Fleetwood Mac have announced Rumours Live, a live album taken from a concert the band performed at The Forum in Los Angeles in 1977. The record will drop on on September 8th via Rhino. They’ve also shared a previously-unreleased version of “Dreams” as the album’s first single. Listen to the song below.
Rumours Live was recorded when Fleetwood Mac were at a zenith of their success. Rumours, their seminal album from February 1977, was No. 1 on the US Billboard 200, and the band was wrapping up its support tour. They rolled into Los Angeles for three shows at The Forum — the one that would go on to become Rumours Live was held on August 29th, 1977, performed to a crowd of nearly 20,000 fans. The set was recorded by engineer Ken Caillat using a mobile recording truck owned by the Recording Plant, the studio where the band recorded most of Rumours itself.
Listening to the version of “Dreams” from that night, the energy is palpable. Stevie Nicks’ inimitable voice and top-notch songwriting still take center stage, but beneath her iconic melodies, the rhythm section of Mick Fleetwood and John McVie augments the song to a level the album version never reaches. Playing it at a slightly faster tempo, everything becomes more punchy, more lively, as if you can feel the band playing off the excitement of the audience.
Beyond “Dreams,” the tracklist for the album features plenty of Fleetwood Mac’s most-beloved songs, including “Landslide,” “Go Your Own Way,” “The Chain,” “Rhiannon,” and more. Only one song from the concert — “Gold Dust Woman” — has been previously released, earning a spot on the tracklist for the band’s 2021 release, Live: Deluxe Edition. Check out the full tracklist for Rumours Live and listen to the live version of “Dreams” below.
Rumours Live will be available in 2xCD and 2xLP formats. Pre-orders are ongoing. Additionally, a crystal clear-vinyl version will be exclusively available at Walmart.
For Fleetwood Mac fans, releases from the archives like this will be their only chance to hear new music from the band. After the death of Christine McVie last year, Fleetwood explained that the idea of the band reuniting is “unthinkable.” Nicks, meanwhile, publicly thanked Taylor Swift for writing “You’re on Your Own, Kid,” explaining that it helped her grieve the loss of McVie. Nicks is also on an ongoing tour. Check out the full list of her dates, and grab your tickets here.
Rumours Live Artwork:
Rumours Live Tracklist:
01. Say You Love Me
02. Monday Morning
03. Dreams
04. Oh Well
05. Rhiannon
06. Oh Daddy
07. Never Going Back Again
08. Landslide
09. Over My Head
10. Gold Dust Woman
11. You Make Loving Fun
12. I’m So Afraid
13. Go Your Own Way
14. World Turning
15. Blue Letter
16. The Chain
17. Second Hand News
18. Songbird