Lindsey Buckingham - “Under the Skin”
On the opening track of his new album Lindsey Buckingham sings about reading a review in a newspaper - “said I was a visionary but nobody knew/and that’s been a problem/feeling unseen.” The man has a point. When I told my brother Tony, I was going to review this album his response was “Lindsey who?” and he’s not exactly a musical philistine, just not a Fleetwood Mac fan.
Buckingham is Mac’s best kept secret and that’s not just a crime it’s a sin. While Peter Green is an instantly recognisable name (I’m sure Tony would have known him) the man who replaced him in the band and who’s probably had an even bigger influence on their sound and certainly their success is virtually unknown outside the bands fanbase.
One of the reasons for this of course is the fact that he’s not exactly prolific. This collection of 11 songs is his first solo release since Out of the Cradle in 1992. That makes this something of an event, at least for fans. Being one of them, my expectations were high but my initial feeling was one of disappointment. Stripped down to just acoustic guitar and vocals but with his usual over the top production style it just didn’t seem to gel. The hooks didn’t hook, where were the catchy tunes of old?
I needn’t have worried. A few listens and things began to come together. The opening track “Not Too Late” that had originally sounded as if the lyrics and the beautiful acoustic guitar didn’t belong in the same song became inseparable and once that happened the rest of the album soon followed suit.
This is obviously a deeply personal album for Lindsey, a man who’s had a few turbulent relationships in his time. He takes the opportunity to celebrate finding happiness on “It Was You” and a hauntingly beautiful version of the Stones’ “I Am Waiting.”
Three of the songs on offer date back to an aborted solo project in the 90’s but they feel perfectly at home with the new ones. In fact it’s hard to separate the songs. It’s not that they all sound alike but rather that they fit perfectly together. The album is like an aural painting and you don’t dissect a work of art; you just revel in it’s beauty.
Buckingham’s guitar playing has often gone underappreciated, overshadowed by his song writing and production gifts. The pared down arrangement here means his pickin’ really shines. It’s never showy (one reason it doesn’t get the attention it deserves) but always a joy, particularly on the country flavoured “Down On Rodeo.”
He sounds damn good too. His voice is one of the most unique in rock and at 57, his vocals are as strong as ever. Lindsey’s gift for multi layered harmonies is well presented, never more so than on one of the album’s most upbeat numbers “Show You How.”
It’s hard to understand why Fleetwood Mac have million selling albums while Buckingham languishes in semi-obscurity. Everything that makes Mac great is here with the exception of Stevie Nicks’ dulcet tones. Hell, there are even guest spots from the Mac’s rhythm section (Fleetwood and McVie) on a couple of tracks.
If you like lovingly crafted acoustic rock then treat yourself to this gem by one of the music industry’s true geniuses. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
