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Making Rumours: The Inside Story of the Classic Fleetwood Mac Album
Inside the making of one of the biggest-selling albums of all time: Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours"Fleetwood Mac's classic 1977 "Rumours" album topped the Billboard 200 for thirty-one weeks and won the Album of the Year Grammy. More recently, Rolling Stone named it the twenty-fifth greatest album of all time and the hit TV series Glee devoted an entire episode to songs from "Rumours," introducing it to a new generation. Now, for the first time, Ken Caillat, the album's co-producer, tells the full story of what really went into making "Rumours"--from the endless partying and relationship dramas to the creative struggles to write and record "You Make Loving Fun," "Don't Stop," "Go Your Own Way," "The Chain," and other timeless tracks.Tells the fascinating, behind-the-music story of the making of Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours," written by the producer who saw it all happen Filled with new and surprising details, such as Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham's screaming match while recording "You Make Loving Fun," how the band coped with the pressures of increasing success, how the master tape nearly disintegrated, and the incredible attention paid to even the tiniest elements of songs, from Lindsey playing a chair to Mick breaking glass Includes eighty black-and-white photographs
362 pages, Hardcover
First published March 2, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 297 reviews
February 16, 2014
Sigh. That's my first thought. I have gone through several stages of thought while reading this book and I really had to take a breath before writing this review. First just to be honest, the technical aspect of the book is quite interesting--obviously the author has talent as an engineer. Having said that, Mama's got to go off.
What a balloon headed creep. Honestly. He can't decide if he wants to take credit for the success of an album that he had no hand in writing or performing or being falsely modest as if he wants the reader to think he deserves so much credit. I'd say the Grammy he won and the kind decision of the band to give him a producer credit is probably credit enough.
I started out liking "Ken" and the book. He loves his doggy (famously used on the cover of Tusk, biting his shoe) and he seems nice enough at the beginning. Then the creep factor comes into play-- constant little passive aggressive digs at Stevie Nicks (of all people). A lot of sexism--(he and the "boys" are just so happy when the "girls" are not in the studio so they can spread Playboys around and do boy things???) (Stevie is not as important or interesting because she does not play an instrument) to hitting on and sleeping with multiple women at the same time ("it's the seventies"). It's like he wants to tell everyone about the coke and the sex and the violence but not take any of the blame for anything, though he participates in and even supplies the band with coke through a friend.
He hits on every attractive female he meets and yet acts like he's a poor little puppy just looking for a nice girl. His digs at the women include him mentioning that his cute but ordinary looking girlfriend was not warmly received by Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie because she's a "looker" and maybe they are jealous --oh yes, I am sure these amazingly talented women are jealous of your hanger on girlfriend. It never stops. The worst part is that he does not even own it--he writes like "heeeyyy I'm a nice guy"...yeah, nice guys don't normally get crabs in their beard (his story--not mine).
There is constant emphasis on all the ways he "saved" this brilliant album--I am sure his engineering and recording skills were good--Fleetwood hired him to do more albums with him (that was not good enough--he bitches because he was not called back in to work on their reunion work and then passes his bitterness off as he was just bummed for his friend and co-producer because he needed the work). In one breath he praises the band and in the other he damns them--it's so distracting and obnoxious. The final straw is when he says that Stevie Nicks, was pissed off that his dog was on the cover of Tusk when it should have been her and that she put a hex on his dog and the dog died (4 years later--it was a slow hex I guess) and she told him she was glad. REALLY???? I would say skip this book and read Mick Fleetwood's book or even better just listen to the amazing album and remember how many times these songs have been performed live with great beauty and completely without his so called in put. Blech.
What a balloon headed creep. Honestly. He can't decide if he wants to take credit for the success of an album that he had no hand in writing or performing or being falsely modest as if he wants the reader to think he deserves so much credit. I'd say the Grammy he won and the kind decision of the band to give him a producer credit is probably credit enough.
I started out liking "Ken" and the book. He loves his doggy (famously used on the cover of Tusk, biting his shoe) and he seems nice enough at the beginning. Then the creep factor comes into play-- constant little passive aggressive digs at Stevie Nicks (of all people). A lot of sexism--(he and the "boys" are just so happy when the "girls" are not in the studio so they can spread Playboys around and do boy things???) (Stevie is not as important or interesting because she does not play an instrument) to hitting on and sleeping with multiple women at the same time ("it's the seventies"). It's like he wants to tell everyone about the coke and the sex and the violence but not take any of the blame for anything, though he participates in and even supplies the band with coke through a friend.
He hits on every attractive female he meets and yet acts like he's a poor little puppy just looking for a nice girl. His digs at the women include him mentioning that his cute but ordinary looking girlfriend was not warmly received by Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie because she's a "looker" and maybe they are jealous --oh yes, I am sure these amazingly talented women are jealous of your hanger on girlfriend. It never stops. The worst part is that he does not even own it--he writes like "heeeyyy I'm a nice guy"...yeah, nice guys don't normally get crabs in their beard (his story--not mine).
There is constant emphasis on all the ways he "saved" this brilliant album--I am sure his engineering and recording skills were good--Fleetwood hired him to do more albums with him (that was not good enough--he bitches because he was not called back in to work on their reunion work and then passes his bitterness off as he was just bummed for his friend and co-producer because he needed the work). In one breath he praises the band and in the other he damns them--it's so distracting and obnoxious. The final straw is when he says that Stevie Nicks, was pissed off that his dog was on the cover of Tusk when it should have been her and that she put a hex on his dog and the dog died (4 years later--it was a slow hex I guess) and she told him she was glad. REALLY???? I would say skip this book and read Mick Fleetwood's book or even better just listen to the amazing album and remember how many times these songs have been performed live with great beauty and completely without his so called in put. Blech.
August 6, 2016
4 atars for the interesting bits about Fleetwood Mac and one of the greatest albums of all time IMO.
1 star for Ken Caillat's overexposure of himself. I found him quite full of himself in this narrative. Hey Ken, I don't care who you slept with or how beautiful they were. 'kay?
1 star for Ken Caillat's overexposure of himself. I found him quite full of himself in this narrative. Hey Ken, I don't care who you slept with or how beautiful they were. 'kay?
January 23, 2023
Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours is one of my favorite albums of all time. It is wonderful music that I can listen to again and again. When I saw this book about making the album, I was really excited. Unfortunately, while there is a ton of information about the album, the book didn’t leap out to me in the same way the album did. The problem might be that I don’t have any musical talent and an awful lot of this book seemed technical to me—focusing on how they made the sounds. That actually makes a lot of sense in a book about making a record, but it didn’t grab my imagination. The other problem was that the gossip wasn’t new to me. I’ve read Mick Fleetwood’s autobiography and a biography of Stevie Nicks so I had heard the gossip and it didn’t seem fresh this time around. That being said, if you like the album, you should still read this book. There’s good stuff in here, it just didn’t feel at the same level as one of the greatest albums of all time.
July 6, 2025
Books about music are an irresistible pleasure for me. Fleetwood Mac, with their incredible songs, and tendency towards interpersonal drama, are a band I always find fascinating. So when I heard of a memoir about the making of Rumours, their greatest album, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it.
It's told from the perspective of Ken Caillat, one of its co-producers. The album took almost a year to record, in a number of locations, but mostly in Sausalito, California. The band were on the cusp of stardom when the project began and when it was finally released in February 1978, they became one of the biggest music sensations on the planet.
Caillat got to know the group very well during their time in the studio and his insights into their character are the most intriguing aspects of the book. Mick Fleetwood was their natural leader, a hard worker who made sure they were recording at least 6 days a week, but also a prankster who liked a drink. Another man who enjoyed a tipple was John McVie, a quiet guy who sometimes became difficult when he had a few too many. Lindsey Buckingham does not come across well in the book. For all his musical talent he was bossy and controlling, and his quick temper occasionally led to physical violence. Christine McVie (the real genius of the band if you ask me) was a perfectionist who didn't suffer fools, but loyal once you earned her trust. And Stevie Nicks felt left out of the endless sessions, seeing as she didn't play an instrument, but often turned up with the most wonderful songs.
Of course the fireworks within the band have been well documented, but they are interesting to read about here. Lindsey and Stevie were coming towards the end of an eight year relationship and things often got heated. Caillat remembers them trading insults and then singing the angelic harmonies of You Make Loving Fun to one another like nothing had happened. Christine McVie had written that song about an affair she was having with the band's lighting director. In an effort to avoid tensions with husband John, she told everyone it was about her dog.
Caillat remembers this time very fondly. It was a big step up for him to produce an album of this stature, but he nailed it. He was making good money for the first time in his life and it was all so exciting. His relationships with women didn't leave me quite as impressed. At the start of the project he became besotted with Nina, a girl who worked in the recording studio. They started dating and his happiness is endearing to read about. But arriving home one day he finds two girls in his bed and he doesn't say no to them. "Hey, it was the Seventies!" he explains. Maybe so, but I didn't find that anecdote too appealing.
The book is told in conversation with a writer, Steve Stiefel, and truth be told, it's not what you would call a literary effort. It's like listening to a guy you meet in a bar, regaling you with stories about the greatest year in his life. And with his music engineer hat on Caillat does go quite deep into the recording efforts, telling you what kind of microphones and drum effects he employed on each song. That stuff went way over my head to be honest, I'm not knowledgeable enough about it. But the book does excel in recapturing the magic of that time - when five incredibly talented musicians put their personal differences aside to create one of the finest albums ever made, with the help of their dynamic producers. Caillat's nostalgic recollections give you a front row seat into that thrilling spectacle.
It's told from the perspective of Ken Caillat, one of its co-producers. The album took almost a year to record, in a number of locations, but mostly in Sausalito, California. The band were on the cusp of stardom when the project began and when it was finally released in February 1978, they became one of the biggest music sensations on the planet.
Caillat got to know the group very well during their time in the studio and his insights into their character are the most intriguing aspects of the book. Mick Fleetwood was their natural leader, a hard worker who made sure they were recording at least 6 days a week, but also a prankster who liked a drink. Another man who enjoyed a tipple was John McVie, a quiet guy who sometimes became difficult when he had a few too many. Lindsey Buckingham does not come across well in the book. For all his musical talent he was bossy and controlling, and his quick temper occasionally led to physical violence. Christine McVie (the real genius of the band if you ask me) was a perfectionist who didn't suffer fools, but loyal once you earned her trust. And Stevie Nicks felt left out of the endless sessions, seeing as she didn't play an instrument, but often turned up with the most wonderful songs.
Of course the fireworks within the band have been well documented, but they are interesting to read about here. Lindsey and Stevie were coming towards the end of an eight year relationship and things often got heated. Caillat remembers them trading insults and then singing the angelic harmonies of You Make Loving Fun to one another like nothing had happened. Christine McVie had written that song about an affair she was having with the band's lighting director. In an effort to avoid tensions with husband John, she told everyone it was about her dog.
Caillat remembers this time very fondly. It was a big step up for him to produce an album of this stature, but he nailed it. He was making good money for the first time in his life and it was all so exciting. His relationships with women didn't leave me quite as impressed. At the start of the project he became besotted with Nina, a girl who worked in the recording studio. They started dating and his happiness is endearing to read about. But arriving home one day he finds two girls in his bed and he doesn't say no to them. "Hey, it was the Seventies!" he explains. Maybe so, but I didn't find that anecdote too appealing.
The book is told in conversation with a writer, Steve Stiefel, and truth be told, it's not what you would call a literary effort. It's like listening to a guy you meet in a bar, regaling you with stories about the greatest year in his life. And with his music engineer hat on Caillat does go quite deep into the recording efforts, telling you what kind of microphones and drum effects he employed on each song. That stuff went way over my head to be honest, I'm not knowledgeable enough about it. But the book does excel in recapturing the magic of that time - when five incredibly talented musicians put their personal differences aside to create one of the finest albums ever made, with the help of their dynamic producers. Caillat's nostalgic recollections give you a front row seat into that thrilling spectacle.
August 2, 2023
I wish I had read this back in 2019 as I was studying audio technology and music business because getting the rundown on all of the equipment used and the whole recording process was so interesting! I just am baffled by how much work this band, and others in/around this era, managed to get anything done despite the regular drug use! 😂 I also found it so interesting that Ken included Scooter in, I think, every chapter lollll talk about main character energy hahaha
Definitely a really cool read!
Definitely a really cool read!
May 8, 2012
I have to state up front that I edited this book, which, of course, totally biases my opinion. Plus when I'm editing I'm not reading for enjoyment so much as reading for construction, just as it's tough to appreciate the aesthetics of a good stone wall when you're building it. So let me say what I love best about the book: the technical details of recording. I was especially interested in why there are various edits of a song and how a song is actually put together. I was of a mind that it was better to risk going too far in this regard than not going far enough. For instance, at one point, Ken briefly mentions the certain sound a particular piece of equipment gives, and I bet 99 readers out of a 100 won't have any idea what that means (besides it sounding cool), but that 1 person, he's going to go, "Oooohhh."
BTW, a note about the cover. We were fortunate to be able to use an alternate shot from the session that resulted in the actual cover. And just like the image on the album cover, we had to reverse ours.
BTW, a note about the cover. We were fortunate to be able to use an alternate shot from the session that resulted in the actual cover. And just like the image on the album cover, we had to reverse ours.
May 5, 2012
The history of the making of Rumours is interesting and exciting but Ken Caillat seems to be more interested in making himself (and to a lesser extent his daughter Cobie) the star. While I understand how difficult the members of the band most likely were, Caillat writes as though he were the genius and talent behind Rumours. Worth the read, but take it with a grain of salt.
April 23, 2012
Ken's insider perspective on the making of the greatest rock album of all time is both engrossing and stunning, beautiful and dangerous. Ken's honesty and genius are clear, and Making Rumours provides a fascinating insider's view on the world that was Mick, John, Chris, Lindsey, and of course, Stevie Nicks, during the making of one of the most tumultuous albums of all time.
The love, the lies, the fights, and the heartbreak- Ken lays it all bare for the reader, and even the most well versed Fleetwood Mac fan will find the stories Ken shares to be refreshing and enthralling. The reader feels as if they have been transported back to 1976, and are sitting behind the console, watching John McVie lay down legendary beats, and Stevie Nicks ripping her vocal chords to shreds hammering out the lyrics to Gold Dust Woman and The Chain.
For the music aficionado, Ken provides an incredible background on the way he works, and the true genius that has made him one of the greatest producers of all time.
Ken has a style all his own, whether he is behind the console, or the typewriter, dealing with rock legends or publishers, his pure talent shines through. Just as he has captured our minds for the past 30+ years with his music artistry on Rumours and Tusk, Ken will capture your soul with the legend, and the masterpiece, that is the Making of Rumours.
The love, the lies, the fights, and the heartbreak- Ken lays it all bare for the reader, and even the most well versed Fleetwood Mac fan will find the stories Ken shares to be refreshing and enthralling. The reader feels as if they have been transported back to 1976, and are sitting behind the console, watching John McVie lay down legendary beats, and Stevie Nicks ripping her vocal chords to shreds hammering out the lyrics to Gold Dust Woman and The Chain.
For the music aficionado, Ken provides an incredible background on the way he works, and the true genius that has made him one of the greatest producers of all time.
Ken has a style all his own, whether he is behind the console, or the typewriter, dealing with rock legends or publishers, his pure talent shines through. Just as he has captured our minds for the past 30+ years with his music artistry on Rumours and Tusk, Ken will capture your soul with the legend, and the masterpiece, that is the Making of Rumours.
June 21, 2013
Two thoughts:
1. The book is a compelling read. It's also badly written, full of cliches, repetitive, and the dialog--written decades after the fact--rings false. So why is it so good? Because the material is great. Rumours is a fantastic album, I'm not a big Fleetwood Mac fan but many of the songs on Rumours still move me. Reading about its creation was a treat. Maybe Callait's contribution to the album didn't really matter. He's not that great an author, but the book is a page turner because of the material. So maybe Rumours would have been a great album no matter who the producer was because the songs are so good (?).
2. Musicians do a lot--A LOT--of drugs. I read lots of book about rock and roll, and the sex and drugs are a constant. So do the drugs and debauchery add to the creative process? Would Rumours have been even better if the band members weren't fucked up all the time? It's an interesting question.
1. The book is a compelling read. It's also badly written, full of cliches, repetitive, and the dialog--written decades after the fact--rings false. So why is it so good? Because the material is great. Rumours is a fantastic album, I'm not a big Fleetwood Mac fan but many of the songs on Rumours still move me. Reading about its creation was a treat. Maybe Callait's contribution to the album didn't really matter. He's not that great an author, but the book is a page turner because of the material. So maybe Rumours would have been a great album no matter who the producer was because the songs are so good (?).
2. Musicians do a lot--A LOT--of drugs. I read lots of book about rock and roll, and the sex and drugs are a constant. So do the drugs and debauchery add to the creative process? Would Rumours have been even better if the band members weren't fucked up all the time? It's an interesting question.
July 4, 2012
Love!! The author, Ken Caillet was the engineer, and later, co-producer of the album Rumours, and he goes into detail about the making of the hit record. It does go into very high depth of the technicalities of what engineers do, and some of it was a bit beyond me. But it did get me intrigued, more often than not, to go back, listen to each song and find the bits and parts that he described with more detail. And after reading this book, I have a slightly different perspective on the album and it's musical genius, besides just loving it because it sounds good. He did talk about some of the drama that happened, but most of it was relevant enough to the story that it wasn't fully needless gossip or putting everyone in a bad light.
All in all, I give this one a 5.
All in all, I give this one a 5.
January 17, 2025
Look, if you’re into the technical side of album production (sound engineering, production etc) then this would be the book for you. However, I was hoping to hear more of the thoughts/feelings/relationships of the band during the album and so found that this was the wrong perspective for me. Also, I found the author quite tedious to read, particularly when he focused on the physical attributes of every woman and whether he found them hot or not (yeah it was the 70s but this gave me the ick to read), the sex life of his dog, and the details of his own sex life and the time he got crabs. I just didn’t care! This really dragged.
October 21, 2012
5 Stars for Content and for awakening an even greater appreciation for one of my favorite albums of all time. 1 Star for the amateurish writing style, passive aggressive digs at Lindsay Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, and for his revolting account of catching crabs in his beard. Still, if Mr. Caillat decides to write a follow-up on the Tusk and Mirage albums, I will take the time to read it.
May 14, 2023
It’s kind of like if ‘Empire Strikes Back’ was told from the perspective of C-3PO. A misogynistic C-3PO.
October 28, 2019
Very entertaining inside look at the world of Fleetwood Mac from what began as an outsider's perspective and evolved into coming from someone closely associated with the band. The 1970s were certainly a buzzed, party atmosphere; I think they partied more in one year than I did during my entire 20s (and I, too, was in a rock band, though not one that "made it"). If you'd like to know what it's like to work behind the scenes for a major rock artist, this is the book for you.
It's also an insight into how the world shifted around Fleetwood Mac after the addition of Stevie and Lindsey, as the band went from being known "enough" (especially in the UK) to experiencing the stratospheric rise that followed the release of the first FM album to feature the duo. All of this happened in the middle of breakups, affairs, and the recording of Rumours.
This book details the work and the artistry that goes into recording and producing music--not just the artistry of the musicians. While the musicians certainly are the key players, without good producers, the music will just be "good". A producer with creativity, ingenuity, insight, and who is not afraid to communicate intimately with the band can take great songs and make them phenomenal. I've always loved the album Rumours, but I'll need to go back and have another listen, this time paying attention to things I'd never really noticed but that definitely set the songs aside from those of other artists.
I'd recommend this for rabid fans of the band as well as those who are fascinated with the mechanics of recording engineering and producing. That this book was able to meet both needs and still read like a novel, without any truly "slow" parts, is to be commended.
It's also an insight into how the world shifted around Fleetwood Mac after the addition of Stevie and Lindsey, as the band went from being known "enough" (especially in the UK) to experiencing the stratospheric rise that followed the release of the first FM album to feature the duo. All of this happened in the middle of breakups, affairs, and the recording of Rumours.
This book details the work and the artistry that goes into recording and producing music--not just the artistry of the musicians. While the musicians certainly are the key players, without good producers, the music will just be "good". A producer with creativity, ingenuity, insight, and who is not afraid to communicate intimately with the band can take great songs and make them phenomenal. I've always loved the album Rumours, but I'll need to go back and have another listen, this time paying attention to things I'd never really noticed but that definitely set the songs aside from those of other artists.
I'd recommend this for rabid fans of the band as well as those who are fascinated with the mechanics of recording engineering and producing. That this book was able to meet both needs and still read like a novel, without any truly "slow" parts, is to be commended.
March 21, 2014
If you are both a musician and a FM fan, you should read this book, without a doubt. If you are only one of the two, it's harder to say. If you're really interested in the music itself and the recording because you know about songcraft, you might be annoyed by the more gossipy bits of the book -- especially the parts that are just about Ken, not about the band members you really care about. If you're looking for really intense details from inside the soap opera, you might also be disappointed because even though Caillat was present for a lot of the process of making the album, he was not really in the emotional inner circles for LB, SN, or CM. I found it very easy to take off into a flight of fancy after reading this book and imagine what it was like to be in this amazing band during this amazing time in rock history... but that's because I'm of a highly fanciful persuasion in the first place. I would have liked MORE MORE MORE from this book -- there really just couldn't be enough about the music, and I wouldn't mind feeling like I was hearing about the artists from someone who understood them as opposed to someone who basically has to outright admit that he doesn't. So... read it if you're interested in the nuances of recording and the band, but know that sometimes you'll be annoyed at both the POV and the material included.
December 27, 2012
I enjoyed this book very much. Being a musician myself I found the details of the musicianship and the recording and mixing details interesting. This however may not be what the average reader would find engaging. The only thing I didn't like so much was the author (Ken Caillat) comes off a bit arrogant at times. A more humble approach would have been nice. But all this in mind, he did help make Rumours the classic it is and all the while dealing with the eclectic and sometimes difficult personalities of the members of the band.Enjoyable and a quick read. If you are reading to find out deep details into the personalities, or behind the scenes drama of the inter-personal relationships of the band you are only going to find a few tidbits here. But this is a book to enjoy if you are curious about how the origins of the songs, the catalysts of instrumentation and recording ideas and the building and recording of each song from the bare structure to the lush finished gems they became.
June 19, 2013
I can't give a serious book review because I'm jaded by my love for Fleetwood Mac, so I'm automatically giving it five stars simply because I loved finding out all of the insights Ken had about the band behind the scenes. Even though some of the technical aspects of the music-making process were lengthy, Ken tried to break them down to simple terms and was descriptive enough that I understood the basis of what he was trying to convey. It was a fairly quick and easy read that delighted me if not only due to the mentions of Stevie Nicks and me trying to absorb as much as I can of her. It showcases what a truly phenomenal album "Rumours" is and how much effort went into it (about 3000 hours on Ken's part alone).
May 12, 2013
This book took me right back to the 70's, California and Fleetwood Mac. I loved the making of Rumours and enjoyed all the insider information about what went on behind the scenes. Some of it was a little technical, but it was so interesting to learn what goes into making an album (I miss actual albums)versus making a cd in this day and age. Deciding which songs go on the album and in what order....I just loved hearing all the little details that go into making a great hit album. You could not have gone through summer in the 70's without hearing these songs on the radio!! What memories... I hope Ken is planning on writing another book.
March 21, 2020
I would give this book a solid 2.5 stars. I was very disappointed with this book and wouldn’t recommend it. I love Fleetwood Mac and was very excited to learn more about the making of one of the most iconic albums; however, I just learned that Ken Caillat is super arrogant. The 2 and a half stars are for the interesting bits of info regarding Fleetwood Mac. I also found it very interesting when Caillat repeatedly stated that Stevie Nicks was the least talented member of the band, considering the bands success once she joined, and her success once she left.
March 19, 2023
sex, drugs and rock n roll bby!!!!🤪 joking it was really good
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May 26, 2024i loved reading this book, and if you’re a fan of Rumours you probably will too. he really brought you into the world of Fleetwood Mac and shared all of the behind the scenes details of amazing songs. my only complaint is at times the author talked about his personal life more than I cared for, but it is his book so I guess that is to be expected?
October 18, 2017
My favorite part of this was the part where he was making out with a woman and things were heating up and so he thought, I know, I'll ask her to check out my beard! It's pretty itchy!! And so then she told him he had crabs. There were like.... three pages of interesting music tech history and rest was Bad.
May 24, 2013
sadly, I was very underwhelmed by this book.
I did enjoy the observations of the Mac and its very intriguing parts, however, I did not need to know so much about Scooter, Ken's dog. or all of the women that Ken pursued at the time. The book is about the making of one of the most classic albums in our echelon--and instead, at times, it reads like a cross between the National Enquirer and Beagles Weekly.
I was really also a little puzzled by why Colbie Caillat did a foreword until I realized Ken was her dad. Then I re-read the foreword in which she discusses how the Mac made her happy childhood light, airy, and sunshiney goodness. She must have skipped the parts where the emotional baggage, drama, boozing, loud fights, and rampant drug use were occurring- not to mention her dad's role in those escapades.(Ken is not a saint, for the record. No one in this book is, except, well, the beagle).
I really, really did enjoy the technical parts of this book- how the old school recording studios were built a certain way for their sound quality, how the reverb affect really did a number on many old recordings(there was a lot of back story about the Eagles Hotel California record that I found fascinating), how the old school tape system worked, etc. That was pretty great.
The book felt more like a fan's outsider view of the making of the classic disc than a seasoned pro like Ken Caillat is. His record of recordings he's been involved with throughout the years is nothing short of impressive- unfortunately I cannot say the same about the book he's written.
I did enjoy the observations of the Mac and its very intriguing parts, however, I did not need to know so much about Scooter, Ken's dog. or all of the women that Ken pursued at the time. The book is about the making of one of the most classic albums in our echelon--and instead, at times, it reads like a cross between the National Enquirer and Beagles Weekly.
I was really also a little puzzled by why Colbie Caillat did a foreword until I realized Ken was her dad. Then I re-read the foreword in which she discusses how the Mac made her happy childhood light, airy, and sunshiney goodness. She must have skipped the parts where the emotional baggage, drama, boozing, loud fights, and rampant drug use were occurring- not to mention her dad's role in those escapades.(Ken is not a saint, for the record. No one in this book is, except, well, the beagle).
I really, really did enjoy the technical parts of this book- how the old school recording studios were built a certain way for their sound quality, how the reverb affect really did a number on many old recordings(there was a lot of back story about the Eagles Hotel California record that I found fascinating), how the old school tape system worked, etc. That was pretty great.
The book felt more like a fan's outsider view of the making of the classic disc than a seasoned pro like Ken Caillat is. His record of recordings he's been involved with throughout the years is nothing short of impressive- unfortunately I cannot say the same about the book he's written.
March 21, 2020
This book was a wild ride. To think that it only took me two days to read, when really it felt like an ETERNITY. I love Rumours as an album DEEPLY, so the making of the songs, how they were written, mixed, etc., was super interesting as someone not in the music business. I even liked the explanation for why “Silver Springs” is not on the original album (I disagree with the reasoning but I liked the explanation, if that makes sense).
The true drawback of this was the author! Ken Caillat has a really high opinion of himself, then and now, and it showed. Also it wasn’t well written at all, which you could kind of ignore for the lore of the album. Also there was a lot of, “oh, this is how we treat women/why we did a lot of drugs, it’s the 70s,” which was very annoying and made me roll my eyes a lot of the time. Caillat included like every woman he was with during the making of this album so much that I thought one of them would end up as his wife and yet...not the case (I don’t think this is a spoiler bc you can look up his wife online). Also, he name dropped his daughter a lot; cool, we know she’s also a singer. Then he would allude to how much he didn’t like members of the band in the present and then not explain why? It was odd.
Read it if you want background info on the songs of this album, I’d say.
The true drawback of this was the author! Ken Caillat has a really high opinion of himself, then and now, and it showed. Also it wasn’t well written at all, which you could kind of ignore for the lore of the album. Also there was a lot of, “oh, this is how we treat women/why we did a lot of drugs, it’s the 70s,” which was very annoying and made me roll my eyes a lot of the time. Caillat included like every woman he was with during the making of this album so much that I thought one of them would end up as his wife and yet...not the case (I don’t think this is a spoiler bc you can look up his wife online). Also, he name dropped his daughter a lot; cool, we know she’s also a singer. Then he would allude to how much he didn’t like members of the band in the present and then not explain why? It was odd.
Read it if you want background info on the songs of this album, I’d say.
January 11, 2023
pros
- tango in the night is my personal favorite fleetwood mac album, but I have new appreciation of rumours in an entirely different light
- insight into the band member's lives (from this dude's perspective)
- christine mcvie is a goddess
- interesting to hear how intricate and technical the process of recording & mixing an album can be
- cocaine bumps are referred to as "toots" which is delightful
- scooter the beagle!!!
cons
- too long (10+ hour audiobook, could have been less than 5 tbh)
- near incessant descriptions of hot women, regardless if they're important to the story
- lindsay graham is the hugest piece of shit
- technical descriptions of 70s recording technology were at times of dickensian length
- this guy is obvi very good at his job but also an ass
- the last line is something like "lindsay was very hard to work with and everyone eventually realized it, but that's a story for another time" my dude you're writing a book this is the only time
final thoughts
- need to read about this from the band members' perspective (specifically mick, stevie, and christine)
- he said stevie put a hex on his dog scooter and then when scooter died she said "good that's what he gets for taking my album cover" like????? gonna need a book on that interaction alone
- did not know colbie caillat was a nepo baby
- tango in the night is my personal favorite fleetwood mac album, but I have new appreciation of rumours in an entirely different light
- insight into the band member's lives (from this dude's perspective)
- christine mcvie is a goddess
- interesting to hear how intricate and technical the process of recording & mixing an album can be
- cocaine bumps are referred to as "toots" which is delightful
- scooter the beagle!!!
cons
- too long (10+ hour audiobook, could have been less than 5 tbh)
- near incessant descriptions of hot women, regardless if they're important to the story
- lindsay graham is the hugest piece of shit
- technical descriptions of 70s recording technology were at times of dickensian length
- this guy is obvi very good at his job but also an ass
- the last line is something like "lindsay was very hard to work with and everyone eventually realized it, but that's a story for another time" my dude you're writing a book this is the only time
final thoughts
- need to read about this from the band members' perspective (specifically mick, stevie, and christine)
- he said stevie put a hex on his dog scooter and then when scooter died she said "good that's what he gets for taking my album cover" like????? gonna need a book on that interaction alone
- did not know colbie caillat was a nepo baby
March 29, 2014
This book really is only worth the read if you're an insane fan of the band like I am and really want to delve into the various recording aspects of the album. What I wish is that there was MORE time spent on those technical aspects, like what mic was used, techniques and the like. He describes getting a perfect balance so that a vocalist gets enough low end on their vocal but doesn't get muddy and a process for that -- but doesn't actually tell us the metrics of where the sweet spot is.
A bit too much time is spent on talk of the author's dog, the author's sex life and sorta salacious aspects of the FM relationships. Those are probably the most interesting parts to the casual reader, but with a book like this I think the appeal is the technical aspects of what created this artistic masterpiece, even though the relationships of the band are what creates a lot of emotion from the songs.
I learned a bit, I took a bit with a grain of salt, and skimmed over most of the parts I didn't like which was easy to do since there's not really a narrative other than "this song got recorded" which means you don't miss much when you skip those parts. So it was a decent read. Prose wise it probably could have used some more work as well.
A bit too much time is spent on talk of the author's dog, the author's sex life and sorta salacious aspects of the FM relationships. Those are probably the most interesting parts to the casual reader, but with a book like this I think the appeal is the technical aspects of what created this artistic masterpiece, even though the relationships of the band are what creates a lot of emotion from the songs.
I learned a bit, I took a bit with a grain of salt, and skimmed over most of the parts I didn't like which was easy to do since there's not really a narrative other than "this song got recorded" which means you don't miss much when you skip those parts. So it was a decent read. Prose wise it probably could have used some more work as well.
February 19, 2018
Being a long-term Fleetwood Mac fan, especially of the “Rumours” line-up, I was familiar with who Ken Caillat was, but didn’t know any great details about his contribution to the band’s recording career. I’d seen his name alongside Richard Dashut’s on album covers, but names were all they amounted to.
Therefore, it proved interesting to learn more about Caillat and Dashut’s roles “behind the scenes”. It’s kind of like reading a well-known story, except with it being from another perceptive, it’s simultaneously a new story.
While other reviewers have stated their dislike of events outside the recording studio, such as Caillat’s encounters with the opposite sex, I feel this gives a fuller picture of what was going on. Although the book is about making the “Rumours” album, this is also Caillat’s personal story. Therefore, I see nothing wrong with him recalling his personal adventures. In fact, it makes for a fuller story. Besides, readers can always skip this if uninterested.
The most appealing parts of this book are the times Fleetwood Mac – either as a whole or as individual members – spent in the studio. How they spent hours perfecting their songs, what they did to improve them, the conflicts between members, etc., all make for fascinating reading.
Therefore, it proved interesting to learn more about Caillat and Dashut’s roles “behind the scenes”. It’s kind of like reading a well-known story, except with it being from another perceptive, it’s simultaneously a new story.
While other reviewers have stated their dislike of events outside the recording studio, such as Caillat’s encounters with the opposite sex, I feel this gives a fuller picture of what was going on. Although the book is about making the “Rumours” album, this is also Caillat’s personal story. Therefore, I see nothing wrong with him recalling his personal adventures. In fact, it makes for a fuller story. Besides, readers can always skip this if uninterested.
The most appealing parts of this book are the times Fleetwood Mac – either as a whole or as individual members – spent in the studio. How they spent hours perfecting their songs, what they did to improve them, the conflicts between members, etc., all make for fascinating reading.
February 10, 2022
Came for the subject, suffered from the narrator.
I love Rumours, and was fascinated by the parts of this book that actually discussed the band and the album. I kept picking this book back up for that and that alone. I listened to each song off the album (and some that didn’t make the final cut) as the book covered them, which was enjoyable.
Ken Caillat, though. Yikes. He does deserve credit for his work on Rumours and subsequent Fleetwood Mac albums, but probably not as much as he gives himself. This book is written in a juvenile, chauvinistic voice, and is ripe with humblebragging. The dialogue is clearly manufactured decades after the fact, which serves the narrative but maybe not the truth. And I really don't think the "inside story" of making this album needed to include all the women he was or wanted to be sleeping with, his snide digs at Stevie Nicks, or the time he had crabs in his facial hair.
Two stars.
I love Rumours, and was fascinated by the parts of this book that actually discussed the band and the album. I kept picking this book back up for that and that alone. I listened to each song off the album (and some that didn’t make the final cut) as the book covered them, which was enjoyable.
Ken Caillat, though. Yikes. He does deserve credit for his work on Rumours and subsequent Fleetwood Mac albums, but probably not as much as he gives himself. This book is written in a juvenile, chauvinistic voice, and is ripe with humblebragging. The dialogue is clearly manufactured decades after the fact, which serves the narrative but maybe not the truth. And I really don't think the "inside story" of making this album needed to include all the women he was or wanted to be sleeping with, his snide digs at Stevie Nicks, or the time he had crabs in his facial hair.
Two stars.
June 15, 2013
The subject is inherently fascinating for music geeks, but Caillat's voice keeps getting in the way -- he isn't good with dialogue, but he insists on trying to recreate a lot of 40-year-old conversations, and as a result, everyone in Fleetwood Mac talks like a character in a Dan Brown novel. He also inserts a lot of his own personal biography in the story, which is fair, given that it's supposed to be his side of the process behind the album, but it's also a lot less interesting than what happened in the studio. Anyone who picks this up will probably be looking for an impartial behind-the-scenes look at a classic record, but what they'll get is more of a personal journal. Not bad, necessarily, but not the truly absorbing read it could have been.
July 19, 2012
Rumours is one of my favorite albums of all time, so when I randomly saw this on the shelves at Barnes and Noble, I HAD to read this. If you're a fan of the album and/or group, this will not disappoint you at all. While he does get pretty technical about recording (and some of it was over my head), it was cool that he was able to talk about how all of these sounds come together to form the album that we know. I would recommend - strongly - to listen to the album once you finish the book; it really gives you another appreciation to the work that everyone put in to give us the final product. Pretty fast read.
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