Disco de Fleetwood Mac: “Rumours [DVD Audio]”

Often the passage of time diminishes the quality or aesthetics of a piece of art; the art (particularly music) becomes "dated." Many recordings from the Seventies--songs that were phenomenally popular--today come across as stale, corny, or contrived.

Anyone remember "You Light Up My Life"?

Such is not the case with Fleetwood Mac's masterpiece, RUMOURS. The energy, emotion, passion, and musical mastery of this album is just as compelling today as it was in 1977. On top of that, today's technology only makes listening to RUMOURS even more of a pleasurable and spellbinding experience.

For me, having been a college student when this album was released, each track from this troubled band is a wondrous trip down memory lane. Among my favorites: "Dreams"; "Don't Stop"; "Silver Springs"; "You Make Loving Fun." And "Go Your Own Way" is musical nirvana, a glimmering, golden rock 'n roll keeper.

The inner turmoil Fleetwood Mac was experiencing when RUMOURS began shattering the Billboard charts received as much publicity as the album itself. Despite the band's dysfunction--or perhaps because of it--members Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie, Mick Fleetwood, and John McVie were hitting on all musical/creative cylinders. As a result, RUMOURS is timeless, ageless, and enthusiastically recommended.

As countless people before me have written and said, this is undeniably one of the greatest albums put out by any rock band--ever. I played it endlessly when I was in junior high--so much so I practically wore the grooves off the record! I got the CD early on and after so many years in my CD collection this remains one of my favorites.

Yes, the band was going through some tough times when they produced this music--and maybe that DID help them to produce such a great set of songs here. However, despite all their internal struggles, you'd just never know of it by simply listening to the songs, the overall smooth flow of the song set, and the electricity and energy of the songs and the way they are performed. The CD boasts numerous classic rock songs such as Christine McVie's "Don't Stop;" Stevie Nicks' "Dreams;" Lindsey Buckingham's "Go Your Own Way;" a song written by the band called "The Chain;" and a song I always liked personally, "Second Hand News" by Lindsey Buckingham.

The quality of the sound is excellent, even after all these years of playing this CD on several different CD players. I love the way the liner notes are so nicely done. You get great photos of the band and the lyrics are there along with the song credits.

This CD remains-and will remain-as timeless as the best of the best of the rock CDs. The songs deal with relationships between lovers as well as the entire range of emotions that come about when people are in love, together or be it unrequited. Indeed, Q magazine included this album as one of the "Best Relationship Albums Of All Time." When you listen to this album and the incredibly thoughtful way with which the songs are performed it will truly touch a nerve in you!

This CD is highly recommended for fans of rock, pop, and classic rock. If you fit into one of these fan groups, as I certainly do myself, you can't go wrong with this CD.

As a huge Mac fan, I purchased the three remastered Mac albums with great excitement. However, my excitement soon turned to grave disappointment when I listened to them. I should point out that there were two earlier pressings of this CD; the first was dreadful, and this version is clearly better than that one. However, the second version (done as a result of customer complaints about the first, I believe) was vastly superior, both to the first pressing and (to a lesser extent) this remaster.

"Second Hand News" sounds much better on the remaster, but it's all downhill from there. "Dreams" is lineball, but from then on it's clear that the second pressing was significantly crisper and clearer than this remaster (although the remaster has fuller bass). Also, "Silver Springs" sounds infinitely better on "The Chain" box set.

I am frankly astonished that anyone involved could have let such a substandard remaster of such a well-known album be released.

This is going to be the pressing that officially makes me give up audiophile LP re-releases. After carefully comparing this version to the original, which I bought recently for $3.00, I would call it a mixed bag with the nod going to the latter.

At first I thought the acoustic guitars on the new version sounded metallic and digital, but they're that way on the original so it's just how they were recorded. There's more dynamic range on the original which is noticeable on drums, and there's also more transparency in the mids and highs. You can hear overtones from the piano on the original, less so on the re-issue. Electric guitar solos have a mild glare on the new version. Surface noise, pops and clicks are significant on the new LP and I'm not saying all copies are that way, but mine is. Although I understand the limitations of re-mastering from a 30+ year old analog source, I don't understand why at $25 and up, the quality of vinyl is often so poor. There are exceptions, but I'm done rolling the dice at such steep prices.

Fleetwood Mac achieved worldwide success in 1975 after Americans Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joind the band. With hits like "Over My Head" and "Rhiannon", the band reflected a dark, mystical persona that could not be ignored. By 1976, personal problems took their toll on the bandmates. John and Christine McVie divorced, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks ended their long-term relationship, and drummer Mick Fleetwood's wife left him and returned to England. Overall, the band hit an all-time low, crippled by mass quantities of drugs and alcohol. They hit the studio in mid-1976 to create a follow-up to their debut smash. What was to come would be something the band was not prepared for. Stevie Nicks contributed "Dreams", "I Don't Want To Know", and "Gold Dust Woman" to the album, displaying her dark, yet powerful role within the band. Lindsey Buckingham displayed his envy towards Stevie for throwing him out of her life with the hard edge of "Go Your Own Way" and "Second Hand News." Last but not least, Christine McVie revealed in her songwriting that she was ready to move on with her life with songs like "You Make Loving Fun" and "Don't Stop." Together the band carefully put the pieces of their broken hearts together to create Rumours, an album that would quickly become one of the greatest-selling albums of all time, yield four Top Ten hits, earn a Grammy as well as two nominations, two American Music Awards, four Rolling Stone Awards, go platinum 17 times, and have a major influence on several artists that would achieve fame years later. After the album reached number one on the American charts in 1977, no other album would replace its position for the course of the year. While breaking hearts, they busted charts and became the most popular band of the 1970's. The legacy of the album has stood the test of time and is still a favorite among a new generation of music fans today.