Tag Archives: Rumours album

Music Monday: November 4, 2024

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Hi, everyone. Welcome to this week’s edition of Music Monday.

Blog image for 2024

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Lindsey Buckingham celebrated birthday #75 last month. Born October 3, 1949 in Palo Alto, CA, he is the man credited as the driving force behind Fleetwood Mac from the moment he joined the band at the end of 1974. And by now we all know his only condition to becoming a member of the group was that his then girlfriend, Stevie Nicks, be invited as well.

It was not only Buckingham’s undeniably impressive skills as a musician featuring his notable fingerstyle technique on electric and acoustic guitar along with the banjo, or his talent for songwriting but his prowess for arranging and producing that made him invaluable to the group’s success in its second life. Formed in 1967, the band’s sound was more blues based before it shifted its focus to rock led by his lead guitar which helped to introduce FM to a much wider audience, leading to their enormous success and recognition.

Buckingham’s presence was evident in 1975’s self titled album and the one which followed that documented all the romantic drama that took place (including his & Nicks’ breakup in 1976) and became the subject for the next album, 1977’s Rumours, which catapulted the group to superstardom. By 1981, he released his first solo album, Law And Order, and by 1987 he left FM for a creative and personal break.

In 1993 Buckingham joined the band for a performance of “Don’t Stop” for the Clinton inauguration. That opened the door for some other collaborations with the group before they reunited for 1997’s, The Dance, which he co-produced. Over the next 20 years he continued with FM while also working on solo projects and other collaborations including his 2017 album with Christine McVie. As much as I loved that, I will forever be grateful to Lindsey for appearing on “Saturday Night Live” in 2011 to participate as himself in the ongoing skit, “What’s Up With That“, where he was portrayed by Bill Hader. Funny stuff.

McVie’s death in 2022 effectively laid FM to rest, but many fans including myself believe the band officially ended in 2018 when Buckingham was fired due to an ultimatum Nicks made to the rest of the group. Some reports say she was upset with his behavior at an awards function while others said it stemmed from her not being included on his & McVie’s album while the two other members of FM-Mick Fleetwood and John McVie-were a part of it.

However, it has been well documented by Nicks herself in nearly every interview I have seen (most recently last month’s appearance on CBS Sunday Morning) that she continues to blame Buckingham for choices she made over four decades ago, indicating there is a great deal of baggage behind her reasons for forcing the band to choose between them. He sued the group for his termination and by the end of 2018 the case was settled. If the magnitude of his shadow did not speak for itself, the fact that not one but two other guitarists were brought in to replace him for FM’s 2019 tour puts it into perspective quite clearly. But without Buckingham, it was just not the same.

That same year he underwent emergency heart surgery which reportedly affected his vocal chords. Thankfully, he recovered and released his self-titled seventh solo album in September 2021. He has been married to Kristen Messner since 2000 and together they have three children. To me, he remains the heart & sound of Fleetwood Mac. And I am forever thankful for that.

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Top: Lindsey Buckingham & the rest of Fleetwood Mac on the back cover of 1977’s smash album, Rumours (large photo l-r: John McVie, Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood and Christine McVie). Middle 1: Buckingham circa 1979. Middle 2: The 2017 Buckingham McVie album cover. Bottom: The artist circa 2017. (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

Fleetwood Mac: “Monday Morning” (1975, written by Lindsey Buckingham).

Fleetwood Mac: “Go Your Own Way” (1977, written by Lindsey Buckingham).

Fleetwood Mac: “The Chain” (1977, written by Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, John McVie and Stevie Nicks).

Lindsey Buckingham: “Trouble” (1981, written by Lindsey Buckingham).   

Stay safe & well.

Music Monday: August 21, 2023

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Hi, everyone. Welcome to another triple play edition of Music Monday.

Bruce quote 2023

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

July 12 marked the 80th birth anniversary for the wonderous musician & human, Christine McVie. After the news of her death last year, I posted the following tribute November 30, 2022 on my Instagram page:

Such sad news about the loss of this incredibly beautiful & talented woman. She was one of the first strong female musicians I loved who left an indelible mark on my heart. She wrote & sang her own songs while playing her signature sophisticated brand of piano, keyboards and synthesizer. Her role in Fleetwood Mac was so strong and powerful she started the group’s string of hits in 1975 and kept them going throughout their historic & phenomenal run as one of rock’s greatest bands.

Four of her songs are featured on 1975’s self-titled album & on 1977’s iconic Rumours (not including her co-writing credits on “World Turning” and “”The Chain”, respectively). Her incredibly lovely contralto voice on hits like “Say You Love Me”, “Don’t Stop”, “You Make Loving’ Fun” and others would have never been the same if sung by any other vocalist nor would they have helped define Fleetwood Mac’s sound. Rest in peace to a true musician, artist & performer who contributed such a major part of classic rock history.

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Top: Christine <cVie circa 1997. Bottom: Fleetwood Mac circa 1977 (L-R): Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood, McVie and her ex-husband, John McVie. (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

Founding Doobie Brother Tom Johnston celebrated birthday #75 last week. Born August 15, 1948 in Visalia, California, he learned to play guitar around age 12 (he also plays piano & harmonica). By 1970 The Doobie Brothers were formed and released their first album a year later. Their third album, The Captain and Me, celebrated its 50th anniversary earlier this year as it was released March of 1973.

Johnston was the writer and singer behind many of the group’s hits through 1976 when he left for medical reasons. He rejoined them in 1987 and has been with them ever since except for a current break which started earlier this year due to a back injury. My favorite of Johnston’s tunes is the second of today’s songs. It has been my motto & my philosophy on life since the first time I heard it. It was released on the band’s 1972 album, Toulouse Street. This track also closed out my 550 day music marathon during the pandemic.

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Top: Tom Johnston circa 2010. Bottom: The 2020 version of The Doobie Brothers (L-R): Johnston, John McFee, Michael McDonald and Patrick Simmons. (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

The man considered by many to be the greatest rock singer in history also turned 75 this month. Robert Plant was born August 20, 1948 in the UK. Twenty years later he became & is best known as the frontman of the ultimate classic rock band, Led Zeppelin. But in the nearly 45 years since they broke up in 1980, Plant has enjoyed much success as a solo artist, as a member of The Honeydrippers and as a longtime collaborator with country/bluegrass singer and musician, Alison Krauss. The last of today’s featured songs is from Led Zeppelin’s final studio album, In Through the Out Door, released in 1979. Plant is currently on a European tour in yet another collaborative project, Saving Grace.

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Top: Robert Plant circa 2010. Bottom: Led Zeppelin circa 1972 (L-R): Plant, Jimmy Page, John Bonham and John Paul Jones. (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

Fleetwood Mac: “Over My Head” (1975, written by Christine McVie).

The Doobie Brothers: “Listen to the Music” (1972, written by Tom Johnston).

Led Zeppelin: “All My Love” (1979, written by John Paul Jones and Robert Plant).

Stay safe and well.

Music Monday: May 22, 2023

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Hi, everyone. Welcome to another edition of Music Monday.

Bruce quote 2023

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Today we celebrate three more milestones, the first involving one of my all time favorite shows. It is still an obsession of mine despite the fact that it concluded its six season run 13 years ago. “Lost” ended on May 23, 2010 and I have not been the same since. It changed me in ways I cannot explain except to say a part of me is still on the island with the characters I adore (and even the ones I don’t). I watched it again a few times in the decade after it ended. But during lockdown, I became more passionate than ever about this phenomenal series. If you never watched it and failed to binge it during the pandemic, do it now.

In the broadest reference possible, and at its very core, “Lost” is like “The Island Of Misfit People” who find where they belong. And who they belong with. One of the things the series focused on was the importance of certain numbers, 23 being one of them. So if you have never been to the island, you must-MUST-afford yourself this beautiful experience and make 2023 your year to get “Lost”. You will not regret it. The first of today’s three songs was used in a S3 episode which helped turn it into one of the best scenes ever in a television series. There is no way to watch it and not be moved.

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Three memorable moments from “Lost”: Top: A montage of the glorious van ride in S3. Middle: A scene from S1’s finale, “Exodus”. Bottom: Vincent the dog joins Jack (Matthew Fox) in the jungle in the series finale. (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

Rosemary Clooney was born 95 years ago on May 23, 1928 in Maysville, KY. The incomprable vocalist with the velvet & satin sound enjoyed a long career as a big band singer, jazz artist, actress and author. From her less than stable childhood she became a teenage radio singer as one half of the “The Clooney Sisters”. That led to a stint performing with bandleader Tony Pastor. When her sister, Betty, left the act in 1949, Rosemary was on her own in NYC and signed to Columbia Records. There she met Mitch Miller who persuaded her to record, “Come On-A My House”. With that, Rosemary Clooney the star was born.

The song I chose by her ties in with four other women I adore. The incredibly talented Bea Arthur, who was born 101 years ago on May 13, 1922, and the rest of “The Golden Girls” who ended their seven season run 31 years ago on May 9, 1992 (days before Arthur’s 70th birthday). She performed Clooney’s pick as Dorothy Zbornak in S7 E19, “Journey to the Center of Attention”. And talk about timeless-this song was written 100 years ago by the one and only Irving Berlin. I would be remiss not to add that Rosemary’s nephew, the dashing George Clooney, appeared in a GG episode, too: S2 E24, “To Catch A Neighbor”.

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Top: Rosemary Clooney at a Columbia Records recording studio circa the 1950’s. Middle 1: Bea Arthur as Dorothy in “The Golden Girls”. Middle 2: The four GG’s: Dorothy (Bea Arthur), Blanche (Rue McClanahan), Rose (Betty White) and Sophia (Estelle Getty). Bottom (L-R): Another famous Clooney, George. appeared in a S2 episode of The GG along with Joseph Campanella, pictured with McClanahan & White. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Stephanie Lynn Nicks will celebrate birthday #75 this week. She was born May 26, 1948 in Phoenix, AZ. She started her recording career in 1973 as part of a duo with Lindsey Buckingham before he was recruited by Mick Fleetwood to join his band. But Nicks’ boyfriend at the time would not go without her, so they both joined Fleetwood Mac. In 1975 the band’s self-titled album and its first with Nicks, included one of today’s songs and what has arguably become her most beloved track, “Landslide”.

From the group’s #1 iconic Rumours record, Nicks’ song, “Dreams”, became the band’s only #1 single. She started a successful solo career in 1981 with the release of her debut record, “Bella Donna“. That led to her becoming the first woman to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame twice as a performer-first with Fleetwood Mac in 1998 and then in 2019 for her solo work. Nicks is currently on a U.S. tour with dates into 2024.

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Top: Nicks circa 1977 (Image found online. Original source unknown). Bottom: Photo taken by me 9/4/2011 in Wantagh, NY. 

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Three Dog Night: “Shambala” (1973, lead vocal by Cory Wells (February 5, 1941 – October 20, 2015), written by Daniel Moore. Featured in Lost S3 E10, “Tricia Tanaka Is Dead”).

Rosemary Clooney: “What’ll I Do” (2002, written by Irving Berlin).

Fleetwood Mac: “Rhiannon” (1975, written by Stevie Nicks).

Stay safe & well.