Published on Jul 27, 1997
Intense, internal drama always adds a kick to a final piece of
work. Francis Ford Coppola suffered through loads of it and came
out with a great flick: “Apocalypse Now.” In fact, the drama behind
that flick was so great, they had to make a film about filming the
movie with “Heart Of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse”.
Fast foreward to the music world. For internal drama, few bands
can equal Fleetwood Mac in the late ’70s. Though I can only imagine
how difficult it was to record an album and be in front of someone
that has torn your heart out, I have to snicker at the band.
Workers and lovers rarely mix. On a good side, their angst for each
other gave us an album that defined a decade and still holds the
record for the most weeks at number one with 34 weeks.
Rumours was packed with great pop smarts, and even more
important :a soul. It’s the ultimate hangover album for the
lovestruck.
Expectations were high when the album came out. Stevie Nicks,
Lindsey Buckingham, John and Christine McVie and Mick Fleetwood had
themselves tangled up with one another in some form. All of the
anger and frustration of being locked up in the studio came out
with “I Don’t Want To Know”. A nice, poppy little ditty, with
stark, frank lyrics. “Now you tell me that I’m crazy, it’s nothing
that I didn’t know..” a chipper clap shimmers after that vinegar
tinged line. Though they wanted to kill each other, they still
wanted to sound damn good while they were doing it.
The guys in the band got a chance to lash out with harder
driving songs like “Go Your Own Way” and the great, galloping
guitar sound of “Second Hand News”. Though the self-depreciating
lyrics have been carbon copied by thousands of imitators, all of
the songs reveal a complex account of their despair. “Second Hand
News”, “Never Going Back Again” both go from anger, to humor to
insecureness. It all works perfectly with “The Chain”, a sort of
tennis match between lovers.
Rumours is not all veiled in black velvet though. The
optimistic tones of “You Make Loving Fun” prefectly show a renewed
sense of love. It’s one of Christine McVie’s shining moments in the
band. “Don’t Stop” is a great tune that turned into a presidential
anthem. After listening to
Rumours again and again though, it makes me wonder, with all
of President Bill’s extra-marital affairs in question, why the hell
did he choose a song from this album to define his campaign?!
With over 20 million albums sold,
Rumours is going to be one of those albums that will be
associated with a generation. You hear it on soft rock music
stations today still..I heard it on laughing gas in my dentist’s
office. The feelings the band conveyed were real though, and it
hasn’t lost much age at all, despite all of the heavy airplay.
The final song on
Rumours is the most chilling. Stevie Nicks casts a great
spell on “Gold Dust Woman”. A meatphor or two is used, but for the
most part, it’s all coming straight from the heart. As a sparse,
cryptic guitar plays a simple chord, Nicks swoons “Did she make you
cry/make you break down/ shatter your illusions of love?”.
As some of you know, Fleetwood Mac have reunited to do a couple
of dates to comemmorate the 20th aniversary of
Rumours. Gossip says that Nicks and Buckingham were getting
friendly during one of the rehearsals. I can only hope this was
a…rumour. You’d think after a hellish recording session like the
one 20 years ago, the band would learn. Still though, it’s good to
see this album be recognized again. Its foothold in the history of
rock is already established. The only thing that would make this
album fade is if every relationship, from now on ends on a happy
note, which… just won’t happen. Throw this tape and Liz Phair’s
Exile In Guyville in your car and you’ve got the definitive
breakup albums in the last 20 years. Rock on “Gold Dust”
women…and men.