Rumours [35th Anniversary Deluxe Edition]
by Fleetwood Mac
  • Record Label: Rhino
  • Release Date: Jan 29, 2013
User Score
9.0

Universal acclaim- based on 138 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 128 out of 138
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 138
  3. Negative: 7 out of 138
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  1. JennetP
    Mar 27, 2013
    5
    Ah, the mid-70s: my least favorite musical era. Rock lost its edge, and FM radio became an instrument of torture, playing the bland pop tunes of Fleetwood Mac and the Eagles over and over and over, until listeners' ears wept blood. Now here we are at the 35th anniversary of "Rumours," and it's time for a reassessment. Was the "soundtrack of 1977" truly as lightweight as I remember? TheAh, the mid-70s: my least favorite musical era. Rock lost its edge, and FM radio became an instrument of torture, playing the bland pop tunes of Fleetwood Mac and the Eagles over and over and over, until listeners' ears wept blood. Now here we are at the 35th anniversary of "Rumours," and it's time for a reassessment. Was the "soundtrack of 1977" truly as lightweight as I remember? The answer is: yes and no. Listening to the old songs, as well as the live versions, demos, and early takes, I realize how heterogeneous the band was most of the time. On songs by Stevie Nicks and (most of the time) Christine McVie, Fleetwood Mac sounds like a skilled back-up band, adapting their sound to the singer-songwriter's aesthetic. Only on the one song written by the whole band ("Chains") and on a couple of songs by Lindsey Buckingham do I hear much real collaboration. Compare the Nicks and McVie demos (not that different from final versions) and the Buckingham demos (quite different), and you'll see how much more involved and sophisticated was Buckingham's use of his bandmates' musical strengths during the recording process. In the final analysis, I don't like most of the Nicks and McVie songs, which sound to me as silly and sentimental as they did in the 70s. But, 35 years later, I rather like "Chains" and "Go Your Own Way," which have a ferocity I didn't appreciate when I was hearing them two thousand times a month.… Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
99

Universal acclaim - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. American Songwriter
    Feb 22, 2013
    100
    Their finest album, 1977’s Rumours, addresses with heart and sharp insight the romantic disengagements and re-entanglements of the members in the free-spirited, free-love 1970s.
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  2. Mojo
    Feb 15, 2013
    100
    If you're the kind of listener who has come to associate outtakes from classic albums with meagre, dryly forensic spoils, prepare to be very pleasantly surprised by Disc 3.... Rumours reminds us why we should continue to indulge them. [Mar 2013, p.100]
  3. Consequence
    Feb 14, 2013
    100
    What makes Rumours so remarkable and relevant is that it remains fragile and passionate 35 years later.... From a historical, archival standpoint, this package is extremely valuable, as Rhino left in the studio banter and rough cuts from the recording sessions; you get to overhear Fleetwood Mac as they make the record.
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