Today in History: Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" album hits number 1

I would be willing to bet that even the younger people out there are at least casually familiar with a lot of the songs on this momentous album or at least with the band name Fleetwood Mac.

Rumors was an album that was a real struggle to release because of inner turmoil inside the band and I suppose we should consider the musical world lucky that they were either able to work their way through it or were forced through it because Fleetwood Mac is considered one of the greats of the 70's and for many people, including yours truly, this is their best album.

The year was 1977

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A lot of people don't know this, but this album was actually Fleetwood Mac's eleventh album and was very highly anticipated largely because of their 1975 self-titled album (obviously called Fleetwood Mac) had a little ditty on it called "Rhiannon" that propelled the band to the limelight, so to speak.

When Rumors was being recorded, the band was in turmoil as far as relationships were concerned and it has been reported by sound technicians that they would turn up at 7 and get hammered for 5 hours or so before they would even record anything. Vocalist Stevie Nicks would later state in an interview that "Fleetwood Mac created the best music when in the worst shape."

Say what you will about booze and cocaine, but if it wasn't for their excess we might not have the amazing tracks on this album such as "Go Your Own Way", "Dreams", and "Don't Stop."

While the whole album does have a pop sound to it, it is important to consider that the 70's were dominated by disco, which love it or hate it (I hate it for the most part) was a big part of the sound during the late 70's. There are rumours (pun intended) that Fleetwood Mac was pressured to get involved with the trend, which they unanimously refused to do and thank goodness for that.

Rumours would go on to hit number one on this day, and the 4 songs that were released as singles from the album all hit the top ten in both the USA and UK. It won album of the year at the 1977 Grammy's and is one of the best-selling albums of all time.

It is deemed as one of the hundred most important albums of all time and has been preserved in the in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress. It's one thing to win a Grammy, but when the US government determines that your work is important enough to make certain it is preserved for all time.... well, that's pretty special. dontcha think?

Every publication that mattered at the time gave this album a 5-star rating, and it went on to sell 40 million copies. 20 million alone were sold in the United States, which at that time was something that was almost completely unheard of.

If you are so young that you have never heard of Fleetwood Mac, I strongly encourage you to change that because it really is something special and the fact that the history between the band members and their love trysts actually inspired a lot of the lyrics / songs, make it even more interesting if you bother to look into it.

A truly amazing part of the 70's and beyond, Fleetwood Mac made their mark with this album that would solidify them as one of the most successful acts of all time.... and it all started today, 42 years ago.