The overall rating of a review is different from a simple average of all individual ratings.
Advantages:
An uplifting, deep feeling mix of sensational songs . Recorded during a time of considerable stress for all concerned . It is the benchmark upon which albums should be produced .
Disadvantages:
It is a flawless album, especially now that the digitally enhanced CD/DVD version has been produced . There is not a song, nor a vocal nor a sound that is out of place .
Recommendable
Yes:
Detailed rating:
Originality
Lyrics
Quality and consistency of tracks
How does it compare to the artist's other releases
Value for Money
How does it rate alongside the competitionOutstanding
"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."
"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."
Member since:06.08.2004
Reviews:12
Members who trust:4
Fleetwood Mac of the early 70’s were a hard-jamming British blues outfit, having established themselves with their 1975 self-titled album. However by the end of the decade they had dramatically changed there sound and style, thanks largely to the introduction of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, who complemented John and Christine McVie, and Mick Fleetwood perfectly.
Both musically and commercially, “Rumours” is one of the finest albums ever recorded. With every song you can feel the personal feelings of the session in which it was recorded, embrace all of the personal tortures and anguish that each band member was feeling when they laid down the track. At the time Christine and John McVie were going through a bitter divorce, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham had recently split and Mick Fleetwood found out that his wife was having and affair with his best friend. You couldn’t write this stuff in a soap opera! But these actual events were played out during the recording of the album, and some, including the band themselves testify that this emotional roller coaster more than anything else contributed to the album becoming such a critically acclaimed masterpiece.
Reaching for material all the way back to Lindsey Buckingham's and Stevie Nicks' pre-Fleetwood Mac days ("Go Your Own Way," "I Don't Want to Know"), the group managed to assemble 11 songs that were each smoothly commercial yet consistently inventive and groundbreaking in there own right. Loaded with beautiful vocals, memorable guitar solos, lyrical keyboard parts, and a great beat (which counted for the huge radio success). With songs ranging from the upbeat and optimistic ("Don't Stop") to the compellingly sad ("Go Your Own Way"), each has deep meaning which explores just what was evolving in their psychological makeup at the time. In this day and age when albums have one or two hits and the rest are album fillers not fit to be B-sides! to listen to this album is a breath of fresh air, even now 20+ years since its release. That is because it has enough hit singles to cover anyone else for a career. It is no fluke that because of this it became one of the biggest selling albums of all-time and still today sounds as fresh and raw as ever.
After its original release, the CD went through one upgrade in the late '80s, owing to complaints about the sound on the original, and for those who bought it the Fleetwood Mac box set offered yet more improvement on the album's content. This restores the original album's sound on a cleaner and crisper level. Lindsey Buckingham's guitars end up sounding like they're in your lap, and everything else is brought out in similar richness.
There is little else to say really. It is a breathtaking album. From “Second Hand News” to “Chain” to “Songbird” each song has you either tapping the floor, singing with gay abandon or strumming an air guitar. It takes you to higher and lower places in your emotional being. Fleetwood Mac has made similar albums, lyrically, sonically and with regard to instrumental quality (“Tango in the Night”, “Mirage”, “Tusk”) but none are so rich in quality that every song is worthy of its place on any album ever recorded.
It will not disappoint.
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Second Hand News @@us/uswm2/505/102505_1_01.asx?obj=v40323@@ Dreams ... more
@@us/uswm2/505/102505_1_02.asx?obj=v40323@@ Never Going Back Again @@us/uswm2/505/102505_1_03.asx?obj=v40323@@ Don't Stop @@us/uswm2/505/102505_1_04.asx?obj=v40323@@ Go Your Own Wa...
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Advantages: A long awaited event in the rock firmament ? a new studio album by one of the mega-names of rock. They are now on tour ? coming to the UK in November Disadvantages: Good in part. It?s a marathon ? and feels like it by the end.
Mar 9th, 2005
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