October 10, 2003
by Mark Brown
Rocky Mountain News

 
Fleetwood Mac's classic Rumours was remixed in DVD-Audio 5.1 surround sound in 2001, and the band took the opportunity to make some changes. Song order was rearranged, one song was added and a different version of another was put in.
 
This is what the band would have released in 1977, says Mick Fleetwood, had it not had the limitations of vinyl and simple stereo.
 
Ken Caillat, who engineered the original album, did the 5.1 remix and offered three changes. One, Silver Springs - pulled from the original album because of time restraints and relegated to the B-side of the Go Your Own Way single - was restored to its spot in the middle of the record. Songbird was taken out of that spot and put at the end of the disc. And the original "Brushes" version of Never Going Back Again, with extra drums and guitar, was used.
 
"We were somewhat involved in decisions, certainly in Silver Springs, bringing that back in the album," Fleetwood says. "We'd pop down in the studio and say, 'Fantastic, sounds great,' . . . basically having our minds blown."
 
Even though some changes were done, the 5.1 remix sounds extremelyfaithful to the original Rumours.
 
"It's just respectful of where it came from," Fleetwood says. "A Vegas version of Rumours wouldn't be appropriate."
 
The band is currently looking at a list of proposed projects for repackaging its classic albums, all of them including bonus tracks. Already Caillat has made 5.1 remixes of Tusk and Fleetwood Mac, but no release date is set.
 
"It would all be under the approval of the band. We still seemingly have that luxury," Fleetwood says.