In 1976, as a child, we used to drive down the road in my mother's chevrolet, you know, the one with the amazing installed stereo/8 track tape player. My mother was a FM fanatic who used to blare The White Album from her car (vinyl copies were also available inside the house for backyard listening). When Rumours was released, we went bonkers !! Suddenly, we were driving 200 miles to see FM play at a city arena. So, my first concert at 7 years old was Fleetwood Mac's RUMOURS lineup. Though Mother had been a fan since the Bob Welch era. The Mystery to Me/Bare Trees/HAHTF albums were also in the house but didn't receive near as much spin time.
As an adult, I have learned to delve into FM's back catalog. I have developed a keen appreciation for the PRE-Buckingham/Nicks lineups. There are some BEAUTIFUL recordings on those early records. Christine McVie's "Come A Little Bit Closer" is such a lush and layered recording. "Why" is simply sublime. Bob Welch's "Hypnotized" is the BIG FLEETWOOD MAC HIT THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN......simply put, it's a rock-n-roll classic. YES, I am all about the RUMOURS LINEUP, but I would strongly suggest that everyone venture back and give those early recordings due respect.
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