Product: Classic Albums: Fleetwood Mac - Rumours (1997)
Rating: 4.0
Just as compelling as the album
The GoodAhh, turmoil makes for good albums, but who didn't know that's what Rumours was all about. It's still quite interesting to hear Fleetwood Mac tell the stories themselves of how the songs that made up their landmark album came together. Why "Rhiannon" is included here is beyond me, it wasn't even on that album. The song was released when Buckingham and Nicks joint the group one album prior, so there's some significance. It was Christine that came up with the chunky riff that dominates "You Make Loving Fun", but together with Lindsey they made a masterpiece. Between a classic live performance of the song, John and Christine discuss their troubled relationship during the recording. Stevie Nicks reveals that she wrote "Dreams" in Sly Stones bed, and how Lindsey always had a way to make her songs sound great, when he was happy with her. The Scottish/Irish folk influenced "Second Hand News" was a Buckingham contribution. He reveals that he was listening to the Bee Gee's "Jive Talking" at the time he wrote it. Mick Fleetwood offers an interesting little tidbit here; he wasn't the odd man out when it came to dysfunctional relationship. Not only were Lindsey and Stevie & John and Christine on the skid, he was dealing with his best friend sleeping with his wife. They're still friends today though.Mick breaks down the little pieces that make up "Go Your Own Way" in the studio to show how it all comes together. Lindsey demonstrates on an acoustic guitar how important the background riff to the song was. Some great stories come out of the discussion of "Never Going Back Again". Stevie and Christine always had each other to turn to, John emphasizes how drug use was common place back then, but realizes how bad they were, and the producers tell a hilarious story of mishandled drugs. You've gotta love Lindsey's afro in the video for "Don't Stop". The band goes into how the song is connected to President Clinton. The producer states that he felt "Songbird" sounded like a concert hall type song, so they booked a concert hall to record it. They set up a piano with flowers and champagne for Christine to play away. They include performance footage in which I can't tell if it's Christine back then or Christine today. She really hasn't aged a bit. The DVD covers the song "Silver Springs" which didn't actually appear on the album. The producers said they had to cut it due to time space. There's a live performance of "The Chain" from the eighties, circa Lindsey's funny hat days. The group reveals that the song was changed at the last minute to make it work.The BadThe group does their interviews separate from each other.The VerdictThe stories are just as compelling as the album.