Ken Caillat - Making Rumours: The Inside Story of the Classic Fleetwood Mac Album

Contents

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

Copyright 2012 by Ken Caillat and Steven Stiefel. All rights reserved

Photo credits: pp. 2, 19, 20, 33, 59, 167, 170, 176, 177, 179, 180, 181, 217, 241, 243, 282, 283, 321, 329, 335, 341,342, 343, Ken Caillat; pp. 6, 7, Biff Dawes; p. 10, Jeffery Husband; pp. 12, 13, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 40, 41, 60, 138, 184, 190, 197, 198, 202, 210, 211, 212, 214, 234, 237, 239, Herbie Worthington; pp. 18, 21, 24, 26, 27, 153, 158, 178, Nina Urban Bombadier; p. 34, Sally Fleetwood; pp. 35, 46, Record Plant; p. 53, Christina Conte; pp. 55, 163, 207, 326, Cheryl Geary; p. 191, Sam Emerson

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Caillat, Ken.

Making Rumours: the inside story of the classic Fleetwood Mac album/Ken Caillat with Steven Stiefel.

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-118-21808-2 (cloth : alk. paper); ISBN 978-1-118-28460-5 (ebk);

ISBN 978-1-118-28236-6 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-28286-1 (ebk)

1. Fleetwood Mac (Musical group). Rumors. I. Stiefel, Steven. II. Title.

ML421.F57C35 2012

782.421660922dc23

2012004081

To Mick, John, Christine, Lindsey, Stevie, Richard, and of course my mentor, Wally Heider

Foreword

by Colbie Caillat

Whenever I hear a song from Fleetwood Mac, I get a big smile on my face. Hearing their music reminds me of my childhood growing up in Malibu. My family lived in a little brown house on a cliff overlooking the ocean (the hill right above where the restaurant Dukes is, which used to be the Sea Lion back then). My big sister, Morgan, and I would play in the backyard in our blow-up pool with our golden retriever, Laz, and wed blast Second Hand News, Go Your Own Way, Songbirdall my favorites! Whenever I hear those songs my eyes fill with happy tears from beautiful memories with my family when I was a little girl! Those were the days.

Because of Fleetwood Mac, I learned to write meaningful and honest music with soaring melodies, and the importance of being able to listen to an album from start to finish. Working with my dad has been such a fun experience. I feel lucky that hes been a part of my last two records. Ive learned so many things recording with him.

Every song of mine that hes produced has honestly been my favorite. Hes such an enthusiastic producer and puts his heart into every project he works on. He has so much fun making music and wants every record he does to sound classic and timeless. He brings in unique and creative ideas, sounds, and instruments to each song.

I know he learned so much from being a producer on the classic Fleetwood Mac records Rumours and Tusk , and hes sprinkling some of that into the music of today.

Today when I hear Second Hand News, it makes me want to get in my car and drive up the coast of California on a beautiful sunny day, windows down, hair blowing in the wind, singing this song at the top of my lungs!

I hope you enjoy my dads book as much as I did.

Colbie Caillat, Grammy Awardwinning singer

Foreword

by John Shanks

Rumours is an album I carry with me emotionally: the sound, the songs, the playing, the tension. Its like Dark Side of the Moon : perfect as a whole, but with songs that stand alone as individual moments and that are hits. Its one of the records that made me want to be a producer, a writer and, without a doubt, a guitar player.

It not only has some of the greatest guitar playing, the drums and the bass are haunting and beautiful and strong, the arrangements add up to pure sonic perfection, and the singing and harmonies are some of the most beautiful ever.

Its amazing that a record that features three singers feels so connected. Even though the band members were each hurting and falling apart, they turned their personal pain into collective grief and love.

In this way, Rumours exemplifies what great records should be. You bare your soul for all to share.

There is such joy and sorrow in the record that I still feel when I listen to it. From the darkness of Gold Dust Woman to the hope of The Chain and Dont Stop, each song is its own movie.

Every day as I scan the radio dial for something to listen to, I always stop and reflect on the songs from Rumours when they pop up, because they still sound great and theyre better than most stuff out there.

Im sure it was not an easy one to record and make, but Ken and Richard made it seem effortless.

The record still sounds as fresh and as important today as it did when it was released. And it will sound the same way tomorrow. So thank you.

John Shanks, six-time Grammy nominee and Grammy Producer of the Year

Preface

Making Rumours is about the journey that a handful of people, myself included, took during the mid-1970s. Its about how being part of the phenomenon of the Rumours album not only changed our lives but touched millions of other lives around the world forever. It is also the story of a perfect album, made out of flaws in the human spirit, sometimes through agonizing determination, love, lust, and a force of will that made failure unthinkable. Its a success story of epic proportionsnot always pretty, but a dramatic illustration of greatness delivered, of passion embraced. It is my story, and I want to share it with you.