The RUMOUR: Max LP. Roots rock, country, pop & reggae; still sounds incredibly fresh today.

Tracklisting / Additional Info:
1. Mess With Love
2. Hard Enough To Show
3. Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me
4. Jet Plane
5. Looking After Number One
6. I'm Gonna Make You Love Me
7. I'm So Glad
8. Face To Face
9. This Town
10. Somethin's Goin' On

Format: LP RECORD
Record Label: Vertigo
Catalogue No: 6360149
Country of Origin: UK

When The Rumour formed in 1975, they were looked on as a type of 'Pub Rock Supergroup' as they featured several veterans from that scene. Bob Andrews (keyboards/vocals) and Brinsley Schwarz (guitar/vocals) were previously with the legendary band, Brinsley Schwarz. Martin Belmont (guitar/vocals) came from Ducks Deluxe, and Steve Goulding (drums/vocals) and Andrew Bodnar (bass) from Bontemps Roulez. Though perhaps best remembered as the backing band for Graham Parker during his late '70s heyday, The Rumour actually released 3 albums under their own name, between 1977 & 1980. They also worked extensively as a house band for Stiff Records, and backed Elvis Costello on 'Watching the Detectives.' The Rumour's debut album, MAX, produced by Mutt Lange, is now reissued here on CD for the first time. The band's loose, jamming style flits comfortably between roots rock, country, pop & reggae and the album still sounds incredibly fresh today, 30 years after it was recorded. Included amongst the original titles are a few cover songs, including Nick Lowe's 'Mess With Love' (a song he wouldn't get around to recording himself until his 1982 'Abominable Showman' LP) and Duke Ellington's 'Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me.'
The title of this 1977 album was the band's punning response to Fleetwood Mac's mega-selling LP of the same year.

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Often enough, the Rumour (Brinsley Schwarz, Bob Andrews, Martin Belmont, Andrew Bodnar, Steve Goulding) captures the sound of the Band, minus Robertson's lyrical profundity. What's really strange is that the Rumour is far more natural and interesting as a minor-league Band (on great tracks like "Hard Enough to Show," Nick Lowe's "Mess With Love" and a sublime Band-like arrangement of Duke Ellington's standard "Do Nothing 'Till You Hear from Me") than when attempting to forge their own identity on the subsequent albums. Max may not be terribly original but it is utterly enjoyable.