# Fleetwood Mac's "Rumors":what's with the album cover? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 29, 2013, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fleetwood-macs-rumors-whats-with-the-album-cover/656986 "2013-04-29T04:22:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fleetwood-macs-rumors-whats-with-the-album-cover/656986/1 "2013-04-29T04:22:22Z")
Another thread mentioned the cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours” from 1977. [(In case you forgot, this it what it looks like.)](http://static.rookiemag.com/2012/08/1343932223fleetwood-mac-rumours.jpeg) I’ve always wondered, what the heck’s with the cover? Why’s Stevie got her leg wrapped around Mick? Why is Mick staring into the sphere and why does he have what looks like marbles hanging from his vest? And why no other band members on the cover? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fleetwood-macs-rumors-whats-with-the-album-cover/656986/2 "2013-04-29T04:41:08Z")
Mick has wooden balls hanging from his belt. To this day, he still wears them when he’s playing. As for their pose, I assume it’s supposed to look like their dancing. The tango perhaps. Of course the footstool throws a wrench in that thought. Just a pose, I guess. Looking at Wiki, it says Stevie is supposed to be dressed as Rhianon. Of course, that’s how Stevie always dressed IMO. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fleetwood-macs-rumors-whats-with-the-album-cover/656986/3 "2013-04-29T05:00:00Z")
It’s high concept art. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fleetwood-macs-rumors-whats-with-the-album-cover/656986/4 "2013-04-29T05:06:38Z")
A pair of wooden balls dangling between a man’s legs is high concept art? Rather obvious what that imagery is all about. There’s an air of dominance with the man towering over the semi-kneeling woman. There is a tango feel to it. That sort of superior male attitude is very much a part of the tango character. It’s worth mentioning that considerable amounts of drugs were being ingested when this album was recorded. 😉 The imagery may have come from a dream. > [@moriah](#): > > It’s high concept art. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fleetwood-macs-rumors-whats-with-the-album-cover/656986/5 "2013-04-29T05:13:38Z")
It was the 70s. Need I say more? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fleetwood-macs-rumors-whats-with-the-album-cover/656986/6 "2013-04-29T05:15:15Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > A pair of wooden balls dangling between a man’s legs is high concept art? Rather obvious what that imagery is all about. It’s also a good luck charm he stole from the bathroom of a bar probably 50 years ago…but yeah, it’s still balls. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fleetwood-macs-rumors-whats-with-the-album-cover/656986/7 "2013-04-29T08:54:20Z")
The whole band was playing dress-ups and messing around at the photo shoot, and the particular shot that ended up on the cover was chosen because it was a visually arresting image. As is true of practically everything in rock music, there is no hidden meaning behind it, it’s 100% rule-of-cool. [CITE](http://books.google.com.au/books?id=040MDpb35UUC&pg=PA333&lpg=PA333&dq=rumours+photoshoot&source=bl&ots=iUWrCBqZJp&sig=P-I-bfKBLcjgXBZd4Ks6a_eVHGM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=tzR-UfmfGYWFiAf-o4CwCA&ved=0CEQQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=rumours%20photoshoot&f=false) ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fleetwood-macs-rumors-whats-with-the-album-cover/656986/8 "2013-04-29T09:47:53Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > It was the 70s. Need I say more? Couldn’t be more this. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fleetwood-macs-rumors-whats-with-the-album-cover/656986/9 "2013-04-29T11:26:56Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > It’s also a good luck charm he stole from the bathroom of a bar probably 50 years ago…but yeah, it’s still balls. I read Fleetwood’s autobio - apparently he’s really into man-junk in some sort of Lad Humor sort of way. He had a big rubber dildo that had a suction-cup base that he would stick to his kick drum during encores when he was in Mayall and the early-gen Fleetwood Mac - apparently watching it bounce along to the drums was quite the crowd-pleaser. I think he also had a Ferrari or some other top car and he had a special stick-shift put in - use your imagination. So yeah, him with his danglies in the photo is pretty much par for the course. Nothing Freudian going on with Mr. Fleetwood though - nope… ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fleetwood-macs-rumors-whats-with-the-album-cover/656986/10 "2013-04-29T12:25:12Z")
It beats their [first choice](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/142/346654663_983b002ffb_o.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fleetwood-macs-rumors-whats-with-the-album-cover/656986/11 "2013-04-29T12:46:19Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > There’s an air of dominance with the man towering over the semi-kneeling woman. He’s six foot five. He towers over everyone in the band. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fleetwood-macs-rumors-whats-with-the-album-cover/656986/12 "2013-04-29T12:50:57Z")
I just saw these guys last week. Awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fleetwood-macs-rumors-whats-with-the-album-cover/656986/13 "2013-04-29T13:12:48Z")
How is it any more cryptic than the cover of their [previous](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0b/Fleetwood_Mac_-_Fleetwood_Mac.jpg) (self-titled) album? (Or lots of other album covers, for that matter?) ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fleetwood-macs-rumors-whats-with-the-album-cover/656986/14 "2013-04-29T13:21:10Z")
I’ve seen that LP for 35 years now, and have NEVER noticed the balls hanging down until you guys pointed it out. :smack: Disclaimer: Never actually _owned_ that LP. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fleetwood-macs-rumors-whats-with-the-album-cover/656986/15 "2013-04-29T13:30:31Z")
Me either. Somehow I’d missed those [clackers](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clackers) despite the fact every time I put that album on I was trying to get laid. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fleetwood-macs-rumors-whats-with-the-album-cover/656986/16 "2013-04-29T13:40:02Z")
The members of the band were breaking up long-time relationships and forming new ones at the time. And, of course, they were using a lot of drugs. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fleetwood-macs-rumors-whats-with-the-album-cover/656986/17 "2013-04-29T13:49:55Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > How is it any more cryptic than the cover of their [previous](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0b/Fleetwood_Mac_-_Fleetwood_Mac.jpg) (self-titled) album? (Or lots of other album covers, for that matter?) Both albums covers have the same crystal ball in them.