I’m sorry, but these two albums from the seventies were so good, it was impossible for me to choose one over the other.
Rumors was recorded despite the turmoil of the band members’ dissolving personal relationships. John and Christine McVie were divorcing, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks were breaking apart. A married Mick Fleetwood had his eye on Nicks. Imagine going to work every day with your ex-lover. You can’t escape, because he/she is an integral part of your own success and that of your band. Added to that, they were recording songs that destroyed you for your role in the torment.
Second Hand News leads off the album — Buckingham admitting he’s yesterday’s headline with Nicks. Go Your Own Way and Never Going Back reinforce the message. Christine sings the wistful Songbird (to Joh
n?) and the upbeat Don’t Stop, displaying an optimism she didn’t feel at the time. Stevie meanders across Dreams and Gold Dust Woman(cocaine). The entire group bears the burden of The Chain, struggling against the ties that bind them to each other — the chains that can’t be broken, no matter how wretched everyone feels.
Buckingham is a great guitarist and an inventive arranger. To me, the underrated core of this ensemble is the rhythm section — Fleetwood’s steady punch and ingenious fills burbling along with McVie’s rock solid bass lines. Add this to the great songwriting borne of pain, and you have one of the best selling records of all time, that sounds as good today as it did forty years ago.
Then we come to the place where you can check out anytime you want, but you can never leave: The Hotel California. I defy you to pick a bad song on this collection. Pretty Maids isn’t a personal favorite, but otherwise — the title track is so good that even though you’ve heard it a thousand times, it’s hard to turn off the radio when it comes on. New Kid in Town has a SoCal/Mex feel, and includes the wonderfully ironic line, They will never forget you ‘til somebody new comes along. Victim of Love rocks hard and chunky, Try and Love Again features sweet vocals and delicious paired guitars. The Last Resort sounds like a great title for a novel: it chronicles the nation’s manifest destiny as we defile the land in search of paradise.
Don Henley has the best voice in rock. I suppose Bono, Daltrey, Rod Stewart and Sting give him competition, but his range and passion are unequaled. The late Glenn Frey was an essential collaborator and vocalist on a number of Eagles’ tracks. Timothy B. Schmidt can be counted on for a gem. The production values are high, the lyrics powerful without being preachy. This record is a tour de force, well worthy of the commercial and critical success it has garnered.
