38. Fleetwood Mac – Rumours, 1977
#38 is one of the most successful rock records of the 70’s, just packed with hits and solid pop songs. Yes, Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie deserve much credit for the Mac’s success, but this is really Lindsey Buckingham’s show. A criminally underrated guitar player, great singer, songwriter and visionary arranger and producer, it is Buckingham who brings it all together. Much has been made of the personal turmoil within the band at the time inspiring the great music (Christine and bassist John McVie’s marriage was breaking up, Lindsey and Stevie were also breaking up at the time, Stevie and drummer Mick Fleetwood were having a fleeting affair). But whatever the tortured inspiration, they turned out one hell of a record where the majority of the tracks were huge chart and/or radio hits. Music may be a cathartic way to deal with your life issues, but it is something altogether different when your estranged ones are in the same band with you. It is hard to get away at that point. Stevie Nicks has since commented how difficult it was for her to sing back-up vocals on Lindsey’s song “Go Your Own Way,” when the lyrics were clearly addressed to her (“Tell me why everything turned around / Packing up, shacking up, is all you wanna do”), while Christine McVie’s newly ex-husband John McVie has to play bass on her exuberant “You Make Loving Fun,” which celebrates her newfound joy in moving on to a new lover. Soap opera material never sounded so good.
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