heart. Never is that adage more apparent than when listening to Fleetwood Mac’s iconic album, Rumours. The studio sessions were heavily marked by cocaine use, as well as the strife among band members, and the relationship breakups that shaped most of the album’s lyrics. In listening to this album, I could actually feel the pain and heartbreak that the band members felt writing and recording this epic album.
In July 1975, Fleetwood Mac’s tenth album was released to great commercial success, reaching No. 1 in the U.S. in 1976. The record’s biggest hit single, Rhiannon, had given the band extensive radio exposure. At the time, Fleetwood Mac’s line-up consisted of guitarist/vocals Lindsey Buckingham, drummer Mick Fleetwood, keyboard player/vocals Christine McVie, bass guitarist John McVie, and vocalist Stevie Nicks. After six months of non-stop touring, the McVies divorced, ending eight years of marriage. The couple stopped talking to each other socially and discussed only musical matters. Buckingham and Nicks (who had recently joined the band after guitarist Bob Welch had left) were having an on/off relationship that led them to fight fairly often. The duo’s arguments stopped only when they worked on songs together. Fleetwood faced domestic problems of his own after discovering that his wife Jenny, mother of his two children, had had an affair with his best friend. And all this strife led to the writing of the Rumours album.
Recorded with the intention of making “a pop album”, the album’s multi-layered music featured a pop and soft rock sound. The album was a smashing success for Fleetwood Mac, and often considered their best release. The album has been featured in numerous publications’ lists of the best albums of the 70s, and of all time. In 2004, Rumours was remastered and reissued with the addition of Silver Springs, which had been omitted from the original due to tension within the band, and lack of space on the vinyl. Amongst many accolades, in 2018 it was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry, being deemed “culturally, historically, or artistically significant” by the Library of Congress.
If you ask the band members about that period in time, you will get vastly different, yet similar answers. Mick Fleetwood has called Rumours “the most important album we ever made”, because its success allowed the group to continue recording for years to come. However, when asked if he had regrets, he first said “none,” then changed his answer to “spending more time with my kids, being a better dad.” Christine McVie has said “We were all writing about each other, basically.” Stevie Nicks stated, “In that studio, in that tiny little room… there were 5 people who were totally breaking up.” Lindsey Buckingham said, “When Rumors went crazy, I just couldn’t bring myself to feel strongly about the album.” Rock-and-roll soap operas don’t get more dramatic than the months spent at close quarters recording and mixing Rumours.
In reviewing Rumours, this album has held up remarkably well. From the first notes of Second Hand News to the haunting final notes of Gold Dust Woman, this album is pure perfection. The addition of Silver Springs on the 2004 remastered rerelease is truly a much needed exclamation point on an already remarkable album. As always, I’m particularly haunted by The Chain, and the lyrics “I can still hear you saying, you would never break the chain.” Chillingly poignant.
Tami Danielson is the main in-house blogger and Director of Operations for Pop-Daze. She was raised in California and Florida and currently resides in Oregon. Tami has written for a variety of periodicals and has provided digital marketing services for a number of artists. She can be reached at [email protected]
