Fleetwood Mac, "Rumours"
Ken makes loving fun
Ken’s Pitch:
I was just an idealistic 22-year-old kid during the 1992 campaign. I had just spent the last 12 years of my life living under a regime that just didn’t speak to who I was as a person. I needed something different, I wanted to be proud of not only who I was today, and who we were as a society, but I also didn’t want to “stop thinkin’ about tomorrow.” I spun records round and round for weeks trying to figure out where I stood and who would represent me best. At the time, I made a choice that I stood by until fairly recently, but now I realized that in the battle royale I had going on in my head I probably made the wrong choice. Yes, I’m now willing to admit that in the battle of Nicks vs. McVie, I chose the wrong side.
We all know the name of the band comes from drummer Mick Fleetwood and Mr. Christine McVie (John), formerly of John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers. And of course, you can’t forget old, reliable Lindsey Buckingham, but it was, it is, and it always will be about Christine and Stevie.
We can’t overlook the Peter Green era of Fleetwood Mac, but in 2022 casual fans and diehards alike always return to the self-titled album (there were two, this is the second one, 1975), Tusk (1979) and the smash hit in the middle, Rumours (1977). This era was when the band was at full-power, and even with all the drugs, the drama around failed romances and affairs, and management problems, they figured out how to produce a 3-record run of which any band would be jealous.
So let’s look at Nicks vs. McVie. Stevie has the edge in unique vocal sound and on-stage sultriness, but some of her songs go nowhere lyrically, and even the ones that do are a little immature. “Landslide” (from the self-titled album) was supposedly written about Nicks’ pondering life while staring at a mountain in Colorado. Then again, John Lennon said “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” was written about a picture Julian had drawn in school, so…grain of salt. There are too many references to falling “snow” and mirrors in that song to be about anything other than...
McVie isn’t the paparazzi magnet that Nicks is/was, but she’s a singer-songwriter that isn’t afraid to take chances with lyrics, rhythms, and time signatures. While Nicks’ credits include, “Rhiannon”, “Dream”, “Gypsy”, and “Gold Dust Woman”, McVie gave us the gifts of “Over My Head”, “Say That You Love Me”, and Rumours’ own “Don’t Stop”, “Songbird”, “You Make Loving Fun” and “Oh Daddy”. It’s an unimpeachable catalogue.
And while the great Nicks/McVie debate will go on forever, I think it’s safe to say that they’ve both given great contributions to the world of music. And with the release of Rumours, not only do we get them at the top of their respective games, we also get the best of Buckingham with “Second Hand News”, “Go Your Own Way” and “Never Going Back Again”.
Sure, this isn’t a hot take - the album sold like 40 million copies. But we’ve got a glaring gap on the shelves of the Newbury St. Collection, and it’s time Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours filled it in.
CJ’s Response:
By the process of elimination, Mitch and I sussed out what album Ken was going to pitch several days before he revealed it to us. He had pretty much exhausted the Laurel Canyon enclave and a good deal of the ‘70s soft rock/jazz anthology as well. So, there were only a few options left on Ken’s metaphorical record shelves. Credit to Mitch here. He guessed Rumours on the first try while it took me two stabs. (My first guess was Journey’s Escape, which wasn’t that far off.) In any case, we love the Nicks vs. McVie debate and have had it several times over the years.
First off, let me state unequivocally that Rumours doesn’t work without both of them. They were each sleeping with the other’s ex-partner/husband during production and the palpable tension between the two women and the rest of the band makes this album seethe. You can hear the venom on tracks like “Dreams”, “I Don’t Want to Know” and “Songbird”. These are nuclear bombs wrapped in velvety melodies and crystalline harmonies.
If I had to pick two favorites on Rumours, they would be “The Chain” and “Oh Daddy”. The former reminds me of “I’m So Afraid”, which is the best song on the previous album. The latter is the sneaky best song on this album. “Oh Daddy” sounds like it would be best suited to Stevie’s vulnerable sex kitten voice. But Christine absolutely owns it with her husky alto. It’s fitting that Stevie’s “Gold Dust Woman” follows it to close the album. It’s like the two ladies had the last word here. And deservedly so.
The only track I actively dislike on this record is “Don’t Stop”. Maybe it’s because the song has been so wildly overplayed over the years. Or maybe it’s that a guy like Bill Clinton, who so desperately wanted to be cool, made “Don’t Stop” so uncool. Or maybe all I can picture when I hear it is middle-aged men and women in head-to-toe Vineyard Vines gear dancing (poorly) at a Nantucket beach wedding. Although that seems overly specific. Regardless, it’s not Christine’s fault.
I kinda enjoy a debate like Nicks vs. McVie. You can argue either side depending on your mood. And everyone wins. It’s also the irony of this record. The members of Fleetwood Mac lost so much of themselves to make it. And the world gained one of the greatest albums of all time.
Pitch Successful (Is it me or does Mick Fleetwood look like an outcast from Jethro Tull?)
Mitch’s Response:
Mick Fleetwood and John McVie are clearly the smartest rhythm section in rock and roll history. Those two chaps sussed out two things early in their careers:
Lead singers are a pain in the ass, highly susceptible to band-ruining cases of LSD (lead singer disease); and
Bass players and drummers always get fucked when bands start to go sideways
By naming their band “Fleetwood Mac” they guaranteed long-term control of the band, unless faced by a hostile takeover by European golf legends Tommy Fleetwood and Robert MacIntyre.
Fleetwood & Mac: good rhythm section, decent golfers, great businessmen.
***
Rumours is overrated as an album and spelled wrong as a title. The self-titled Fleetwood Mac blows it away and they stupidly left the best song (“Silver Springs”) off the album.
Christine McVie goes 2/4 - “Songbird” is gorgeous, “Don’t Stop” is overplayed, “You Make Loving Fun” is boring, and "Oh Daddy” is the absolute worst.
Stevie Nicks does a little better, going 2/3 - “Dreams” is iconic and “I Don’t Want To Know” is fun, but “Gold Dust Woman” is a slog, and when combined with “Oh Daddy”, it makes the ending to this album worse than the last season of Game of Thrones. Sorry, Ceej, I’m with you on “The Chain” being awesome, but Gold Dust Daddy needs to attend a red wedding.
Lindsey Buckingham is an incredible finger-picking guitar player and a good producer. As a songwriter, he’s a filler-producing machine (see: Tusk). “Go Your Own Way” is his big hit here, “Second Hand News” is decent, and “Never Going Back Again” shows off those dexterious digits.
I know it’s blasphemy, but this album bored me and was tough to get through more than a handful of times. Boring ballads for boring boomers, dressed up in some Real Housewives drama. I really, really wanted to vote no, but then I realized that I would be certifiably insane letting in The Scorpions and Judas Priest (two bands I will never willingly listen to ever again) while keeping out Rumours. So, congratulations, I guess?
Pitch Successful (Please stop)
Ken’s pitch was successful and Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours has been added to the Newbury St. Collection (even though they requested separate rooms).
Oh well, this week was kind of a landslide, but don’t stop now - head over to the comments section and say you love me to Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, or let us know if we’re over our heads with little lies.
Please join us next week as we celebrate our 100th album with a look at the record that inspired this whole project - The Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main St.
The Exile on Newbury St. Spotify playlist features our favorite songs from all the albums we’ve discussed to date. Subscribe today and listen back on the fun we’ve had so far.
We have a joke in our household that no matter WHAT artist you pick as a starting point, the Pandora algorithm will eventually reach Fleetwood Mac. We've tested it with a wide range and it appears to hold up.
Agree about Stevie's lyrics, but wow to the melodies she creates. As a songwriter, I'm in awe of the cadence and complexity. I always thought that Christine's melodies were less ambitious yet more "pop ready," which is more of a compliment than it appears now that I'm reading it back.
Is there any safer take in rock & roll than to say one likes "Rumours?" Even people that list a different favorite always manage to sidestep saying anything bad. It's always something like "I really like Mirage," never, "Mirage is the band's best album" (which it totally is, btw).
It's not that "Rumours" is bad, it's just that it's been such a large part of our lives for so long that it no longer elicits a reaction. It's just always...there.
In the car, at the store, at a wedding on Martha's Vineyard.
"Don't Stop" is forever stuck in 1992 and associated with pantsuits. "I Don't want To Know" is probably the best track on the record, and certainly my favorite. "Dreams" charted again after 40 some odd years because a guy swilling Ocean Spray on a skateboard went viral. The universe is wild. But this record is anything but.
And while it may warrant a place in the hall, I don't know that it deserves a top shelf spot.