[8] It is the first Fleetwood Mac album with Lindsey Buckingham as guitarist and Stevie Nicks as a vocalist, after Bob Welch departed the band in late 1974.

It has been certified 7× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over seven million copies in the United States.

[13] Prior to Welch's departure, Mick Fleetwood met with producer Keith Olsen at Sound City Studios to listen to some demos.

[13] Fleetwood particularly enjoyed the guitar solo on the song "Frozen Love",[14] and decided to hire both Olsen and the guitarist, Lindsey Buckingham.

During the recording sessions, bassist John McVie clashed with Buckingham over creative decisions made in the studio, particularly over some of the album's bass parts.

So early on, that was probably the first thing that hit me about being in Fleetwood Mac was being extremely aware that I had something to contribute to Christine’s songs as a producer and possibly as a co-writer.

"Rhiannon", "I'm So Afraid", and "Monday Morning" were written and performed live by the duo and were initially slated to appear on a second Buckingham Nicks album.

[14][27] Though the band experienced only modest success immediately after the release, they were determined to promote their new album, and after touring for several months, they started to see the results of their hard work.

[11] Following the massive success of Rumours two years later, however, interest in the band reignited, Fleetwood Mac was re-released in 1978, and a reissue of "Rhiannon" peaked at number 46.

[9] On 11 September 2018, the album was certified seven times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over seven million copies in the United States.