Saturday, February 04, 2012

Fleetwood Mac's Most Successful Album "RUMOURS" turns 35














RUMOURS TURNS 35 TODAY!  

Fleetwood Mac's best selling album and second with Lindsey and Stevie was released on Feb 4, 1977.  Right from the get go the album was a huge commercial success and likely one of their most important albums recorded as it allowed them to continue to record for years to come according to Mick Fleetwood.  

All of the songs detail the relationship struggles between the three principal writers, Lindsey and Stevie who were in the midst of breaking up, and John and Christine McVie who were going through a divorce.  The writing coupled with the amazing production work on the album were a recipe for success. 

Anticipation back in 1976/77 ran so high for Fleetwood Mac's Rumours after the monstrous success of 1975's "Fleetwood Mac", their first number one album in the US, that advance orders exceeded 800,000 units, the largest to that point in Warner Bros. history. Released February 4, 1977 the album debuted on Billboards Top 200 LP's and Tapes chart on February 26, 1977 at #10 - it took another 5 weeks for it to reach #1 for the first time.  The album would go on to spend 31 non-consecutive weeks at #1 in the US over the course of 1977 and 1978 with it's longest stretch at number one being 19 weeks between July 16, 1977 and November 19, 1977. The album would spend almost a year in the Top Five, the longest stint in the 1970's - aided in no small part by the release of four successful singles that all hit the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10.  Rumours became Fleetwood Mac's first number one album in the UK when it reached the the top in January, 1978.  Rumours eventually became the best selling album the world had seen up until 1984 when Michael Jackson's Thriller took over the number one spot.  Today it stands as the 10th best selling album certified in the US at 19x platinum.  In the UK the album stands as the 8th highest certified album at 11x platinum - with Adele's 21 currently number one.  In Australia the album was last certified in July, 2011 at 13x platinum.  To date the album has reportedly sold over 40 million copies world wide.

The album reached No.1 in numerous countries with platinum sales awards soon to follow.  Fleetwood Mac embarked on a world tour shortly after the albums release that took them around the world.  They spent the good part of 1977 and 1978 on the road promoting the album and by March of 1978 the album had sold an impressive 10 million copies around the world.
Photo by Bill Hansen
Four Top 10 Singles
The ball got rolling in December, 1976 when Go Your Own Way was issued as the first single.  A succession of singles would be released through 1977.


GO YOUR OWN WAY
The single debuted on Billboards Hot 100 at #71 on January 8, 1977.  It would go on to reach it's peak at #10 on March 12, 1977 where it would spend 2 weeks.  It charted for a total of 15 weeks.

DREAMS
The second single issued was Dreams. It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at #77 April 16, 1977.  Dreams would eventually reach #1 on June 18, 1977 in it's 10th week of release.  This is Fleetwood Mac's only Number 1 in the USA.  It spend a total of 19 weeks on the chart.

DON'T STOP
Third single from Rumours to be released was a song written by Christine McVie.  It debuted on the Hot 100 July 9, 1977 and reached #3 on the charts - spending a total of 18 weeks on the chart.

YOU MAKE LOVING FUN
The final single released from Rumours was another of Christine's. It landed on the Hot 100 October 15, 1977 spending a total of 14 weeks and peaked at #9.

Countless awards followed most notably Rumours taking home the "Album of the Year" award at the 1978 Grammy Awards.



To this day the album continues to constantly appear on charts around the world indicating new generations are discovering what the older generation already knows... It's one amazing album! 

Happy Anniversary Rumours


$7.99 on itunes
To commemerate the 35th anniversary - Rumours is on sale on itunes for $7.99 through Feb 5th.  If you haven't taken the plunge and immersed yourself it it's greatness... go for it!
itunes




Wednesday, February 01, 2012

Chart Update: Fleetwood Mac "Rumours" & "Greatest Hits" USA


After Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" album re-entered Billboards Top 200 Albums Chart last week at #117 on a sales spike, the album drops off the chart this week - but remains one of the top 200 selling catalogue albums, along with "Greatest Hits".

"Rumours" sold 1,993 copies for the sales week ending Sunday January, 29th declining 51% from the previous week when it sold 4,037 copies.  Not enough to make the Top 200 but enough to keep it on the Catalogue Chart.  Total US sales since Nov. 1991 when sales began being tracked by soundscan = 2,927,056.

"Greatest Hits" sold 1,418 copies for the week up to the 29th declining 9% from the previous week when it moved 1,561 copies.  Total US sales = 4,522,537 since Nov. 1991.

"Landslide" sold 5,111 digital copies up to the 29th down 23% vs the previous week where it sold 6,616 downloads.  Total US sales = 804,841

Billboard Top 200 Catalogue Albums Chart:
For the week ending January 29, 2012 and chart date Feb 11th.
(previous week in parenthesis)

#  93 (19)  Fleetwood Mac - "Rumours"
# 195 (165) Fleetwood Mac - "Greatest Hits"

Top 200 Digital Tracks Catalogue:
# 141 (100) Fleetwood Mac "Landslide"

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Chart Update: Fleetwood Mac & Stevie Nicks | Australia, The Netherlands

AUSTRALIA
January 30, 2012
(previous week in parenthesis)

Top 100 Albums Chart
# 37 (32) Fleetwood Mac - The Very Best Of

Top 50 Catalogue Album Chart 
#  3 ( 3) Fleetwood Mac - The Very Best Of
#  4 (14) Fleetwood Mac - Greatest Hits (Reaching it's highest position so far)
# 24 (25) Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
# 27 (23) Stevie Nicks - Crystal Visions... The Very Best Of

Top 40 Music DVD Chart
# 16 (14) Fleetwood Mac - The Dance

THE NETHERLANDS
January 28, 2012

Top 50 Backcatalogue Chart
# 35 (42) Fleetwood Mac - The Very Best Of

TODAY ON ITUNES
Top 10 Pop Albums

Australia
# 5 - Fleetwood Mac - Greatest Hits

New Zealand
# 3 - Fleetwood Mac - Greatest Hits





Check out the NEW Brett Tuggle Website

New Brett Tuggle website!
Multi-instrumentalist, Brett Tuggle has a long history playing with Fleetwood Mac and it's members whether in the studio or on tour stretching back to the Mick Fleetwood The Zoo day's through to Mick and John's most recent recording in 2010 on the ZZ Top Tribute album and Lindsey's Seeds we Sow album DVD and tour last year.

Be sure to check out the media section... There's audio, plus some really great photos (125 of them) taken during the recording of Lindsey's DVD "Songs From The Small Machine: Live in L.A. in Beverly Hills last year.





Friday, January 27, 2012

Fleetwood Mac featured on Official Brit Awards album coming next month


Three-CD compilation album containing 18 UK Number 1 singles will be released on February 13th to commemorate the return of the Outstanding Contribution To Music Award. 


The 3rd disc of the set is a bonus disc that features some of the previous winners of the award including: Paul McCartney, Fleetwood Mac, David Bowie, U2, Elton John, Queen, and this year’s recipients Blur.

Fleetwood Mac's "You Make Loving Fun" is included on the bonus disc.

Fleetwood Mac took home the award in 1998.

Full Tracklist

Thursday, January 26, 2012

New Video & Photos: Lindsey Buckingham Rehearsal Footage

Don't get too excited... It's only 28 sec. But it's cool!
First two videos provided by Brett Tuggle: Keyboardist/Guitarist/Singer in Lindsey's band 







Plus... Tusk
(Taken from the DVD "Songs From The Small Machine: Live in L.A.)



4 New photos emerged yesterday from the Bullet Magazine Photo shoot and video interview that took place in early 2011... Video and photos below.
Photos by: Williams Hirakawa