Music Monday: Fleetwood Mac “Rumours” turns 40

fleetwood mac rumors
Rumours turns 40.

A nice return to Music Monday blog posts here in 2017 with my thoughts on a classic rock album celebrating four decades in release.

On February 4th, the album “Rumours” by Fleetwood Mac turned 40 years old. I normally celebrate milestones like this for classic albums. Albums that reach 30 years old are crossing generations. Turning 40 years old is in a completely different level of longevity for any of us old enough to remember when the album first came out. I was in high school and remember it being played very heavily on FM rock radio [and AM radio, too]. What I didn’t know 40 years ago was how monumental this album would be and it’s place in rock history in both grandness and sales.

The many avenues of conflict that created album would go on to be a boon, giving the bane part of history the cold shoulder. Mick, Lindsey, Stevie, John and Christine all had various life changing events that collided to help in the album making process. Fleetwood Mac would end up looking back at everything that happened and wiping their collective foreheads after the success of “Rumours” continued to build.

Track List

  1. “Second Hand News”
  2. “Dreams”
  3. “Never Going Back Again”
  4. “Don’t Stop”
  5. “Go Your Own Way”
  6. “Songbird”
  7. “The Chain”
  8. “You Make Loving Fun”
  9. “I Don’t Want to Know”
  10. “Oh Daddy”
  11. “Gold Dust Woman”

Still In Rotation

Ten years later in 1987, I got married and would still hear songs like “Gold Dust Woman” and “The Chain” on rock radio. Twenty years in, I was still listening to this album on a regular basis knowing all the words to “Don’t Stop” and “Go Your Own Way”. At least once a month, if memory serves me right, I would track the album, as I do with my favorites. Thirty years later, it’s still with me, both on CD and on digital. The opening strum to “Second Hand News” is recognizable in any setting, loud or quiet.

A little know fact about this album. Back when my wife and I started dating in 2001, we both talked about how great this album is. In fact, it’s one of the albums we listen to when we go on many of our road trips, with both of us singing loudly during “The Chain”, which is my favorite track out of the 11 songs. My least favorite track? “Oh Daddy” I admit to skipping it most times, unless I really do want to go from start to finish.

And now at the ripe old age of 40 years old, which is old for any album that hangs out this long and is still very popular with many music fans, I give it a proper accolade here on the blog, in addition to its place on my Top 25 albums list [came in at number 15], this album remains an all time wonder of rock and deserves the more than 30 millions copies sold to the many fans that love it.

Article Links

  • Rolling Stone: Why Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumours’ Hits Home Right Now
  • EW.com: Ranking the tracks on Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours 40 years later
  • Billboard: Every Song on Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumours’ Ranked
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