Rumours
Classic. (The Bus 8.34)
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ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED (4.33) 15 January 2024
The Stop
Released on 4 February 1977, Rumours was the eleventh studio album by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, the second after guitarist Lindsey Buckingham and vocalist Stevie Nicks joined in late 1974. Produced by the band, Ken Caillat and Richard Dashut, the album had four US number one hits and as of February 2023 had sold over 40 million copies worldwide. A ubiquitous radio presence since its release, the album’s ‘raw, immediate emotional power … touched a nerve’ and has ‘transcended its era to be one of the greatest, most compelling pop albums of all time.’1
Following the success of their self-titled 1975 album, Fleetwood Mac intentionally recorded Rumours as a ‘pop album’ to build on their commercial success. The band - guitarist and vocalist Lindsey Buckingham, drummer Mick Fleetwood, bassist John McVie, vocalist Stevie Nicks and keyboardist and vocalist Christine McVie - recorded the album at The Record Plant in Sausalito, California, with Buckingham taking charge of the studio sessions. The result was music characterised by a unique mix of electric and acoustic instruments, guitars and keyboards which alone would make the album outstanding in its class. However, it was Buckingham, Christine McVie and Nicks’s lyrics - concerning personal, troubled relationships, drugs, pessimism and dreams - which would transform the album into one that ‘simply exists outside of criticism and outside of its time, even if it thoroughly captures its era.’
Mid-1970s Fleetwood Mac was both ‘professionally and romantically intertwined’: the McVies had been married since 1968, and Buckingham and Nicks had been a couple since high school. However, prior to the recording of Rumours, the McVies divorced, Buckingham and Nicks split up, and Nicks began a secret affair with Fleetwood. The resulting personal tensions - fuelled by heroic amounts of cocaine and alcohol - so influenced the songs that listening to the album is a ‘nearly voyeuristic experience.’ Listening to Rumours is effectively an exercise in ‘eavesdropping on the bandmates singing painful truths about each other, spreading nasty lies and rumours and wallowing in their grief, all in the presence of the person who caused the heartache.’ All soundtracked to exceptional music, of course.
In his role as studio chief, Buckingham was able to cloak the ‘raw emotion’ of the lyrics in ‘deceptively palatable arrangements,’ that made even the most tortured songs anthemic. For example, the first single - ‘Go Your Own Way’ - was written by Buckingham in response to his breakup with Nicks - whom he had known since he was 16. ‘Devastated’ by her departure but knowing he had to still write hit songs for her, he channelled his anger and frustration into lyrics such as ‘packing up/shacking up/is all you wanna do’ - a line Nicks demanded he remove, but he ultimately refused. By turning private pain into something universal, this song has become one of their most popular, played at every show on every tour. Not to mention the number of times its been played on radio, in department stores, in college dorms, in ….
Which is one of the criticisms of the album: that, as frequently happens, their repeated play has made many of the songs too familiar. Nevertheless, in the context of the album each song, perfectly tracked amongst the others, ‘regains its raw, immediate emotional power’ - revealing why Rumours is considered one of the greatest albums of all time. Of course, the best way to appreciate this is to listen to the album in its entirety. In track order, of course - don’t shuffle. There’s a story being told and each chapter is perfectly placed.
The Detour
Today’s Detour is to The Science of Snowflakes, a short (4:22) animated video produced by The Royal Society and narrated by Professor Brian Cox2 which explains the universal laws of nature involved in the unique structures of snow crystals. Fascinating and hypnotic, you’ll never look at snowflakes the same way again.
The Recommendation
Today’s Recommendation is Hans Rosling’s Factfulness (2018).3 Subtitled ‘Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About The World - And Why Things Are Better Than You Think’, the book’s thesis is that the overwhelming majority of people are mistaken about the state of the world: misinformation leads them to think it is poorer, less healthy, and more dangerous than it is in reality. Statistics and facts, Rosling believes, are the way of addressing these inaccuracies and - hopefully - returning a sense of positivity to the conversation.
From the back: When asked simple questions about global trends - what percentage of people around the world are living in poverty; why the global population is increasing; how many girls finish school - we systematically get the answers wrong. So wrong that a chimpanzee choosing answers at random will consistently outguess journalists, Nobel laureates and investment bankers.
In Factfulness, Professor of International Health and global TED phenomenon Hans Rosling, together with his two long-time collaborators Anna and Ola, offers a radical new explanation of why this happens, and reveals the ten instincts that distort our perspective.
It turns out the world, for all its imperfections, is in a much better state than we might think. But when we worry about everything all the time instead of embracing a world view based on facts, we can lose our ability to focus on the things that threaten us most.
Inspiring and revelatory, filled with lively anecdotes and moving stories, Factfulness is an urgent and essential book that will change the way you see the world.
The Sounds
Today’s playlist is a selection of five Fleetwood Mac tracks from around the heyday of the Rumours era (1975 - 1982): ‘Rhiannon’ (Fleetwood Mac, 1975), ‘Sara’ (Tusk, 1979), ‘Storms’ (Tusk, 1979), ‘Hold Me’ (Mirage, 1982) and ‘Over My Head’ (Fleetwood Mac, 1975). Enjoy!
The Thought
Today’s Thought is from Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Storms’, from the 1979 album Tusk:
‘But never have I been a blue calm sea. I have always been a storm.’
If you have a thought on this Thought - or any part of today’s issue - please leave a comment below:
And that’s the end of this Stop - I hope you enjoyed the diversion!
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Until the next Stop …
It’s a great album, but one that doesn’t get much play in my rotation because of all the other music that’s out there. But a few weeks ago while doing some Christmas cooking, it appeared and I found myself stopping what I was doing and just listening to it, remembering why it’s always been a favourite. Sources for today’s Stop include Rumours (Allmusic) and Rumours (Wikipedia).
The author of Wonders of the Universe, recommended in last Thursday’s Stop, The James Webb Space Telescope (4.32).
For more about the Swedish physician and statistician, see: Hans Rosling (Britannica).
Oh, Bryan. In 1977, I was managing a record store and the only album that got more play than Rumours was Saturday Night Fever. I became sick of both. Add to that my refusal to pay attention to any Fleetwood Mac album after Peter Green’s departure, and you can understand why I’m only now really listening to Fleetwood Mac, Rumours, and Tusk. I appreciate your research and your writing.
Alright, I know what I’m listening to today.