articles/pics

[EnchantedSLN]

I was going through some clippings & came across a couple articles and pictures I don't think I've seen online. It's late, so forgive me if they're riddled with typos. (Les, or Neil, or anyone, feel free to add them to the archives if you want.)

Los Angeles Times 11/??/81
Fleetwood Mac's Tune Doctor
By Dennis Hunt

Lindsey Buckingham, the singer-songwriter-guitarist of Fleetwood Mac, is a star but, in many ways, he's the antithesis of a star. Buckingham isn't really hip, glib, or dapper and he certainly isn't bristling with confidence. He's sincere, down-to-earth and rather boyish.

He's also not used to being interrogated by the media. "It makes me nervous," he said. Other group members handle most of the interviews, allowing Buckingham to stay comfortably in the background. But he doesn't have that luxury right now. His first solo album, "Law & Order," has just been released on Elektra and he's in demand by the media.

When he showed up for the interview he was quite jittery. Two martinis helped him conquer the jitters. Soon the reserved, 32-year-old singer from Palo Alto turned into a non-stop talker.

The discussion didn't dwell on his solo album, an excellent, rather offbeat effort that shows the range of his creativityand imagination more than any of the four albums he's done with Fleetwood Mac. "Some of the songs are a little crazy and abrasive," he pointed out. "There were just some things I had to get out of my system. I couldn't do them in the context of the band. I needed to be a little selfish for a change."

Buckingham talked a lot about the psychological and power structures of the group. First of all, he disputed a popular notion about Fleetwood Mac -- that Mich Fleetwood is both the band's Big Daddy and its musical leader. According to Buckingham, Fleetwood is the big Daddy but that's all. "There's no question that Mick is the figurehead. He's a great overseer. He can keep you on the right track once it's been established, but he's not going to establish it himself."

Who comes up with most of the ideas? Buckingham, of course. But getting him to overcome his considerable modesty and admit this wasn't easy: "I'm not a great guitarist, and i'm certainly not a great writer, but the thing I do best for Fleetwood Mac is to provide ideas."

Buckingham is the band's Mr. Fixit, an enthusiastic tune doctor in charge of reconstructing and polishing songs. "It's my main contribution," he insisted.

When they joined in 1975, Buckingham and Nicks salvaged Fleetwood Mac, which also includes bassist John McVie, who co-founded the band with Fleetwood in 1967. At that time, the band was floundering. Adjusting to a group situation wasn't easy for Buckingham, who was still having problems with this while making "Rumours," the group's second album.

"It's not easy to surrender to a collective effort," he said. "I remember talking to Mick in the middle of making 'Rumours' and telling him some of the tunes weren't turning out the way I'd like. He just said 'maybe you don't want to be in the band.' In a sense he was right. I had some things to work out. I'm still working them out."

[EnchantedSLN]

A Studio Wizard Takes a Psychic Journey
New York Times June 21, 1992
By Stephen Holden

In "Street of Dreams," the most anguished song on Lindsey Buckingham's third solo album, "Out of the Cradle," the narrator visits the grave of his father, who has been dead for 10 years, and prays, "Will I ever stop dreaming dreams?" His father's ghost answers "Never, never, never!" in a vengeful primal scream.

The tormented father-son dialogue, which revolves around the word "lonely," is cast in a dank, echoey setting that suggests Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel" transformed into a surreal dirge. As much as any cut on "Out of the Cradle," it demonstrates Mr. Buckingham's brilliance at using the recording studio to create intricate interior dramas in which ambiance and allusive pop sensibility matter more than the actual words and music.

The most elaborate and ambitious of Mr. Buckingham's solo recordings, "Out of the Cradle" is an album-length suite that describes a young musician's descent from innocence into a dark night of the soul and his eventual re-emergence into a slightly more shaky autonomy. Mr. Buckingham plays most of the instruments on the record, which took two years to record in his home studio with his longtime collaborator and songwriting partner, Richard Dashut. His labors have produced one of the most exquisitely textured rock albums ever made.

The style that Mr. Buckingham has refined on "Out of the Cradle" is a personalized extension of the sound he devised for Fleetwood Mac in the late 1970's. The ultimate studio distillation of harmonized California folk-rock, his technique mixes carefully layered guitars and other stringed instruments with voices (both real and electronic) into a scintillating orchestral fabric. His master stroke has always been his ability to bouy these rich, three-dimensional textures with rhythms that have the feel of streamlined Celtic folk dancing. Their brisk, airy bounce keeps the productions from seeming over-worked.

As the sonic architect of Fleetwood Mac, Mr. Buckingham used this studio wizardry to create the studio equivalent of a nighttime soap opery starring the flighty, sexy Stevie Nicks and the stalwart, long-suffering Christine McVie.

The sound Mr. Buckingham has created for his solo albums employs the same ingredients but adapted to suit his passionate yet pinched vocal style. Where Fleetwood Mac's albums were glamorous comedies of manners, "Out of the Cradle" is one long brooding interior monologue. The psychic journey begins on a note of frightened euphoria ("Don't Look Down"), takes a look at music industry crassness ("Wrong"), then descends into despair ("All My Sorrows") and borderline insanity ("This Is The Time", "You Do Or You Don't", "Street of Dreams"). With "Surrender the Rain" and "Doing What I Can" the narrator begins to recover, and the last two songs, "Turn It On" and "Say We'll Meet Again," express an almost giddy affirmation.

Mr. Buckingham writes charming folkish melodies, and his best lyrics make serviceable use of archetypal symbolism, but his manipulation of instrumental atmosphere is what makes "Out of the Cradle" memorable. Mr. Buckingham's psychological changes parallel an exploration of his musical roots.

His influences range from Rogers and Hammerstein (an acoustic instrumental rendition of "This Nearly Was Mine") to the Kingston Trio (a haunting adaptation of their version of the traditional "All My Sorrows") to rockabilly ballads ("Street of Dreams"), to good-timey mid-60s folk ("Say We'll Meet Again"). "Countdown" momentarily echoes The Turtles while "Soul Drifter," a gorgeous folk-cowboy song, ends with quotes from The Tokens' "Lion Sleeps Tonight."

The sum total of these fragments, reflections and echoes is an impressionistic, if eccentric, memoir of his own painful loss of innocence and musical evolution."

[EnchantedSLN]

Don't have the article that goes with this one.

[EnchantedSLN]

Soul Drifter promo ad.

[EnchantedSLN]

Oops. I didn't realize until after I typed most of it out that it was continued on another page, which I don't have. So here's a half article .

San Fransisco Chronicle 9/26/82
By Joel Selvin, Chronicle Pop Music Critic

Buckingham Denies Any Breakup in Fleetwork Mac

The cherry voice on the phone belonged to Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac and he handled with courtesy and equanimity a series of impolite questions about his monstrously popular band. With the kind of confidence that comes only with the multi-million dollar success of a band like the big Mac, Buckingham parried and defeated a cynical interrogation, without resorting to defensiveness or even poor humor.

For instance, asked if Fleetwood didn't play the middle-of-the-road by making conservative, unchallenging music, Buckingham didn't flinch. "Bull---t," he said calmly. "Wouldn't you say that 'Tusk' was a fairly challenging album? I know what people say about that. I don't necessarily think it's valid."

The band's latest album, "Mirage," lodged itself at the top of the charts almost instantly. The album not only followed the disparate "Tusk," an album that may have whizzed over the head of Mac's mainstream audience at the time, but also a spate of solo albums from various members of the band (including Buckingham) that fueled rumors of a breakup. "A lot of people misinterpreted some of the signs," he said. "The solo projects and all that were really just sort of a safety valve. With a group that sells this kind of volume, there are a lot of pressures and it becomes an excercise in compromise. After six or seven years, it was necessary to take a little time to be selfish. That steam that was let off was a contributing factor to the unity of the group."

Fleetwood Mac albums take awhile to make, even following the two-year recording layoff after the release of "Tusk." "A lot of egos are involved," said Buckingham, "which makes for a system of checks and balances that may make the project more effective in the end, but not particularly efficient in the making."

The Atherton kid who grew up to be a rock star tells people these days that he came from Palo Alto, rather than explain where -- and what -- Atherton is. In discussing Mac, Buckingham even forwarded a theory that the band is actually a progressive force in pop music, especially given the band's emphasis on an intricate vocal

[EnchantedSLN]

more later.

[nodmod]

Thanks Tiff

I'll get them added to the articles archive, cheers

[Claudia]

Thank you for posting these, they are great!

[dissention]

Wow, Tiff, thanks a LOT for taking the time to post these; it's very much appreciated!

[EnchantedSLN]

Lindsey Buckingham Goes Solo -- For Now
by Steve Hochman

Lindsey Buckingham knows there's an easy way to guarantee pretty good sales for the solo album he's just putting the finishing touches on now.

"I could slap the name Fleetwood Mac on it and it would get a lot of attention," says the singer-guitarist-songwriter.

The value of the name is clear. "The Dance," the 1997 Fleetwood Mac reunion album, sold an impressive 3.6 million copies in the U.S. In contrast, Buckingham's last solo album, 1992's "Out of the Cradle," came in at a mere 53,000.

In some ways, it wouldn't be a huge stretch to turn Buckingham's album, which will probably come out in spring, into a Fleetwood Mac project. Mick Fleetwood was a big presence in the sessions, playing all the drums, while John McVie played much of the bass parts and Christine McVie added some piano. In fact, much of the material was recorded before the band's reunion tour, and more of less stimulated the group members' talk about getting back together.

The songs themselves, full of dramatic dynamics, contain emotional twists and turns through personal puzzles, but that's what Fleetwood Mac fans expect from Buckingham. All it would take is a few songwriting and vocal contributions from Christine McVie and Stevie Nicks, et viola: platinum prospects.

"I'm probably the happiest with this work solo-wise as anything I've done, and you would think that would make it the most precious to be heard in a certain text," he says.

"But if the idea of it being a Fleetwood Mac album was to take a life of its own ... I wouldn't discount it. But it would have to be certain parameters, a cohesive project in the spirit of 'Tusk.'"

So if the brass at his and the band's label, Reprise Records, were to urge that album be converted to a group effort, he'd consider it, though the prospect hasn't officially been discussed with the other Fleetwooders.

Buckingham's manager, Tony Dimitriades, reports that upon hearing the new material recently, Reprise president Howie Klein said that he loves it and wants it to be a solo album.

In any case, the new album represents two new phases of his life. Calling "Cradle" a "sigh of relief" after he left the Fleetwood fold in 1991, he says that the energy of the new material reflects a flowering of confidence that came from operating outside the group context, and elation at the reunion's relative lack of psychodrama.

Andthe newest of the material is a product of a new life, with Buckingham, who just turned 50, having become a father for the first time 16 months ago.

"The theme that seems to come up [in the songs] is really the challenge to try to care about something and take responsibility," he says. "I'm never really happy with my lyrics, always something workmanlike about them, but I think I got some great lyrics in this."

[EnchantedSLN]

& some pics.

[sodascouts]

Hi Tiff - thanks for posting these! I've never seen the first two before!

Now, I don't know if you have the article that goes with Lindsey in a suit, but even if you do, I'll type it out for you because you deserve a break.

Andy Warhol's Interview
By Liz Derringer

Lindsey Buckingham

The tall good-looking guitarist in Fleetwood Mac is Lindsey Buckingham. His ever-present songwriting and guitar playing abilities have played an important role in the tremendous success of the group. Fleetwood Mac has sold millions of records; then why would Lindsey take a side step and record an album of his own? He compares it to the painter alone with his canvas. This idea conjures up a pleasant image, and for Lindsey it worked. His solo effort, "Law and Order" has received high critical acclaim, and the single, "Trouble," climbed to the top five on the charts.

I spoke to Lindsey when he was in New York recently to perform on "Saturday Night Live."

LIZ DERRINGER: Why did you choose "Law and Order" for an album title?

LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM: It's law and order in terms of establishing codes by which to live and having a certain amount of order in your life. That's all.

LD: Somebody wrote about you saying you have "a boyish innocence and a penchant for old-fashioned romance," that you have an "anti-want-to-get-laid attitude." And since you're always surrounded by anarchy and promiscuity in rock and roll, that's difficult. How true is that?

LB: Well, a lot of the music promotes that. I think a lot of it is, "Let's go get laid." "Let's go get high." "Let's escape." Let's not commit to anything. Everything seems so disposable today. If you're in a relationship and it starts confronting you with any sort of pain, you just chuck it - most people these days just move onto [sic] somebody else. I have been with the same girl for five years. And I have been faithful to her all that time. Can you believe that? I think it creates a deeper meaning for a relationship if you can do that; put all that energy into writing another song.

LD: What about being surrounded by it in rock and roll? Does that bother you?

LB: What - you mean the availability?

LD: Yeah. In your position, you certainly can do what you want.

LB: I don't know. I think that being in Fleetwood Mac and having two girls on stage as opposed to a group of five guys up there who might be more aggressive about presenting themselves.... There's something about the presence of the group with two chicks, sort of out front, that repels a certain amount of that. But I just don't look for it anyway. I don't go to too many parties. I have a good time once I'm there. I'll have a few drinks or something.

LD: Let's go back to the beginning of your life, when you started playing guitar at seven years old.

LB: Originally, I was into my brother's 45s - Buddy Holly and Elvis, all that stuff. That's what got me started playing guitar. He brought home Heartbreak Hotel; I was never the same. That's certainly not a unique story, I'm sure. When that stuff came out a lot of people went out and got guitars. I was lucky to be that young and so heavily influenced... to have an older brother who was bringing home all that stuff. He's got a great collection of all the best.

LD: Do you remember the first time you decided to play guitar?

LB: Not clearly. I just remember my mom trying to get me to take piano lessons for about six months. And it was a drag. I hated it. And the guitar had so much more potential. I think I started out with a little toy plastic guitar. And then the next Christmas they got me a little three-quarter size acoustic, which I had until I was about 12. Then I got a little Martin.

LD: Musically, Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys had an influence on you. Someone once asked you the one song would you liked to have written. And you just said - Gold Only Knows. Most people would have to think a while before answering.

LB: That's a masterpiece. I would love to have written any of his songs. But that's gotta be the apex. I mean, the chords - Jesus! I have no idea where the chords are. Actually, I could figure them out, but I couldn't play them for you right now. Incredible.

LD: You've met him, right?

LB: Several times. Recently, I was watching him on TV on Portrait of a Legend. Have you ever seen that - with James Darren? They had all these great clips, striped shirts and everything. It was great.

LD: How do you think he got so crazy?

LB: Well, I have my own ideas. I'm sure that there was a time when I thought I had it all figured out. And then when I met him I realized his predicament was much more complex than I could ever imagine.

LD: You don't seem crazy to me, but some writer said you had this crazy looking fixed stare at the audience. Kind of like the way Brian Wilson does.

LB: Oh, on stage? Sure. Stage is a different thing.

LD: Is it a conscious effort?

LB: No, no. I'm a very reserved person, and not too outgoing. But in the same way that the album is kind of crazy - the other side comes out on stage. You know, you put a little something on the eyebrows, and it just comes out.... all that manic energy. So, people probably think I'm a maniac, judging from what I do on stage sometimes. But it's just the opposite. I think you'll find a lot of people like that. I was real surprised when I met Elton John. He was just a little mouse! And he gets up on stage and starts standing on the piano and jumping around. He's getting all that alter-ego out on stage.

LD: The Beach Boys had success at a young age. It happened a little older for you.

LB: When I joined the Mac, I guess I was 25. I've been in the background pretty much the whole time. There's a certain section of people that are into what I'm doing since Tusk, which was a complete diversion. I've always been involved in the actual production. That's my main contribution. It hasn't been as a songwriter or singer or even guitarist, but as someone who can take the band into the studio and give them a direction, which they didn't have. They hadn't had it since Peter Green left, as far as I was concerned. And that's what I do.

LD: I loved your song, Go Your Own Way, and I think your guitar playing is unique.

LB (laughs): Maybe you're more intelligent than the average person.

LD: You're one of the main writers.

LB: Stevie had an incredible audience for her album when it came out. It came into the charts at number 12, or something like that. People don't understand what I'm about as much. She's got a very definite image. A lot of people are into that. I think what I have to offer is certainly less commercial. It's gonna be less accessible to the same number of people. Not as many people will want to take the time to really get inside what I'm doing. Although, once they do, I think there's a lot more there. The experimental thing is just something I have to do.

LD: I'm just trying to understand the feeling of what it was like with all that overnight success.

LB: Well, it relates to what I was saying - the kind of success I'm looking for is an inner success. If you aim for something and approach a certain quality of work, and succeed at doing it, whether it be - Rumours.... I mean, it sold so many copies, a reported 16 million. It was a good album, but it wasn't that good an album. It wasn't like it was the best album ever made because it sold the most copies, by a long shot.

LD: I think you're saying that the feeling of success is an ongoing thing. Why do you think Rumours was so popular? Do you think it was because people could identify with the story?

LB: It had a story, but musically in terms of the quality of the writing that was on it, it wasn't like a Beatles album or even like a Beach Boys album. It just had a number of things about it that were accessible to a large number of people. It was a musical soap opera.

LD: When you wrote it, did you write it consciously like that?

LB: No, but we were going through those things at the time, so it just happened to work out that way.

LD: Like Go Your Own Way? You and Stevie [Nicks] were breaking-up. You were going your own way.

LB: We certainly were. So the success bothered me. It didn't bother me that I was making some money off it, but it bothered me that I felt that I wasn't really approaching a level of what I consider to be interesting musically. It wasn't meeting with what I felt was an inner success. So Law and Order, or even some of the stuff on Tusk, is more of what I consider interesting.

LD: Do you think you're the answer to T-Rex and David Bowie?

LB: I hate to make comparisons. I can't be objective about that. I just know what I am trying to do.

LD: You've gotten a lot of attention since Tusk. It's like Lindsey Buckingham pre-Tusk and Lindsey Buckingham afterwards. It used to be you could walk down the street without anyone knowing it was you. Is that changing?

LB: No. I still have coplete anonymity. It's great.

LD: Tell me a little bit about your growing up. You were born in California....

LB: Well, my mom grew up around San Jose, and she was a debutante-type. Her grandparents were a real big family in San Jose, wealthy. Her great grandfather was like the first doctor in Santa Clara county, came across in a covered wagon, the whole bit. My dad grew up on a farm, and it was very odd. I mean, they weren't suited for each other in that way, very dissimilar backgrounds. But people didn't think about it. When it was time to get married, you just got married. It's not like that today. My dad went to work for my mother's grandfather, who had started a coffee company in San Francisco. It was, at that time, comparable to Folgers. In the Thirties, the coffee company was doing real well, but eventually it was squeezed out. And my dad had to go to work at a job that he probably didn't really enjoy that much.

LD: How old were you when he died?

LB: Twenty-three.

LD: Then he didn't get to see all your success?

LB: No. He got to see the Buckingham-Nicks thing. That was about it.

LD: Does that bother you?

LB: Yeah. I miss him. We were brought up very formally, not a lot of open display of affection. And we were just sort of breaking through that.

LD: Somebody asked you if it was difficult working with an ex-girlfriend in the band and you said it was more difficult when you were together. True?

LB: I think it was more competitive when we were together.

[EnchantedSLN]

Originally Posted by sodascouts

Now, I don't know if you have the article that goes with Lindsey in a suit, but even if you do, I'll type it out for you because you deserve a break.

Thanks Nancy! I hadn't seen that one before, I just had the picture. I hate it when you pick stuff up in clippings auctions or something and they don't include the the whole article.

[sodascouts]

Originally Posted by trackaghost

Somehow I think Lindsey was lying about it being less competitive because Stevie wasn't his girlfriend anymore!

lol! Me too. But I found the information about his family and early days fascinating.

[mylittledemon]

I liked that last article especially. The part about Lindsey missing his dad made me sad. I have a friend like that that went thru the same thing.