Rumours - Fleetwood Mac

Formed somewhere in London around the mid sixties, Mick Fleetwood, Peter Green, Bob Brunning (later axed for Jon McVie) and Jeremy Spencer drove a rough old van around the lesser known delights of The Swan in Fulham and The Toby Jug in Tolworth hoping for something better. It was probably far from their minds that it would take Fleetwood Mac a line up change and another ten years to finally reach the dream of sky high success.

And ...
...aptly named album from Fleetwood Mac released in February 1977 following the success of 'Fleetwood Mac', the first album introducing Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham, the lovers of both themselves, each other as well as songwriters and performers in their own right.

The controversy surrounding the long awaited 'Rumours' was not of the usual political sense like their contemporaries, but born out of the emotion traumas of the personal ... more

Formed somewhere in London around the mid sixties, Mick Fleetwood, Peter Green, Bob Brunning (later axed for Jon McVie) and Jeremy Spencer drove a rough old van around the lesser known delights of The Swan in Fulham and The Toby Jug in Tolworth hoping for something better. It was probably far from their minds that it would take Fleetwood Mac a line up change and another ten years to finally reach the dream of sky high success.

And this was it….

'Rumours' was the rather aptly named album from Fleetwood Mac released in February 1977 following the success of 'Fleetwood Mac', the first album introducing Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham, the lovers of both themselves, each other as well as songwriters and performers in their own right.

The controversy surrounding the long awaited 'Rumours' was not of the usual political sense like their contemporaries, but born out of the emotion traumas of the personal kind. At the very start of the back breaking recording of the album that by the end , had taken a tiresome 11 months, the band had just about endured all personal losses evolving each other that any human being could possibly face.

Mick Fleetwood had come into the first of two divorces from wife, Jenny Boyd (sister of the lyrically famed Patti Boyd, the subject of George Harrison's 'Something' and Eric Clapton's 'Wonderful Tonight'), a weary and draining separation , but short lived as only four months after their finalisation of divorce, they married again. Being the 'father' of the band and the one when other band members turned for security and stability, he had not only had to face the crumbling shambles of his own marriage but also to be the rock for the others when their personal troubles came to a head. Nicks and Buckingham, the golden couple of both visual beauty as well as creative genius were failing hard at their own personal relationship. After being together for some considerable length of time, they became bitter towards each other and this reflected in their song writing. Nicks, shortly after breaking up with Buckingham, started dating Don Henley from The Eagles, this added more bitterness to Buckingham's material. The final couple of the band were the McVie's. Christine and Jon had been married for a few years and had enjoyed Fleetwood Mac together before the arrival of the younger two. Jon drank to excess and although well mannered when sober, became irritable and argumentative when drunk. They split and Jon started dating quickly, but perhaps only to black out the love affair of Christine McVie and Curry Grant, the lighting technician for the band. Perhaps it is not obvious then as to why this million selling album became the very pinnacle of all that was , from then on, Fleetwood Mac. There has never been an album of this kind ever since by any other artist.

13 times Platinum in the U.S and 10 times in the U.K, it held its number 1 position in the American album charts for a breath taking 31 weeks. Over here it shot to number 1 again and remained in our charts for an unbelievable 447weeks. Rewarded a Grammy for Outstanding Contribution in 1988 and entered into the rock and roll hall of fame, it is not easy to find another band such as this in the 20th century.

Surprisingly, the only number 1 that the band have ever had was with 'Albatross' in December 1968. It is even more surprising to find that from any of the singles from the 'Rumours' album, not one of them made it any where near the top 20.

Where Jon McVie came up with the title of the album, he was reported to have said later that it should have been called 'Gossip' as it was a mere collection of whispers, between each member about each member. What we hear then perhaps is something that is so personal that the listener feels that he is almost intruding on conversations that shouldn't be heard by anyone else other than the band. Each track was heartbreakingly true, coldly written and soul baringly correct that it appears like a musical diary of the vents that were taking place within the band at the time. It could be said that the best albums in the world are born out of tragic loss, even death amongst the groups.

Do we hear their pain and relate to it on an intense personal level? This could be said for maybe a small minority of listeners. The rest of us just hear a tune that we like the sound of….

The album was purely inspirational, not just to themselves but to other artists that followed them. A gruelling schedule of 18 hours a day in the recording studio was what it took after the first two months peppered with technical difficulties and production hitches that in the end, the entire album was recorded in 4 different studios panning from California to Florida. It was no wonder that none of the members couldn't stand to se the sight of each other every morning, but yet, these strong willed, hard headed, passionate people may have lost their passion for each other for good, but this only drove the desire to produce an album of such strength and quality in its place.

'Second Hand News' does not beat around the bush. Written by Buckingham, we can now imagine which song from the album is directed at who. This may have been a dig at Nicks for her relationship with Henley, but even so, there seems to be an uncontrollable optimism underlying within. With Nicks providing the backing tracks, it is bizarre to think that this track, sung and performed musically so well by Nicks and Buckingham, that they forget totally what the subject matter is actually all about and who its about. Nicks, in her early years, had such a beautiful voice, slightly gravel sounding but yet, a twang of cutesy cowgirl. A voice that was unmistakeable. There is something very light and almost happy about this track that its hard to take the lyrics seriously. The usage of voice and instruments in this piece comes across now as a very dated sound. True to its era, its full of little jingly bits and interludes of 'down down down down down down down down' that's very singable. Its the perfect track to take the listeners concentration away from the depressing theme of the album as a whole.

'Dreams', in my mind has been done to death in recent years by other artists that even the original has lost its appeal. One can't help but think of The Corrs when listening to this track, although it will always belong to Stevie Nicks. Her voice, sweet, small and sounding a little immature, it creates the feel of a country karaoke. An interesting touch of slide guitar illuminates the feel of the track in its gentleness and unassuming touch.

'Never Going Back Again' again is an uplifting song with only the incredible acoustic playing of Buckingham to accompany his vocal. Soft 'mmm's' drift in and away quickly to fill a gap here and there, but apart from that, we are hearing a perfectly played guitar. For a young man, Buckingham's voice also acts as an instrument in this track, so pitch accurate, the range is wide in this track, and again, he fails to impress.

'Don't Stop,' is one of those tracks that, as a whole, Fleetwood Mac will always be remembered for. Written by Christine McVie, each in turn, has a piece of the lead vocal. A track written for the band members I feel as a personally encouraging letter to all to believe in a better tomorrow. Reached a surprisingly low number 32 in the charts April 1977, I strongly believe that this record was ahead of its time. A track that has been used in a wide variety of things since its release, I firmly recommend it for any post break up, by the end of the track, you'll forget the name of the person who you were crying over in the first place. Its sheer brilliance shines through its enlightening melody. It lifts the soul and the working of these voices together brings strength and character to the track. Inspiring musically and emotionally uplifting lyrically.

'Go Your Own Way.' This track maintains this wonderful, spiritually powerful album. This thunderous track allows the talents of Mick as a drummer and Lindsay as a guitarist shine throughout. Nicks hammers hard at her tambourine whilst all member provide the backing as well as the lead.
Released in February 1977, it managed a pathetic number 38 in our U.K charts. Obviously, this track went straight over people's heads at the time. Perhaps only now, with our planet and existence in such turmoil and uncertainty can we actually appreciate this album for the personal struggle that it really was and relate to the struggles we all face today, tragically, on a daily basis.

'Songbird' by Christine McVie guides us through the next faze of album. On a sombre note now, we are allowed to listen to a voice so clear and untouched by anything electrical. Not only an accomplished pianist, Christine, I feel has always been the underling of the female content in the band. Nicks, with her charm, beauty and dance techniques across the stage has always captured the long hard stare of her audience, and there, at the back, unlit, no fancy costumes or make up, stands Christine at the piano. Without the looks and the youth of Nicks, she holds the ears and eyes dead when performing this track live. Her voice carries to where ever she wants it to go. 'For you, there'll be no more crying, for you, the sun will be shining.' Her lyrics, simple but meaningful, it is difficult to imagine who she is directing this track to. Perhaps to Mick, the rock of all rocks within the band; the master of all that is Fleetwood Mac, the on looker, guarding his frightened flock, the one they look up to. Personally, I feel that she is directing this to any one who is listening. A soft guitar from Buckingham wanders in unnoticed and the song ends with a touch of the left hand floating along up the keys…

We now enter the 'second' half of the album. Fully refreshed, hardened against the cold winds of time and the after math of broken hearts, we come down to the serious business of who is going to leave the band and who has got the guts to stay and hold it together. Within 'The Chain', we find that it is this track that is the most symbolic of all. We imagine, the band, now sullen faced, standing face to face and peering suspiciously at one another like a scene from 'High Noon.' The only track on the album that is written by all of the members of the band, it is one long question that they are asking each other. The Chain, being the band itself. Musically it has an edge that we haven't experienced from Fleetwood Mac to date, it feels hard and cold and optimistic smiles are now wiped away from our faces. 'Damn your love, damn your lies.' (Oooh, not happy bunnies) Mick fuels this bitterness within these lyrics with lots of cymbals and drum beats, then comes the very famous (now ruined by Formula One) piece of outstanding guitar playing ever recorded. Unfortunately one can hear (in one's mind) Murray Walker wailing another Murrayism….. This is a timeless track and will always have a place in the tracks of all time line up. Their voice unite towards the end swearing the chain will never break, and truthfully, (apart from a few on and off moments) it never did.

'You Make Loving Fun' was supposed to be a tune regarding the affair between Curry Grant (yes, that's right, Curry) and Christine. Written by Christine, it almost comes as an idyllic interlude from all the dislike between members having a pop at each other. Its refreshing to hear a song about two people wanting to be together for a change. A simple track, it hold no emotional turmoil and on a musical note, it lacks any form of depth and rage where guitars and drums are concerned. We, as the listeners are almost disappointed, how dare we! The chart position? Number 45 if you must know…I don't think its going to get any worse than that….

'I Don't Want To Know.' was a pretty little song written by Stevie Nicks. We are starting to pick out the styles of the members as individual writers. Nicks, in these early years wrote gypsy style songs full of trill country notes. Her mystical, white witch era was to follow shortly. It was unusual, then and now, to find a band where all the members were writers also. Mick and Jon were known to step aside and allow the others take the limelight. Just the mere fact that the band was their baby was enough I think to keep them going instead of writing songs. Going back to the track, we can hear that this is very Nicks. Her lyrics tend to rolling quickly into each other, unlike Christine whose not afraid to stand alone with just a piano. It is almost as if Nicks, still young and impressionable, hasn't yet developed the confidence to allow her audience to actually ear her voice. She was still, with this album, at the stage of feeling the need to surround herself with instruments, practically drowning her out. It's a pleasant enough track but her voice seems so lost that when the instrumental break cuts in and she stops singing, one hardly notices.

'Oh Daddy.' Is now, we can hear clearly, definitely a Christine McVie track. Her voice, mature, focused and womanly, when Nicks still sounds so girlie. Christine does have professional years on Nicks so it is hardly surprising. In this track she exchanges standard piano for soft, mellow keyboards. Mick's rambling drums give it a ballad and bluesy feel. Buckingham's sporadic guitar plays around with no tune in particular and the whole track denotes a sorrowful feel. It was questioned as to who this track was about. Since on the release of the album, the press had not cut corners in expressing the friction between the members. By this time, the album was being analysed and dissected to the hilt. This was a beautiful song. I don't it really mattered who it was about…

Our final track, 'Gold Dust Woman' takes us a little by surprise as it suddenly gives us a chance to hear Nicks for real. Standing alone, cold and tired, this track reportedly took 8 takes to get it spot on. Wrapped in a thick blanket and alone in the studio, she huddled over the microphone and only gave the whole track the atmosphere that it needed just by this visual concept. We are experiencing the birth of Stevie Nicks here. She gives a performance that from that moment on, became her trademark. The track opens with a single tap on a closed cymbal. Nicks voice changes. It has strength. She sounds, suddenly, not the little girl, shy and dreamy, but hardened by her troubles, an old woman, wise and ancient. She has transformed herself into a witch, staring into the flames of her ferocious bonfire. She speaks of wisdom and knowledge. It is now that the other members have palled into insignificance. It was from this time on that Nicks became the front man of the band. Not surprising, she was the performer and the dancer. Dressed in black floaty silks, lace and ballet shoes, she twirls her rib boned tambourine up and around her head like some Celtic fairy. This track gave her the pedestal to climb upon. Her voice flutters and she accentuates certain words and phrases to a back ground of a mixture of slide guitars, gothic drum and rambling bass. A track to listen to just to pick up the wonderful array of instruments used. There is even something that sounds strangely like a wailing banshee towards the end.

Despite the troubles of this band and the desperation they individually felt throughout the recording of this album, it is the very last thing that the listener experiences. I have never owned such an enlightening, inspiring and soul lifting album. Born out of fears of the heart, it gives the listener joy and hope. On a dull, miserable, wet and dark February afternoon, do yourself a favour, dig this album out, blow the dust of it, and watch the sun come up in your room…..

Still very much available in high street record shops. Priced around a fiver.

FleetwoodMac.com

Also published on Dooyoo.
©sam1942 2006.
 

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