Review Summary: Overall, I can surely say that this is one of the best albums of all time, and I know my review will definitely not give the album enough praise as it deserves, but I just can’t put into words how amazing this album is.
Albums You Must Own #1
First of all, I just want to say, these are in no particular order, I am just numbering them so I (and you) can keep track of how many posts and albums I have done.
The first album I am going to go over and recommend is the incredibly famous ‘Rumours’ album by Fleetwood Mac. If you haven’t even heard of this album or band, I suggest you carry on reading this as it could possibly give you a new favourite band. If you have heard of this album and band before, then carry on reading too, I’ll try to make it interesting for you.
Now, I’ll start by explaining the albums title ‘Rumours’. It’s not just some word that the band thought of, it’s incredibly more in depth than you could imagine. To put it shortly, several members of the band were actually items, couples, which were struggling in their separate relationships and sadly eventually led to the breaking up of the two different relationships in the band. However, everyone in the band knew how well they all played together and co-operated together as musicians, and they were definitely at the near peak of their career, having released a self titled album previously to ‘Rumours’ which sold fairly well. They all decided to stick it out and stay in the band, mainly for themselves, but I sense a feeling of wanting everyone to be together still in the band too. Anyway, the album consists of songs written about others members of the band, by other members of the band… This is one way to make it awkward in rehearsals when you ask your band to play a song with lyrics directed at the female vocalist. Tensions were high in the band and friend relationships weren’t going well for some of the members. Because of the nature of the songs being about each other in the band, the album was given the title ‘Rumours’, which is extremely clever.
‘Rumours’ is nearly split equally between 3 songwriters in the band; Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie. The styles incorporated in this album all borderline one general genre, and that is rock. But not the head-blasting kind of rock you hear in bands of this day, but a more adult-orientated rock. Lindsey uses his amazing guitar skills to transform every song to give them all a different feel, along with Mick Fleetwood’s tight drumming patterns.
Some songs on the album have heavy folk backgrounds, like ‘Never Going Back Again’, where Lindsey uses his incredible guitar skills to somehow make one guitarist sound like two, whilst singing soft melodies over the top, leading into a powerful and short chorus ending on the phrase ‘Never Going Back Again’. If you ever wanted to understand folk music this is definitely a song to get started on, even though folk music usually heavily relies on numerous verses, Lindsey changes it up with a chorus section. Another folk song on the album is ‘Second Hand News’. Instead of the stupidly complicated arpeggios on the guitar, in this song Lindsey sticks mainly to playing chords, which may sound basic, but along with Stevie Nicks harmonies and backing swells during the verse sections it creates a perfect blend of voices and guitar.
Stevie Nicks on the other hand, writes songs in a totally different way to Lindsey Buckingham. She creates swirling grooves that cycle over with dramatic effect on the listener. A perfect example of this in one of her songs is ‘Dreams’. Again, Lindseys guitar abilities shine through on this song just as well as all the others, with this one proving he knows when to drop out playing, and when to play to add that little bit extra to the songs atmosphere. Stevies voice and the other harmonies over the top create an airy and ‘swaying’ feel during the verses, until the chorus where percussive hits are thrown, which matches the phrase “Thunder only happens when it’s raining” beautifully.
A song by Christine McVie which became a huge hit is called ‘Don’t Stop’. This is one of the more positive songs on the album, and is written about the whole band sticking together, hence the title called. This song was actually used as part of Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign in 1992, which has since became a song he uses frequently at other events he attends.
Some of my personal favourites and my recommendations to listen to are:
Go Your Own Way
The Chain
Dreams
Never Going Back Again
Don’t Stop
Overall, I can surely say that this is one of the best albums of all time, and I know my review will definitely not give the album enough praise as it deserves, but I just can’t put into words how amazing this album is. Even though being written in 1977, this album sounds just as good now as it did then, it’s just timeless. Lindseys ridiculous guitar solos still leave me with my jaw dropped to the floor after listening to it a countless amount of times, and he is easily one of the worlds most underated guitarists. Stevie Nicks shows off her way with lyrics on this album perfectly, adding in elegant and mature similes and metaphors. This album is an absolute classic, and such a joy to listen to. I hope maybe I have persuaded a few people to listen to the album, if not one or two of the songs I have listed, but I can say you won’t be disappointed.
See you soon,
PastyHands (Kane).
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