From the Crates: Fleetwood Mac - Rumours

We're gonna start off with one of the first vinyl records I bought: Fleetwood Mac's 1977 album Rumours.

Frequently considered one of the greatest albums of all time and one of the band's most popular record, Rumours gave the world such recognizable hits as "Go Your Own Way," "Dreams," "Don't Stop," and "You Make Loving Fun" to name a few. What most people don't know is that it came out during a highly tumultuous period of the band's history.

After 6 months of touring their previous eponymous album Fleetwood Mac, keyboardist Christine McVie and bassist John McVie got a divorce, guitarist Lindsey Buckingham and vocalist Stevie Nicks were having an on/off relationship which led to many fights, and drummer Mick Fleetwood found out that his wife Jenny Boyd (and mother of his 2 children) was having an affair with former guitarist Bob Weston. To say tensions were high would be an understatement. However, some may say that some of the best art comes through the most emotional moments.

I bought this vinyl back in 2013 when the modern vinyl resurgence was starting to pick up speed. One of my best friends had recently introduced me to Rumours and was raving on how good it was. Digging through the stacks at my local record store and seeing it pop up made me think of him, so I went ahead and bought it. When I got home and played it, I totally understood why. Here you had a collection of iconic songs, complimented by the amazing production of Ken Caillat and Richard Dashut. Alongside the previously mentioned hits, you have some deep cuts like Christine McVie's piano ballad "Songbird" and personal favorites of mine "Oh Daddy" and "Gold Dust Woman."

One of my favorite aspects of buying a vinyl record is all the detail that goes into the packaging. There's something special about seeing your favorite album artwork blown up to a size you can hold in your hands, not to mention all the other cool things that come with the record. Inside there was a folded piece of cardboard adorned with candid photos of the band on one side, and all the lyrics to the songs on the other. The back of the record jacket has a few more group photos, along with the track listing at the bottom.

All in all, you could argue that this album is responsible for my love of the medium of vinyl, and over the past 10 years, my collection has only grown. While I'm not buying as much as I was at the start, every once in a while I'll come across an album that I know I need to have.