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On this day, 39 years ago...

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  • On this day, 39 years ago...

    This landmark album was released. I still have mine when I purchased it 39 nine years ago as well as a number of reissues. How many versions do you guys have?


    From AMG:
    Rumours is the kind of album that transcends its origins and reputation, entering the realm of legend -- it's an album that simply exists outside of criticism and outside of its time, even if it thoroughly captures its era. Prior to this LP, Fleetwood Mac were moderately successful, but here they turned into a full-fledged phenomenon, with Rumours becoming the biggest-selling pop album to date. While its chart success was historic, much of the legend surrounding the record is born from the group's internal turmoil. Unlike most bands, Fleetwood Mac in the mid-'70s were professionally and romantically intertwined, with no less than two couples in the band, but as their professional career took off, the personal side unraveled. Bassist John McVie and his keyboardist/singer wife Christine McVie filed for divorce as guitarist/vocalist Lindsey Buckingham and vocalist Stevie Nicks split, with Stevie running to drummer Mick Fleetwood, unbeknown to the rest of the band. These personal tensions fueled nearly every song on Rumours, which makes listening to the album a nearly voyeuristic experience. You're eavesdropping on the bandmates singing painful truths about each other, spreading nasty lies and rumors and wallowing in their grief, all in the presence of the person who caused the heartache. Everybody loves gawking at a good public breakup, but if that was all that it took to sell a record,Richard and Linda Thompson's Shoot Out the Lights would be multi-platinum. No, what madeRumours an unparalleled blockbuster is the quality of the music. Once again masterminded by producer/songwriter/guitarist Buckingham, Rumours is an exceptionally musical piece of work -- he toughens Christine McVie and softens Nicks, adding weird turns to accessibly melodic works, which gives the universal themes of the songs haunting resonance. It also cloaks the raw emotion of the lyrics in deceptively palatable arrangements that made a tune as wrecked and tortured as "Go Your Own Way" an anthemic hit. But that's what makes Rumours such an enduring achievement -- it turns private pain into something universal. Some of these songs may be too familiar, whether through their repeated exposure on FM radio or their use in presidential campaigns, but in the context of the album, each tune, each phrase regains its raw, immediate emotional power -- which is why Rumours touched a nerve upon its 1977 release, and has since transcended its era to be one of the greatest, most compelling pop albums of all time. Click image for larger version

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    Last edited by allenh; 02-04-2016, 03:48 PM.
    Kronos Sparta -> Trinity Phono -> Trinity Pre -> CH Precision A1 -> Magico S7s

  • #2
    Love this album and,like you, I still have my original copy. I bought another copy years later as the original developed 2 skips, which obviously annoyed the crap out of me.

    Been thinking about the AP 45rpm reissue, but I wasn't overwhelmed with their reissue of the earlier Fleetwood Mac album.

    Which reissues of Rumours do you have?
    Dynavector DV20x2L MC cartridge - Genesis G7.1f speakers - Marantz Reference PM-KI-Pearl Int. Amp. - Oracle Audio Paris MkV turntable - Various Morrow & Valab/King cables

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    • #3
      Hey Johnny,

      Good catch. Actually, I should have said different pressings instead of different reissues. I do have the 45rpm Hoffman reissue, but I have a German pressing, 3 copies of the RL pressling, and a regular US pressing. I thought I had a UK pressing too, but can't find it. I want to add a Japanese pressing to the list as well.

      Saw them in concert last year(?), and they were phenomenal!
      Kronos Sparta -> Trinity Phono -> Trinity Pre -> CH Precision A1 -> Magico S7s

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