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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com
Three decades after Rumours established itself as one of rock's most ubiquitous, overarching successes, discussing Fleetwood Mac's heady 1977 monster (18 million sold and counting) might seem pointless; one might as well deconstruct a Big Mac. But this remastered, double-disc deluxe edition succeeds by offering up a generous, compelling portrait of that overly familiar musical triumph via 18 bonus tracks that include demos, outtakes, run-throughs, and studio jams. Stripping hits like "Don't Stop," "Go Your Own Way" and "Gold Dust Woman" down to their most bare-bones form reveals the sturdy, elemental framework that tellingly lies beneath all the pop perfection. But tracks like Lindsey Buckingham's ebullient instrumental "Brushes" (the basic tracks of "Never Going Back Again") also display a musician whose focused vision is informed by accomplished playing that's anything but simple. The two brief studio jams included aren't much more than noisy, disposable fun. But other outtakes of songs that didn't make the album (Stevie Nicks's "Think About It" and "Planets of the Universe"; Buckingham's "Doesn't Anything Last") help underscore the contention of Dave DiMartino's insightful new liner notes: This was a band on the cusp of triumph literally coming apart at its emotional seams, yet one which somehow channeled that personal turmoil into nothing short of epochal musical success. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews: Read 30 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

One Of The Best Albums Of All Time! August 3, 2004
53 out of 56 found this review helpful

This expanded version of the Rumours album features a second set of Roughs and Outtakes, as well as some early demos and jam sessions. The booklet has also been expanded, featuring lyrics, many photographs, and an essay about the making of Rumours.

Below is my review of each disc:
Disc: 1

1. Second Hand News
2. Dreams
3. Never Going Back Again
4. Don't Stop
5. Go Your Own Way
6. Songbird
7. Silver Springs
8. The Chain
9. You Make Loving Fun
10. I Don't Want to Know
11. Oh Daddy
12. Gold Dust Woman

What can be said of disc one that hasn't been said. This is virtually a perfect album. Every song is a classic. The remastering vastly improves the sound quality from the original CD release of Rumours back in the mid 80's.

Some people have an issue with the insertion of "Silver Springs" in the middle of the Rumours track order. I don't share in this, as I think placing the song at the end would be awkward. Positioned at track 7 fits well with the flow of the album. A good decision, in my opinion.

A bad decision, however, was not to include the ORIGINAL single version that we all know and love, and instead use a new remixed version that bring's Stevie Nicks' vocals too far forward and overpowering the beautiful harmonies. The powers be "fixed" something that wasn't broken in the first place! Simply a HORRIBLE decision.

Disc: 2

1. Second Hand News - Doesn't differ significantly from the original Rumours version.
2. Dreams News - Doesn't differ significantly from the original Rumours version. This arrangement is somewhat sparse, with Stevie's voice is somewhat more upfront in the mix, giving the song an somewhat more intimate quality.
3. Brushes (Never Going Back Again) - This is essentially the instrumental track (no vocals), with a different opening. An interesting, slightly different approach to this song
4. Don't Stop - Features a winding organ part towards the end of the song. - Doesn't differ significantly from the original Rumours version.
5. Go Your Own Way - Doesn't differ significantly from the original Rumours version.
6. Songbird - One of my favorites from Rumours, as it's always a delight to hear. However, this version doesn't differ significantly from the original Rumours version. The guitar, mostly in the right channel, strangely drops in suddenly on the left channel at 1:58.
7. Silver Springs - Another remix of this beautiful song.. As stated previously, I wish they would have just included the original single mix on disc one.
8. You Make Loving Fun - Features an interesting funky, false start, as well as some nice alternate background vocals.
9. Gold Dust Woman #1 - Different vocal inflections from Stevie, but the music is essentially the same. Sounds more angry to me. The ending features some haunting vocal work from Nicks.
10. Oh Daddy - Very different vocals - Christine McVie's voice was brought forward in the mix, and Stevie Nicks's background vocals are more pronounced.
11. Think About It - A very stripped down, funky version. I really liked this version.
12. Never Going Back Again - An instrumental version. Nothing that special
13. Planets of the Universe - An early Stevie Nicks song, recently resurrected on her 2001 CD "Trouble In Shangri-La" .
14. Butter Cookie (Keep Me There) - A previously unreleased Christine McVie song. While I loved her songs on Rumours, this song was justifiable left off. The lyrics are unfinished and therefore some bluff vocals are sung instead.
15. Gold Dust Woman - An extremely stripped down version. Consider this "Gold Dust Woman" unplugged. Probably my favorite track on disc 2.
16. Doesn't Anything Last - A previously unreleased Lindsey Buckingham song. I liked this song as well. Because it is a demo, it's also features the sparse unplugged type of feel. This song is incomplete and ends suddenly.
17. Mic the Screecher - Some noodling in the studio while the tape rolled on. Not something that bears repeated listening.
18. For Duster (The Blues) - A 4:26 blues style jam, harkening back to the early style of Fleetwood Mac. An interesting way to close disc 2.

What's amazing is that the rough demos and outtakes of the Rumours songs presented on the second disc don't differ much from the released versions, indicating that the songs were pretty much recorded as originally envisioned. Unfortunately, that also means you're less likely to come back to the second disc, as the originally released versions are for the most part the best version.

So it is worth buying this set? The remastered material sounds great, and it's nice to finally have "Silver Springs" included with the other Rumours tracks. However, the second disc really doesn't present anything all that unique and essential for anyone but the most avid Fleetwood Mac fan, and the screw up with "Silver Springs" is criminal. Given the $20.99 price of the expanded edition vs the 13.99 price of the standard CD, well, the choice is up to you.

Even though this is an absolutely classic album, I am rating it with only four stars due to the "Silver Sprinsg" screw up, as well as the unessential second disc.

One last note - the DVD-Audio version present the Rumours tracks in remastered sound with the ORIGINAL version of "Silver Springs", so for some of you that may be the best way to go.

5 out of 5 stars

The Stuff Dreams Are Made Of May 14, 2004
14 out of 18 found this review helpful

After their breakthrough success with their self-titled album, Fleetwood Mac should have been on top of the world. Instead, success led to tensions in the band that would result in the two couples, Buckingham-Nicks & the McVie's, dissolving their relationships. There was tremendous friction when the band entered the studio to record the follow up album. It was those frictions and breakups that fueled the album and turned it into one of the classic albums of the 70's and in rock history. Rumours contains 11 songs in which many deal with the breakups. To hear Lindsay Buckingham & Stevie Nicks sing the searing "Go Your Own Way" together when you know that the song was written about their situation adds an extra edge to the song that can't be created if the song was about someone else. "The Chain" has a dark and ironic urgency to it and the bouncy beats of "Second Hand News" mask angry and bitter lyrics. "Dreams" is a bittersweet song that captures the essence of Stevie Nicks. It has a mystical, ethereal sound with deep lyrics and it has the witchy feel that made Ms. Nicks the high priestess of rock. The song became the album's and the band's only number one single. Ms. Nicks also shines on the eerie "Gold Dust Woman" that is a thinly veiled song about her cocaine abuse. The song dips and dives with stinging guitars and dirge like Hammond organ. Not every song is downcast; "Don't Stop" is a classic anthem of optimism and hope in which Christine McVie & Mr. Buckingham's vocals intertwine perfectly to capture the feeling that tomorrow will soon be here. "You Make Loving Fun" is a bouncy song that must have burned John McVie as Christine McVie wrote it about her new lover. "Songbird" is an elegantly beautiful song that is just Ms. McVie on vocals and piano and its position right in the middle of the album provides a respite from the album's high tensions. Rumours not only capitalized on the success of their prior album, but it was so big that it became a cultural touchstone. The album spent a staggering 31 weeks at number one in 1977, became the first album to spawn four top ten hits and ranks as one of the five biggest selling albums in history with over 20 million in sales and won the 1977 Grammy for Album of the Year. The original album is altered to include "Silver Springs" which was originally a b-side to "Go Your Own Way", but was revived in popularity with its inclusion on their comeback album, "The Dance". It is placed between "Songbird" and "The Chain" the songs that end side one and start side two respectively on the original album. Disk two is full of demo takes of the album's songs as well as jam sessions and other miscellaneous tracks.

3 out of 5 stars

Astonishingly Substandard Remastering July 10, 2004
13 out of 16 found this review helpful

As a huge Mac fan, I purchased the three remastered Mac albums with great excitement. However, my excitement soon turned to grave disappointment when I listened to them. I should point out that there were two earlier pressings of this CD; the first was dreadful, and this version is clearly better than that one. However, the second version (done as a result of customer complaints about the first, I believe) was vastly superior, both to the first pressing and (to a lesser extent) this remaster.

"Second Hand News" sounds much better on the remaster, but it's all downhill from there. "Dreams" is lineball, but from then on it's clear that the second pressing was significantly crisper and clearer than this remaster (although the remaster has fuller bass). Also, "Silver Springs" sounds infinitely better on "The Chain" box set.

I am frankly astonished that anyone involved could have let such a substandard remaster of such a well-known album be released.

5 out of 5 stars

I would give this 10 stars if i could! March 25, 2004
11 out of 11 found this review helpful

I was at the store practically the minute it opened to get the three three Fleetwood Mac re-issues (Fleetwood Mac, Rumours, and Tusk). The second i got back out to my car i ripped the plastic off and started listening to the extra disc on Rumours and i was thrilled. The roughs, outtakes, and demos are a dream come true for a major fan like myself! There are two different versions of Gold Dust Woman on the bonus disc, and one of the versions is actually upbeat; totally different from the finished product. Plus, many of Lindsey's songs are void of vocals so that you can really hear his guitar genius. Never Going Back Again (one of my absolute favorites of the band) sounds just awesome and is further proof that Lindsey is a guitar GOD! There are also some demos of songs that didn't make it on the album, like Planets of the Universe (which actually made it onto Stevie's latest solo release), Doesn't Anything Last, Butter Cookie, and Think About It.
The booklet is also stunning. There is an essay with tons of info and insight into the band's history. There are also tons of pictures and even a two page collage of the band. All of the lyrics are also included.
Buy this even if you already have the old copy of Rumours, the Bonus disc alone is MORE than worth the purchase price of the cd!

5 out of 5 stars

the beauty is in the sound June 1, 2004
11 out of 12 found this review helpful

In a way, the remastering seems like a marketing ploy to make more money, to promote the second leg of their national tour (it amazes me that they could still be touring- it's like trying to imagine my parents running around the country from city to city playing rock music every night. I can't.).
Yet, I think it's also an effort to present the music to their fans on CD as it was originally recorded. The pre-existing CD versions are definitely sub-optimal- the transfer from the analog recording is flat and smoothed over. When I heard Rumours remastered, I almost started crying- in fact, I might have. It was clear and vibrant, the vocals had so much more depth, and the instruments stand out from one other- and the singing rises from the music rather than being plastered to it. This is the way it was meant to be listened to. This is the reason Fleetwood Mac is a blues/folk/*rock*- and not pop- band. I can hear vocals and sounds that I never ever heard before- it's just so intense. Definitely worth it

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