Lindsey Buckingham Go Insane 1984

Lindsey Buckingham seemed to relish his chances to go solo, and he makes a concerted effort not to sound like Fleetwood Mac. Which makes sense, but it also means that Mac fans would have mixed feelings about Buckingham solo. His first was very good with just a few exceptions, and I guess this one could be assessed pretty much the same way. 

The records open with the rocking I Want You, with tinny keyboards, speeded-up vocal section, and smoking hot lead guitar, with a hook for a chorus. Nice way to kick things off. The title track is next and has layered keys, layered vocals, sharp percussion, with another catchy chorus. The warbly high register that is his vocal on Slow Dancing is classic Buckingham. The pulsing beat and and complex arrangement keep a simple tune interesting. I Must Go gets a little more experimental, and that either detracts or you like it. Lots of keyboards, but it runs for a minute or two longer than it has ideas. And then Play In The Rain brings the crazy theme to the fore, with quiet vocal parts interrupted by clamorous percussion segments. Then the Indian instruments come in to raga the song out. 

Flip over to side two and Play In The Rain continues, starting with the raga, then shifting back to alternating vocal sections with percussion and big keyboard/guitar segments. It all comes together to rock out the ending. The slinky rock of Loving Cup is familiar territory for Buckingham, and rocks pretty hard. We get a hot guitar solo, and a big stadium-rock sound. It's good, but again seems to milk the motif for a few extra minutes. Bang The Drum opens without drums (of course), and the "bang the drum" chorus is catchy with  those eighties synths and layered vocal harmonies. The song ends on the banging drums (thank goodness). The D. W. Suite (honoring Dennis Wilson) is in three parts. The gentle opening section with Scottish folk overtones morphs through some cacophony into a Beach Boys inspired, harmony packed song, and then into a march of the familiar Scottish folk song "The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond" (or something awfully close) that serves as a funeral march for the recently deceased Wilson. It's a bit out there.

Listening to it after a long time away made for fun and intriguing listening. I suppose if you didn't like Tusk you probably won't like his early solo work (this is his second). Side one is better than side two. The record plays for 38 minutes, and even at that, some of it feels like it's stretched out a bit. And so yes, it's very good, with a few exceptions.

Lindsey Buckingham Law And Order 1981

After making Fleetwood Mac's infamous Tusk in 1979 and touring the record for a year and a half, Lindsey Buckingham was ready for some guilty pleasures.

Buckingham plays almost all of the music on the record, and there are some great moments. The opener, Bwana, is fast-rocking pop that's full of funny noises and Buckingham's unnaturally high voice (sped up tape, maybe?). The single, Trouble, follows, and it could have been a big hit for Fleetwood Mac if it wasn't the hit single from this record. On the strength of Trouble, this became Buckingham's best selling solo work. It's a beautiful mid-tempo falling-in-love ballad.

There are other moments that have redeeming qualities. The Beach Boys styled vocal arrangements on Mary Lee Jones, September Song and Shadow Of The West keep some of the slower material interesting. I'll Tell You Now recalls both carousel music and Todd Rundgren, both in good ways. That's How We Do It In L.A. and Love From Here, Love From There at least offer some humor with their light pop-rock.

The pitiful attempt at country on A Satisfied Mind (both musically and lyrically banal), the hollow rock of Johnny Stew, and the shallow doo-wop of It Was I detract from an otherwise interesting project.

Buckingham would return with a more fully realized version of his experimental side with Go Insane in 1984, and with the unified, near-perfect pop-rock statement of 1992's Out Of The Cradle. You could hear much of that potential right here.