Gift of Screws Reviews [Archive] - Page 2

vivfox

09-19-2008, 07:18 AM

CD Spotlight
By JON M. GILBERTSON

Posted: Sept. 19,2008
Lindsey Buckingham

Gift of Screws

Reprise

In 2006, "Under the Skin" -Lindsey Buckingham's first solo album in 14 years - introspectively indicated that the guitarist, singer and songwriter could still bring the gorgeousness he used to help propel Fleetwood Mac toward its most commercially and artistically prosperous time.

Now, "Gift of Screws" proves he can still bring some noise, too.

That's some noise, not all. Buckingham continues brooding darkly and beautifully, his voice and intricate guitar work as delicate as butterfly wings on luminously precise tracks such as "Time Precious Time" and "Bel Air Rain."

Yet when he gets louder and brasher with the rolling rocker "The Right Place to Fade" and the crisply unhinged title track (both featuring Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood and the latter adding Mac bassist John McVie), Buckingham taps into a bubbling wellspring of teenage ardor and energy.

The depth of the spring, though, is his maturity, and so "Gift of Screws" overflows with goodness.

Lindsey Buckingham will perform Oct. 4 at the Pabst Theater, 144 E. Wells St. Look for a list of the week's new CDs on Tuesday.

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=796163

vivfox

09-19-2008, 07:31 AM

by Kevin O'Hare
Thursday September 19, 2008

Lindsey Buckingham, "Gift of Screws" (Reprise) 4 stars
In 2006, when the heart and soul of Fleetwood Mac, Lindsey Buckingham, released his first solo album in 14 years, "Under The Skin," he promised that the follow-up would come relatively soon and would be more rockin'.

"Gift of Screws" still showcases plenty of Buckingham's mesmerizing acoustic finger-picking but there's also plenty of thump as well, no doubt in part to the guest contributions from his FM mates Mick Fleetwood and John McVie.

The opener, "Great Day," which features a co-writing credit from Buckingham's son Will, boasts a nearly "Tusk"-like thump and a frenzied electric guitar solo at the end, "Wait For You," has a dark but unmistakable Fleetwood Mac feel, while the title track -- which is based around an Emily Dickinson poem -- is flat-out bizarre.

Keeping in line with Buckingham's status as one of the most underrated guitarists of his era, there is some exquisite guitar playing throughout this album, especially during the beautiful, rippling "Time Precious Time," the stellar rocker "Love Runs Deeper" and the acoustic-based beauty "Bel Air Rain."

http://www.mlive.com/saginawnews/entertainment/index.ssf/2008/09/kevin_ohare_album_reviews_lind.html

michelej1

09-19-2008, 12:37 PM

Wow, they're coming fast and furious Mark. Thanks for putting them up.

I'm glad that Lindsey still has teenaged energy and ardor.

Michele

michelej1

09-19-2008, 01:09 PM

Kinston.com, September 19, 2008

http://www.kinston.com/entertainment/buckingham_49761___article.html/album_face.html

Lindsey Buckingham

Gift of Screws
Reprise Records
4 stars out of 5

Lindsey Buckingham is best known for being at the helm of Fleetwood Mac for the last 30 years. During that time Buckingham has issued the occasional solo outing, usually taking six or seven years to complete an album.

As of late, Buckingham has been on a tear. If you count his live album, this makes his third release in three years. Maybe his impending senior citizen status has made him kick it up a gear.

The good news is that Buckingham has decided to rock a bit this time out, and his decision make the record in a much quicker manner has removed the mechanical feel of his previous albums.

Buckingham's standard singer/songwriter fare is well represented here, but it's the all-out rock songs that provide the most entertainment. The title track sounds like what would happen if the Ramones covered a B-52's song. The shaman-like chanting vocals and the sloppy drums evoke the vibe of a party and an exorcism.

For you fans of Fleetwood Mac, there is plenty of Buckingham's streamlined pop here to keep you satisfied, and the frenetic acoustic picking of "Bel Air Rain" brings to mind the stunning version of Mac's "Big Love" from "The Dance".

This is the most interesting work Buckingham has released since "Tusk". Anybody who likes eclectic rock with a bit of a bite will love this album.

michelej1

09-19-2008, 01:19 PM

Star Gazette, September 19, 2008

http://www.stargazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080918/ENTERTAINMENT/809180314/1006

Lindsey Buckingham 'Gift of Screws' ****
Comment: brilliant construction

Few rock musicians can make a guitar sing as sweetly as Buckingham. On this album, his finest since 1992's "Out of the Cradle," he veers from gorgeously lyrical soundscapes such as "Time Precious Time" and "Bel Air Rain" to songs that evoke the pulsing, melodic savvy of his best solo and Fleetwood Mac work. From the crackling-good opener "Great Day" to the poignant closing tune, "Treason," this "Gift" keeps on giving.

Download: previously mentioned tracks, "Did You Miss Me," "Love Runs Deeper"

Skip: nothing

3rd World Man

09-19-2008, 01:26 PM

Yeah!!! I FINALLY got my copy of GOS! I'm only on the 3rd song, but I'm already in love. So far it's as great as many have claimed, I couldn't be happier :) I wanted to get it 1st thing Tuesday, but my entire state was hit by the remnants of the hurricane. I have a giant tree across my driveway, another tree ON my house and the power lines & power pole laying in my driveway! All stores in my area were closed, and just today was I able to go to BestBuy and get my GOS. Happy days are here again! GOS ROCKS!!!:blob2:
BTW...I ordered that signed copy from Newbury, which they said shipped LAST week, and still no CD. Anyone else got their signed copy yet?

michelej1

09-19-2008, 01:57 PM

I wanted to get it 1st thing Tuesday, but my entire state was hit by the remnants of the hurricane. I have a giant tree across my driveway, another tree ON my house and the power lines & power pole laying in my driveway! All stores in my area were closed, and just today was I able to go to BestBuy and get my GOS.

After what you've been through, you deserve a good all the "gifts" you can get. Glad life is returning just a bit back to normal after Ike. Michele

TrueFaith77

09-19-2008, 02:24 PM

After what you've been through, you deserve a good all the "gifts" you can get. Glad life is returning just a bit back to normal after Ike. Michele

Wait til someone tells him about the newbury autographed copies. . .

3rd World Man

09-19-2008, 03:54 PM

Wait til someone tells him about the newbury autographed copies. . .

Alright Mr. TrueFaith77, what do you mean by that? Am I not getting my precious signed copy? Was it just a hoax? Please, I must know! It was to be a gift:( (a gift of screws of course!)

And, thank you michelej1 for the nice comment. I've been truly blessed throughout this entire ordeal. My 1st hot shower the other day was scrumcilicous!

vivfox

09-19-2008, 07:27 PM

I have a giant tree across my driveway, another tree ON my house and the power lines & power pole laying in my driveway! All stores in my area were closed, and just today was I able to go to BestBuy and get my GOS.
Well it's nice to know what your priorities are. :laugh:There's a tree on my house but I think I'll go to the store and buy Lindsey's new CD.:)

Tuskalot

09-20-2008, 01:45 AM

shackin'up

09-20-2008, 09:55 AM

i haven't posted in a long time but felt compelled. Last time I posted I got people angry because I couldn't understand the hate for Not too late. I felt if you don't like the song you don't "get" Lindsey. Well again, I feel the same way. Time Precious Time when I first played it, literally moved me. Music doesn't do that for me anymore. I literally felt like I was being lifted up on a beautiful waterfall. It was 3-d, f'in beautiful. His best song on this album. I know he has kinda worn out the "Big Love live " ' pickin style. But then I hear this track. Simply brilliant. Listen to it with headphones and imagine yourself being lifted up, literally by the music. Wow. Now don't go saying I am someone who should shut up because I am not a regular poster. I used to post under a different name a few years ago, but want to be anonymous these days. No I didn't do anything wrong, or get banned. Oh and if you don't like that song how how are you all fans of Lindsey? I don't get it. Get mad at me, I don't care.

I love you Tuskalot ( what a spectacular funny screenname! ). You're not alone, TPT is fabulous. And I agree, that the bashing of certain quirky songs from Lindsey says alot about in which way you're a fan. Or a fan at all. These songs are important to him. If you want to hear 10 Did You Miss Me's you're not a real Buckinghamfan. BTW, I like Bel Air Rain even slightly better. His singing on that makes me think about the better days of the smashing pumpkins. I love that song to the bone.

wondergirl9847

09-20-2008, 12:00 PM

Welcome Tuskalot.

I will say this about TPT. It is frustrating to listen to sometimes because of the repetitiveness of it. That said, it's one of the prettiest songs I've ever heard in my life. I listen to the album with headphones and I think that helps. It also helps to lower the volume when the song comes on. It's not a loud, bombast type of song. The guitar work (sped up, I realize) is gorgeous. I already said this, but it is like being in a field, surrounded by thousands of butterflies. It's a cocophony of sound and I like it better each time I listen to it.

When I listen to classical music on the radio, I sometimes get bored with it, but continue to listen to it anyway. It gets frustrating at times, but I leave it on that station. That is kind of like TPT for me. It's beautiful music that, although nerve-wracking, brings about a great feeling if you stick with it. Kind of like giving blood. Nobody likes being stuck with a needle, but after you give, you feel terrific about it. :)

michelej1

09-20-2008, 03:58 PM

MSNBC

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/21603522/

Lindsay Buckingham, “Gift of Screws”
Lindsey Buckingham once sang about “Never Going Back Again,” but he’s backtracked — sort of — on his fifth solo album. “Gift of Screws” picks up where the rock auteur left off in the early days of this decade, before he was lured back into the Fleetwood Mac fold for 2003’s “Say You Will.” Mac minions will find this electric-flavored, band-sounding album pleasing, but there’s also the avant-garde ambience that’s Buckingham’s stock in trade. So while something like “The Right Place to Fade” knocks off Fleetwood Mac’s “Second Hand News” and the title cut (one of three recorded with the Mick Fleetwood/John McVie rhythm section) is charging garage rock, “Great Day” sports the stark and primitive sonics of “Tusk” and Buckingham’s early solo albums.

3rd World Man

09-20-2008, 07:58 PM

Wait til someone tells him about the newbury autographed copies. . .

OK, well I finally got the email. Boy, am I bummed, along with everyone else I'm sure. Maybe I'll get the real thing at the show. I managed 2 last tour, so here's hoping. My friend who the gift was for will probably make me get her something twice as good now that my promised signed copy won't be showing up! Oh well, I did my best:sorry:
I'd like to blame Lindsey, but really, it was probably Kristen's fault!:laugh:

MacMan

09-21-2008, 01:42 AM

5th solo album for Buckingham
By Scott Iwasaki
Deseret News (http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700260173,00.html)
Sunday, Sept. 21, 2008

Lindsey Buckingham, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with his band Fleetwood Mac back in 1998, said working on his fifth solo album was "effortless."

"When I did my last album, 'Under the Skin,' it was not a rock album," said Buckingham during a phone call from his home in Los Angeles. "There were no lead guitars, no drum and bass.

"With the new album ('Gift of Screws'), I came into it with songs that rocked," he said. "And that set the precedence."

From there, Buckingham let the music take the reins.

"While getting the songs together, there were a few other songs that I had written a few years ago that wanted to be part of the project. So I let them.

"It all came together easily, even though I was laying down tracks in hotel rooms on a little Korg mixer during my last solo tour," he said.

Making a solo album is a musical vacation for Buckingham.

"I don't have to make a CD for money," he said. "That's one of the luxuries I have with Fleetwood Mac.

"When I make a solo album, it's more to be away from Fleetwood Mac and examine the left side of my palette."

Still, Buckingham knows he will always be connected to the Fleetwood Mac machine. And he even has drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie as guests on his new album.

"They are on the recordings of some of the older songs that I had written for the album," said Buckingham. "The album is really a reflection of what I have done throughout my career. And having John and Mick on the album ties that part of my life into the project."
Still, another beauty of making a solo record is not having to answer to anyone but himself, said Buckingham.

"With a band there are politics," he said. "You have to work within a border. And that is challenging."

With that said, however, Buckingham said Fleetwood Mac will be doing some things next year.

"Stevie (Nicks) and I have been talking, and there is some good energy going through the band," he said.

"We've decided that we all need to be nice to each other," he said with a laugh.

michelej1

09-21-2008, 03:47 PM

9-21-08, Philadelphia Inquirer

http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/music/20080921_New_Recordings.html

Lindsey Buckingham
Gift of Screws
(Reprise ***)
A decade ago, Gift Of Screws was going to be Lindsey Buckingham's fourth solo album, but a Fleetwood Mac reunion got in the way, and many of those songs ended up on Mac's Say You Will in 2003. Now Buckingham has resurrected the title for his fifth solo work, the successor to 2006's Under the Skin.

Mac fans will be pleased to hear Mick Fleetwood and John McVie join Buckingham on several tracks, including the bluesy stomp "Wait For You" and the unhinged garage-rock romp of the title track. And elsewhere, Buckingham resurrects the percussive experimentalism of Tusk ("Great Day") and demonstrates his prowess at writing sunny and instantly catchy pop melodies ("Did You Miss Me").

Sometimes his studio wizardry and guitar skills - Buckingham is an underrated guitar hero - get the best of him: "Time Precious Time" and a few others impress mostly as technical achievements. But they still impress.

- Steve Klinge

michelej1

09-21-2008, 03:52 PM

[411mania. This is some sort of blog where the hosts talk about their over and underrated rants and raves of the week]

http://www.411mania.com/music/columns/85490/Rants-and-Raves-9.18.08:-Overrated,-Underrated-Or-X-Rated?.htm

Dan: For my third pick, I'm going with Lindsey Buckingham. This has changed from my pick in the Top 5 column mentioned earlier (and may be due to the fact I'm reviewing his new album for the site) Some of you may ask how is the guitar player/lead singer/main songwriter/producer for one of the biggest bands in the world (Fleetwood Mac), with one of the biggest selling records of all time (Rumours), underrated?

Vanessa: I was just wondering that myself

Dan: Simple – I'm referring to his solo work, which has been criminally overlooked and overshadowed by his success with Mac. If you think about it, even though he and Stevie Nicks joined the band at the same time and Mac then enjoyed their greatest success ever, who always got the spotlight? Stevie. And she was (and still is) easy on the eyes, but her whole "Welsh witch" routine and her penchant for wearing scarves, shawls and KISS-style platform boots made her a larger-than-life character in Mac mythology. Sure, she contributed some great songs, even some of their biggest hits, but her voice, while unique, is nothing special as far as range and power, and other than her voice and look, she really brought nothing else to the table. Buckingham brings the aforementioned talents to the band and his songwriting has produced a comparable amount of hits in both quality and quantity. So why does his solo work suffer? It's not as if he hasn't had some success on his own – he did score a recognized hit with "Go Insane" from the album of the same name, but that was back in the 80s and prior to him leaving the Mac. His take on pop has always been somewhat darkly humorous and eclectic; perhaps without Mac to balance things out, his songwriting is too "odd" for the mainstream. That's a shame because even though Buckingham tends to play the "disturbed genius in the studio" role (see Todd Rundgren), he does come up with some catchy melodies and riffs. It's no secret that Buckingham was, and is, inspired by The Beach Boys' de facto leader, Brian Wilson. This influence is prominent on his quirkily crafted pop songs and even more so in his construction of music in the studio. While his first couple of releases (Law & Order and Go Insane) were considered minor pop experiments, his third solo album, Out Of The Cradle, actually focused on more substance than style and included some of his best compositions to date. The downside of it was he waited eight years to release it from the time of his last solo album, and he had also departed Fleetwood Mac in the late 80s, effectively taking him out of the public spotlight. It didn't help that he had not established himself as a solo artist and distanced himself from Mac in any way.

Fourteen years later, he released his next solo album. In between that time, he aborted another project (the newly released Gift Of Screws, his intended follow up to Out Of The Cradle) and reunited Fleetwood Mac for their successful comeback on The Dance, which included a CD, a DVD and a sell-out tour. Mac repeated this formula with Say You Will (minus Christine McVie, the third songwriter in the band, who decided to retire) and then once that was over, Lindsey focused on releasing Under The Skin, a quiet but reflective album, that included some great compositions, but still garnered him little exposure. That was followed up with his first solo tour since the 90s and the release of a live CD/DVD. After that, we're current with the release of the new album. All I can add at this point is, if you're a fan of Mac, eclectic songwriting, impressive fretwork on both acoustic and electric guitars and a quirky but dark outlook, then you owe it to yourself to check out some of Lindsey's solo work. I'd start with Out Of The Cradle and move forward from there in order of release. There is no doubt that he could teach some of the youngsters today a couple of things about the execution, production and crafting of an album, not to mention the lesson about not resting on your past glories and triumphs.

Tango

09-21-2008, 04:28 PM

Nico

09-21-2008, 05:51 PM

I disagree. She brings in alot of the paying customers to the table. I don't think Fleetwood Mac or Lindsey mind that a bit. They knew Stevie wasn't an instrumentalist when they got her. She certainly contributes her fair share to Fleetwood Mac in her lyrics, music and looks. She is a heck of a marketing tool. They didn't do too shabby on that "package deal," even though it was Lindsey they wanted. Lindsey knew what Stevie could bring even as he joined Fleetwood Mac.

I completely agree with you. Her Tusk songs are gorgeous and she had stunning style. How dare they!

David

09-21-2008, 07:58 PM

"With a band there are politics," he said. "You have to work within a border."Earth to Mr. Solipsist: With a band there are politics. With a film crew there are politics. With an orchestra there are politics. With a marriage there are politics. With a day job there are politics. With a family there are politics. Even with a government there are politics. It's time to get used to it, pal.

michelej1

09-24-2008, 03:13 PM

Oklahoma City Daily, 9/24/08

http://blog.newsok.com/staticblog/2008/09/24/music-review-lindsey-buckingham-gift-of-screws/?tm=1222274204

Rating: 82

Once upon a time, Lindsey Buckingham solo albums sounded like nothing less than the onset of delirium tremens after the Topanga Canyon binge party of Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours”: brilliantly unhinged pop made without concern for commerce or coherence. But beginning with 1992’s “Out of the Cradle,” when it seemed like his Mac days were permanently in the past, Buckingham’s solo work was no longer his Frankenstein laboratory. Consequently, his latest disc, “Gift of Screws,” often sounds like Buckingham’s idea of how his band would sound if he didn’t have to deal with messy ancillary issues such as other people and their fragile egos.

Witness “The Right Place to Fade,” a frenetic second cousin to “Second-Hand News” in which Buckingham proves he can record a classic Fleetwood Mac song and mimic everyone’s roles, and yet it doesn’t sound like an enormous act of hubris. At first, “Did You Miss Me?” could like a leftover from his gauzy, largely acoustic 2006 disc, “Under the Skin,” but then a full band kicks in on a sweetly melancholy chorus, and it feels like a return to the old days when the only way he could end a relationship was with a song.

But unlike “Under the Skin,” “Gift of Screws” offers evidence that at 58, Buckingham might never fully kill his demons. Taking much of its lyrics from Emily Dickinson’s “Essential Oils Are Wrung,” the title track is punctuated by barking laughter and cascades of shouted background vocals, and might be the most unhinged song he’s recorded since the early ‘80s. “Gift of Screws” captures both the delicate beauty and sheer madness of the man, going his own way and going insane, like he always did.

MacMan

09-24-2008, 09:14 PM

Really good review!

Beyondmediaonline.com (http://beyondmediaonline.com/2008/09/24/music-review-lindsey-buckingham-gift-of-screws/)

If you have heard of Lindsey Buckingham, it is almost assuredly because of his work with Fleetwood Mac rather than his solo career. While Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie shared the glow of the spotlight, it was Buckingham that largely shaped Fleetwood Mac’s sound during their most popular years. He was the arranger and co-producer for a large amount of Fleetwood Mac’s music. He also contributed some of their very best songs, including the classic “Go Your Own Way” as well as “Monday Morning”, “Second Hand News”, “Never Going Back Again”, “Tusk” and “Big Love.” His solo work, meanwhile, has come very sporadically over the years and has never really found an audience. His solo albums have been critical favorites, but they are often almost inaccessible upon initial listenings. Buckingham is a true maverick that sticks to his own style and doesn’t compromise his musical visions for record sales.

After 2006’s lovely acoustic album Under The Sun, Buckingham made mention that he had another album, a rocker, on the back burner. It’s here, it’s called Gift Of Screws and it does indeed rock. Buckingham has always been an absolutely amazing guitarist with a technique all his own, and he shows that of to great effect on Gift Of Screws. Eschewing the guitar pick, Buckingham instead picks and strums with his fingers, even while playing electric guitar. He is able to create a unique sound which has to be seen to be truly appreciated. For a good example, click here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdXbiB354us)to see him play “Big Love” solo in concert.

Buckingham’s guitar is front and center on “Gift Of Screws.” Right out of the gate, “Great Day” encompasses his signature sound with exquisitely picked acoustic guitars (but not as you are probably thinking: Buckingham is anything but predictable) and a wailing electric guitar solo at the end. “Wait For You” ups the ante, with some scorching work on the electric, reminding me a bit of “World Turning” from the Fleetwood Mac album. Other Mac moments are here as well, with “The Right Place To Fade” echoing the vocal and guitar work of “Second Hand News.”

Buckingham also delivers the goods on acoustic guitar in several songs, most notable on the the wondrous “Time Precious Time.” Here the guitar is layered against heavily echoed vocals to create a sonic wall, almost dream-like upon repeated listenings. “Underground” and “Treason” give off the same sort of vibe, closing out the album in a lovely fashion.

A few of the songs here (”Wait For You”, “Love Runs Deeper” and the aforementioned “Right Place To Fade”) sound like they could be radio hits, but for the most part this is typical Lindsey Buckingham solo work: eclectic, quirky and way too wild to receive substantial airplay. Check out the title track, which rocks out greatly and has a real nice groove but features Buckingham laughing/barking after the chorus. I love it: it is used to great effect and reminds me of his epic, crazily inspired live version of “Not That Funny (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaSH-T3RqtA).” It’s incredible to behold, but you have to wonder if anyone else out there really gets it.

As mentioned earlier, Gift Of Screws is a typical Buckingham solo album in that it may take a couple of listens for it to all make sense. It is not as accessible as his Out Of The Cradle album from the early 90’s, but it is easier to get into than 1984’s Go Insane, which sounds like it was put together by a musical mad scientist. Maybe someday Lindsey Buckingham will make an album that appeals to the masses and sells like crazy. But until then I will be firmly in his corner, backing someone who puts out challenging material. Lindsey Buckingham proves once again that he is an oddball musical genius.

michelej1

09-25-2008, 02:23 PM

Albuquerque Alibi (NM), September 25, 2008
http://www.alibi.com/index.php?story=24647&scn=music&fullstory=y

Lindsey Buckingham Gift of Screws (Warner Bros.)

Wound up in his ways, Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac symbolizes the bits and pieces of a stellar career that's faded gracefully in Gifts of Screws. The album stirs all the right emotions. For better or worse—he's prone to excess in the production department—the delay and reverb are heavy and the mood thick. Buckingham's in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and has been putting out solo albums since 1981. The man can do whatever the hell he wants. And for the majority of Gift of Screws, that’s OK with me. (JH)

vivfox

09-25-2008, 07:29 PM

LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM "Gift of Screws" (Reprise, ...)

A decade ago, "Gift of Screws" was going to be Lindsey B uckingham's fourth solo album, but a Fleetwood Mac reunion got in the way. Many of those songs ended up on Mac's "Say You Will" in 2003.

Now Buckingham has resurrected the title for his fifth solo work, the successor to 2006's "Under the Skin."

Mac fans will be pleased to hear Mick Fleetwood and John McVie join Buckingham on several tracks, including the bluesy stomp "Wait For You" and the unhinged garage-rock romp of the title track. And elsewhere, Buckingham resurrects the percussive experimentalism of "Tusk" ("Great Day") and demonstrates his prowess at writing sunny and instantly catchy pop melodies ("Did You Miss Me").

Sometimes his studio wizardry and guitar skills - Buckingham is an underrated guitar hero - get the best of him: "Time Precious Time" and a few others impress mostly as technical achievements.

But they still impress.

http://www.theolympian.com/nightlife/story/595818.html

vivfox

09-25-2008, 07:37 PM

Buckingham’s 5th solo was years in the making

Published:Thursday, September 25, 2008

By John Benson

The guitarist took some breaks to do some work with Fleetwood Mac.

Going his own way is what Fleetwood Mac’s guitarist Lindsey Buckingham is doing these days with a solo show scheduled for Wednesday at the House of Blues in Cleveland.

In fact, the 58-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee is touring his fifth solo release, “Gift of Screws,” which while recently released, was actually started a decade ago.

“This is part of a long epic of material,” said Buckingham during a recent telephone conference call. “There was some material that was begun in probably the late ’90s. Because Mick [Fleetwood] and I had been working together, someone had the bright idea — it could have been Mick actually — to say ‘Let’s not have you do a solo album. Let’s have Fleetwood Mac do a live album.’”

That end result was 1997’s “The Dance.” However, Buckingham still had a wealth of material from the album sessions.

“When we got done touring behind [‘The Dance’], I picked up that material again and got it to a point where it was relatively complete,” Buckingham said. “And at that point, Fleetwood Mac came in and said, ‘Let’s make a studio album.’ So what happened to a large body of tunes, which were intended to be a solo album, is that they got folded over into the Fleetwood Mac album that was 2003’s ‘Say You Will.’

“And there were a couple of stragglers from that. So a couple of the tunes — being the song ‘Gift of Screws’ and ‘Wait for You’ — go back a number of years and were waiting for a while to find a home. And they finally did on ‘Gift of Screws.’”

A follow-up to Buckingham’s more subdued 2006 solo effort “Under the Skin,” his latest album was intended to stylistically stand out in his catalog. Instead, it ended up fitting right into the Buckingham canon.

“When I got to the beginning of working on ‘Gift of Screws,’ I wasn’t necessarily intending to make it so much more rock,” Buckingham said. “I was thinking it might just be a step or two up from what that album had been — from what ‘Under the Skin’ had been.

“But it seemed to want to go in a certain direction on its own and one thing you learn is that you sort of follow the work and let it lead you.”

With intermittent solo albums spanning a quarter of a century, Buckingham has enjoyed minor radio success with 1981’s “Trouble,” 1983’s “Holiday Road” (from the “National Lampoon’s Vacation” soundtrack) and 1984’s “Go Insane.” Still, you get the sense that he views the side projects as more of a creative outlet or as musical therapy to daily life.

Perhaps this is why so far he said songwriting has never been an issue on his solo albums.

“Really, a lot of it is the subtext of what’s going on in your life that will define whether you’re having a hard time coming up with new ideas or not, but I haven’t felt that way,” said Buckingham, who hints Fleetwood Mac will tour in 2009. “I think in a way, I’m going through maybe one of the most creative parts of my life right now. So, so far, so good.”

http://www.vindy.com/news/2008/sep/25/buckingham8217s-5th-solo-was-years-in-the/

MacMan

09-25-2008, 08:34 PM

Lindsey Buckingham
"Gift of Screws" (Warner Bros) -- 3.5 Stars
Published On Thursday, September 25, 2008 8:39 PM

The Harvard Crimsom (http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=524235)

On “Gift of Screws,” former Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham shows more than just his knack for catchy pop music. He also exhibits such control over the guitar that it sounds rugged on one track (“Treason”) and Sixpence-None-the-Richer on another (“Underground”). What’s more, while pushing age 60, he still maintains a smooth voice that makes me wonder why Fleetwood Mac ever had to hire Stevie Nicks.

Unfortunately, the album starts with its weakest song. “Great Day” overplays call and response between vocals and guitar. This bluesy shtick is downright irritating when combined with the poppy tempo of the song. Confusion only grows when the repeating chorus, “It was a great day,” changes in the end to “It wasn’t such a great day” in a transition so random it actually kind of fits the song’s idiosyncratic gestalt.

“Great Day” is exemplary in its mediocrity, due to the masterful fingerpicking and guitar playing, minimalist composition, and poppy lyricism displayed by Buckingham. On “Time Precious Time,” Buckingham redeems himself with stripped-down guitar playing that takes the foreground to his haunting and melodic chant of “time precious time.” As the song progresses, both the listener and Buckingham can get lost in the waterfall of notes flowing from the strings, until finally the whisper of the artist’s voice fades out over muted tones.

But “Gift of Screws,” unlike Nick Drake’s similar-sounding corpus, is not all moody sobriety; it’s also fun. In fact, the album is actually best when it’s in more lighthearted spirits, and Buckingham’s former pop star is allowed to shine. “A hundred years underground / Had to swim across the sea / Oh, when you were my baby,” he sings in “Did you Miss Me.” In addition to their fluffier, somewhat fantastic lyrics, the feel of songs like “Did You Miss Me” and “The Right Place to Fade” is fun and breezy, adhering to the British tradition that blurs pop and rock.

“Love Runs Deeper” is another such tune. Though after a critical listen the song lacks any distinguishing element, its catchy dance-inspiring chorus quickly becomes the perfect anthem for love. The verses repeat images of a couple paralyzed by love, followed by Buckingham’s climactic belting in the chorus, where he—for once—cranks up the volume on every single instrument. Buckingham is eloquent, precise, and convincing, especially in those songs where it sounds like he’s actually enjoying his work. On the title track, he sings a schizophrenic melody of two voices that unite into a crazy cackling in between verses. It’s this upbeat, now unconventional pop feel that inspires hope that, should Buckingham make another album, he will feel free to give his audience more quality happy music.

TrueFaith77

09-25-2008, 08:38 PM

vivfox

09-25-2008, 11:34 PM

Lindsey Buckingham always has struggled. At the beginning of his career, his partnership (and romance) with fellow songwriter Stevie Nicks neither was spectacular nor lucrative. It was their collaboration LP, "Buckingham Nicks," that got the attention of Mick Fleetwood when he was looking for new talent for the ever-changing Fleetwood Mac.

The quirky guitarist would feel increasingly claustrophobic within the framework of Fleetwood Mac, and his departure in 1987 was a bold, assertive step in forging his own musical identity. His solo output, like the ramshackle "Law and Order," the slick "Go Insane," and the severely overlooked "Out of the Cradle" all got critical accolades.

Buckingham has continued a solo career, with 2006's excellent "Under the Skin,: a live album out last year and contributions to the "Elizabethtown" soundtrack.

His latest, "Gift of Screws" (Reprise), has lingered on the shelf for a while. That combination with new material makes for a cohesive collection.

The disc rocks with Buckingham's fiery guitar work; especially the title track and "Great Day." The more introspective tracks like "Underground" and "Time Precious Time" recall some of Buckingham's more memorable solo moments, but "Did You Miss Me" and the nearly perfect "The Right Place To Fade" sound like Fleetwood Mac outtakes. Ex-Mac-ers Mick Fleetwood and John McVie show up on a couple tracks.

The heartbreaking "Wait for Me" and the equally affecting resignation of "Treason" make unapologetic emotional statements. Each track explores opposite ends of romantic connection, with hopefulness at one end of the spectrum and betrayal at the other. It's a pendulum on which Buckingham often has swung, and that's what makes "Gift of Screws" a satisfying but unassuming tour de force.

http://www.caller.com/news/2008/sep/25/musical-greats-reclaim-identities/

MacMan

09-25-2008, 11:58 PM

Lindsey Buckingham has a winner
GJSentinel.com (http://www.gjsentinel.com/hp/content/news/opinion/stories/2008/09/25/092608_OA5_Rock_Col.html)
Thursday, September 25, 2008

In my humble opinion, Lindsey Buckingham’s newest CD “Gift of Screws” is without a doubt his finest release to date.

The polar opposite of his last release, “Under the Skin,” this CD is mostly a high energy electric offering with a few acoustic gems mixed in.

Let there be no mistake, though, this is a fairly intense and introspective set of songs representing his most potent song writing to date.

All songs on “Gift of Screws” were written or performed by Buckingham with very few exceptions, and the production is spotless.

The album opens with “Great Day,” featuring red hot guitar solos that we have come to expect from Buckingham. But here he takes it to another level.

“Time Precious Time” is a dreamy introspective acoustic song that features Buckingham’s excellent vocals and his unique ability to strum his guitar like a harp.

“Did You Miss Me” is a very catchy melancholy pop-rock song that may be an ode to his former love, Stevie Nicks, or it could be for his wife of many years, Kristen. Either way it would be an instant classic if it was on any Fleetwood Mac album and would have fit really well on “Rumours.”

“Wait For You,” the disc’s fourth track, is a bluesy rocker that is more like Buckingham’s solo work and reflects his views on getting older and less independent.

“Love Runs Deeper” is a classic Lindsey-era Fleetwood Mac rocker with terrific lead guitar work and, not so coincidentally Mick Fleetwood and John McVie on drums and bass, respectively.

If this song is not about Stevie Nicks then explain these lyrics to me, “I loved you little child, how you mystified,” and “Black Angel can’t be alone.”

“Bel Air Rain,” the album’s sixth track is a lovely laid-back song featuring Buckingham’s virtuoso acoustic guitar work. The introspective song is about being contented and more patient and relaxed by taking life as it comes at this stage of his life.

“The Right Place to Fade” is another introspective song about the good fortune of being able to realize what is most important in his life and how to appreciate it before it is too late. However, this song is a rocker with a freakishly wicked guitar solo at the end.

The title track, “Gift of Screws” is one that I haven’t been able to get a handle on yet, but it sure sounds, like they had a lot of fun recording it.

“Underground” is a nice and melodic laid-back delivery for a song that shows his frustrations with the music business and the way in which it is run.

“Did I sell my heart for the dream in my head?” he wonders.

“Treason,” the disc’s closing track, is a beautiful song about love, hope and redemption with Fleetwood and McVie providing perfect accompaniment.

Everybody needs to know about this great CD. If “Gift Of Screw” was a Fleetwood Mac album it would be its best release since “Rumours,” and the press would be all over it.

As it stands, it is Lindsey Buckingham’s crowning achievement and one of this year’s best albums.

vivfox

09-26-2008, 12:05 AM

I thought by now there would be a lot more press for the new album.
If anyone comes across any newspaper/mag reviews, post them here.

So are you happy about all the gazillion reviews he's getting, or what??

michelej1

09-26-2008, 03:29 PM

New Haven Register:

September 26, 2008

http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2008/09/26/entertainment/doc48dc5ac19f91f233524369.txt

Lindsey Buckingham — "Gift of Screws" (Warner Bros.): When Lindsey Buckingham released "Under the Skin," his first solo album in 14 years, in 2006, it was heralded as a stripped-down, acoustic masterpiece that reminded the world what kind of songwriter and guitarist the Fleetwood Mac member can be on his own. But it might have made people think Buckingham didn’t need to play rock music and wanted to focus on softer sounds. The equally great "Gift of Screws" proves otherwise.

Quite possibly Buckingham’s best work outside of the Mac, "Gift of Screws" combines furious guitar playing from the underappreciated ax master and the subtle electronics and complex percussion that the musician’s known to incorporate. Both "Did You Miss Me?" and "Love Runs Deeper" could have been on any of the ’70s masterpieces the Mac put out decades ago, while the title song is decidedly modern and challenging.

But no matter what direction Buckingham goes in on these songs, there’s always smart songwriting and incredible guitar playing.

Two albums in three years from an artist who usually takes forever in between records is such a treat, but the biggest pleasure is that both discs are so good and so different. "Gift of Screws" is easily one of the best albums of the year so far.

Patrick Ferrucci can be reached at [email protected] or (203) 789-5678

michelej1

09-26-2008, 03:49 PM

[Hey, this guy is talking shipper talk. He thinks it is about Stevie!]

The Daily Sentinel

http://www.gjsentinel.com/hp/content/news/opinion/stories/2008/09/25/092608_OA5_Rock_Col.html

Thursday, September 25, 2008

In my humble opinion, Lindsey Buckingham’s newest CD “Gift of Screws” is without a doubt his finest release to date.

The polar opposite of his last release, “Under the Skin,” this CD is mostly a high energy electric offering with a few acoustic gems mixed in.

Let there be no mistake, though, this is a fairly intense and introspective set of songs representing his most potent song writing to date.

All songs on “Gift of Screws” were written or performed by Buckingham with very few exceptions, and the production is spotless.

The album opens with “Great Day,” featuring red hot guitar solos that we have come to expect from Buckingham. But here he takes it to another level.

“Time Precious Time” is a dreamy introspective acoustic song that features Buckingham’s excellent vocals and his unique ability to strum his guitar like a harp.

“Did You Miss Me” is a very catchy melancholy pop-rock song that may be an ode to his former love, Stevie Nicks, or it could be for his wife of many years, Kristen. Either way it would be an instant classic if it was on any Fleetwood Mac album and would have fit really well on “Rumours.”

“Wait For You,” the disc’s fourth track, is a bluesy rocker that is more like Buckingham’s solo work and reflects his views on getting older and less independent.

“Love Runs Deeper” is a classic Lindsey-era Fleetwood Mac rocker with terrific lead guitar work and, not so coincidentally Mick Fleetwood and John McVie on drums and bass, respectively.

If this song is not about Stevie Nicks then explain these lyrics to me, “I loved you little child, how you mystified,” and “Black Angel can’t be alone.”

“Bel Air Rain,” the album’s sixth track is a lovely laid-back song featuring Buckingham’s virtuoso acoustic guitar work. The introspective song is about being contented and more patient and relaxed by taking life as it comes at this stage of his life.

“The Right Place to Fade” is another introspective song about the good fortune of being able to realize what is most important in his life and how to appreciate it before it is too late. However, this song is a rocker with a freakishly wicked guitar solo at the end.

The title track, “Gift of Screws” is one that I haven’t been able to get a handle on yet, but it sure sounds, like they had a lot of fun recording it.

“Underground” is a nice and melodic laid-back delivery for a song that shows his frustrations with the music business and the way in which it is run.

“Did I sell my heart for the dream in my head?” he wonders.

“Treason,” the disc’s closing track, is a beautiful song about love, hope and redemption with Fleetwood and McVie providing perfect accompaniment.

Everybody needs to know about this great CD. If “Gift Of Screw” was a Fleetwood Mac album it would be its best release since “Rumours,” and the press would be all over it.

As it stands, it is Lindsey Buckingham’s crowning achievement and one of this year’s best albums.

•

michelej1

09-26-2008, 03:54 PM

Musical Greats Reclaim Identities [referring to LB and Brian Wilson]

http://www.caller.com/news/2008/sep/25/musical-greats-reclaim-identities/

Corpus Cristi Caller Times.com

Lindsey Buckingham always has struggled. At the beginning of his career, his partnership (and romance) with fellow songwriter Stevie Nicks neither was spectacular nor lucrative. It was their collaboration LP, "Buckingham Nicks," that got the attention of Mick Fleetwood when he was looking for new talent for the ever-changing Fleetwood Mac.

The quirky guitarist would feel increasingly claustrophobic within the framework of Fleetwood Mac, and his departure in 1987 was a bold, assertive step in forging his own musical identity. His solo output, like the ramshackle "Law and Order," the slick "Go Insane," and the severely overlooked "Out of the Cradle" all got critical accolades.

Buckingham has continued a solo career, with 2006's excellent "Under the Skin,: a live album out last year and contributions to the "Elizabethtown" soundtrack.

His latest, "Gift of Screws" (Reprise), has lingered on the shelf for a while. That combination with new material makes for a cohesive collection.

The disc rocks with Buckingham's fiery guitar work; especially the title track and "Great Day." The more introspective tracks like "Underground" and "Time Precious Time" recall some of Buckingham's more memorable solo moments, but "Did You Miss Me" and the nearly perfect "The Right Place To Fade" sound like Fleetwood Mac outtakes. Ex-Mac-ers Mick Fleetwood and John McVie show up on a couple tracks.

The heartbreaking "Wait for Me" and the equally affecting resignation of "Treason" make unapologetic emotional statements. Each track explores opposite ends of romantic connection, with hopefulness at one end of the spectrum and betrayal at the other. It's a pendulum on which Buckingham often has swung, and that's what makes "Gift of Screws" a satisfying but unassuming tour de force.

vivfox

09-27-2008, 12:01 PM

Speaking of concerts I am less than a month away from seeing Alice Cooper perform live. I have never seen Cooper perform and I am hoping I am in for a treat. This one is titled the Psycho Drama Tour. I am wondering what type of antics and drama we will see unfold on stage. But I am keeping the promise to myself and I am not checking out detailed reviews or YouTube until after the show.

Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham has a new solo CD, titled Gift of Screws that has me intrigued. I have always like Buckingham and this effort is described as a return to rock. Watching Buckingham perform solo is impressive, especially his rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s Big Love from the Seven Wonders album. He does this alone with only an acoustic guitar and I’ve seen footage of it from a couple different concerts. It blew me away each time. Buckingham also confirmed in Rolling Stone that there were some talks of Sheryl Crow joining Fleetwood Mac for a tour to take Christine McVie’s place. They decided against it saying that bringing someone in just to do McVie’s parts would reduce the band to a lounge act. I don’t know, over a long career most bands have to face lineup changes, just like any sports team or place of business. Crow is an established artist and bringing her in would have made for an interesting mix and tour I think.

That’s all for now. Hope you are all enjoying your weekend. In my part of the world the weather is awesome today, so I think it’s time to get out and enjoy it before winter creeps in faster than I’d like think.

http://the-brigade.blogspot.com/2008/09/some-random-weekend-notes.html

vivfox

09-27-2008, 12:11 PM

Gift of Screws dusted off with new offerings
Posted By DAVID REED

Lindsey Buckingham -- Gift of Screws (Reprise Records, 2008)

As a creative and innovative musical force in Fleetwood Mac since 1975, Lindsey Buckingham has written and performed countless classic songs, including "Second Hand News," "Never Going Back Again" and "Go Your Own Way."

Gift of Screws is Buckingham's fifth solo release, but another solo album of the same title was set for release in 2001. Reprise Records convinced Buckingham to hold back that album and use some of the songs on forthcoming Fleetwood Mac recordings. "Bleed to Love Her" and a handful of other tracks appeared on The Dance and Say You Will. A number of bootlegs of the 2001 Gift of Screws are floating around on the Internet, having been leaked somehow.

The 2008 release titled Gift of Screws features a few of the original songs including the visceral title track (named after an Emily Dickinson poem). All of the material has been newly recorded. The title track and the swampy "Wait For You" both feature the unmistakable sound of Mick Fleetwood on drums and Fleetwood Mac bassist John McVie.

"Great Day" is the utterly compelling opening track, with clipped percussion and other bleeps and blips beneath rippling guitar lines.

"Time Precious Time" and "Bel Air Rain" have ghostly vocals floating amidst layers of shimmering guitars awash with delays and reverbs.

Other highlights include "Did You Miss Me," "The Right Place to Fade," "Treason" and "Love Runs Deeper."

Unlike many guitarists, Buckingham does not use a guitar pick but rather plays fingerstyle. The resulting waves and arpeggios seem to envelop some of the songs with an unfamiliar and truly unique sound.

Gift of Screws is a thought-provoking and sonically-unique album that deserves serious attention.

http://www.intelligencer.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1221902

michelej1

09-27-2008, 12:23 PM

Watching Buckingham perform solo is impressive, especially his rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s Big Love from the Seven Wonders album.

But at least this guy seems to be just a layman blogger. When professional journalists do this type of thing -- and they do it all the time -- I think they should be fired. It's the height of laziness. Michele

michelej1

09-27-2008, 11:45 PM

Leader Post, Canada

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/arts_life/story.html?id=dcb44a05-f8af-40b6-9c74-38749a79679d

GIFT OF SCREWS

Lindsey Buckingham

Reprise Records

3 (out of five)

Whether you view Lindsey Buckingham as a crusty weirdo or pop music genius, you might certainly be interested in what he's up to. The cool thing is that experimentation is Buckingham's specialty. The other cool thing is that Buckingham won't let the shackles of industry-imposed demands affect him.

There is some flamenco, some art-pop, some speedy acoustic jazz with some eerie sounds and challenging vocals, making Gift of Screws a nifty collection if for no other reason than Buckingham's earnest approach. These songs are spirited, and left to flow like they were meant to reflect an unedited version of what the former Fleetwood Macker had on his mind at the time.

It's also a little self indulgent -- and that makes it satisfying for the listener. -- Andrew Matte

vivfox

09-28-2008, 05:35 AM

New Albums
September 28, 2008

LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM "Gift of Screws" (Reprise)

A decade ago, "Gift of Screws" was going to be Lindsey Buckingham's fourth solo album, but a Fleetwood Mac reunion got in the way, and many of those songs ended up on Mac's "Say You Will" in 2003. Now Buckingham has resurrected the title for his fifth solo work, the successor to 2006's "Under the Skin."

Mac fans will be pleased to hear Mick Fleetwood and John McVie join Buckingham on several tracks, including the bluesy stomp "Wait For You" and the unhinged garage-rock romp of the title track. And elsewhere, Buckingham resurrects the percussive experimentalism of "Tusk" ("Great Day") and demonstrates his prowess at writing sunny and instantly catchy pop melodies ("Did You Miss Me").

Sometimes his studio wizardry and guitar skills — Buckingham is an underrated guitar hero — get the best of him: "Time Precious Time" and a few others impress mostly as technical achievements. But they still impress.

http://www.dailypress.com/features/dp-gl_albums_0928sep28,0,5953429.story

Madness Fades

09-28-2008, 08:42 AM

But at least this guy seems to be just a layman blogger. When professional journalists do this type of thing -- and they do it all the time -- I think they should be fired. It's the height of laziness. Michele

I like what you have said here. I think I know what you mean.

michelej1

09-28-2008, 04:51 PM

Buffalo News, 9-28-08

http://www.buffalonews.com/entertainment/music/story/449843.html

Lindsey Buckingham, “Gift of Screws” (Reprise). Brian Wilson isn’t the only Californian pop auteur who’s routinely flirted with pure genius for decades. OK, so Fleetwood Mac will never be held in the same near-reverential high esteem as the man who made us “Smile.” But since he joined that former hard-blues outfit in the mid-’70s, Buckingham created what begs to be called “chamber pop” on a level rivaling Wilson’s work. “Rumors” made him rich, but the Mac’s “Tusk” was his masterwork. And it’s with his solo work that Buckingam lavishes us with idiosyncratic brilliance most abundantly. The man can write a pop hook to die for, but it’s what he wraps those hooks in — weird and wonderful layers of acoustic and electric guitars, played with his inimitable finger-picking technique; warm and lush reverb billowing within and around the yearning-infused vocal tracks — that makes Buckingham unique. “Gift of Screws” is the man’s finest work since his early ’90s masterpiece “Out of the Cradle,” and like that album, this one runs the gamut from the wacky but familiar opus to the instantly lovable straight pop ditty . Throughout, the guitar playing is close to peerless. ★★★★ (J. M.)

michelej1

09-28-2008, 04:53 PM

Sunday Business Post (Ireland), 9-28-08

http://www.sbpost.ie/post/pages/p/story.aspx-qqqt=NEW%20IN%20MUSIC-qqqs=agenda-qqqid=36142-qqqx=1.asp

Lindsey Buckingham: Gift Of Screws (Reprise)
Whenever Fleetwood Mac go on one of their periodic hiatuses, Lindsey Buckingham fills the time by cranking out another intricate, intriguing solo album. Buckingham’s songs aren’t so much stand-alone tunes as weirdly-contoured aural objects, and he seems to save his most angular ones for his solo work.

Great Day consists solely of dextrous acoustic guitar shadowed by a skeletal backbeat, as if he forgot to include the rest of the instruments, while Wait For You sounds like a modernist take on what Steve Earle was knocking out in the late 1980s.

Buckingham sometimes overdoes it on the fretwork front (though who can blame him, given how gifted a guitarist he is): Time Precious Time, a display of dazzling acoustic playing in search of a song, is beautiful, yet strangely empty. But when he gets it right, the results are excellent –check out the breathtaking Bel Air Rain, where he marries the same virtuosity to a killer melody.

**** J O’B

michelej1

09-28-2008, 04:56 PM

Chicago Tribune, 9-28-08

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/dp-gl_albums_0928sep28,0,5230266.story

A decade ago, "Gift of Screws" was going to be Lindsey Buckingham's fourth solo album, but a Fleetwood Mac reunion got in the way, and many of those songs ended up on Mac's "Say You Will" in 2003. Now Buckingham has resurrected the title for his fifth solo work, the successor to 2006's "Under the Skin."

Mac fans will be pleased to hear Mick Fleetwood and John McVie join Buckingham on several tracks, including the bluesy stomp "Wait For You" and the unhinged garage-rock romp of the title track. And elsewhere, Buckingham resurrects the percussive experimentalism of "Tusk" ("Great Day") and demonstrates his prowess at writing sunny and instantly catchy pop melodies ("Did You Miss Me").

Sometimes his studio wizardry and guitar skills — Buckingham is an underrated guitar hero — get the best of him: "Time Precious Time" and a few others impress mostly as technical achievements. But they still impress.

— Steve Klinge

michelej1

09-28-2008, 04:59 PM

[Hey! "Genius" is not too strong of a word, buddy]

Torrance Daily Breeze, 9-27-08

http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_10578595

"GIFT OF SCREWS" REPRISE 1/2

Genius may be too strong a word for former Fleetwood Mac visionary Lindsey Buckingham. Let's just say he hears sounds and patterns in his head that not everyone does. He begins "Gift of Screws," only his fifth solo album since 1981, by immediately indulging in this penchant for unusual rhythmic sequences. No matter how disparate any given song's parts might seem - in this case, the piercing guitar rips, choppy percussion and echo-heavy vocals on the opening "Great Day" - Buckingham never fails to draw them together into coherent and memorable wholes. "Time Precious Time" has what sounds like five or six speedily plucked and hammered acoustic guitars, and very little else, to carry it. One listens and waits for it all to fall apart, only to find that its strange beauty increases as the track progresses. More conventional songs follow. "The Right Place to Fade" hews closest to the Fleetwood Mac party line, in a good way: Infectious melody, lively vocals and rippling guitars are driven by Mac founder Mick Fleetwood's trademark drumming. "Love Runs Deeper" couches its stomping chorus in a wall of acoustic guitars and layered vocals before concluding with a brilliant, soaring guitar solo. "Treason" caps the album with a stately beauty that's almost startling, its dreamlike chorus lingering well after the song ends. It may take repeated listens to hear just how well "Gift of Screws" fits together, but it's well worth the effort.

michelej1

10-01-2008, 09:38 PM

Houston Press, 10-2-08

http://www.houstonpress.com/2008-10-02/music/lindsey-buckingham-gift-of-screws/

In the fastest turnaround of Fleetwood Mac singer/guitarist/producer Lindsey Buckingham's career, Gift of Screws comes two years after his previous solo LP, Under the Skin. For the first couple of tracks, we want to stamp it "return to sender." "Great Day" boasts guitar ripples we first heard on his disembowelment of "Big Love" from Fleetwood Mac's live set The Dance, coupled with lyrics best described as verbal tags rather than coherent statements. A couple of songs exist as mere instrumentals: "Bel Air Rain" is Ottmar Liebert on Vivarin. "Did You Miss Me" comes closest to unearthing the romantic wanderlust that's been Buckingham's trademark since 1975's "Monday Morning," but as indelible as the chorus melody is, he could be directing his plaint to a mirror — or, heartbreakingly, Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie, whose harmonies would've reminded him (and us) of what he's missing. The feisty title track, replete with look-at-me-now axemanship and oddball vocal effects, feels anchored to a recognizable eccentricity; it's no surprise that Mick Fleetwood and John McVie constitute its rhythm section. Alas, "Trouble" and National Lampoon's Vacation one-off "Holiday Road" excepted, not a single track in Buckingham's solo period rivals Mac's "Go Your Own Way" for precision; he's a human being with conflicts, lusts and such only when he's allowed to express them around and to other people. Here, "Underground" acknowledges the dilemma: "Say what you mean, but please don't mean a thing" is not just a curt description of the Buckingham Problem, but a beautifully sung line from an artist capable of transcending limitations, yet content to bask in lapidary gestures. When Buckingham goes his own way, he wants it both ways — and goes nowhere at all.

michelej1

10-01-2008, 09:44 PM

Albany Times Union, 9-30-08

http://blogs.timesunion.com/jericsmith/?p=250

Lindsey Buckingham’s new disc, Gift of Screws, is also masterful, which is pleasantly surprising, since I couldn’t stand his last disc, Under the Skin. He is such an amazing guitar player, and this album showcases that talent in both acoustic and electric settings. You can hear traces of his old band, Fleetwood Mac, throughout the disc, but they’re the better traces from older days, and not the more recent ones that involved Stevie Nicks croaking like a bullfrog on top of otherwise good material.

michelej1

10-02-2008, 09:59 PM

Milwaukee Shepherd Express

http://www.expressmilwaukee.com/article-3930-this-week-in-milwaukee.html

Lindsey Buckingham @ Pabst Theater, 8 p.m. Pigeonholed by his ties to iconic soft-rockers Fleetwood Mac, even though he contributed some of the group's more nuanced and most celebrated songs, Lindsey Buckingham finally scored the critical reappraisal he so obviously longed for with his 2006 album Under the Skin, a stripped-down singer-songwriter disc that contained some of his best songs in a decade. Buckingham has walked with an extra pep in his step ever since, taking advantage of his renewed critical standing with a rush-released live album and, last month, a quick studio follow-up, Gift of Screws. Screws rocks a little harder than its tempered predecessor, but its songs are every bit as effortless and assured.

michelej1

10-02-2008, 10:08 PM

[Oh-oh, I don't want Lindsey stealing from Don Henley! Say it ain't so.]

Now Toronto Magazine (Canada)

http://www.nowtoronto.com/music/discs.cfm?content=165155

LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM: Gift Of Screws (Reprise)

Jordan Bimm

The title comes from an Emily Dickinson poem – it’s not about Fleetwood Mac groupies. Gift proves that Lindsey Buckingham’s knack for writing catchy pop-rock chord changes is alive and well.

Buckingham’s furious fingerpicking guitar style is front and centre on the sweet Bel Air Rain, and opener Great Day would be a great song if it weren’t a total knock-off of Don Henley’s Boys Of Summer. Despite a few weak moments like the country-tinged title track and the experimental Time Precious Time, this is a solid offering for Fleetwood completists and dinosaur dad-rockers.
Lindsey Buckingham hits the Music Hall Wednesday (October 8).

slowdancer

10-03-2008, 05:31 PM

Not sure if any one posted this from The BBC:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/release/p4n8/

michelej1

10-03-2008, 10:42 PM

Not sure if any one posted this from The BBC:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/release/p4n8/

No, I hadn't seen that one yet. Thanks for posting.

by Chris Jones, 12 September 2008

Lindsey Buckingham, chiselled, unsmiling guitarist with Fleetwood Mac, first began recording Gift Of Screws between 1995 and 2001. In the intervening period nearly half the songs recorded were hijacked for the reunion album by the band, Say You Will, as well as various other projects including his own acoustic album, Under The Skin (2006). Luckily Mr B is a very talented man, and despite what may have seemed the cream of the crop being diverted for the greater good, the remaining ten songs are pure gold dust. This album is a gift indeed.

The title comes from an Emily Dickinson poem. The bulk of the material is self-played and self-produced (with two songs co-written with wife Kristen and one with son, Will). Oh, and on another three songs some blokes called McVie and Fleetwood turn up to provide the rhythm tracks. It's on one of these (The Right Place To Fade) that Buckingham approaches the classic sound of the Mac, but elsewhere he's his own man and the results are revelatory.

Most know the stories of Buckingham's love of new wave bands that seemed at odds with the West Coast fare that his band epitomised. And indeed, Gift Of Screws approaches the avant garde in places. The opener, Great Day is quite some statement of intent. Fuelled by furiously plucked nylon strings it's a fever pitch dash through whispered vocals and an incendiary guitar solo. Next up, Time Precious Time is no less startling. Over massed strings he intones like some alt folk hero a third of his age. From here it's a brief (just over 39 minute) ride through pure Californian pop (Did You Miss Me, Love Runs Deeper) gonzo rock (Gift Of Screws), alien folk (Bel Air Rain) and so much more.

His voice is lithe, his fingers insanely nimble and his songwriting chops simply awesome. Really, anyone from the ages of 15 to 65 would find Gift Of Screws exhilarating. Quite simply, a masterpiece.

michelej1

10-04-2008, 01:52 PM

[Lindsey's album was reviewed with Brian Wilson and Randy Newman's, on a side note, with Nick Reynolds' death, Revenge of the Budgie is getting a lot of attention in the obituaries]

Houston Chronicle, October 3, 2008

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ent/music/6038751.html

More than Wilson and certainly more than Newman, Buckingham had his time as an arena-rock guy. But inside Fleetwood Mac's chain he was always an unusual link. Buckingham, like Wilson -- and, for that matter, Newman -- was a con-trol-freak artiste rather than a singer-songwriter in a band. Further complicating his role as band guy were his avant-garde leanings.

Gift of Screws is Buckingham's most enjoyable mess since the Mac released Tusk. Just as Tusk should've been a Buckingham album, Gift of Screws, as presented, is different than how he imagined it years ago when he started the project. In between he kicked some songs over to Fleetwood Mac's middling Say You Will and some to 2006's largely acoustic Under the Skin.

In short, his original vision for Gift got screwed. But the salvaged project plays well.

The opener Great Day has nice moodiness and some superb guitar parts (including a prickly closing solo) before Buckingham gets really strange on Time Precious Time, with its rolling acoustic guitar and repetitive anti-chorus.

Elsewhere, Buckingham lets his freak flag fly, namely on the finger-picking workout Bel Air Rain. But several songs also sound a little Mac-ready. Did You Miss Me is the least interesting of them, with a predicable chorus and a beat that runs in place.

Love Runs Deeper, on the other hand, is a hammer of a pop single. The production is effective if a bit frustrating, throwing pre-chorus drums into your face with such thrust as to make your eyes water. Regardless, it's a chorus that sticks around long after the album has played out.

The Right Place to Fade is also Mac-ready, sounding a little like some unfinished business from Second Hand News. These two songs are interesting because both would've likely found radio time in the late '80s, when Fleetwood Mac could still be heard on modern rock radio. Those days are done, so you're going to need a satellite to intervene if you want to hear either on a car radio.

Maybe these three musicians have more differences than similarities. One has an Oscar. One's not yet 60. One's big on vocal arrangements, one's an impeccable lyricist, one plays a guitar like his shirt's on fire.

So what do the three have in common? Southern California, sure. None will have a radio hit from their latest record. All are interested in more than three chords and the truth.

And all three -- at their best, certainly -- suggest that you can leave physical vigor to those who prefer the treadmill. As for the creative stuff, good pop songs don't involve expiration dates.

michelej1

10-04-2008, 11:44 PM

Newark Star Ledger, October 3, 2008

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/music/index.ssf/2008/10/treasures_from_dylans_recent_p.html

ON A ROCKIN' ROLL
"Gift of Screws"
Lindsey Buckingham
(Warner Bros.)

There are rumors that Fleetwood Mac is starting up again, but Lindsey Buckingham is on a solo roll, with two live DVDs and the mostly acoustic studio album, "Under the Skin," under his belt since 2005. The singer-guitarist -- who turned 59 yesterday -- now presents his best solo disc yet, rocking more than the last and brimming with links to the Mac's heyday.

Full of joyous hooks and ringing, piled-high guitars, the should-be-a-smash "Love Runs Deeper" is like "Go Your Own Way" without the angst. A handful of songs even feature the Mick Fleetwood/John McVie rhythm section, including the title track -- a wacky stomp that channels the unhinged side of Buckingham familiar from "Tusk." Another in a vintage vein is the "Wait for You," a bit of the old Buckingham darkness woven into the keening guitar licks and headlong groove. The album also finds room for the chiming pop of "Did You Miss Me?"

michelej1

10-05-2008, 11:11 PM

The Onion, AV Club, September 30, 2008

http://www.avclub.com/content/node/87535

eviewed by Keith Phipps
September 30th, 2008
Apparently no one showed Lindsey Buckingham the script, the one that almost all rock stars from past eras seem to follow: 1) Get tired and bitter. 2) Try to keep up with current trends, then ape the sounds that first brought fame, then turn out indistinguishable albums as excuses for tours where fans wait for the oldies. Instead, after a long break between solo projects punctuated by Fleetwood Mac reunions, Buckingham has spent the back half of this decade releasing albums charged with young-buck energy and steered by veteran assurance.

Gift Of Screws doesn't pack the shock of Buckingham's 2006 album Under The Skin, if only because it lacks that album's sustained commitment to spare, hushed sounds. Instead, much of Gift features fleshed-out songs—John McVie and Mick Fleetwood join Buckingham on a few tracks—but the studio wizardry Buckingham has developed since Tusk has been honed to a fine point. The cascading of guitars and multi-tracked vocals are here not because they can be, but because they need to be to serve Buckingham's reflective, sometimes blazing autumnal rock. It's a delicately crafted album that alternately rages against the dying of the light and sounds resigned to it, even if Buckingham's particular light sounds in no danger of burning out soon.

A.V. Club Rating: B+

shackin'up

10-06-2008, 07:05 AM

The cascading of guitars and multi-tracked vocals are here not because they can be, but because they need to be to serve Buckingham's reflective, sometimes blazing autumnal rock. It's a delicately crafted album that alternately rages against the dying of the light and sounds resigned to it, even if Buckingham's particular light sounds in no danger of burning out soon.

Wow. I say Wow. what a great lines here, I could have said it myself :thumbsup:.

This review sounds to me at least as an A-. So what's that B+? :shrug:

David

10-06-2008, 09:51 AM

It's a delicately crafted album that alternately rages against the dying of the light and sounds resigned to it, even if Buckingham's particular light sounds in no danger of burning out soon.

Wow. I say Wow. what a great lines here, I could have said it myself :thumbsup:.http://www.bigeye.com/donotgo.htm

michelej1

10-09-2008, 12:41 PM

Kelowna Capital News (Canada), October 7, 2008

http://www.bclocalnews.com/okanagan_similkameen/kelownacapitalnews/entertainment/30599049.html

Lindsey Buckingham: Gift Of Screws (Reprise)

Lindsey Buckingham was one of the driving forces behind Fleetwood Mac in the mid to late ’70s when their eponymous album and Rumours album sold mega platinum.

He releases solo albums only sporadically but Gift Of Screws (named after poet Emily Dickinson) is Buckingham’s unprecedented second solo album in just three years.

If Buckingham’s recording sales were equal to his critical acclaim he would be more of a household name but the 50-year-old rocker hasn’t enjoyed a top 10 hit since 1984’s Go Insane.

Maybe this explains in part his dour looking, out of focus, post arrest-like cover photo on this new CD liner.

But Gift Of Screws is a pretty solid album of adult alternative pop where Buckingham often records as a one man band.

Old Fleetwood Mac vets Mick Fleetwood and John McVie help out on a couple of tunes including the bluesy stand out Waiting For You.

The current single is the straight up and accessible pop tune Did You Miss Me that features Buckingham’s obvious sharp hooks—just like his minor hit Holiday Road from National Lampoon’s Vacation soundtrack.

My fave tune here is the title track which is a one-off garage/glam rocker that sorta reminded me of Tommy James & The Shondells.

No doubt old Fleetwood Mac and Buckingham fans will scoop this up while critics claim another fine album gets criminally overlooked by radio.

B

michelej1

10-09-2008, 12:56 PM

Telegraph Journal (Canada East), 10-8-2008

http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/article/440870

LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM - GIFT OF SCREWS (Warner)

Buckingham finally comes up with the solo album fans have always wanted. He's long been torn between chart expectations with Fleetwood Mac and flights of fancy when he gets on his own. Here, he finds the happy medium between experimentation and merry melodies. While there are no great statements, there is lots of great playing and singing, led by some scorching guitar by the underrated axeman. Mick Fleetwood and John McVie show up for cameos, and with Christine McVie retired, one wonders if it wouldn't just be better for the three to form a power trio, rather than forcing Stevie Nicks on the road again, which is no doubt in the works for next summer's reunion season.

michelej1

10-09-2008, 12:58 PM

Pitt News (University of Pittsburgh)

http://www.pittnews.com/arts_entertainment/fleetwood_mac_lives_on_in_buckingham_s_newest_cd

Fleetwood Mac lives on in Buckingham's newest CD
Larissa Gula

Staff Writer

Print this article
Share this article Published: Thursday, October 9, 2008

Updated: Wednesday, October 8, 2008

The newest relief from schoolwork comes in the form of an album that features a smooth mix of drum and guitar from a classic rock staple.

Lindsey Buckingham, best known for being one of the creative forces behind Fleetwood Mac, released his sixth solo album Gift of Screws last month.

Buckingham maintains his well-known, old-school style on his new album, sounding similar to Fleetwood Mac.

In fact, seven songs originally meant for Gift of Screws were removed because of requests to record them with the newest Fleetwood Mac group in 2001, which leaves 10 songs for solo-fans to dig into.

It’s a comfort to hear the softer and older sounds in the days of blaring metal and rap, a reminder that there is a capacity to express emotion through music.

Buckingham fills his album with emotional lyrics that he sings with his sometimes raspy but smooth voice. The music consists mainly of prettily plucked guitar parts and light drums.

The first track, “Great Day,” is entirely about Buckingham spotting a broken-hearted woman caught in riverbed currents. The song ends with Buckingham going from “today was a great day” to “it wasn’t such a great day” — perhaps admitting in the end that his life is just downright terrible at the time.

Looking for a song to remember past relationships? Buckingham’s third track, “Did you Miss Me,” is a tribute to high school relationships come and gone but remembered dearly.

“Love Runs Deeper” has a screaming guitar and proclaims, “Love runs deeper from a broken home / Black angel can’t be alone / Love runs deeper from the underground.” If your hopes are easily crushed, avoid the sixth track, “Bel Air Rain.”

Sadly, the song holds the theme that the insanity of life eventually causes people to give up. People who were once “fighting for a cause” find that they “can’t remember anymore.” Maybe it’s time to give up the lost cause and conform with society.

A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Buckingham came a long way from the days of playing on his toy Mickey Mouse guitar. He has been active in soundtracking for movies, such as “Back to the Future,” performing for politicians and taking part in various Fleetwood Mac reinventions, as well as promoting his solo career.

Take the time to absorb Buckingham. His music does not just have to represent good and fun entertainment. One lyric may be all it takes to rethink the principles one lives by, so choose your lyrics wisely.

michelej1

10-10-2008, 10:13 PM

Lexington Herald Leader,
http://www.kentucky.com/696/story/548941.html

Critic's Pick: Lindsey Buckingham
By Walter Tunis Contributing Music Critic

Gift of Screws

The origins of Gift of Screws supposedly go back a decade or more. Return, if you will, to 1998 as pop maestro Lindsey Buckingham was basking in the aftermath of a high profile (and highly profitable) Fleetwood Mac reunion. The next move was a solo record, which Buckingham traditionally takes his ever-loving time to fashion. The album was near completion when Fleetwood Mac surfaced again with the desire to make a new recording of its own. Buckingham then gutted the original Gift of Screws project and offered prime selections to the band that made him a celebrity. He then veered off for a quieter, predominantly acoustic record in 2006 called Under the Skin.

Now we have a reconstituted Gift of Screws. The title tune might reference the poetry of Emily Dickinson in verse, but the song's low-fi pop crunch, jittery guitar patterns and howling chorus are very much the devices of Buckingham. These are elements of a lean and slightly twisted pop vocabulary that, once freed from Fleetwood Mac's more commercial demands, take full flight on Buckingham's solo ventures.

You could say the Dickinson parallel doesn't stop with Gift of Screws' namesake song. While Buckingham's artistic life might not approximate the great poet's largely solitary existence, he does tend to turn his albums into essentially one-man band affairs. Gift of Screws is no different. Aside from a few appearances by Fleetwood Mac's venerable rhythm section (drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie) and two cameos by Cuban drummer Walfredo Reyes (from Santana, Traffic and others), Buckingham drew up these pop sketches largely on his own.

Indulgent as this might seem, there is a familiarity within this methodology. Time Precious Time and Bel Air Rain, for instance, sound like flip sides of the same song. Both employ the sorts of descending guitar arpeggios that Buckingham has favored since late '80s Fleetwood Mac's Big Love — and maybe even earlier. On Time, the strings have a light, almost harplike sound that suits Buckingham's breathy, meditative singing. Rain, though, is all tension. The song is essentially an elongated nervous tic with guitars beating against its melody and Buckingham's harried singing advancing the tune's restlessness.

The spirit of Brian Wilson, which never seems to be too far from Buckingham's music, revisits on Underground. The song creates a cool ambience out of multitracked backing vocals, a warmer acoustic stride and lyrics that bear a modestly bittersweet sense of resignation. It's a sad song at heart. But the lightness of the arrangement makes the tune positively glow. Underground's evil twin is the album-opening Great Day, on which the acoustic runs are more brittle and the layers of Buckingham's vocal makeup bear a darker, more desperate cast.

Finally, there are moments when Buckingham tightens the reins, plugs in and takes merry old stabs at rock 'n' roll. Case in point on Gift of Screws is Love Runs Deeper. It serves up the sort of killer melodic hooks that Buckingham dispensed with ease during the height of his Fleetwood Mac tenure. But the tune also retains its homemade, demolike demeanor. It sounds like the second coming of Tusk.

So, the rock reinvention of Dickinson this isn't. But Gift of Screws does possess a potent solitary streak. You hear tradition. You hear groove. But the pop vision behind this arresting music sounds distinctive because Buckingham caters to no one's muse but his own

michelej1

10-12-2008, 02:51 PM

Midwest Record, 10-11-2008

http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/10/11/101108/

LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM/Gift of Screws: The forward thinking Mr. Buckingham has made an album with mp3 players in mind. After listening to this in the car, on the computer and on mp3, those crappy little earbuds turn this into a headphone symphony of old school proportions. Focusing on what he can do with an ax, the songs follow the pyrotechnics making this into that kind of after hours jam you would get if Fleetwood Mac was auditioning Joe Satriani. Buckingham doesn’t adhere to anything and makes the kind of set that charges up the guitar fan’s blood. Easy to follow if you’re a long time fan, don’t dive in if your expecting the long overdue pop follow up to “Trouble” but do check it out if you have no problem with Liddy Buck’s flights of fancy.

michelej1

10-19-2008, 11:27 AM

Time Out New York, October 19, 2008

http://www.timeout.com/newyork/events/rock-pop-soul/245451/lindsey-buckingham

Lindsey Buckingham
Nokia Theatre Times Square

1515 Broadway (at 44th St)
Midtown West | Map

212-307-7171

Subway: N, Q, R, W, 42nd St S, 1, 2, 3, 7 to 42nd St–Times Sq | Directions

Prices

Tickets: $46.50, $56.50, $71.50

Description
As the guitarist, singer and arguable braintrust of Fleetwood Mac, Lindsey Buckingham sold more than 100 million records. The strangest part about this is that the records are kind of arty—and his recent solo work sounds a helluva lot more like Devendra Banhart than, say, Billy Joel. He’s in town behind Gift of Screws—not as witchy as its predecessor (Under the Skin) but still bent and groovy.

michelej1

10-21-2008, 04:17 PM

Antimusic.com

http://www.antimusic.com/reviews/08/LindseyBuckinghamGiftofScrews.shtml

Lindsey Buckingham - Gift of Screws Review

by Kevin Wierzbicki. * * * * *

Buckingham has put out half a dozen solo albums now but none of those efforts, however successful, reached the heights attained by Fleetwood Mac during his tenure with that group. It's been widely accepted at this point that Buckingham was/is the mastermind behind the Mac and he's come right out and stated that he considers the band's Tusk album to in reality be his first solo effort. That sentiment is flipped around on Gift of Screws, where as a solo artist Buckingham has made his most Fleetwood Mac-like album. Buckingham tunes into the Mac vibe right from the get-go, leading off the album with a mash-up of "Tusk" and "World Turning" called "Great Day." "Time Precious Time" features a haunting, breathy vocal as Buckingham contemplates the inevitability of aging while rapidly finger-picking his acoustic guitar, creating a sparkling waterfall of notes that slip by as quickly as the days of our lives. Unlike most of the album, "Time Precious Time" is not a radio-ready sing-along but it is a reminder that Buckingham's musicianship goes far beyond his penchant for crafting hit singles. "Did You Miss Me," on the other hand, has the classic Fleetwood Mac sound and the listener can't help but think that either Stevie Nicks or Christine McVie is going to chime in on vocals at any moment. "Wait for You," "The Right Place to Fade" and "Love Runs Deeper" all could have fit nicely on Rumours or Fleetwood Mac. So could have the introspective "Bel Air Rain," another acoustic guitar and spectral vocal showcase where Buckingham refers to having "gone insane," perhaps a reference to the personal problems suffered by the members of Fleetwood Mac or to the same lifestyle that inspired his Go Insane album. A couple of cuts later Buckingham sounds like he actually has gone mad, faux laughing hysterically on the lyrically vague rave-up "Gift of Screws." The cackle though, really is appropriate. As mad scientists of pop music go, Buckingham is working in a lab all his own.

macpai

10-21-2008, 04:18 PM

A couple of cuts later Buckingham sounds like he actually has gone mad, faux laughing hysterically on the lyrically vague rave-up "Gift of Screws." The cackle though, really is appropriate. As mad scientists of pop music go, Buckingham is working in a lab all his own.

I found the cackle strangely soothing. Like "there's my buddy Lindsey." Warped or what??

michelej1

10-21-2008, 04:22 PM

I found the cackle strangely soothing. Like "there's my buddy Lindsey." Warped or what??

It's signature. I remember when I first heard Time Bomb Town, with all the breathy eeeks and hiccups, the crazy sounds and I eagerly embraced it as being the essence of Lindsey and I think of Gift of Screws the same way. Michele

macpai

10-21-2008, 04:25 PM

It's signature. I remember when I first heard Time Bomb Town, with all the breathy eeeks and hiccups, the crazy sounds and I eagerly embraced it as being the essence of Lindsey and I think of Gift of Screws the same way. Michele

Oh good. Thanks, Michele. I feel better.:thumbsup:

michelej1

10-24-2008, 11:33 AM

Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, Top 10

http://www.gjsentinel.com/hp/content/features/entertainment/stories/2008/10/23/102408_OA5_Top_10.html

Thursday, October 23, 2008

1. Rodney Crowell, “Sex and Gasoline.” “The whole world runs on sex and gasoline,” or so says Crowell. This new CD has some of the finest songwriting from one of the world’s best at it. “The Rise and Fall of Intelligent Design” and “Closer to Heaven” are two of his finest songs.

2. Bob Dylan, “Tell Tale Signs: Rare and Unreleased 1989-2006.” If you need any further proof that Dylan is the world’s greatest songwriter, pick this set up. Dylan’s outtakes are better than most other artists’ keepers.

3. Grateful Dead, “Rocking the Cradle Egypt 1976.” Two CDs featuring the best from the Dead’s historic shows from Egypt’s Great Pyramid. Included is a DVD of extremely rare concert footage plus home movies from the Grateful Dead.

4. Lucinda Williams, “Little Honey.” In love again and happy most of the time, Williams has one of her most positive and uplifting CDs to date. But don’t worry. There are still some classic Williams’ style folk/blues tracks full of heartache that we all love.

5. Jackson Browne, “Time the Conqueror.” Browne’s 13th studio album, and first in six years since “Naked Ride Home,” is a mix of classic Browne with his ’80s political side showing some. Highlights include the title track and “Going Down to Cuba.”

6. Little Feat and Friends, “Join the Band.” This CD is just what the title says and is just what this band deserves. It’s a laid-back recording with friends covering some of their classic song as well as a few others.

7. Buddy Guy, “Skin Deep.” This is Guy’s first album of original material in his incredible career and he had help from friends such as Eric Clapton, Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks and Robert Randolph. However, the star of this disc is Guy’s fantastic guitar playing.

8. Lindsey Buckingham, “Gift of Screws.” An introspective rock ’n’ roll record from this former and, I guess, future member of Fleetwood Mac. Buckingham has never sounded better on the guitar. That and a great batch of tunes make it one of the year’s best discs.

9. Calexico, “Carried To Dust.” Known for its stark Southwestern soundscapes, this mysterious band from the West Coast has the most accessible of their eight releases to date. Its music is mesmerizing in the way that the first Cowboy Junkies was, but Calexico’s sound is all its own.

10. Michael Franti & Spearhead, “All Rebel Rockers.” Always outspoken, political and controversial and unafraid to speak his mind, Franti and band recorded this CD in Jamaica with the help of legendary producers Sly and Robbie.

michelej1

10-25-2008, 12:36 PM

October 23, 2008, Vue Weekly (Edmonton)

http://www.vueweekly.com/article.php?id=10054

ALBUM REVIEWS
New Sounds: Lindsey Buckingham
MARY CHRISTA O’KEEFE / [email protected]

True rock star pioneers—artists who defined not only a sound or genre, but an entire type of career that may never be seen again—are reaching old age, but several of them kept creating, long past their shelf life of relevance for the youngsters who’re supposed to be rock’s fan base. It’s interesting to see the hits and misses, the struggles for continuing originality and the trapped-in-amber quality we all eventually have as an inevitable consequence of being born to a certain generation (this is why time treats misfits more kindly than the Zeitgeisty).

The best artists work with this, and instead of pretending they’re still 25 and relate to 25-year olds, aim to capture the betrayals of time and humanness with the same veracity they did when carving out new territory in the culture with their musical observations. They don’t fight their achievements or identity, but keep tuned into their practice, renegotiating their relationship to their life and art like eternal students, instead of succumbing to cosmetic injections of timeliness with bad ideas like trying to rap or hiring a teenage producer. Of course, when you’re rich, famous and completely indulged, you have to strive to see beyond your immediate horizons and be emotionally faithful to the idea of human struggle. Even towering talents such as Neil Young or Paul Simon find this an incredibly difficult feat to pull off in their like-it-or-not celebrity circumstances, and it remains a challenge no matter how tenuous or faraway the fame, and even, unkindly, when they’ve lost everything and are dead broke.

Thankfully, Lindsey Buckingham is not in desperate straights, but he’s still Lindsey Buckingham: ex-lover of Stevie Nicks, rock aesthete, sound definer of mid-‘70s to ‘80s AM radio stadium rock. Babies were conceived to his songs, egged on and in by his voice and guitar. And now he’s a respected old warhorse of rock, one who’s never disgraced himself too much to lose his status, whose songs have endured as classics, who has photos from Rolling Stone and People of him looking alternately preposterously hot and simply preposterous. But he’s also been out of his heyday spotlight—even counting his decent intermittent comebacks—long enough that if you asked a random person in their 30s if she knew offhand whether Buckingham was alive or dead, she’d have to think about it. And if you asked a 20-year old, unless she had a band that was borrowing from Fleetwood Mac, she probably wouldn’t know who you were talking about.

And now Buckingham returns with Gift of Screws, looking darn awesome for a man pushing 60—same hooded eyes, gaunt-ish architectural planes on his face and all his hair, if not all he had on certain Fleetwood Mac covers—and playing as well or better than ever.

Gift of Screws begins oddly, with a couple songs that are excellent, but almost so flamboyantly artful one frets that he’s trying to prove something—never a reliable path for record-making. The first two are almost Brian Eno-esque, the opener a tense, southwestern tumbleweed ramble with chilly electric highlights and guitarwork that sounds culturally alien, like a Japanese koto or something. (It may well be—Buckingham has credited instrumentation only when he wanted to credit a fellow musician.) The next track’s even more dazzling and deconstructed, with incredibly rapid fretwork pushed against an atmospheric work, simultaneously ethereal and sharp. These are followed by straight-up pop-hooked rockers finished with Buckingham’s characteristic dense and dry production, old-fashioned style hits, two of which—“The Right Place To Fade” and “Underground”—would’ve been amazing Fleetwood Mac songs. Which is not to denigrate them here—they’re flat-out great pop masterworks, well built and giddy with melody.

Buckingham achieves a balance that’ll not disappoint fans or longtime music appreciators, but likely won’t grab new ones. But that’s OK—it’s an achievement to not be derivative or self-parodic, and if Buckingham’s distinctive aesthetic choices aren’t in step with the cool kids or Rick Rubin crowd, he’s made something that sounds authentic, interesting and rather masterful. It’s a good journey, a thoughtful and honest one. V

michelej1

10-28-2008, 01:51 PM

Philadelphia Daily News, October 28, 2008

http://www.philly.com/dailynews/features/20081028_Pink__John_Legend___a_ballpark_classic.html

Devotees of his work with Fleetwood Mac are gonna love Lindsey Buckingham's "Gift of Screws" (Reprise, A-). This may be his best solo project to date because it's not as obsessively fussed over as predecessors.

michelej1

10-29-2008, 08:07 PM

Creative Loafing (Tampa)

http://tampa.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/lucinda_williams_little_honey_ac_dc_s_black_ice_and_lindsey_buckingham_s_gift_of_screws_reviewed/Content?oid=547220

Gift of Screws
LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM
(Reprise)

I can't say I expected this. Fleetwood Mac stalwart Lindsey Buckingham, age 59, has unleashed a solo album that exquisitely blends his instinct for pop songcraft and his long-time penchant for experimentalism. Much of the latter is due to the imaginative ways in which he employs guitar textures, building actual arrangements rather than chord sequences decorated by solos. For instance, "Time Precious Time" floats along over fleet-fingered, cascading arpeggios on acoustic guitar. Tapping his more conventional side, Buckingham plays solos -- hitting lots of high, sweet notes -- that provide stirring codas to several songs. And the songs are good -- some of them, rousing uptempo numbers like "Love Runs Deeper," "Right Place to Fade" and "Wait For You" (with its spunky shuffle beat), standing up to Rumours-era Mac. Buckingham's lead vocals are largely nondescript -- he's never been much of a singer -- but he exhibits the good production sense to layer them into lush sonic washes. If you'd begun to lose faith that any of the old hands could deliver a fresh, vibrant helping of hooky pop-rock, Gift of Screws is just the tonic. 4 stars —Eric Snider

michelej1

11-08-2008, 12:27 PM

[Hmmm. With a maverick heart, Lindsey could have run in the last election]

Chicago Tribune, November 9, 2008, by Greg Kot

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/chi-recordings-1109nov09,0,3622117,print.story

Lindsey Buckingham: "Gift of Screws" (Reprise)

The Fleetwood Mac auteur has been relatively prolific lately. After releasing only three solo albums over three decades, he has uncorked two in the last three years: The folk-based 2006 release "Under the Skin" and the harder-edged "Gift of Screws."

Buckingham brings an unhinged quality to his solo work missing from Mac's more polished productions, though "Did You Miss Me" could pass for a lost "Rumours" track. Otherwise, Buckingham steers clear of his most famous work, instead preferring to plumb themes of madness and betrayal, and to ask the musical question, "Did I sell my heart for the dreams in my head?"

His work as a solo artist provides an answer. This is music straight from a maverick heart, channeled through nimble guitar playing: the undulating "Time Precious Time," the mad tumble of "Bel Air Rain," the barbed-wire riffing of "Wait for You." Accompanied by the Mac rhythm section of Fleetwood and John McVie, Buckingham turns the title track into a garage stomper with a demented laugh. He sounds thrilled to be making music unencumbered by one of rock's biggest brand names.

michelej1

11-10-2008, 02:21 PM

Southwest Florida, Herald Tribune, 9-18-08

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080918/article/809170265&tc=yahoo&template=printpicart

Lindsey Buckingham

GIFT OF SCREWS

The Fleetwood Mac great’s voice is more strained than ever, but amazingly it doesn’t detract from the songs and his musicianship. Some of the tracks here would fit well on a Mac album. Check out: “Did You Miss Me,” “Time Precious Time.” Hear here: www.myspace.com/ lindseybuckingham. Grade: A-

michelej1

11-14-2008, 07:52 PM

New Zealand Herald, November 15, 2008:

http://blogs.nzherald.co.nz/blog/music-reviews/2008/11/15/lindsey-buckingham-gift-screws/?c_id=1501982

4 Stars

Buckingham was always the most musically interesting member of Fleetwood Mac, as he proved on the Tusk album of '79 when he edged up the energy and heeded what the punk/New Wave bands were up to.

So it's maybe no real surprise that two tracks on this, his fifth solo album, are produced by Rob Cavallo, known for his work with Green Day and My Chemical Romance.

There are elements of classic-Mac (Mick Fleetwood and John McVie appear on the fiddle-enhanced rocker Wait For You and the title track; Fleetwood on The Right Place to Fade) but what is here is mostly typically brittle material where Buckingham skews the melodies, adds staccato guitar and urgent rhythms to his material.

The more pop-rock tracks are actually the least successful (the title track is dull) and Love Runs Deeper sounds like it was crafted for stadiums in Middle America where Styx and Kansas are still revered.

But from the stabbing opener Great Day through the acoustic maelstrom and pained Time Precious Time (which harks back to Tusk), the acoustic energy of Bel Air Rain (about having no right to complain when life has treated you well) and on to the two closers - the melancholy pop of Underground and Treason - this album reminds us that Buckingham, still a glum and reflective lyricist, was always a bit different. In a good way.

Graham Reid

jbrownsjr

11-14-2008, 08:05 PM

I found the cackle strangely soothing. Like "there's my buddy Lindsey." Warped or what??

I love the tune (bel air rain)... but still hate the ending... and i'm a huge fan of Not That Funny (Mirage 1982 tour live)

just too bland and weird all at once...

michelej1

11-30-2008, 03:23 PM

The Jordan Times, 11-30-2008

http://www.jordantimes.com/?news=12476

A good album but with cryptic meaning

By Jean-Claude Elias

HE WAS THE driving force behind super pop group Fleetwood Mac, but Lindsey Buckingham has been working solo for several years now. “Gift of Screws” is his latest - his sixth exactly - album and bears many of the distinctive traits that have contributed to the unique sound of Fleetwood Mac.

At 59, Buckingham displays amazing creative energy and vitality. Contrary to most songwriters of his generation, like for example Paul MacCartney or Elton John, who now tend to make music that is too soft, too quiet, too much behaved, Fleetwood Mac’s former front man seems as dynamic and inventive as at his beginning. This alone is an achievement.

The 10 new songs bear the sign of very elaborate recording, mixing and technical production. There are several layers of guitars of all kinds everywhere and countless special effects. At no point, however, the listener is given any impression of exaggerated artifacts - it’s all meaningful and cleverly put to good use.

The album opens with “Great Day” a track recorded with stunning guitar arpeggios, played on two or three different instruments, and quickly shifting from left to right in the stereo image.

It is so well done that one wonders if these parts were actually played by the musician himself or if he programmed them to be automatically performed by a synthesiser or some digital music making machine.

“Did You Miss Me”, “Wait for You” and “Love Runs Deeper” are perfect Fleetwood Mac pieces. Anyone who has known the band in its heyday in the late 1970s and in the 1980s will unmistakably make the comparison - the beat, the harmonies, the “smart pop” touch, it’s all here.

From song one to 10, there is no slowing down, Buckingham keeps it all running high and going strong. His guitar finger picking technique is his trademark; trained ears will recognise it instantly. It particularly shines in pieces like “Bel Air Rain” that also features a brilliant electric guitar solo part that even Carlos Santana or Eric Clapton would not deny.

The title track “Gift of Screws” is an upbeat, a loud number. Despite having the lyrics printed in the accompanying booklet, the meaning remains rather cryptic.

There are shouts and cries throughout the song, perfectly timed with the rhythm, synchronised with the beat. These give the song an atmosphere of madness, of anger that certainly was intended by Buckingham.

The savoir-faire of Buckingham, when it comes to acoustic sound treatment, is expressed in “Underground”, one of the finest tracks of the new album. It is a delicate, smart and superbly crafted ballad. Again, here we’re (gladly) taken back to the glorious days of Fleetwood Mac.

Overall “Gift of Screws” is one of the best albums I have listened to this year done by a “veteran” - no offence meant to Buckingham, I say it as a compliment.

It has stamina, invention and can favourably be compared to previous works by the artist, though it is not really on a par with his group’s seminal albums “Rumours” and “Tango in the Night”.

However, great the music and the songs of Lindsey Buckingham may be, “Gift of Screws” sounds too much like it belongs to the previous generation.

There is of course the benefit of the pristine quality of today’s recording and production, but the songwriting and the arrangements betray the spirit of the 1980s.

This makes “Gift of Screws” interesting for those who already are fans of Buckingham or Fleetwood Mac, and perhaps less interesting for those who are not.

30 November 2008

MrBTH

11-30-2008, 07:18 PM

Gift of Screws is included in Q Magazines (UK) top 50 albums of the year in this months edition:

2008 #41
GIFT OF SCREWS
LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM
Key Track: Love Runs Deeper
Average user rating: 5/5
Gift Of Screws contains some of the songs the Fleetwood Mac lynchpin had originally earmarked for the group, and as such his erstwhile bandmates are on hand to help out. While some tracks are classic Mac, Bel Air Rain and Great Day are spikier and built on atmosphere.

Not a bad bit of recognition from the most mainstream music magazine in the UK - although the bit about the songs being earmarked for FM is a tad mis-informed!

michelej1

11-30-2008, 08:17 PM

Top 50 is great. Wonder if it will get a year end mention from Rolling Stone, like UTS did.

Michele

macpai

11-30-2008, 11:23 PM

Via Entertainment Weekly:
8. Gift of Screws, Lindsey Buckingham

Sounds like the Fleetwood Mac of the mid-'70s to me, only better. The title track features a terrific submerged-guitar sound, but the standout is the lush and gorgeous ''Did You Miss Me.''

michelej1

12-01-2008, 11:40 AM

Sounds like the Fleetwood Mac of the mid-'70s to me, only better. The title track features a terrific submerged-guitar sound, but the standout is the lush and gorgeous ''Did You Miss Me.''

This is really great. I wish he'd write a story about it:laugh:.

Michele

michelej1

12-07-2008, 11:08 PM

From All About Jazz, By Mike Perciaccante

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=31265

On his sixth solo album, Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey Buckingham continues his string of releases featuring slick, crisp, sophisticated wry lyrics. Unlike his last studio effort, the acoustic-based Under the Skin (Reprise 2006), Gift Of Screws features incendiary electric guitar layered over minor chords with many of the signature grooves that Buckingham (and Fleetwood Mac) built his reputation on.

Though not the balls-to-wall, electric, all-out rock record he promised would follow Under The Skin, Gift Of Screws is nonetheless a much edgier pop-rock CD. Based on the dark, introspective themes that permeate both recordings, it would appear that they were recorded during the same sessions or at least written during the same time period.

Buckingham is a musical sponge. He has absorbed the vibes and nuances of many different musical genres and has creatively mixed and meshed these influences into a musical sauce all his own. On Gift Of Screws, his inspirations are quite evident; his new wave, punky modern rock influences very much on display on the opener, "Great Day." The song loudly announces that Buckingham is still capable of rockin' out, with its incendiary fretwork and chugging drums.

The bluesy rocker "Wait for You" provides a glimpse of what might have been had this been a Fleetwood Mac project rather than a solo offering. With Mick Fleetwood on drums and John McVie on bass, "Wait for You" has the feel and groove that would be at home on either an early or late-era Fleetwood Mac disc. It's a dense, multi-layered chewy chunk of roadhouse blues that immediately gets the feet tapping and the head bopping. "The Right Place to Fade" is another Fleetwood Mac-style song, with its strumming guitar, sing-along chorus and Fleetwood's powerhouse drumming. The disc closes with the gospel-influenced "Treason," which ruminates on love, loss and redemption.

Gift Of Screws is a solid release, albeit a short one with only 10 tracks. While not on par with Out of The Cradle (Reprise, 1992)—the zenith of his solo career that some laud as a masterpiece—Gift Of Screws powerfully announces that Buckingham is still a musical force.

michelej1

12-10-2008, 02:11 PM

Pop Matters lists the best Singer-Songwriter Albums of 2008. GOS comes in #3, after Steve Wynn's Crossing Dragon Bridge (#2) and Martha Wainwright's I Know You're Married, but I've Got Feelings Too (#3):

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/feature/66422-the-best-singer-songwriter-albums-of-2008

December 10, 2008

In Ron Hart’s review, he wrote that Lindsey Buckingham’s Gift of Screws sounds like “Fleetwood Mac without the chicks”, explaining that bassist John McVie and drummer Mick Fleetwood join Buckingham on three of the album’s tracks. “The best of these,” wrote Hart, “is the album’s title cut, a propulsive rocker in the vein of the more kinetic moments of Fleetwood Mac’s 1972 masterpiece Bare Trees and the bluesy ‘Wait for Me’, both of which exhibit the musical synergy of McVie, Buckingham, and Fleetwood better than anything they have ever recorded together. Elsewhere, tracks like ‘The Right Place to Fade’ and ‘Did You Miss Me?’ will remind fans of material from Fleetwood Mac’s surprise 2003 comeback album Say You Will. Other songs here will remind you of Buckingham’s previous solo effort, 2006’s magnificent Under the Skin.” He revives the intricate guitar picking of that album on Gift of Screws tracks like “Time Precious Time” and “Bel Air Rain”. Hart concludes: “There might not be a more poignant protest anthem in these times of bogus bailouts than ‘Treason’, a shimmering acoustic lament that stands out as one of the finest moments of Buckingham’s already-storied career.”

michelej1

12-10-2008, 04:09 PM

Salt Lake Magazine 2008 Top 10, by Don Nailen

December 10, 2008

http://www.saltlakemagazine.com/Blogs/Lounge-Act/December-2008/Even-More-Top-10-Tunes/

My efforts to whittle down the year's music to a Top 10 list continues today with an old favorite, Lindsey Buckingham, and new stars from Down Under, or at least New Zealand: Flight of the Conchords.

LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM, Gift of Screws

The long-time Fleetwood Mac singer and guitarist doesn't necessarily sell boatloads of his solo work, and that's a shame because Buckingham truly pushes his pop tendencies to the background on his solo work, favoring experimental excursions and fiery guitar workouts.

That's not to say there isn't plenty to love on Gift of Screws for all you Fleetwood Mac fans; songs like "Did You Miss Me" and "Love Runs Deeper" would fit perfectly on a Fleetwood Mac album. Indeed, both John McVie and Mick Fleetwood appear on various songs here, making Gift of Screws a more rocking affair than Buckingham's all-acoustic predecessor, Under the Skin.

Anyone who considers Buckingham a classic-rock dinosaur—and I was once in that camp—needs to give the guy another listen. Maybe it's because I'm a hell of a lot older than my punk-rockin' days, but I've come to think of Buckingham as one of America's greatest songwriters, even if he remains an under-appreciated one. If it's possible to be under-appreciated when you're in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and have sold hundreds of millions of albums.

Here's a taste of Gift of Screws, a jumpy live vid of Buckingham playing "Did You Miss Me?"

GoS

12-10-2008, 08:53 PM

I usually don't post on here, you guys are too fast, but I think I have you beat on this one. The Duquense University (that's in Pittsburgh) newspaper just was doing a review of class rock and stuff, and LB got mentioned (if only in a paragraph lacking the album name.

It says
Lindsey Buckingham also has a power-hit under his puffy sleeves with "Love Runs Deeper" [sic] which sounds like it is fresh off a new Fleetwood Mac record. Probably because it will be. Rumors (get it, classic rock fans?) are circulating that Fleetwood Mac will be reunited and touring within the year, minus keyboard player Christine McVie.
No word yet on who will take her place as of yet. Early speculation cited Sheryl Crow as the runner up but after she prematurely announced the union to the press, Crow was immediately bumped off the project.
That's a shame because from what I heard, all she wanted ti do was have some fun. Maybe next holiday season, Sheryl.

(The article was last month, we'll forgive the tour stuff)
Okay, once you get around the glaring comma ommissions (I pointed out the first one that I caught and typed the rest as it appeard), and the fact that it misspelled Rumours, and the fact that they didn't mention the album, not to bad (espicially when you cosider that the previous paragraph was on AC/DC).

michelej1

12-10-2008, 09:49 PM

It says
Lindsey Buckingham also has a power-hit under his puffy sleeves

Oh, nice catch. Thanks for posting it! I wonder why they said Lindsey had puffy sleeves. I mean he does in that Dance promo picture from Rolling Stone. He's wearing an odd swash buckling shirt for that. But generally, his sleeves are not puffy.

Honestly, the whole concept of (1) a puffy shirt and (2) a low talker is pure genius. Larry David is my hero. I love him so much. I ought to rip down this Tusk poster and put up a picture of Larry.

But I don't want to be a pirate.

Michele

GoS

12-11-2008, 08:49 AM

Oh, nice catch. Thanks for posting it! I wonder why they said Lindsey had puffy sleeves. I mean he does in that Dance promo picture from Rolling Stone. He's wearing an odd swash buckling shirt for that. But generally, his sleeves are not puffy.

I think that they may have been referring to some '80's fashion fad. The beginning of the article was about that.

And who is Larry David?

Chrislit18

12-13-2008, 03:17 PM

Heres one I wrote for my school newspaper. I keep forgetting it exists. lol.

http://www.tantasqua.org/ths/docs/tomahawk/Volume3Edition2.pdf

<a href="http://s68.photobucket.com/albums/i2/Chrislit18/?action=view&current=BuckyReview.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i2/Chrislit18/BuckyReview.jpg" border="0" alt="Review"></a>

michelej1

12-13-2008, 04:47 PM

Heres one I wrote for my school newspaper. I keep forgetting it exists. lol.

Great review and I love that you're probably introducing him to readers who never heard of him at all. Michele

michelej1

12-15-2008, 02:39 PM

Yahoo Picks the best albums of 2008

http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/yradish/33444/the-best-albums-of-200881-to-90/

#87. Gift Of Screws by Lindsey Buckingham

Released: September 16, 2008
Label: Reprise
Album Charts: #48 The Billboard 200, #48 Top Internet Albums

"We always secretly knew that Lindsey Buckingham was the most talented member of the infinitely talented Fleetwood Mac, and Gift Of Screws is more proof. This new solo effort builds upon his softer (and incredible) 2006 release Under The Skin. Gift of Screws makes it clear that Buckingham is not only a fountain of musical thoughts, but a musician who can execute on even the most challenging of ideas."

michelej1

12-18-2008, 02:42 PM

Edge New England, 2008 CD Gift Guide

http://www.edgenewengland.com/index.php?ch=entertainment&sc=music&sc2=&sc3=&id=84778

Lindsey Buckingham; Gift of Screws

The Fleetwood Mac’s guitarist Lindsey Buckingham demonstrates he can still write strong songs that are daring, beautiful and musically fascinating. Brian Callaghan

michelej1

12-19-2008, 12:49 PM

Grand Junction Sentinel Best CDs of 2008, 12-18-08

http://www.gjsentinel.com/hp/content/news/opinion/stories/2008/12/18/121908_OA5_Rock_Col.html

Lindsey Buckingham, “Gift of Screws” — An introspective rock ’n’ roll record from the former and, I guess, future member of Fleetwood Mac. Buckingham has never sounded better on the guitar.

michelej1

12-22-2008, 01:00 PM

Bloomberg.com named it one of the best American CDs of 2008. Of course, they had Beyonce at number 1.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=a3xBmtPpcnjo&refer=muse

LINDSAY BUCKINGHAM, “GIFT OF SCREWS” (Reprise). Buckingham was always the most interesting of the Fleetwood Mac gang. “Did you miss me?” the guitarist sings in the song of the same name. Yes we have.

michelej1

12-24-2008, 03:09 PM

Long Beach Press Telegram, Top 10 CDs of the year:

http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_11299791

7. "Gift of Screws," Lindsey Buckingham: We are not apologetic about our liking of the brains behind Fleetwood Mac. We like the way he hollers, we like his passion, and if you got $10 for each rock guitarist who has more talent than Buckingham you won't be able to come up with cab fare to the nearest pizza place.

D.W-Suite

12-24-2008, 05:13 PM

michelej1

12-24-2008, 09:22 PM

The more I read these end of year reviews, the more depressed I become :( Perhaps it's because when I first heard songs such as RPTF and LRD I had secretly hoped that the entire world would be singing along to them, but alas....

It could be worse. We could be all alone. At least the critics agree with us, even if the record-buying world doesn't.

Michele

Peestie

12-25-2008, 10:30 AM

The more I read these end of year reviews, the more depressed I become :( Perhaps it's because when I first heard songs such as RPTF and LRD I had secretly hoped that the entire world would be singing along to them, but alas....

Depressed? It's a pretty great result. He's made quite a few lists in respectable positions. He was never going to have a "hit" album but was anyone really expecting him to?

wondergirl9847

12-25-2008, 08:19 PM

Lindsey's GOS is #1 on Dallas Observer's list of the 5 best rock albums from older folk in 2008 (http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/dc9/2008/12/octogenarian_christmas_the_fiv.php)

1. Lindsey Buckingham - Gift of Screws
The Fleetwood Mac guitarist/singer finally incorporates some of what made his band so great and produces his best solo effort. By far. Period. Of course, several members of Mac (not Stevie Nicks) make an appearance on Gift of Screws and songs like "Did You Miss Me" and "The Right Place to Fade" would not sound out of place on Rumours. What better recommendation is there than that?

michelej1

12-26-2008, 11:32 AM

The Oklahoman, News OK, by Brandy McDonnell, December 26, 2008

http://newsok.com/buckingham-shows-growth-in-solo-effort/article/3332797?custom_click=columnist

Lindsey Buckingham shows growth in 'Gift of Screws'

Fans of Oklahoma’s diverse music scene could find plenty to celebrate in 2008, with stand-out debuts in the alt-pop, country and folk genres.

It also was the year when many big-name talents successfully reinvented themselves, whether it was Metallica returning to its thrash roots or Coldplay revealing unexpected depth.

From top-sellers to indie releases, here’s the list of the compact discs that kept my ears happiest this year:

1. Lindsey Buckingham "Gift of Screws” (Reprise) — Whether blazing through an irresistible electric pop ditty or brooding through an introspective acoustic track, the Fleetwood Mac guitarist’s virtuosic skills have only grown. "Gift of Screws” doesn’t reach the stratospheric heights of the band’s "Rumours” or "Tusk” albums — really, what could? — but Buckingham conjures a dizzying array of sonic spells on his latest solo effort. Plus, his September concert at Tulsa’s Brady Theater was one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen.

David

12-27-2008, 12:52 PM

This is all marketing copy. Are there any essays on this album? anything with more depth? Perhaps in somebody's book?

michelej1

12-27-2008, 10:39 PM

This is all marketing copy. Are there any essays on this album? anything with more depth? Perhaps in somebody's book?

Well, when the album came out, there were some pretty extensive, detailed reviews. Yes, the year end synopses are just blurbs.

Michele

michelej1

12-28-2008, 12:19 PM

From the New Hampshire Eagle Times [Lindsey was #8 on his list]

http://www.eagletimes.com/ET/story/081223-mw-bestliveshows

By MICHAEL WITTHAUS-Contributing Writer
Sunday, December 28, 2008 9:09 AM

Music thrived in 2008. For every show on my best of list, there was at least one I wished I'd seen. It was also a year of discovery. Almost half of the top ten includes performers I witnessed for the first time.

These evenings of live music proved to me that the creative spark is alive and well, even if the business is in the doldrums.

In chronological order, here are my 10 favorite live music experiences of the past year:

Lindsey Buckingham @ Lebanon Opera House (12 October) - Tickets for the upcoming Fleetwood Mac reunion are trending towards 300 dollars, but I doubt a night at the Enormodome could tope this intimate show. Buckingham indulged his muse with several obscure Mac nuggets, performed multiple encores, and even took time out to sign a fan's 35 year old copy of "Buckingham/Nicks".

michelej1

12-29-2008, 11:00 PM

Providence Rhode Island Edge, Best Concerts of 2008

By Brian Callaghan

http://www.edgeprovidence.com/index.php?ch=entertainment&sc=music&sc3=&id=85131&pg=1

Lindsey Buckingham
Lindsey Buckingham put on a sold-out solo show at the Berkeley Performance Hall that highlighted songs from his days with Fleetwood Mac as well as from his equally genius solo career. He was touring to support his excellente new disc, Gift of Screws, that shows he’s still at the top of his game. Seeing such a big talent in such a small venue is a real treat, especially since he’ll be playing arenas and stadia with the Mac in ’09.

chriskisn

12-30-2008, 09:01 PM

Just listening to GOS now (I am trying again)

Sorry but I don't get it. Sure there are a couple of songs that are ok on there...Bel Air Rain for one, but even that just gets weird at the end.

I actually liked most of Lindsey's SYW stuff, so when this album came out I was hopeful (and later disappointed).

Sorry...

Peestie

12-31-2008, 12:59 PM

Weird? I would have said this was Lindsey's second least "weird" solo album. I don't hear anything on it after the first two tracks that couldn't have been on Mac albums.

michelej1

12-31-2008, 02:19 PM

Weird? I would have said this was Lindsey's second least "weird" solo album. I don't hear anything on it after the first two tracks that couldn't have been on Mac albums.

Yeah, except for GOS, the single, I don't hear weird. The next closest thing I hear to weird is Great Day. But that's it.

Although I have heard others say that the ending ruined Bel Air Rain for them. I guess it comes off as cheesy to some.

Michele

shackin'up

01-01-2009, 07:34 PM

Although I have heard others say that the ending ruined Bel Air Rain for them.

Which is unbelievable. It's a rerun of his masterful Play In The Rain. On guitar AND on vocal.
:shrug::shrug:

TPT is kinda weird to pure "pop"-ears though, so is Great Day and the titletrack. I guess only RPTF, Treason and DYMM are acceptable for mainstream ears. So yes, it's a wacky album again, I guess.

I can't understand though that someone who likes things like Red Rover, Murrow and Come, does NOT like the GOS-set.

chriskisn

01-01-2009, 08:06 PM

Which is unbelievable. It's a rerun of his masterful Play In The Rain. On guitar AND on vocal.
:shrug::shrug:

TPT is kinda weird to pure "pop"-ears though, so is Great Day and the titletrack. I guess only RPTF, Treason and DYMM are acceptable for mainstream ears. So yes, it's a wacky album again, I guess.

I can't understand though that someone who likes things like Red Rover, Murrow and Come, does NOT like the GOS-set.

Play in the rain was a good song, and Bel Air rain was good until the very end...

Personally Red Rover was the song on SYW I didn't like. Murrow took a while to like but now I do...

Maybe I just like more mainstream stuff...

GoS

01-02-2009, 01:37 PM

Play in the rain was a good song, and Bel Air rain was good until the very end...

Personally Red Rover was the song on SYW I didn't like. Murrow took a while to like but now I do...

Maybe I just like more mainstream stuff...

Is that the first time in history that "Murrow" has been referred to as "mainstream?" I think that it could be. :p I love all of these songs, but I think that "Play in the Rain" is a weird song.

michelej1

01-02-2009, 02:55 PM

From the Kennebec Journal, Morning Sentinel, 1-1-09

http://kennebecjournal.mainetoday.com/happening/stories/5742705.html

Best of 2008 Releases

And while we're on the subject of international radio stars, Lindsey Buckingham's "Live at The Bass Performance Hall" CD/DVD set (Warner Bros./Reprise Records) is a must-have for any Fleetwood Mac fan, as well as those of Mr. Buckingham, too. His 15-song collection (on the CD, 16 on the DVD) includes such hits as "Second Hand News," "Go Your Own Way," "Holiday Road," "Trouble," and "Never Going Back Again" ("Tusk" is the DVD-only track). They are all served up by one incredibly tight band and fronted by that unmistakable voice and electrifying stage presence. The DVD was the first one I played on my new computer and remains my favorite distraction.

I should also give you the heads-up on his newest studio CD entitled "Gift Of Screws" which is layered, dense and exciting. Just what you'd expect from this talented singer-songwriter-guitarist.

rubytuesday

01-02-2009, 04:34 PM

I only just bought the cd a few days ago 'cause I was oddly afraid of what it would be. I play track 1 and there it is right there. I knew one day he'd write a song about my friend who knew him and it finally popped up. That one is hard to listen to but beyond that I don't see the fuss about Did You Miss Me, it's ok though. I looove The Right Place To Fade and Love Runs Deeper.

This is all really old stuff to you guys now but I finally figured I'd just go ahead and listen to it.

michelej1

01-09-2009, 04:26 PM

January 9. 2009, by Pat Trabi at Shakefire.com

http://www.shakefire.com/reviews/cd/lindsey-buckingham-gift-of-screws

There are expected and unexpected melodies in the latest album by Lindsey Buckingham, best known as one of the guitarists and singers for Fleetwood Mac. He has created one heck of an ageless album.

The opening track “Great Day” starts with electric beats, which are followed and later led by Buckingham’s acoustic guitar. This song is quite eccentric, unique and modern, and some listeners may skip it. Nonetheless, you must listen to the entire album before you make any judgment. He shows his bluesy rock side in “Love Runs Deeper”, and tells a story in “Treason”. Tracks such as “Bel Air Rain” and “The Right Place to Fade” will bring good memories to many Feetwood Mac fans, but at the same time these timeless tunes attract new and younger listeners as well. His guitar riffs and voice harmonize great with the other instruments and background choruses. “Time Precious Time” comes with a hint of world music and some twists of haunting eco effects. It is hard to ignore his incredible guitar picking skills.

The experimental sounds are well controlled by and flourished with Buckingham’s experience. The album is beautifully crafted, and it is absolutely worth picking it up just for the excellence found in “Time Precious Time” and “Bel Air Rain”. Buckingham does not at all sound like an almost 60 year-old singer. His voice is still great, and his music is amazingly versatile. Buckingham knows how to entertain people of all ages. Each time I shuffle playback and repeat tracks, I discover new sounds. Therefore, I have not gotten tired of the album yet. Highly recommended.

michelej1

01-12-2009, 12:47 PM

By Brandy McDonnell, from the Oklahoman, 1-12-09

http://newsok.com/concerts-abundant-in-state/article/3336686

Since Christine McVie seems happily retired, I’ll probably never meet my goal of seeing Fleetwood Mac perform live. But as consolation prizes go, you can’t beat singer/guitarist Lindsey Buckingham’s sizzling show at Tulsa’s historic Brady Theater, which stands as one of the best concerts I’ve ever seen. Now, I just need to catch Stevie Nicks live.

michelej1

03-31-2009, 05:55 PM

Big Take Over Blog, March 29, 2009

List of Top 10 albums, by Matthew Berlyant:

http://www.bigtakeover.com/top-ten/Matthew-Berlyant-090329

8. Lindsey Buckingham – Gift of Screws (Warner Brothers)

I’m a fan of not just the early, PETER GREEN-led FLEETWOOD MAC, but the much more popular version with Buckingham, STEVIE NICKS and CHRISTINE McVIE (admittedly I’m not familiar enough with the versions in between to comment on them). I know this may set me apart from some of the folks reading this, but frankly I don’t care.

Anyway, if you’re still reading this far, this is Buckingham’s fifth solo album overall and his second in three years. This is my first exposure to his solo material and as such, I really like it. The amazing finger-picking in “Time Precious Time” is a highlight, but there isn’t a bad track here. More experimental than Fleetwood Mac typically are and overflowing with creativity, hooks and ideas, it’s nice that even as a multi-millionaire in his late 50s who doesn’t have to do this, Lindsey loves making music so much that he does it anyway.