Solo Anthology: Differences in tracks
 

I finally got my 3 CD copy of Solo Anthology finally arrived and I noticed a lot of differences between the album and compilation versions. I thought it would be good to have a list of all the differences people have notice. Here are mine to start out

First a couple of general notes, based on my memory of the originals and not on an A-B comparison:

• The remasters sound good. But the ones for tracks from the last 3 album are (mostly) significantly better than on the original albums, especially the SWS ones.
• Several songs are shorter than their album counterparts, presumably to fit so many songs.
• In general, all of the songs have clearer and more pronounced bass than on the original versions.

On to specific tracks:

• Don't Look Down: Now the intro is officially combined with the rest of the song.
• Shut Us Down (Live): This has been sped up! I was disappointed he included the Bass Hall version of this as I think it is one of the weakest, but the higher tempo and pitch bring it to life for me. I'm not sure why he wouldn't just pick another version though... The one from the Small Machine DVD would have been great.
• IOOT & Illumination: These are good examples of where the remasters sound so much better than on the original CD. SWS is very thin and trebly sounding. Here the sound is much more balanced. Now I need a SWS with a proper mastering job, just like these ones...
• GOS: This one sounds more muffled than the CD version. The only misstep on the remastering of the whole set, I think.
• Down On Rodeo: Fades out earlier. Still one of the best songs ever recorded.
• Sleeping Around The Corner: Much better mastering. Way less compressed in the chorus so it breathes a bit more.
• Love Runs Deeper: Ditto to SATC. It sounds way less compressed and more open in the chorus.
• Big Love (Live at Saban): This has definitely been remixed from the DVD and I think the guitar part has been edited. There are a couple of small differences here and there.

What else? I think there must be a lot of other songs that fade out earlier but I didn't do an actual comparison yet.

The re-masters definitely sound much improved. Everything sounds more modern and cohesive, especially his older work (GI, LAO, OOTC).

Marcussen did Lindsey's master of SWS.

Can someone look at the credits on the Anthology disc and see who the mastering engineer(s) were?

Remastering is credited to Stephen Marcussen @ Marcussen Mastering.

Interesting that the masters sound so different. Perhaps he's using a new technique or LB / WB wanted a particular feel on the master.

Stephen's a great guy and has known LB for a long time. Not surprised he continued with him for the mastering.

For me, this is almost like discovering some of these songs for the first time because they sound so good...

Agree!! :thumbsup:

I was really surprised when I saw it was the same guy who master the Anothology and SWS. That means that the (IMO) over-compression and trebly sound of the album must have been on Lindsey's direction, because Marcussen is clearly capable of producing great sounding masters. Whatever he did on this one, he should do it again on a Deluxe Remasters of all Lindsey's albums :blob2:

can't find whether we have a separate thread somewhere for Anthology reviews, so for now i'll put this here (unless it's already some place? this is from last week, but i missed it while on the road.)

#LindseyBuckingham's Solo Anthology is organized like a brand-new album that pulls the heartstrings and occasionally speaks to our deepest fears and darkest angers. https://t.co/23HNeG7GJy pic.twitter.com/HvyMzdC5ne

— SpectrumCulture (@SpectrumCulture) October 19, 2018

https://spectrumculture.com/2018/10/...ingham-roster/

Lindsey Buckingham: Solo Anthology: The Best of Lindsey Buckingham
Jedd Beaudoin JEDD BEAUDOIN OCTOBER 18, 2018
Buckingham’s relationship with Fleetwood Mac doesn’t really matter.

4 / 5
Anthologies are rarely an occasion to coo over an artist’s accomplishments, offering few surprises or revelations. But Lindsey Buckingham’s solo career is frequently overshadowed by his work with Fleetwood Mac. Thus, Solo Anthology: The Best of Lindsey Buckingham is a welcome overview of his neglected work outside the hit machine he’s been tangled up with since the mid-‘70s.

The talents that made him an attractive prospect for that outfit endured into his solo career, which began in full swing via 1981’s Law and Order. Namely? He’s an ace composer, guitar wizard and production genius cut from the same cloth as Les Paul, an underappreciated innovator whose taste sometimes obscured the depths of his virtuosity. The fact that he’s a singular vocalist who emotes like no other is an incredible bonus.

Hearing him in the solo context accentuates these gifts. Eschewing chronology, Solo Anthology is organized like a brand-new album that pulls the heartstrings and occasionally speaks to our deepest fears and darkest angers. What’s more, tunes culled from Law and Order seamlessly rub elbows with tracks from 2011’s supremely brilliant Seeds We Sow.

Spread across three discs, including a live set that weaves in half a dozen Mac tracks, the anthology could do for Buckingham what Unplugged did for Eric Clapton: Reinvigorate fervor for an artist who had come to be taken for granted.

The first disc, a batch of 21 tunes, reminds us how brilliant Buckingham’s 1992 effort Out of the Cradle was. His first release after leaving Mac in 1987, the collection was well-received in critical circles, garnering four stars in Rolling Stone and other outlets. It didn’t fare as well commercially, despite major airplay via “Countdown” and “Wrong.” Still, it’s probably the masterwork of his solo career, an artistic statement writ large that found him grappling with a young man’s anger at middle age amidst loss and rebirth.

There are a half dozen pieces drawn from that effort, including “Don’t Look Down,” which leads the charge, the deeply emotional “Surrender the Rain,” the “Big Love”-esque “Doing What I Can,” the reconciliatory “Street Of Dreams” and the resolute “I Must Go.” Each serves as a powerful reminder of Buckingham’s gifts as a writer, arranger, guitarist and lyricist. Moreover, they provide testimony of the thin line between anger and grief and show that the former is not solely a young man’s game nor is the latter the sole territory of the aged.

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“Trouble” (1981), meanwhile, is a meditation on new love with an old heart, a lush reflection on a heart that knows better but rushes in anyway. More than that, it’s an added glimpse at our hero’s talents on the guitar, an example of world influences creeping into American pop. In truth, there’s not a duff tune across those 20 and more titles; even the time-honored “Holiday Road” shines with a new vibrancy.

Those looking for deeper cuts can take solace in the second disc. Everyone knows “Holiday Road,” Buckingham’s contribution to National Lampoon’s Vacation but, aside from a few obsessive collectors, most have probably forgotten “Dancin’ Across The USA.” Huey Lewis and The News dominated the hits from Back to the Future but another song from that film, “Time Bomb Town” deserves a fresh set of ears. “Hunger” and “Ride This Road” make their first appearances, providing evidence that the creative spark still remains strong for this musical veteran.

Disc three provides the real roller coaster ride, spotlighting Buckingham’s guitar prowess and skills as a live performer with even greater intensity. Pulling from a small group of shows (mostly in 2011 and 2012), we get a fuller view of all that’s he done. Mac’s “Big Love” bursts from the speakers while the Buckingham Nicks gem “Stephanie” provides a nice surprise. Solo numbers such as “Trouble,” “Go Insane” and “Under the Skin” are welcome amid pieces such as “Bleed to Love Her,” “Go Your Own Way” and “Tusk.”

Buckingham’s relationship with Fleetwood Mac doesn’t really matter; he’s proven himself to be a consummate composer and musician no matter the context.