Myrtle Beach online article

[Livia]

Buckingham brings solo style to tour

By Steve Palisin
The Sun News

Lindsey Buckingham brings a "Big Love" to solo projects away from Fleetwood Mac.

The writer and singer of that 1987 single and other group hits such as "Go Your Own Way," 10 years earlier, will stop at House of Blues in Myrtle Beach on Tuesday to continue the direction he has taken musically.

For the longest time, Buckingham said by phone last week, "I have put a boundary around what I'm doing."

His fourth album, "Under the Skin," released in October by Warner Bros/WEA, marks his first solo effort in 14 years. Buckingham said the 11 cuts represent his commitment to make music on a more simple, personal scale.

Two guitars carry most of the numbers in a production that played out in his living room at home in Los Angeles.

"Playing quite a few songs of my own," he said, and touring for several months to promote the new album, "that's the psychology behind it."

He said tours for his other albums, with songs such as "Trouble" and "Go Insane," involved little time.

Buckingham, 58, said performers who have spent more than 20 years in the recording business might attempt to "re-create their external success," trying to find the right producer and set of circumstances, often resulting in disappointment.

He's taken another option, though: "Doing what you want to do, not expecting or wanting to play the game," he said.

Whether his product connects with a broad or a "boutique" audience, Buckingham finds either great, especially because with changes in the music industry and means of sales to consumers, "That's even more reason for not trying to go compete [against] 20-year-olds."

He finds performing "Big Love" and "Go Insane" on stage fun, especially acoustically on guitar, but enjoys "doing some new and older songs constructed in a more intimate way."

"You're putting the pieces of the puzzle together carefully," he said.

Buckingham has made his mark outside of a recording studio, as well.

His drum-driven title track from "Tusk," Fleetwood Mac's double album from 1979, was recorded with the University of Southern California's marching band. It remains a tradition at Trojan football games.

Buckingham called "Tusk" his favorite group album "not only for what it is, but for the reason it got made."

'"Tusk' was kind of the line I drew in the sand," he said of producing its concept. "It was the beginning of how I still define myself to this day."

He said it was his answer so the group would not make "Rumours II," on the heels of an album that sold more than 17 million copies and generated hits such as "Dreams" and "Don't Stop."

Buckingham also wrote and performed the opening and closing theme in the Chevy Chase movie "National Lampoon's Vacation."

He looks back at "Holiday Road" as a "foray into something" extracurricular.

"We got lucky with that," he said. "It was a fun, kind of quirky accidental moment."

He dismissed using the word "reunion" when it comes to Fleetwood Mac playing again, "since the band sort of reconvened in 1997" for "The Dance" live album.

His plans call for releasing another solo CD in the first quarter of 2008 then backing it up with more touring, but the group remains on his screen.

"Nothing's on the books yet," he said, "other than we're all going to do it sometime down the road."

Contact STEVE PALISIN at 444-1764 or [email protected].


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If you go

Who | Lindsey Buckingham with The Greyhounds

When | 9 p.m. Tuesday