Fleetwood Mac
Rumours

THE REVIEW

Just as the paths of music are infinite, so are the destinies of bands and their members inscrutable and always left to chance. How much ink may have been spilled on some famous lineup changes and their effects on a band's production, only God knows. From this perspective, the tales of Fleetwood Mac are as curious as they are paradigmatic of the statement that opens this page.
To anyone who thinks they appeared out of nowhere in America in the mid-seventies, it should be noted that the original lineup (Fleetwood, McVie, Green, Spencer) already had a good decade under its belt, with roots in England and rock-blues ancestry that at the time saw them as kin to groups like Cream and Yardbirds. The departure of two members and the simultaneous acquisition of Christine Perfect, married McVie, was the first step towards taking the band into the circuits of a pop-rock still tinged with blues. Having moved to California, the Mac would cheaply purchase the American Buckingham and Nicks, who would give the decisive mark to the new sound of the lineup. The secret is all here: blending the blues roots of the group with the best of English and American pop, like Beatles and Beach Boys strolling in California, sweetened by the soft rock of the Eagles and Doobie Brothers that were so popular in the mid-seventies.

The winning potential of the formula had already been tested by the self-titled 1975 album, which had widely rocked the box office, aided by high-impact singles such as "Rhiannon" (by Nicks) and "Say You Love Me" (by C. McVie). Material to live off for a few years, if it weren't for the fact that the subsequent "Rumours" (1977), in which the lethal mix was further refined and perfected, would garner a commercial response that would make your wrists tremble. Absolutely staggering numbers: millions of copies sold, suffice it to say that ten years after its release, the record would reach the eleventh platinum (!), remain unbeaten until the advent of "Thriller", and fight to the end for the second place among the best-selling albums of all time with the soundtrack of "Saturday Night Fever".

All this fuss for a product that is far from being a masterpiece, but in its genre and intents is perfectly accomplished. "A soap opera in vinyl" Buckingham himself cleverly called it, one of the most gifted (and underrated) minstrels of American pop-rock, capable even in the years to come of producing melodious sweetness of absolute value. His contribution to "Rumours" is essential yet decisive: the pop with hints of country soft-rock of the opening "Second Hand News" is a delight not easy to overlook, as is the brief plucked interlude of "Never Going Back Again" and the melodic rock of the famous "Go Your Own Way". Stevie Nicks is the most American writer of the whole group, the quintessence of chart pop of those years: the astronomical success of the single "Dreams", which despite everything is a great piece, strong with a syncopated rhythm section and an ethereal melody, confirms it. Her nasal, bland, and vaguely annoying voice is also the protagonist of the useless country-pop of "I Don't Want To Know" and the beautiful "Gold Dust Woman", placed at the end of the album. The other smash-hit single, "Don't Stop" (which would even be chosen as the flag-bearer of the American elections), bears the signature of C. McVie and is as simple as it is effective blues-pop; much better, also by Perfect, is that "You Make Loving Fun" which catapults us back to the origins of the lineup, a powerful and sustained blues-rock, and the sweet solipsism of the delicate "Songbird" for voice and piano. Tending towards the pathetic is "Oh Daddy" (again by McVie), while excellent is the choral performance of "The Chain", with an unforgettable bass riff, perhaps the most representative piece of the band.

The pop lover and song structure enthusiast won't turn up their nose at "Rumours", that's for sure; however, some, perhaps many, will hesitate to include it among their desert island records. For which, if you'll allow me, I will continue to sail towards other shores.