Concluding a countdown of my favorite albums of 1977…
#1 – Rumours – Fleetwood Mac
If you ask somebody to name iconic albums, chances are it won’t take long for them to say Rumours.
Fleetwood Mac’s 11th album, but only second with Lindsay Buckingham and Stevie Nicks onboard, is the sixth best-selling album in the United States and the eighth worldwide. It’s an album everybody knows and loves, across generations and musical tastes.
I recently went on a cruise where one of the featured shows was a full-band performance of Rumours in its entirety, with information about its creation delivered between songs. How many albums can get that treatment?
The recording of Rumours happened amid personal and professional turmoil, with band members falling in and out of relationships (largely with each other). The strain didn’t hurt the music — it somehow made it better. The more they fought, the better the songs got.
And what songs! ‘Second Hand News,’ ‘Dreams,’ ‘Never Going Back Again,’ ‘Don’t Stop,’ ‘Go Your Own Way,’ ‘Songbird,’ ‘The Chain,’ ‘You Make Loving Fun,’ ‘I Don’t Want to Know,’ ‘Oh Daddy,’ and ‘Gold Dust Woman.’ Not a weak link in the bunch, and such a variety of sounds and moods. Every band member gets to shine, but the whole sequence sounds of a piece.
It’s hard to imagine a time when Rumours was a new release and not an established masterpiece. But that’s 1977 for you — a year of instant classics. Next week I’ll turn my attention to some of the year’s releases with which I’m unfamiliar.
I know there’s nothing to say
Someone has taken my place
[Refrain]
When times go bad, when times go rough
Won’t you lay me down in the tall grass
And let me do my stuff?
[Verse 2]
I know I got nothin’ on you
I know there’s nothing to do
[Refrain]
When times go bad and you can’t get enough
Won’t you lay me down in the tall grass
And let me do my stuff?
[Chorus]
Do it
Bow, bow, bow, bow, ba-bow, bow, bow, bow, bow
Ba-bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, ba-bow, bow, bow
Doot, do-do-doot do
Bow, bow, bow, bow, ba-bow, bow, bow, bow, bow
Ba-bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, ba-bow, bow, bow, yeah
[Verse 3]
One thing I think you should know
I ain’t gonna miss you when you go
[Refrain]
Been down so long, I’ve been tossed around enough
Oh, couldn’t you just let me go down
And do my stuff?
[Verse 4]
I know you’re hoping to find
Someone who’s going to give you peace of mind
[Refrain]
When times go bad, when times go rough
Won’t you lay me down in the tall grass
And let me do my stuff?
[Chorus]
Do it!
Bow, bow, bow, bow, ba-bow, bow, bow, bow, bow
Ba-bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, ba-bow, bow, bow
Doot, do-do-doot do
Bow, bow, bow, bow, ba-bow, bow, bow, bow, bow
Ba-bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, ba-bow, bow, bow
[Outro]
I’m just second-hand news
I’m just second-hand news, yeah
Meet Me In Montauk 
No complaints on your top 10 of 1977. All excellent choices. And you covered many of my favorite albums for the year, but missed a few. Here’s my list. All of these albums are among my all-time favorites and all still get regular play here. 1977 was a GREAT year for music.
Jethro Tull – Songs From The Wood
Crosby Stills & Nash – CSN
Jackson Browne – Running On Empty
Fleetwood Mac – Rumours
James Taylor – JT
Karla Bonoff – Karla Bonoff
Billy Joel – The Stranger
Steve Miller Band – Book Of Dreams
Steely Dan – Aja
Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes – This Time It’s For Real
Boz Scaggs – Down Two Then Left
Eric Clapton – Slowhand
Linda Ronstadt – Simple Dreams
Randy Newman – Little Criminals
Electric Light Orchestra – Out Of The Blue
Santana – Moonflower
Heart – Little Queen