Only days after I posted my list of favorite live albums, I bought one that will most certainly take a spot in the Top 10. Most casual music fans know Lindsey Buckingham as the guitarist and one of three singer/songwriters for the most successful Fleetwood Mac line-up. The catchy hits of Fleetwood Mac are indeed delicious, but they do not really do justice to the talents of Buckingham. If you are more than a casual Fleetwood Mac fan, you know damn well that Buckingham was the engine behind the whole operation. Stevie Nicks may be listed as songwriter on her Mac hits, but Buckingham was as much responsible for the creation of "Rhiannon", "Dreams" or "Landslide" as the lovely Ms. Nicks was. Not that he needs the attention, as his own hits for Mac are just as timeless..."Go Your Own Way", "Secondhand News" and "Big Love", to name a few.
I will be the first to admit that Buckingham is a weird dude. He has used his relatively low profile solo career as an outlet for his less commercial side. His solo albums are alternatively puzzling, brilliant and frustrating. But put the man on stage and roll tape; that is the way to cut through all the crap. Thankfully he has done that for us with this new live album.
If you are a guitar fan, this combo CD/DVD set is an absolute must. Michael Hedges and Stephen Stills are the only two men that come to mind who can touch Buckingham as a rock acoustic guitarist. He's a fine electric player, as well. Six of the fifteen tracks on the CD are solo acoustic. He reprises his jawdropping reinterpretation of his Fleetwood Mac hit "Big Love" that he first unveiled a few years back on the Fleetwood Mac live album The Dance. But he delivers an equally compelling solo acoustic rendition of Fleetwood Mac's "Never Going Back Again", an almost classical reading of his own paranoid "Go Insane", and a gorgeous closer "Shut Us Down". Just so you don't forget that he can also shred on the electric, he plays a blazing 10 minute "I'm So Afraid" (another Mac chestnut). I also like his good humoured romp through "Holiday Road", his nostalgic soundtrack tune from 'National Lampoon's Vacation'. The band is solid throughout, but the focus is always on Buckingham.
This record is a wonderful balance of Fleetwood Mac picks and tunes from his solo career, with a generous focus on his latest release, Under the Skin. What were overproduced tunes on the studio album really come to life on the stage.
My favorite tune has to be the solo acoustic rendition of his minor hit "Trouble". He turns a good unsettled pop song into acoustic perfection here. I have probably listened to this track about 30 times in the past few days alone. The CD is great, but the DVD is just as worthwhile. Listening to these intricate arrangements is one thing, but it is an added joy getting to watch this criminally underrated performer in action.
BELOW: This clip of Buckingham performing "Big Love" solo acoustic is from Fleetwood Mac's The Dance, but it is the same arrangement that appears on Live at the Bass Performance Hall.
**** out of *****
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