Call me crazy but.

[dougb]

I think go insane is one of the best albums ever made.Pure genius

[wondergirl9847]

Yep, it IS. Of course, I'm biased as I think every single thing the man has done is genius. :nod:

I'm no musician, but if my heart and soul loves it, it's genius to me. I don't care how technically perfect or unperfect his stuff is. I don't care who thinks whatever about him or his music. I love it and that's ALL that matters. :)

I will never forget when I first heard the Go Insane and Slow Dancing clips online when I found out who Lindsey was. I am an 80's music FREAK, so those two songs stood out and I made sure I ordered that CD along with OOTC. :thumbsup: Those were just 2 of the greatest investments I ever made.

[seteca]

Without a shadow of a doubt my favourite LB solo album, my favourite album by any solo artist, and the collection of songs is one of the greatest pieces of music of all time.

You defined it perfectly in two words: PURE GENIUS.

[jbrownsjr]

It's a great album for sure :thumbsup:

[dougb]

Yes I have listened very hard to this album and musicaly it is very deep, very complex, the way it comes together it almost a story.I know it is an old album but I can honestly say without a doubt one of the best top 50 albums ever.I think if these were on a mac album they would have been big hits its to bad its overlooked

[mylittledemon]

I would have to agree, and disagree. I think "Out of the Cradle" is his masterpiece. A really beautiful album and it flows together really well. I think "Go Insane" is a somewhat close second. I just feel OOTC showcases his guitar skills a *little* bit more comprehensively. But I guess it all depends on your taste & opinion of course!

[sodascouts]

I would have to agree, and disagree. I think "Out of the Cradle" is his masterpiece. A really beautiful album and it flows together really well. I think "Go Insane" is a somewhat close second. I just feel OOTC showcases his guitar skills a *little* bit more comprehensively. But I guess it all depends on your taste & opinion of course!

I agree that OOTC is better, in fact I would daresay it's MUCH better. I have developed a new appreciation for Go Insane, however, after I listened to it on good speakers instead of my old crappy ones and realized there were a lot of nuances I'd been missing.

[wondergirl9847]

Isn't meant as a guitar showcase tho. It was made in a very experimental timeframe, the 80's. LOL I think GI shows how Lindsey can do something other than play guitar, he can arrange music using other means. I am wondering if he thought his guitar was sort of a "crutch" (not in a bad way, really), so he didn't use it as much on GI as to prove it to himself he could do it. :shrug:

These days, he's back to heavy guitar tho :thumbsup: . Although, OOTC is my fave album, they are all masterpieces and I hate comparing them, because they all represent a time in his life, when he did something different. :)

[Mari]

GOS is my favorite. I hardly ever listen to Go Insane. Might be because I only have it on lp :shrug:
Can I still call myself a lindseyfan? :o

[WelshWitchPMD]

I love Go Insane. I have a new found appreciation for this LP since last summer. I would say that OOTC (funny I just bought a new copy of the CD last night at Barnes and Noble) is my favorite.
Christy you are right when you say that they can't be compared because they are from 2 different eras and times in Lindsey's life. They are both fantastic in their own way.
The only solo LP that I can't get into is Law and Order and I have tried but I just can't.

[seteca]

As Christy said, the album is not at all about showing off guitar skills, and there is less lead guitar on it than on any other FM/LB album. Musically, it shows us just how incredibly multi-talented he is, and apart from the fact that he plays a countless number of instruments on it, the sampling used in some of the songs is of the same quality and level that artists like Jean Michel Jarre and Depeche Mode were coming out with at the same time. I said it before and I'll say it again, it's just pure musical genius.

There is one thought I've always had about this album but have been a little afraid of mentioning on The Ledge as I don't want anybody to take it the wrong way: I think that to even be able to really emotionally 100% connect with the album as a whole, you have to be a guy. I say this because the entire album was very personally written and performed by a guy, who felt that he had been driven to insanity by the pain, sadness and anger of previous relationships with girlfriends. For example, I think that most women who hear/read the line "So I go insane, like I always do, and I call your name, she's a lot like you" probably don't realise just how deep and complex a meaning it has.
Just to reiterate, I hope nobody takes what I said the wrong way: I'm not saying at all that men get more hurt than women or women get more hurt than men or anything like that; just that by nature we go through slightly/severely different emotions. There are a few Stevie Nicks songs (which are about relationships) which are among my favourite songs of all time, but I know that (although I love the songs so much) I will never be able to connect with them to the same extent that a female fan would, simply because I'm a guy.

JMHO.:)

[wondergirl9847]

Take something the wrong way? The Ledge? You're kidding, right? :laugh:

Hehe. Yeah, we all take different songs in different ways. I've said it a million times that Red Rover means sooooooooo much to me because it reminds me of my grandfather, who passed away in 1996. I've got a serious connection to that song, but others don't, so they may hate/not like it. *just had to put the song on...heh*

ISA is the song that hit me like a Mack truck back in 2001 because I was an emotional wreck from my parents splitting up. I felt alone, hurt, torn, afraid, etc. and that song fit me to a T.

Go Insane actually helped me in a bad situation, gave me strength. I've never had a relationship, so I can't apply the song to that.

It is weird that I connect with Lindsey since most his songs are about women. LOL I'm glad he wrote Red Rover, which is not about women, directly. There's more to life than relationships. I just apply the songs in other ways to various situations in my life. :)

[sodascouts]

There is one thought I've always had about this album but have been a little afraid of mentioning on The Ledge as I don't want anybody to take it the wrong way: I think that to even be able to really emotionally 100% connect with the album as a whole, you have to be a guy. I say this because the entire album was very personally written and performed by a guy, who felt that he had been driven to insanity by the pain, sadness and anger of previous relationships with girlfriends. For example, I think that most women who hear/read the line "So I go insane, like I always do, and I call your name, she's a lot like you" probably don't realise just how deep and complex a meaning it has.

Just to reiterate, I hope nobody takes what I said the wrong way: I'm not saying at all that men get more hurt than women or women get more hurt than men or anything like that; just that by nature we go through slightly/severely different emotions. There are a few Stevie Nicks songs (which are about relationships) which are among my favourite songs of all time, but I know that (although I love the songs so much) I will never be able to connect with them to the same extent that a female fan would, simply because I'm a guy.

JMHO.:)

While I disagree that women can't get the complexity of some of the emotion there, I do agree that perhaps we can't relate to it as well. I do find myself reacting in a different way to Stevie's music than to Lindsey's, and often Stevie's songs are much easier for me to relate to on an emotional level. The last time I had a relationship that ended badly, I thought of "Silver Springs" and not a song off of "Go Insane" or really any Lindsey song. And I suppose few guys would relate to the line "I am crying in the morning; I am trying to be strong" from "Destiny" like I did at the time, lol. All that macho stuff gets in the way. ;) In other words, I see your point.

[face of glass]

LOL I think GI shows how Lindsey can do something other than play guitar, he can arrange music using other means. I am wondering if he thought his guitar was sort of a "crutch" (not in a bad way, really), so he didn't use it as much on GI as to prove it to himself he could do it. :shrug:
The amount of guitars on the album is definitely up to debate. The solo in "I Want You" may sound like it's partly a keyboard thing but it might as well be a guitar fed through some kind of device. It's similar to the solo that Adrian Belew plays in Talking Heads' "Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)" in that it sounds like some bleepy synthesizer but is actually a guitar. I think some other bits on the album that we think are keyboards might actually be guitars; "Play In The Rain" comes to mind as another example. And in this case doing things that way makes sense; achieving a new variety of tones for his guitars. Making a guitar sound like a bass drum in "Red Rover" doesn't make sense because you can always use a real bass drum. Oh wait, this is Lindsey Buckingham we're talking about. He's crazy enough to do something like that. ;)
And I suppose few guys would relate to the line "I am crying in the morning; I am trying to be strong" from "Destiny" like I did at the time, lol. All that macho stuff gets in the way. ;) In other words, I see your point.
I personally relate to the verses of "Destiny" but even that is more because of the way she sings them (and that bass in the background). The chorus takes away from their intimate effect on me though.
I do find certain macho elements from Go Insane as well; in spite of the lyricism of "D.W. Suite" there's still the sexual desire to possess someone (and I find violent qualities in them too) in "Loving Cup" and "I Want You" plus the isolationism of "Play In The Rain". Not to mention the black-and-white thinking of "Go Insane" and the ultimate example of cycles in "I Must Go". ;)
But those are just some of the things that still draw me to the album. I don't think it is dated because the mainstream never truly explored this side of the new technology available to them. Sure, it is the traditional '80s over-the-top studio album but one could say that of everything he's done (just change the decade). Let's wait for a few years and then the '90s will be "the decade that good taste forgot". ;)

[seteca]

While I disagree that women can't get the complexity of some of the emotion there, I do agree that perhaps we can't relate to it as well.

Sorry, yea, that's exactly what I meant. When I said "realise" I didn't mean it as in "understanding", I meant it in the literal sense of "relating to"/experiencing.

The last time I had a relationship that ended badly, I thought of "Silver Springs" and not a song off of "Go Insane" or really any Lindsey song.

Every time I've had a relationship that ended badly I've thought of at least one (usually many) of the songs on the "Go Insane" album...lol.

And I suppose few guys would relate to the line "I am crying in the morning; I am trying to be strong" from "Destiny" like I did at the time, lol. All that macho stuff gets in the way.

See you lost me there, don't have a clue why you'd relate to that. Now excuse me while I go pump some iron, after which I intend to stand on my street corner wolf-whistling at girls and grabbing my crotch.:D

;)

[face of glass]

(sorry, me bad for mentioning Collins and Buckingham in the same post)
Well they're all mainstream anyway. :rolleyes:

[face of glass]

Is that a dig at me Gaius?
Sort of. ;) You do think that Lindsey is somewhat mainstream anyway, especially on OOTC. I'm never going to deny the mainstreamish tendencies of his music and I'm never going to deny that he doesn't work in the same area of the music industry as Stevie does. But even still I find the connections to new wave and punk on OOTC far more obvious than anything Stevie's done on her solo career.
So for me Lindsey's never been thoroughly a part of the big game. He may operate under some industry rules but that has never prevented him from making the music that he wants; music that combines the core values of two different target groups. No matter how slick and shiny you think OOTC is (and the same accusation can be thrown at TISL too, like it or not, thanks to Mr. Lord-Alge; not to mention that on TISL the slickness actually takes out some power from the main weapon of the album; Stevie's voice) it still has its dirty spots, the quirks, the open emotional wounds ("Street Of Dreams", "Surrender The Rain") and the general tone that this is not your average mainstream thing. You could sort of say the same of Steely Dan too, the Dan may always have sounded slick throughout but when you start analyzing those lyrics then you wonder how on earth did they ever get away with some of those. :shocked:
I do not respect the ones playing the game all the time that much (like it or not, I think many alternative acts can be accused of the same too); I respect those who never follow the usual rules constantly.

Good lord, look what you did. :rolleyes: But as I told you, no harm intended with this.

[Gwillaker]

I think go insane is one of the best albums ever made.Pure genius

Its a wonderful album, especially when you listen with headphones. I'd love to hear Go Insane with the full surround-sound treatment! :cool:

[Hawkeye]

Well I like OOTC the best by far, and Law and Order is great too. But I really really dislike Go Insane. It's the worst solo album released by any Fleetwood Mac member other then maybe Rock a Little. The only song I like its Go Insane but it pales in comparison to it's live accoustic counterpart. i also like Slow Dancing and Loving Cup.

[CarneVaca]

I've said "Go Insane" sounds dated. And it does. But then, so does Mozart, Brahms, Vivaldi... Doesn't make them any less brilliant.

The true genius of Lindsey Buckingham the musician and producer is nowhere more evident than on "Go Insane." Here is where he pushed that envelope so far that he gave the envelope wings and it flew. It flew! See, he's using guitars in ways that probably no one had used before. Some of what you think is sythesizers is actually guitar. He also takes household items, like spoons, and after testing their pitch, blends their sounds into the music. Toy pianos. What have you.

Lindsey wasn't showcasing his guitar prowess on this album. He didn't have to. His task was grander here. It was about the musicality of life and how it interplays with one's emotions. Life as a melody is often just a jarring cacophony, ergo "Go Insane." There's a confluence of emotions and state of mind illustrated in this album that brings us to that place in life when almost nothing made sense.

The relentless pounding of the beat in some songs feels like you're being processed through the meat grinder of life's travails. It takes you to the edge, the horizon of sanity. Lindsey invites the listener to go insane with him here. Then, sweet relief at the end with "DW Suite." The march that closes the album looks to the future. It implies forward motion. It is recovery. It is life.

[seteca]

I've said "Go Insane" sounds dated. And it does. But then, so does Mozart, Brahms, Vivaldi... Doesn't make them any less brilliant.

The true genius of Lindsey Buckingham the musician and producer is nowhere more evident than on "Go Insane." Here is where he pushed that envelope so far that he gave the envelope wings and it flew. It flew! See, he's using guitars in ways that probably no one had used before. Some of what you think is sythesizers is actually guitar. He also takes household items, like spoons, and after testing their pitch, blends their sounds into the music. Toy pianos. What have you.

Lindsey wasn't showcasing his guitar prowess on this album. He didn't have to. His task was grander here. It was about the musicality of life and how it interplays with one's emotions. Life as a melody is often just a jarring cacophony, ergo "Go Insane." There's a confluence of emotions and state of mind illustrated in this album that brings us to that place in life when almost nothing made sense.

The relentless pounding of the beat in some songs feels like you're being processed through the meat grinder of life's travails. It takes you to the edge, the horizon of sanity. Lindsey invites the listener to go insane with him here. Then, sweet relief at the end with "DW Suite." The march that closes the album looks to the future. It implies forward motion. It is recovery. It is life.

If I sat here for eternity with a thesaurus and a dictionary, I still would not be able to say it better than that!

I think if Lindsey ever read that, he would have a very, very, big smile on his face.

[CarneVaca]

Woah, I obviously don't get Go Insane at all.
But it sure sounds nice.

Tastes are hard to argue. So if something appeals to you, it does. Or it doesn't. Know what I mean? You can try to force it, but it won't work. You may never develop the appreciation for "Go Insane" that folks like Seteca and I have. And that's OK.

But if you listen to it with the mindset that Lindsey was giving you a sonic front seat at the breakdown of his sanity, perhaps you'll appreciate it a little better. There's a certain logic to the songs, musically and lyrically, and how they are sequenced. Even the abrupt interruption of the Play in the Rains. With the advent of the CD, the jolt brought on by that interruption loses a little of its effect, but I remember turning that tape over the first time and, SLAP. It's still going. It was wild! Still paying attention to the lyrics and how the arrangement complements them, when you reach "Bang the Drum," you know some kind of corner has been turned. There's a sense of release, peace even, that starts to permeate this amazing sonic landscape. And then, the march. That march that closes the album still gives me chills. It's the march of life. It's telling you that no matter how low life takes you, you have to pick up and march on.

[stefan]

Back in 89 I discovered Go insane and had ambivalent feelings towards it. Firstly I was extremely happy to find one of the two LB solo albums after a year or so of searching. Then I immediately realized that it was a strange one (think alone of the beginning of I want you). I always liked his craziness so that was all right. What was most noticeable even in 89 was that it sounded like typical mid-eighties. It sounded dated even in 89! Lindsey stated that he found out about the fairlight during that time and that was a prominent impression. I like the album (hey noone here voted for the GI video- but it's a great one) but I have to admit that it is my least favourite among the 3 ones he released. Neither LAO nor OOTC sound that time-related imo. And I do think that lessens the quality/test of time a little- I see Carnes point but I disagree concerning that aspect. But there is another aspect I wanted to bring up. I lent the album to a few people back then and they were a little confused about it. That means one day they loved it the other day they hated it. :lol: But what they and I too realized was that the sound was somehow strange. We played it on different players and it somehow sounds like someone had put some towels over the speakers. (both LP and CD have the same effect) I am not sure that is was a conscious effect, has anybody noticed that?
On a positive note- the different phases/stages the DW Suite is going through are greatness. Absolutely love the "if we go go go go go go go go go- go insane sane sane sane"- part" with the flute or whatever it maybe in the background.

[wondergirl9847]

I would like to thank dougb for bringing up Go Insane, because I don't listen to it enough as a whole album. I usually listen to my LB faves CD. I am going to listen to it today. :)

I'm banning the word dated, along with cheesy from my vocabulary. LOL If NOTHING sounded *****, then how would our memories of that time era be forever etched in stone? When I think of certain songs from the 80's, it takes me back to that time in my life, memories come rushing back. Too bad I didn't know Lindsey or Go Insane back then, so I could go back when I hear this album. :( When I hear Frank Sinatra sing or a big band song, I immediately think 1940's or WWII era. Is that a bad thing? Newp.

The song, Go Insane basically threw me into my obsession with Lindsey. I'll never forget hearing it for the first time, I was like this :eek: and couldn't believe how AWESOME it was!!

Just came back to add that listening to this album now, I have to say, it doesn't affect me the way it does Seteca and Carne or whoever else that hasn't responded. I am not a dude, and I've never been in a relationship, so therefore, no breakup. The album to me, is musically pleasing, tho, so I love and appreciate it in that way. Now, I've said that I've applied GI to my life, and I have. That's really the only song that has hit me in the soul from this album. I connect more with OOTC and it's my fave LB solo album for that reason. I adore all three of them as L&O is for my quirky side, GI is for my mad side and OOTC is for my real side. :)