In what is a clearly indicative testament
to the age old notion that differences can be put aside for the greater good,
this album stands for the victory of artistic expression over personal strife.
The album was recorded in what might be termed as the pinnacle of the outfit’s
hedonistic phase. To the band, it signified a time when relationships went
astray, members got divorced and rumours that the band had reached the end of a
fine run made rounds. Proving their doubters wrong, the band produced Rumours,
which in turn became a benchmark for other bands to aspire to. The lethal
combination of John and Christine McVie, Lindsay Buckingham, Stevie Nicks and
Mick Fleetwood came out with an album that is nothing short of immortal.
Opening with ‘Second Hand News’, the album
then moves on to more personal terms with ‘Dreams’, a song made extremely
popular by The Corrs. ‘I Don’t Want to Know’ as well as the near spooky ‘Gold
Dust Woman’ were darker horses. Most of the songs were worked on separately by
its members, who united rather reluctantly on the track titled ‘The Chain’.
The unique production techniques of Ken
Callait gave Mac what can be construed as a ‘raw’ sound that was a path they
had not previously attempted on previous albums. It also helped encapsulate the
uncomfortable atmosphere in the studio that would wind up leading to many
emotional contributions by musicians and singers alike. The songs that remain
the most emotional on the album are ‘Songbird’, ‘Go Your Own Way’, ‘Don’t
Stop’, ‘Gold Dust Woman’ and ‘Never Going Back Again’. However, merely
listening to the rumours about Rumours wouldn’t quite do justice to what is, if
nothing else, an insightful listen into the lives of some of music’s greats.
