SWS vs IYD article

[elle]

huge thank you to shackin'up for the translation (he says it's not perfect; but it definitely gives you the jest of the article):


Lindsey Buckingham / Stevie Nicks - Seeds We Sow / In Your Dreams

Buckingham vs. Nicks

http://www.8weekly.nl/artikel/9504/l...-vs-nicks.html

With Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham made a series of classic records, but how still-relevant is their new work? A comparative study.

Tristan and Isolde, Romeo and Juliet, Bonny and Clyde, Buckingham and Nicks. Although the two are now thirty-five years apart, the music will always keep them connected. Put them together in a studio and fireworks are guaranteed. Take them apart and the results are fickle.

The solo careers side by side
After the Rumours and Tusk albums of Fleetwood Mac made them superstars, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks both started with solo albums in 1981. The first strike is for Nicks: Buckingham’s Law and Order must have been defeated both commercially and artistically by Nicks' Bella Donna. Nicks works hard on her career in the eighties most, but wrong song production and uneven songwriting put her in a a downward spiral. In Your Dreams appears ten years after the moderate Trouble in Shangri-La.

Buckingham left Fleetwood Mac after the comeback album Tango in the Night in 1987. For talking about a real solo career, however, is very little reason: apart from the strong Out of the Cradle of 1991, nothing appears for a long long time. The most powerful man in the world gets him to rejoin Fleetwood Mac. The way Fleetwood Mac stands behind Bill Clinton is a first sign of social engagement. Fleetwood Mac's comeback album Say You Will from 2003 shows a Buckingham against the greedy capitalists who destroy the world. He does this with a cynicism that is traditionally kept for Nicks. ' take no prisoners, only kill, it was called in "Peacekeeper". Say You Will is the beginning of a productive period: Seeds We Sow is Buckingham's third solo album in five years.

All thirteen Nicks
For her latest album, Nicks got productional help from Dave Stewart (Eurythmics). The fact that Nicks only works with people over fifty explains the smooth, dated sound of this album. Another point of annoyance are Nicks' lyrics. She’s been having a tendency for platitudes intended as profound wisdom. The seriously intended 'Cheaper Than Free ‘says it all, for that matter:

What's cheaper than free? You and me.
What does money not buy? You and I!
What is faster than a fast car? A beating heart
More exciting than high fashion? High passion!

What costs less than a penny? Sentiment! Fair is fair, there are quite a few decent songs on this album, like "In Your Dreams," "Moonlight (A Vampire's Dream)" and "Soldier's Angel," a duet with Lindsey Buckingham. However, too often it seems that Nicks can’t observe the line between art and kitsch anymore. In short, it's time for Nicks to retire.

Little crazy, little genius
On Seeds We Sow, Buckingham is doing what he loves doing: do his own thing. Buckingham makes his solo albums virtually by himself, through dubbing endless layers of guitars and vocals over each other. Whether this is the best way to record an album is the question. A decent rhythm section should at least do no harm. Fact is that Buckingham's method often delivers highly original results. Similarly on Seeds We Sow. Predecessor Gift of Screws was an especially nice crazy record. On Seeds We Sow, we mostly hear that Buckingham is not only a little crazy, but also a bit of a genius. This qualification deserves the song 'Illumination', his most poppy song since 'Peacekeeper', yet such a number that only can be made by Buckingham.

"Stars are Crazy" and "When She Comes Down 'are atmospheric campfire ballads. "One Take" is an angular rocker, which Buckingham’s fierce swipe at business people behind the scenes pulling the strings, increasing the gap between rich and poor in the United States. Has he put up his tent on Wall Street yet?

I'm just another madman
I turn it off, I turn it on
And I will not be denied
No. I will not be satisfied
Till the middle class is gone

Then firmly rocking, then restrained, Buckingham is able to hold the tension. Only in the last three songs the attention weakens a bit. That Seeds We Sow is a surprisingly strong album, maybe it’s Buckingham's best. In their heyday, Buckingham and Nicks were evenly matched, late in the year 2011, Buckingham leaves his ex far behind.