JDIZZY's 365 # 305: Never Going Back Again

Never Going Back Again - Fleetwood Mac (1977)

We can try to deny it all we want, but Rumours really is one of the best albums ever made, regardless of it's gargantuan popularity and sales. Like Thriller, it is a critic proof album, perfectly crafted, reflective of its time and timeless in its legend. That's not to say Fleetwood Mac's previous statements and future glories are anything to smirk at either. From British blues magnets to studio experimentalists, from 80's pop perfection to elder statesmen of the California dream, they have always been one of the best careers in music to follow. My pick from this monolith of analogue delights is Lindsay Buckingham's paean to the ending of a troubled love affair. On an album littered with pain, separation and regret, this song is jubilant in the separation of two lovers. "It didn't work, it was realized and we are better off without each other", it seems to say. It still gets my toes tapping and my smile muscles working every time I hear it.

As does the entire disc, regardless of the subject matter.

No matter how much it is over-analyzed, praised, debated or re-evaluated, Rumours will always have a permanent spot on my go to "perfect" records.

No more discussion is needed.