Today In History... with The Retrospectors
Fleetwood Mac’s Breakup Masterpiece
Published: 2 April 2025 at 01:30 Europe/London
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Episode notes
Fleetwood Mac’s iconic breakup album ‘Rumours’ hit No.1 on the U.S. album charts on April 2nd, 1977, and has never really left the public consciousness since.
With banger after banger—Dreams, Go Your Own Way, The Chain—it resonated across generations, but perhaps especially with the band’s boomer contemporaries, many experiencing troubled relationships of their own.
At the time of its recording in California, Mick Fleetwood was reeling from a collapsed marriage, John and Christine McVie were divorcing, and Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham were locked in an emotional war, with Nicks soon to embark upon a relationship with Fleetwood. Recording Rumours was a year-long endurance test.
In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly uncover the mathematical formula for Fleetwood’s cocaine consumpion; consider how TikTok has revived interest in this seminal LP; and reveal how, despite making positive noises, contemporary critics missed just how important the album would become…
Further Reading:
• ‘Rumours’ (Library of Congress, 2017): https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/Rumours.pdf
• ‘Fleetwood Mac: In the Middle of the Road’ (The Washington Post, 1977): https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1977/02/09/fleetwood-mac-in-the-middle-of-the-road/537b612c-e519-4623-a118-144efcac1a1f/
• ‘Fleetwood Mac - Rumours [Full Album]’ (Warner Records, 1977): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uFU79MGj00
#Music #70s #US #Celebrity
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The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.
Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart
Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2025.
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