Fleetwood Mac Releases the Classic Album "Rumours" this Week in 1977

By 1976 the classic line up of Fleetwood Mac were in a very strange situation. Stevie Nicks & Lindsey Buckingham had just broken up, as did bassist John McVie & his wife pianist/vocalist Christine McVie. On top of that Mick Fleetwood the leader & drummer of the band had just divorced his wife Jenny, who was the sister of Patti Boyd. (George Harrison & Eric Clapton's ex).

They decided to stay together as a band and do their second album together. They recorded the album in California, around the San Francisco & Hollywood areas. There were alot of awkward times in the studio but from February to August 1976, they would put together a masterpiece album. The songs were mostly written about each other, which is why the album was called Rumours. The music they were making made everyone feel better about the personal situations they were in.

Rumours opens with a Lindsey Buckingham song with a catchy sing a long beat, "Second Hand News" a term fitting for the album title.

It segues into the Stevie Nicks classic "Dreams". Stevie wrote the song very quickly on a piano, in between studio time recording the album. It was her more positive view on her & Lindsay's breakup. The band decided to record it the next day. Her seductive angelic voice takes the listener away to far off place, as Fleetwood's drums leads the songs back ground. The song was released as the first single off Rumours and stayed all summer long hitting #1 in June. It was Fleetwood Macs only #1 single.

The second single off the album was Christine Mcvie's "Dont Stop". It was her song about moving on after eight years of marriage to John Mcvie. "Yesterdays gone" she sang, as the song went all the way up to #3 on the US charts.

Buckinghams "Go Your Own Way" was another single off the album & reached #10 on the charts. Its Lindsey's version of his breakup with Stevie Nicks. A little more colder & harsher version of the story. It's regarded a classic and maybe his best commercial work.

Side One of the album closes with McVies beautiful "Song Bird" which use to be the final number at many Fleetwood Mac shows.

Side Two opens with the great "The Chain". The song is credited to all five members of the band and although not a single, has received huge airplay on FM radio over the years making it another Mac classic. The dueling of the vocals between Nicks & Buckingham seems to be both taking out their aggressions on one another. The music is fantastic right through to its climatic jam ending, with John Mcvies bass lines leading the charge.

"You make Loving Fun" was another Christine Mcvie song, and the most positive upbeat romantic song on the album. It was the fourth & final single off the album and it to was a top 10 hit, peaking at #9.

"I Don't Want to Know" is a Stevie Nicks song with a nice beat that I always liked, telling her ex lover to move on & not drive her crazy.

The album comes to an end with another Stevie classic "Gold Dust Woman". It's about Stevie's struggle with drugs, cocaine mainly "take your silver spoon & dig your grave". The music takes us on a mystical hazy trip as the lyrics tell us to "pick up the pieces & go home", after the illusions of love have been shattered. Great stuff. Along with "Dreams" & "Rhiannon" this is some of Stevie's most popular work during her Mac days.

Rumors was released in February 1977 and spent 31 weeks (8 months) at #1 on the US album charts. Overall it was on the charts for over 2 1/2 years- 130 weeks. It won a Grammy for album of the year & is one of the top selling albums of all time. It has sold over 30 million copies world wide and is considered one of the best Rock albums of all time.