ANDREA SWENSSON – FLEETWOOD MAC AND RUMOURS: 50 YEARS
MOTORBOOKS
BOOK REVIEW BY BRYAN WILLISTON
The creation of Fleetwood Mac’s 1977 album, Rumours, is the stuff of rock ‘n’ roll legend. It is a now-familiar tale of a British blues act who saw success in their homeland, migrated to the United States, and after a few personnel changes, landed on a lineup that propelled them to global stardom. Equally familiar are the stories of relationship splits within the band, the cocaine-fuelled creativity, and the music which kept them together and propelled them forward. As the latest in a recent crop of commemorative books which celebrate milestone works from the classic rock era (written by Minneapolis/St. Paul-based journalist Andrea Swensson, and released through Motorbooks), Fleetwood Mac and Rumours: 50 Years is one impressive volume.
Writers and publishers often walk a fine line when it comes to books of this type. Often, they are flashily designed, filled with glossy photos, and are rather short on text descriptions. Not so with this work. It is actually quite the opposite, as the quality here is astounding. The people behind the production of this book have gone to great lengths to provide the reader with a beautiful, and historically comprehensive work.
In celebration of the release of the Rumours album, Swensson gives plenty of chronological context leading up to the album’s 1977 release. The early years of Fleetwood Mac’s 1960s British blues scene years with guitarist Peter Green are well documented and are accompanied by visual artefacts of the era. Ticket stubs, handbills, album covers and publicity stills augment the story, as the author highlights the nascent careers of Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, before they joined the band that became known (at that time) as “Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac”.
Many of the band’s highlights and watershed moments are covered in this section, including the addition of Christine Perfect (later McVie) to the band, and the departure of Peter Green. Author Swensson also gives a nod to the Bob Welch era of Fleetwood Mac, and their eventual move to the United States at the end of 1974. It is here that the story really takes off, with the earlier incarnation of the band transitioning yet again. Enter members Lindsay Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, the final passengers on the road to Rumours.
What follows is a famous story that does not require re-telling here, but those details are handled deftly by Swensson, who breaks down Fleetwood Mac’s significant events and career landmarks. Through an album-by-album timeline, as well as individual band member features, and interviews with key technical staff, the author paints a complete picture of the people, events, and circumstances from which this iconic album sprang.
Much of the Rumours saga is well-known to even the most casual Fleetwood Mac fan and has since passed into legend. Even so, lesser-known stories are brought to the fore, as Swensson digs deep in sections featuring album co-engineers and producers Richard Dashut and Ken Caillat. Moreover, the author tells of the antics of a certain belligerent studio tape machine that had its way with the raw audio from the Rumours sessions, and the steps taken by production staff to save those takes.
We are merely scratching the surface in our description of this book. Suffice it to say that it contains something for everyone. Considering the richness of the packaging, the fullness of the journalism, and the treasure trove of photographic images and artefacts within, Fleetwood Mac and Rumours: 50 Years is a publication to be cherished.
ISBN-10: 0760399379
ISBN-13: 9780760399378
PURCHASE FLEETWOOD MAC AND RUMOURS: 50 YEARS VIA
