Fleetwood Mac was flying high when they began a three-night stand at the Forum in Los Angeles in August 1977. Their chart-topping eponymous 1975 album had catapulted the group to superstar status and its follow-up, Rumours, was already a #1 international smash that would go on to sell more than 40 million copies, making it one of the most commercially successful records of all time.
The first of those Forum concerts was released on Sept. 8, 2023, as Rumours Live, a title that undersells the contents, since the album includes not only nine of the 11 songs from Rumours but also eight of the 11 from Fleetwood Mac. Also featured is “Oh Well,” a composition by original member Peter Green that Fleetwood Mac first recorded back in 1969, about five years before Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joined the band.
Listen to a previously unreleased live version of “Dreams” from Rumours Live
The material is all previously unissued, aside from “Gold Dust Woman,” which appeared as a bonus track on a 2021 deluxe edition of Live, a recording of a 1980 show that originally came out in that year. Nearly all the Rumours Live songs also feature in that other concert, however, and most of the arrangements are quite similar. For casual fans, therefore, one or the other of these albums should suffice.
That said, though, the band is in high gear throughout Rumours Live, and the material—which includes multiple major contributions from three of its members—consists largely of smash hits and radio favorites that you probably know by heart. Among the songs, many of which relate to the band’s internal romantic entanglements: Christine McVie’s “Say You Love Me,” “You Make Loving Fun” and “Over My Head”; Buckingham’s “Go Your Own Way” and “Monday Morning”; and Nicks’ “Dreams” and “Rhiannon.” This is consistently remarkable stuff, and serious Mac addicts can be forgiven if they want all the versions of it they can get, never mind the similarities.
Related: Mick Fleetwood reflects on Rumours
A top editor at leading consumer and trade magazines for more than 40 years, Jeff has interviewed dozens of musical luminaries, including Bruce Springsteen, Steve Van Zandt, Roger McGuinn, John Sebastian, Wolfman Jack, Tommy James, Tom Waits, the Righteous Brothers, and the members of Steely Dan.
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Jump into a conversationI bought it when it came out, and I love it. Only complaint is that they don’t perform “Don’t Stop” on this set.