What is it about Lindsey's music that you love?

[wondergirl9847]

Thanks for the inspiration, Peetsie.

What I love most about LB's music is that it MEANS something to me. I'm a fan because Lindsey's melodies and lyrics affect me. His music ranges from harsh to sweet, so you get all sorts of emotions.

Everyone can come up with 400 different meanings behind the songs. Some may be about Stevie or it could be Anne, perhaps it was about Carol Anne, his kids, his wife, etc. I have my own interpretation about Red Rover and Lindsey's got HIS interp and everyone else has their own.

Even though many people think his lyrics are simple, I believe not everyone needs to be a complicated poet. Some of his simplest lines are my favorite because they apply to my life or they are 100% real.

Listening to his entire catalogue, you get that girly-voiced man at the beginning and it morphs into this robust, deep demand in his vocals. Listen to Crystal then Doing What I Can...HUGE difference in his voice. It's like we are following his life in that voice.

The production in his music kills me! From the radio-friendliness of his Rumours songs to the freaky brilliance of all the Tusk stuff and on to the "I'm still relevant!" strength in UTS and GOS, he's never boring.

Lindsey is one of the VERY few artists I can say that I like pretty much every single thing he's ever done.

[David]

I think he has (or had) great skill in crafting a track out of a song, for the two are not different terms for the same thing. That's what I like (or liked) about him. He had marvelous musical ideas & the craftsmanship & intellectual intensity to execute those ideas, whether his blueprint was fully there beforehand or whether he kept refashioning what he had done until, like a sculpture, it had taken the shape it was meant to take.

As an orchestrator, Lindsey is a miniaturist. He puts each element of the track under a magnifying glass, expanding & sometimes distorting its place in the whole. He uses a single filigree -- perhaps a short motive or even a single note on a keyboard, a guitar, or a found sound -- & by embedding it just so within the whole, alters its emotional & musical landscape. Take the relatively simple motive of the ascending-descending pentatonic scale in GYPSY, which transforms a straightforward mid-tempo rocker into a gossamer web of longing with a simple leitmotiv that carries the listener into the nether reaches of his imagination.

I also like the personal style with which Lindsey plays (or played) his electric guitar. His messy picking gave these old pop & rock songs a kaleidoscopic effect -- like shards of colored glass within a prism. Lindsey worked in Technicolor.

[Peestie]

Originally Posted by wondergirl9847

What I love most about LB's music is that it MEANS something to me. I'm a fan because Lindsey's melodies and lyrics affect me. His music ranges from harsh to sweet, so you get all sorts of emotions.

I'd say this has got to right up there for me as well.

I love his production. He can do perfectly poppy (Rumours, OOTC) and he can do an almost lo-fi approach (UTS) but it's always very recognisable.

One of my favourite Lindsey musical moments has got to be Murrow Turning Over in His Grave because it contains several elements that I think of as "very Lindsey" and brings them together in one song. It's got the mass, syncopated vocals in the chorus. It's got a finger-picked guitar part that reminds me of Wrong. It's got that weird noisey guitar thing during the "baba baba baba" part. It's got a screaming guitar solo that's just "so Lindsey". The part during the solo when he just holds that one screaming note just gets me going every single time.

I like it when he balances a sing-song melody with lyrics that are actually quite tortured. Well, tortured is too strong a word but I'm thinking of things like Book of Love where it's a chirpy pop-song but lyrically it's really this guy who's obviously very frustrated at too many broken hearts and being lonely.

I also love that he uses his voice as an instrument. It's layered in all over the place he'll sing in so many different ways depending on the song. He can go from a whisper on one song to belting it out full voiced in another. And of course there are his silly voices like on Bwana and Johnny Stew.

[Peestie]

Originally Posted by David

I think he has (or had) great skill in crafting a track out of a song

So are you of the opinion that he's not looking at the fine detail as much as he did in previous decades? What about his style has changed that you no longer like? I do agree that his style of production has changed and on his last two solo albums the general style is a bit more rough and read than from OOTC and earlier. He seems more willing to have ragged edges now than he once would have. Not that I mind, I still like his production, although sometimes there is just a bit more treble on things and it makes things seem more brittle than before. It just gives a different sort of feeling to the albums than the soft warmth of Tango or Rumours.

[Little Nicki]

Originally Posted by David

I think he has (or had) great skill in crafting a track out of a song, for the two are not different terms for the same thing. That's what I like (or liked) about him. He had marvelous musical ideas & the craftsmanship & intellectual intensity to execute those ideas, whether his blueprint was fully there beforehand or whether he kept refashioning what he had done until, like a sculpture, it had taken the shape it was meant to take.

As an orchestrator, Lindsey is a miniaturist. He puts each element of the track under a magnifying glass, expanding & sometimes distorting its place in the whole. He uses a single filigree -- perhaps a short motive or even a single note on a keyboard, a guitar, or a found sound -- & by embedding it just so within the whole, alters its emotional & musical landscape. Take the relatively simple motive of the ascending-descending pentatonic scale in GYPSY, which transforms a straightforward mid-tempo rocker into a gossamer web of longing with a simple leitmotiv that carries the listener into the nether reaches of his imagination.

I also like the personal style with which Lindsey plays (or played) his electric guitar. His messy picking gave these old pop & rock songs a kaleidoscopic effect -- like shards of colored glass within a prism. Lindsey worked in Technicolor.

Daivd, you're a hoot. But you're actually right on.

Sometimes I wonder about Lindsey's reasoning behind speeding up his voice or his guitar tracks. The temptation is to think that he's trying to make himself seem more skilled at guitar or make his voice sound younger again. But I really do think that he just has a certain sound or effect in mind and he uses his studio know-how to find a way to achieve it. And if that's the case, I greatly respect him and his vision for songs.
For example, the vocals is Bel Air Rain sound like he still has that young, flexible voice from the seventies, but in reality they are sped up a bit to raise the pitch. The result is a frantic, energetic sounding vocal that is just beyond humanly possible. It's subtle but it makes a great effect.

[shackin'up]

I love Lindsey's music because of the fact that it always seems to be ahead of the trend of the moment. The way he composed GYOW, NGBA etc. showed structures that popmusic didn't have before. His approach on Tusk was even going further. All the indiefolkbands of this moment are inspired by this "lofi-perfection"-approach and alot of male singers of these sort of bands these days resemble him.

It's always the weirdness in his pop-approach that attracts me. The way f*cks with your head in Time Precious Time, the way he dares to scream in Johnny Stew, the way he dares to compose Play In the Rain, the way he punkrocks out on GOS, That's Enough For Me, Not That Funny and The Ledge.

He annoys me AND surprises me with his productionapproaches, I always have to "learn" to listen to him. With that he will always be the "teacher" of my taste and because I always have to adjust to him, made me a listener who is able to listen to things that irk me at first. He broadened my taste contantly through the years and he still does.

[Erin]

For every mood I've been in or will ever be in, there is a Lindsey Buckingham song. Although many of his songs are tinged with despair he remains hopeful. Plus I'm continually astounded every time I have had the opportunity to watch him play live. Just amazing dexterity. Oh and he's hot. (I might occasionally lurk on The Chain).

I've really been into Shut Us Down lately. I'm not a big fan of the whispered vocal on the studio track, but the live versions just floor me, especially the ending.

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by Peestie

I also love that he uses his voice as an instrument. It's layered in all over the place he'll sing in so many different ways depending on the song.

Yes, that's one of the things I like. More than the tone of his voice, his use of it is so distinctive. Evocative. Often, in demos, he doesn't sing many words or full sentences, but you can still divine the message and mood of what the lyrics are saying, just from the way he uses his voice (Given Thing).

It's like his voice was percussion on Time Bomb Town. I'm telling you, when I went to see Back to the Future and I heard just a little of that over the radio, I was overwhelmed with an anxious excitement. I couldn't wait to have the song, which was so new to me, but so familiar at the same time.

With the clipped staccato sounds, hiccups and whoops, the echoed, breathy quality. it was so much like Lindsey, more like him than his signature.

How can someone sound robotic and riddled with human frailty at the same time?

He understands music so well that he can use his voice as little more than seasoning, so he's not singing so much as just enhancing the playing. Recently, people accuse him of just altering the vocals to hide his deterioating range. I can understand that criticism based on UTS, but the guy's been doing that for decades. He's not trying to hide anything. He's trying to reveal.

Michele

[MacMan]

I just love the quirkiness of some of his tunes, his guitar playing, all the layers and the denseness of the music. There's so much to listen for... His lyrics for me usually come second after the music, if that makes sense.

[louielouie2000]

I think the coolest thing about Lindsey's music for me is it's expanded my horizons so much in regards to musical taste and appreciation. I originally had a very narrow window of what I appreciated and didn't. Albums like Tusk and Go Insane took what I knew of music and turned it on it's head. For me, it opened up the door to indie bands, and far more experimental music. Without a doubt, Lindsey's music has enlightened me.

And as a perfect crown, I think GOS is the perfect culmination of a 35 year career in musical experimentation and pop/rock sensibility. I hate to say it, but I'd almost hate another LB solo album, because he'd be leaving on SUCH a good note! That said, he CANNOT leave the Fleetwood Mac legacy to end with Say You Will! Time for the man to get to work!

[BTFLCHLD]

Christy, your posts make me uncomfortable.

What is it about Lindsey's music that you love? ~his eyes~

[wheart]

If I had to pick the one thing I liked most about Lindsey's music I'd say it's his sense of melody. I think it's just superb. That's what really draws me, and then his voice and lyrics seal the deal. I think his lyrics have greatly improved over the years.

[Dodfather]

Originally Posted by louielouie2000

I hate to say it, but I'd almost hate another LB solo album, because he'd be leaving on SUCH a good note! That said, he CANNOT leave the Fleetwood Mac legacy to end with Say You Will! Time for the man to get to work!

I completely agree with this, both concerning his solo work and his work with Fleetwood Mac!

[wheart]

Originally Posted by David

I think he has (or had) great skill in crafting a track out of a song, for the two are not different terms for the same thing. That's what I like (or liked) about him. He had marvelous musical ideas & the craftsmanship & intellectual intensity to execute those ideas, whether his blueprint was fully there beforehand or whether he kept refashioning what he had done until, like a sculpture, it had taken the shape it was meant to take.

As an orchestrator, Lindsey is a miniaturist. He puts each element of the track under a magnifying glass, expanding & sometimes distorting its place in the whole. He uses a single filigree -- perhaps a short motive or even a single note on a keyboard, a guitar, or a found sound -- & by embedding it just so within the whole, alters its emotional & musical landscape. Take the relatively simple motive of the ascending-descending pentatonic scale in GYPSY, which transforms a straightforward mid-tempo rocker into a gossamer web of longing with a simple leitmotiv that carries the listener into the nether reaches of his imagination.

I also like the personal style with which Lindsey plays (or played) his electric guitar. His messy picking gave these old pop & rock songs a kaleidoscopic effect -- like shards of colored glass within a prism. Lindsey worked in Technicolor.

can you please elaborate!! LOL

[GoS]

Originally Posted by wondergirl9847

Thanks for the inspiration, Peetsie.

What I love most about LB's music is that it MEANS something to me. I'm a fan because Lindsey's melodies and lyrics affect me. His music ranges from harsh to sweet, so you get all sorts of emotions.

Everyone can come up with 400 different meanings behind the songs. Some may be about Stevie or it could be Anne, perhaps it was about Carol Anne, his kids, his wife, etc. I have my own interpretation about Red Rover and Lindsey's got HIS interp and everyone else has their own.

Even though many people think his lyrics are simple, I believe not everyone needs to be a complicated poet. Some of his simplest lines are my favorite because they apply to my life or they are 100% real.

Listening to his entire catalogue, you get that girly-voiced man at the beginning and it morphs into this robust, deep demand in his vocals. Listen to Crystal then Doing What I Can...HUGE difference in his voice. It's like we are following his life in that voice.

The production in his music kills me! From the radio-friendliness of his Rumours songs to the freaky brilliance of all the Tusk stuff and on to the "I'm still relevant!" strength in UTS and GOS, he's never boring.

Lindsey is one of the VERY few artists I can say that I like pretty much every single thing he's ever done.

Couldn't have said it better myself, so I won't try.

Diversity.... Progression... Deep (at least musically)... You can hear how much effort into it... Interesting... Unique...

LaO, Go Insane, OOtC,UtS, GoS- all so different, all so good.

Originally Posted by michelej1

(Given Thing).