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Nothing has ever been simple about Rumours and the same can be said about the vinyl reissues from this year, of which there are three. First, there is the gold-standard, 2LP/45RPM, issue mastered by Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray. Next is the single LP/33RPM, again mastered by Hoffman and Gray. These two issues were designated for the United States, will always indicate they were mastered at Pallas, which is in Germany and, for those who really want to get down and dirty, will have this etched in the dead wax: "KG + SH @ ATM". To simplify matters, it is pretty much universally agreed the 45RPM version sounds better than the 33RPM version, and based on the nature of the manufacturing of LP's this makes sense even though both products were made from the same master-tape created by Hoffman and Gray. Finally, there is a rather mysterious, 2LP/45RPM issue designated for distribution outside of the US which was not mastered by Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray and, questions of the nature of the sound aside, DOES NOT represent Rumours as it came out of the box in 1977. What I just wrote is factual, and based on comments from Steve Hoffman on his web site concerning these releases. In the comment section below, I will provide many pertinent hyperlinks. Now let's break down what I have just written a bit more, beginning with matter of trueness to the original and then moving on to the sound (although the two do overlap some).
In the process of preparing this reissue Hoffman and Gray were confronted with a myriad of puzzles. Many centered around the final track to this album, Gold Dust Woman. There exist at least three different endings to this song that can be found, even at the earliest stage of vinyl release. There exist at least two different beginnings to the song as well. Over time, Hoffman and Gray figured out the first vinyls pressed contained a countdown at the beginning of the song, not the fade-in that many are familiar with, and a certain progressing loud dynamic structure at the end. So this is what you will be getting on the Hoffman and Gray masters. As a side note, just to give two examples, the fade-in came into existence because, over time, the intro to this song on the master-tape used for most of the issues deteriorated and the solution chosen was to simply use a fade-in for this song to cover-up the deteriorated intro. As for the ending of this song, the dynamics proved too challenging for mastering techniques at the time so, very shortly after release, the dynamics of the song's end had to be dampened so that mass production of vinyl could occur without Warner Bros. having a bunch of albums returned because record players skipped, distorted, etc., the end of the song. Only the Hoffman and Gray masters contain the correct intro, e.g. the European issue has the fade-in, so the Hoffman and Gray issue is the truest to the original issue (Without much elaboration, there have been different versions of Second Hand News over the years, even beginning in 1977. The Hoffman and Gray issue contains the version found on the earliest vinyl issue.). Now let's move on to the sound.
The objective part is to write that if what you want is the best sound, there is pretty much universal agreement the Hoffman/Gray 2LP/45RPM version trumps the Hoffman/Gray 1LP/33RPM version. There is some debate out there on the relative sound quality between the US and European 2LP/45RPM versions. As I have not heard the European version, I will not comment on this. But remember, the European version does not contain the truest-to-the-original version of Gold Dust Woman. What I feel comfortable in saying is this: If one takes the time to read the relevant threads on Steve Hoffman's web site concerning Rumours it is quite easy to have a fair number of questions about the European issue. So, in the words of former Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld: with Hoffman and Gray we have a known known, with the European issue we have unknown unknowns.
The subjective part is to comment on the sound of the Hoffman/Gray 2LP/45RMP issue. Personally, I think it is wonderful, but it may not be what you are used to. The reason for this is the sound of Rumours, even when it was selling millions of copies in 1977 and 1978, kept changing with different pressings. Again, this is documented in Ken Perry's notes, Ken did the original mastering, and these notes were used by Hoffman and Gray to prepare their issue. As nearly always, Hoffman did some tweaking, using tubes at times to master, adding a decibel or two of EQ here and there (this is not a lot). But what is most important is the work done by Hoffman and Gray did not damage the dynamic range of the material. There is always a certain amount of art that goes into a reissue, and this (the art) is one factor that can make a reissue more appealing to some and less to others. Another factor that can contribute, and this might play a larger role with this reissue, is the fact the vast majority of people who have heard Rumours have not have heard the content of the songs, in that which was their original state, until this issue. So familiarity, or lack of familiarity, will play a role. Finally, the quality of one's sound system will play a role as well (On that note, my system's front end is a Rega P324 with a Dynavector 20X2H cartridge and the back end is comprised of a pair of Quad 988's with a Rel Britannia B2 Sub-bass.).
In conclusion, no one knows what the future will bring. A very compelling case can be made that if one's goal is to own something that is closest to what Ken Perry heard when he finished the first mastering of Rumours, and one owns a sound system that can do justice to a true audiophile recording, then you should strongly consider purchasing the Hoffman/Gray 2LP/45RPM edition given the combination of the improvements in record mastering techniques since 1977 (being able to get the dynamics of Gold Dust Woman right now when it couldn't be done in 1977 is an example), and the natural deterioration that takes place with magnetic tape. Finally, given what Hoffman and Gray had to go through to put this project together, again best explained by Hoffman himself on his web site, don't expect high-resolution files of Rumours that will rival this release any time soon unless they originate from the work done by Hoffman and Gray. And, come to think of it, even if you presently do not have the ability to make high-quality high-resolution files, or a fine conventional CD burn of an LP, purchasing this album now will at least give you the ability to do so down the line and, therefore, have a definitive high-resolution digital version of this album.
Again, some time after posting this, I will add a comment with hyperlinks that will aid those who wish more information on the mastering process and the foundations for my conclusions.
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Rumors vinyl record. 1977 Grammy winner
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Rumors aside, this album is good stuff
Count this as second hand news, but I’ve had dreams about an album this good. Oh daddy, don’t stop playing this on repeat. I become a songbird when this vinyl spins and if that’s crazy, I don’t want to know. There was a time I didn’t have this album in my collection, and I’m never going back again to that time and place. This record is off the chain. I listen to it and think of a gold dust woman, uninhibited, with her hair flowing in the wind, dancing her way through the hard times in life. I’m in love with this album. Oh Fleetwood Mac, you make loving fun and I thank you for that.