Mandatory Music and CD: Rumours by Fleetwood Mac

Rumours Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Rumours is the kind of album that transcends its
origins and reputation, entering the realm of legend -- it's an album
that simply exists outside of criticism and outside of its time, even if
it thoroughly captures its era. Prior to this LP, Fleetwood Mac were
moderately successful, but here they turned into a full-fledged
phenomenon, with Rumours becoming the biggest-selling pop album to date.
While its chart success was historic, much of the legend surrounding
the record is born from the group's internal turmoil. Unlike most bands,
Fleetwood Mac in the mid-'70s were professionally and romantically
intertwined, with no less than two couples in the band, but as their
professional career took off, the personal side unraveled. Bassist John McVie and his keyboardist/singer wife Christine McVie filed for divorce as guitarist/vocalist Lindsey Buckingham and vocalist Stevie Nicks split, with Stevie running to drummer Mick Fleetwood,
unbeknown to the rest of the band. These personal tensions fueled
nearly every song on Rumours, which makes listening to the album a
nearly voyeuristic experience. You're eavesdropping on the bandmates
singing painful truths about each other, spreading nasty lies and rumors
and wallowing in their grief, all in the presence of the person who
caused the heartache. Everybody loves gawking at a good public breakup,
but if that was all that it took to sell a record, Richard and Linda Thompson's Shoot Out the Lights
would be multi-platinum. No, what made Rumours an unparalleled
blockbuster is the quality of the music. Once again masterminded by
producer/songwriter/guitarist Buckingham, Rumours is an exceptionally musical piece of work -- he toughens Christine McVie and softens Nicks,
adding weird turns to accessibly melodic works, which gives the
universal themes of the songs haunting resonance. It also cloaks the raw
emotion of the lyrics in deceptively palatable arrangements that made a
tune as wrecked and tortured as "Go Your Own Way" an anthemic hit. But
that's what makes Rumours such an enduring achievement -- it turns
private pain into something universal. Some of these songs may be too
familiar, whether through their repeated exposure on FM radio or their
use in presidential campaigns, but in the context of the album, each
tune, each phrase regains its raw, immediate emotional power -- which is
why Rumours touched a nerve upon its 1977 release, and has since
transcended its era to be one of the greatest, most compelling pop
albums of all time.

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