There are countless breakup songs across the musical landscape, but Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours is much more than that; it’s a breakup album that happens to be dripping with the band’s coked-out excess.
Personal lives absolutely falling apart have never sounded so catty and catchy at once as they do on Rumours. Between the divorce filing of John McVie and Christine McVie, the breakup of Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham (and Nicks’ eventual “shacking up” with Mick Fleetwood), the band weren’t exactly hurting for material.
…And did we mention the coke? It’s heavy use by the band has been well documented and was so prolific, Fleetwood reportedly wanted to thank his dealer in the album’s credits.
All 11 tracks that make up Rumours could easily be singles, which could be why it has sold a staggering 40 million copies worldwide, with 20 million copies sold in the U.S. alone.
In short, it’s a pop-rock masterpiece, and it’s likely one of the few times it’s okay to be thankful for the pain and heartache of five individuals.
94.7 WCSX – Detroit’s Classic Rock / Wednesday, Feburary 4, 2015
