Rumours

Fleetwood Mac • Rumours • 1977

Rumours. It’s difficult to underestimate the simple pleasure of listening to this record. Few bands enjoy 3 gifted singer-songwriters, as did Fleetwood Mac (well, maybe the Beatles). The 3, Lindsey Buckingham, Christine McVie, and Stevie Nicks, sounded nothing like each other. But they were an unbeatable team, and all wrote songs that became huge hits. Their skills to write really interesting and diverse songs, as well as flawless harmonies, made Rumours the powerhouse that it became.

Rumours was almost instantly a commercial success, selling more than 10 million copies in its first month after release. It was hard to turn on the radio in 1977 without hearing a Fleetwood Mac song playing. It won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 1978. And if you like music trivia, it quickly became the best selling album of all time in it’s day, surpassing the Bee Gees Saturday Night Fever. As of 2020 Rumours has sold more than 45 million copies worldwide, placing it in the top 5 best selling albums of all time. It spent 669 weeks on the Billboard charts, and made it to number 1 on the Billboard 200 Album chart. Then in 2013, after a Reissue, it got back to the Top 3 after 30 years. 

If you aren’t familiar with Rumours, I hope you’ll take the time to add this one to your music collection, and experience a classic that never gets old. You’ll thank me that you did. 

For a more detailed analysis, check out this excellent Rolling Stone review: