Welcome back to Hip Parade, a podcast of pop chart history from Slate magazine about

the hits from Coast to Coast.

I'm Chris Malanfi, Chart Analyst, Pop Critic, and Writer of Slates Why is this song number

one series on our last episode.

We talked about the formation of transatlantic band Fleetwood Mac, and how the songwriting

of the late Christine McVee carried them from their early days as British blues rock hitmakers

through along early 70s dry spell.

We're now up to the late 70s.

The Americans Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks have joined the band, and their songs

and McVee's are going to power Fleetwood Mac's biggest LP ever.

The album that would become Rumors began to take shape before the promotional cycle for

1975's Fleetwood Mac LP was even half over.

The self-titled LP took so long to climb the charts that Rumors was largely in the

pan before its predecessor even hit number one in the fall of 76.

That doesn't mean recording the follow-up had been easy.

Infamously, every member of Fleetwood Mac literally all five of them underwent some kind

of romantic breakup during the making of Rumors.

For those who need a brief recap, John and Christine McVee divorced in 1976, years of

John's alcoholism, as well as the toil of life on the road and working together as spouses

finally took their toll.

Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, though unmarried, had been together for over half a decade,

but their fractious relationship splintered permanently, done in by Lindsey's controlling

...