Welcome to the second half of Split Record Review this week! Yesterday, Noa wrote about many songs off Fleetwood Mac’s most popular album, “Rumours,” which I’ll use the British English spelling for.
Even if you think you’ve heard a song or two from it, namely “Dreams” with nearly two billion Spotify plays as of now, the majority of these 11 tracks are pervasive radio hits.
Founding member Peter Green’s decline is as unfortunate as Syd Barrett’s was, though as David Gilmour helped transform Pink Floyd into the rockstars they’re known as today, Lindsey Buckingham elevated Fleetwood Mac to a whole new level.
Stevie Nicks is a legend in her own right and arguably was an equal driving force for the band’s innovation and success, but I can still get behind the “South Park” jokes about her voice when she sings loud and proud. Noa said a bunch about Nicks’ contributions to this record, so I’ll focus more on Buckingham’s efforts.
Mick Fleetwood, along with John and Christine McVie, were also instrumental to the band at the time and until their end in 2022; but that power duo of Buckingham and Nicks is what the fans are here for.
“Second Hand News” is the first of many Buckingham-led cuts on “Rumours,” and it’s criminally underrated. The matter-of-factness of “When times go bad, when times go rough / Won’t you lay me down in the tall grass / And let me do my stuff?” is too real and contradicts the smug pose of Mick Fleetwood on the album’s cover.
Along with the vocal scatting throughout the song, Buckingham isn’t taking himself too seriously yet delivers punchy vocals, namely when the song’s title comes into the foray two minutes in.
The resurgence of “Dreams” by @Doggface208 on TikTok skating around Idaho chugging some Ocean Spray is incredible and is how I found Fleetwood Mac initially. And what a great song to complement such a legendary TikTok! Nicks carries this one and it’s straight vibes.
The chill drumming helps the listener reflect during the pre-chorus, “Oh, what you had, oh, what you lost.” It’s a decently long song on the album yet “Dreams” is paced perfectly, and I agree with Noa that its placement as the second track was the right choice.
“Never Going Back Again” may as well be the sonic equivalent to “Going to California” on Led Zeppelin’s fourth album, but the lyrical sentiments are evidently reversed. Buckingham’s understated vocals on the short verses and shouts of “Been down one time / Been down two times” in the chorus get me every time. His guitar picking is also so skillful that part of me wishes he focused solely on acoustic cuts like this going forward, but his solo career is incredible in its own right.
“Don’t Stop,” the album’s second single following its release — the first being “Dreams” — picks up the pace again. Written by Christine McVie, simple lines like “All I want is to see you smile / If it takes just a little while” go a long way to make “Rumours” so accessible and easy to connect with lyrically.
To elaborate on the only single released before the album, “Go Your Own Way,” the setup before the explosive chorus 30 seconds in is yet another example of the band’s skill at crafting perfect song structures. Forging one’s path is a wonderful lesson, especially since Buckingham has done this throughout his life and isn’t just preaching it. The drumming, maracas and Buckingham’s voice mesh cleanly.
There is a time and place for tracks like “Songbird,” and while I don’t believe it belongs on “Rumours,” Christine McVie does an excellent job for a touching three minutes. Following this is “The Chain,” the album’s most collaborative cut with three vocalists and all five members with writing credits. It speaks for itself; everyone brings their A-game for this absolute cinema. It’s infectious in a different way from the dreamy “Dreams” due to its complexity.
Now, we enter the deep cuts. Most of these are justifiably less popular than the preceding tracks but “You Make Loving Fun,” the third and final post-album single, is pretty cool. Led by Christine McVie again, Nicks would’ve killed this track but it also isn’t hers. Every track except “The Chain” has one writer, and I’m all for people singing others’ lyrics but not on “Rumours.”
“I Don’t Want to Know” sees Nicks and Buckingham pull off incredible vocal chemistry, better than Sonny & Cher ever did. I’m a big fan of the hand claps in the chorus and the country flair with “I don’t want to stand ‘tween you and love, honey / I just want you to feel fine.”
I agree with Noa on “Oh Daddy”: It doesn’t hit like the rest but there are moments of genius including, “Why are you right when I’m so wrong? / I’m so weak but you’re so strong.” Lyrics don’t need to be more complicated than this sometimes.
“Gold Dust Woman” calls for some glazing of Nicks. An unapologetically Californian cut, she did everything from turning off the studio lights to literally blindfolding herself to record this. We envision sunshine and good spirits in that state, which is true, but drug use is also rampant and will take you right out of that. It’s still uplifting in a weird way, “Rock on, ancient queen / Follow those who pale in your shadow.”
What a delight it was to tackle this classic with Noa! I’ll reiterate that many of these songs are instantly recognizable, yet others aren’t. And keep in mind, this was their 11th studio album out of 17, with “Rumours” being the second to feature this era of the band, so don’t think you know Fleetwood Mac until you keep listening, even if this is their climax.
Rating: 4.5/5