4 Lesser-Known Halves of Music Duos Who Deserve Your Respect

[elle]

http://www.cracked.com/blog/4-lesser..._ibsrc=fanpage

4 Lesser-Known Halves of Music Duos Who Deserve Your Respect

By Adam Tod Brown
April 24, 2014 162,829 view

Second fiddle is a hard instrument to play, especially when you know you deserve better. That the go-to term we use to describe the less important half of a duo is a music reference is evidence that this is a situation that comes up on an especially regular basis in that industry.

We talk about some of the famous second halves from music history who deserve more respect on this week's Unpopular Opinion podcast ...

... where I'm joined by Al Jackson, a comic you can see playing the role of Al Jackson on the FXX show Legit, and Randall Maynard, who designs shirts for Cracked and such.

We kick off the talk about underrated other halves by talking about one of my favorites ...

#4. Big Boi (Outkast)
Read more: http://www.cracked.com/blog/4-lesser...#ixzz2zr8sS4hY

#3. Lindsey Buckingham (Fleetwood Mac)

Kevin Winter/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Right off the bat, yes, I know Fleetwood Mac isn't a duo, but I appreciate your complimentary mathletics and the accompanying comment all the same. Besides, depending on whether they have J.K. Rowling or whoever the **** that is on keyboards, the other people are just the rhythm section, which means they only matter if they suck. They don't, though, so the only people anyone talks about are Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. Also, before they joined Fleetwood Mac, they recorded an album as a duo.

Just a heads up, that video is sort of NSFW on account of the fact that it's a still image in which you can sort of see one of Stevie Nicks' nipples and totally see both of Lindsey Buckingham's. So, someone is getting an erection -- don't say I didn't warn you.

Anyway, Stevie Nicks gets way more attention, but Lindsey Buckingham is far and away the most important piece of the Fleetwood Mac puzzle, just ahead of drugs and seething contempt for each other.

Everyone in this picture wants to kill everyone in this picture.

Proof of Lindsey Buckingham's importance to your parents' favorite band can be found on the 1990 album Behind the Mask. What can't be found on that album is Lindsey Buckingham. He left after 1987's Tango in the Night and was replaced by Billy Burnette. And Rick Vito.

And a total lack of shame.

That's right: It took two people to replace what Lindsey Buckingham brought to the band. One was expected to pick up his songwriting duties, the other was to fill his lead guitar spot. Neither was even remotely capable of doing either. The resulting album is so terrible, the band isn't even on the cover.

They just want it to look like they might be from a distance.

It's also worth noting that most Fleetwood Mac albums these days, like the aforementioned Tango in the Night or 2003's Say You Will, start out as Lindsey Buckingham solo projects. You know who else makes solo albums? Stevie Nicks makes solo albums, and not a one has turned into a "Fleetwood Mac" album.

If none of that does anything for you, just remember that Lindsey Buckingham is also the man responsible for one of the finest movie theme songs of all time, and he did it all by his lonesome.

That alone makes him more important than the rest of Fleetwood Mac, if nothing else.

#2. Flavor Flav (Public Enemy)

#1. Meg White (The White Stripes)

Read more: http://www.cracked.com/blog/4-lesser...#ixzz2zr8V231o

[michelej1]

^Oh my goodness. This is hilarious. My favorite parts are calling Christine J.K. Rowling and the discussion of Lindsey's nipples.

Michele

[lovethemac1]

This is priceless. I love the part about "Everyone is this picture wants to kill everyone in this picture."
And maybe someone can answer this for me.......the cover of Behind the Mask...........is that Stevie? I have never been able to figure this out.

[chiliD]

Originally Posted by elle

Proof of Lindsey Buckingham's importance to your parents' favorite band can be found on the 1990 album Behind the Mask. What can't be found on that album is Lindsey Buckingham.

And, thank GOD for that...

Originally Posted by elle

That's right: It took two people to replace what Lindsey Buckingham brought to the band.

Took two people to replace Bob Welch, so????

Originally Posted by elle

One was expected to pick up his songwriting duties, the other was to fill his lead guitar spot. Neither was even remotely capable of doing either.

Tread lightly, there, pal. Those are some fightin' words. And, who could blame Rick Vito for being hesitant to have to lower his standards to copy Lindsey Buckingham's guitar parts for the tour.

Buckingham is so inept, he had to come up with a "schtick" (fingerpicking) to get any attention at all. (hey, Buckingham, Copernicus called, you're not the center of the universe)

Originally Posted by elle

The resulting album is so terrible, the band isn't even on the cover.

Sure, so "terrible" it went to #1 in the UK...apparently, the record buying public in the UK know a thing or two about the quality of Fleetwood Mac guitarists.

Originally Posted by elle

If none of that does anything for you, just remember that Lindsey Buckingham is also the man responsible for one of the finest movie theme songs of all time, and he did it all by his lonesome.

I wonder how many of his report cards from elementary school had his teachers commented "He doesn't play well with others".

Plus, I think John Williams, Ennio Morricone, Elmer Bernstein, among thousands of others would have something contentious to say about the "finest movie theme songs" topic

Originally Posted by elle

That alone makes him more important than the rest of Fleetwood Mac, if nothing else.

And, if you don't believe that, just ask him.

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by chiliD

I wonder how many of his report cards from elementary school had his teachers commented "He doesn't play well with others".

Probably not many. Lindsey seemed to be quite social in his younger years, particularly.

Michele

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by lovethemac1

This is priceless. I love the part about "Everyone is this picture wants to kill everyone in this picture."
And maybe someone can answer this for me.......the cover of Behind the Mask...........is that Stevie? I have never been able to figure this out.

No, it's not.

Michele

[elle]

Originally Posted by chiliD

And, if you don't believe that, just ask him.

was thinking of you when reading that article and wondering when and what kind of rant we will see from you in response. predictably, you didn't disappoint.

[MikeVielhaber]

Originally Posted by chiliD

Took two people to replace Bob Welch, so????

Come on now. They got Lindsey to replace Bob Welch. Stevie joined on Lindsey's insistence, not the band's. The band probably would've done just fine without Stevie. At least as successful as any point during the Bob Welch era, probably more so.

[michelej1]

People are discussing this article here and one person wrote that the author lost all credibility when he discounted Christine's role in FM. I agree, but he did it in a way that made me giggle.

http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/s...01#post1254345

[shackin'up]

Originally Posted by chiliD

Buckingham is so inept, he had to come up with a "schtick" (fingerpicking) to get any attention at all. (hey, Buckingham, Copernicus called, you're not the center of the universe.

Fingerpicking is no schtick. I don't believe I'm reading that from someone I hold for a quality guitarist. And Lindsey, as you know yourself, is well aware of his own limitations as a guitarist. He works around those limitations remember? He sees himself as a refined primitive. Come on, I don't believe I'm writing this, Chili, he's been saying that himself for decades in every friggin interview.

The fact that he has his own limited but distinctive style, that he worked and trained as a madman doesn't make it a schtick. I know your love for talented masterbluesheroes on guitar, but Vito's ability to Copy Greenies tone is something else than the arranging Guitarist who has put his DNA in songs that are played in almost every freaking household on earth.

Behind the mask is an aweful, aweful album.

[sodascouts]

Well, that guy was way off base by acting like no one in FM was worth a darn except Lindsey, but this line made me laugh:

"The resulting album is so terrible, the band isn't even on the cover. They just want it to look like they might be from a distance."

I always thought that "lookalike" cover was extremely lame. Maybe they didn't think Stevie was thin enough to be cover material, so we get pseudo-Stevie. It would have been much better to just use some artwork like Tango.

Originally Posted by chiliD

Buckingham is so inept, he had to come up with a "schtick" (fingerpicking) to get any attention at all.

Inept????

Wow. I must say this comment surprises me! I'm not a guitarist so perhaps you might just write off my opinion, but when I hear Lindsey Buckingham play, "inept" is not the word that comes to mind. More like "brilliant."

I would rather hear him play than more technically proficient guitarists who don't imbue their work with the same passion.

[seekerj]

Originally Posted by shackin'up

Fingerpicking is no schtick. I don't believe I'm reading that from someone I hold for a quality guitarist. And Lindsey, as you know yourself, is well aware of his own limitations as a guitarist. He works around those limitations remember? He sees himself as a refined primitive. Come on, I don't believe I'm writing this, Chili, he's been saying that himself for decades in every friggin interview.

The fact that he has his own limited but distinctive style, that he worked and trained as a madman doesn't make it a schtick. I know your love for talented masterbluesheroes on guitar, but Vito's ability to Copy Greenies tone is something else than the arranging Guitarist who has put his DNA in songs that are played in almost every freaking household on earth.

Behind the mask is an aweful, aweful album.

Thank you!!!! I was going to respond with the same sentiment as yours, but my response would not have been as eloquent and would have gotten me in trouble.

[michelej1]

Well, sometimes you just take the underdog position for the sake of it, because otherwise it would have no representation.

You know, I'm about 100% sure that if Chili were on a non-FM board, he'd be defending Lindsey to anyone else. He's just saying all that in the post because he's talking to Lindsey fans. If he was just talking to people about guitar players in general, he would be supporting Lindsey.

I mean I think a lot of us do it to a certain extent. I don't like Don't Stop within Fleetwood Mac, but when I'm out you know, in the general public, I'm kind of proud of it and would defend it.


Michele

[chiliD]

Sometimes ya just gotta rattle the cage to make sure the animal is still alive.

Originally Posted by michelej1

Well, sometimes you just take the underdog position for the sake of it, because otherwise it would have no representation.

You know, I'm about 100% sure that if Chili were on a non-FM board, he'd be defending Lindsey to anyone else. He's just saying all that in the post because he's talking to Lindsey fans. If he was just talking to people about guitar players in general, he would be supporting Lindsey.

I mean I think a lot of us do it to a certain extent. I don't like Don't Stop within Fleetwood Mac, but when I'm out you know, in the general public, I'm kind of proud of it and would defend it.


Michele

[gssmith]

Yea I think most people try to talk **** about the band members just to get a reaction. Secretly we like them all. Every one of them were responsible for the band's success. In return, the band helped with solo success.