Fleetwood Mac: Rumours Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.5

Fleetwood Mac: Rumours Blu-ray Movie Review

Some of you may have seen the amusing meme that states (in one of several variations I've personally seen online), "Taylor Swift writes whiny songs about her ex boyfriends. Stevie Nicks made her ex boyfriend play guitar on songs she wrote about what an ***hole he was". Whether or not any of those songs are on Rumours may be up for debate (it may be salient to note that "You Make Loving Fun" is by Christine McVie), though the "backstage" trials and tribulations of the band during the recording of this album have become legendary, but one way or the other this album helped define Fleetwood Mac for a veritable gaggle of listeners, reaching Number 1 on the charts on both sides of "the pond" and leading to some of the band's best remembered single hits. This new release from Rhino offers this iconic album in stereo, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Dolby Atmos.

As has been the case with many of these Rhino releases, the disc repeats the old Warner Records label art with palm trees.

1. Second Hand News
2. Dreams
3. Never Going Back Again
4. Don't Stop
5. Go Your Own Way
6. Songbird
7. The Chain
8. You Make Loving Fun
9. I Don't Want to Know
10. Oh Daddy
11. Gold Dust Woman
12. Silver Springs

Fleetwood Mac: Rumours Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

While there is video content here, like most hi-res audio Blu-rays, it's simply a menu, and because this release allows you to use the color buttons on your remote to choose which audio codec (green for Dolby Atmos, blue for DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and yellow for DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0), you really don't even have to have your display on to enjoy this release. I've heard from several regular readers of my long running hi-res audio Blu-ray reviews that they'd actually prefer (repeated) screenshots of the menu rather than photos of the band, etc., on reviews, so you get seven screenshots of the menu here.

Fleetwood Mac: Rumours Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Fleetwood Mac: Rumours features DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Dolby Atmos options. You can't really go wrong with any of these, but this is another example where I personally actually preferred the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 to the Dolby Atmos track for a surround presentation. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is noticeably less diffused and I'd actually argue just flat out louder overall than the Atmos mix, and it has to my ears a much more lively midrange and low end. One way or the other both surround tracks provide some interesting new listening experiences. Some "traditional" imaging, or at least discrete channelization, is noticeable from the get go with the very first seconds of "Second Hand News" emanating from the front left channel before total engagement is realized. Quite often but not always vocals are placed in the front channels, with the side and rear channels left to supporting instruments, with drums often featured in the rear channels. There are interesting uses of the rear channels for vocals, though, as on "The Chain". Fidelity is excellent and both vocals and instrumental forces are offered with sterling reproduction.

Fleetwood Mac: Rumours Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There are no on disc supplements included. This comes packaged in a standard sized Blu-ray keepcase which has a sleeve with an inner print of photos, and which encloses an insert booklet with lyrics and production information.

Fleetwood Mac: Rumours Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Years ago in a previous life I managed a temporary service and was kind of delighted and slightly shocked when a secretarial candidate applied and it turned out she had been a longtime "personal assistant" to Stevie Nicks. She kind of ruefully joked with me that even toiling away in a dead end secretarial temp assignment might be better than her previous employment. That kind of "behind the scenes" information may help to provide subtext for the album, but it's actually unnecessary, since the songs are so hugely enjoyable. Audio quality is top notch, and Fleetwood Mac: Rumours comes Highly recommended.