Top Ten Artists Suffering The Lindsey Buckingham Paradox

[Madness Fades]

Found on :http://www.mynxzilla.com/2008/03/lin...m-paradox.html


Fifteen minutes ago, I was explaining the Lindsey Buckingham Paradox to Malav.

Malav, like most people, furrowed his brow and asked what, exactly, this paradox might be.

The Lindsey Buckingham Paradox is what happens when otherwise brilliant musicians decide they're better than their bandmates (creative differences, natch), strike out on their own with solo "careers", and somewhat curiously never again manage to grasp his or her own genius in the way we all know is possible.

Lindsey is a goddamned genius. He strives for constant musical evolution, always pushing the creative envelope, and is unto himself an origination point on the great conceptual flowchart of musical evolution in the last 40 years. But, solo? Mania. I mean, oh dear god, concept albums. He's a one-man Plastic Ono Band, all by himself.

It is when Lindsey Buckingham's lunatic genius is tempered by Stevie Nicks (and even Christine McVie) that the magic happens, because the whole of Fleetwood Mac is so much greater than the sum of its parts.

Once this is explained, people grok the Paradox immediately and offer up their own suggestions for musicians who suffer from the same.

After numerous discussions with numerous people over the years, I thought to start making lists of artists with a terminal case of the LBP. Lindsey, of course, goes without mentioning, as he is the namesake. There are many many more, these are just today's starting point.

Today's Top Ten Artists Suffering The Lindsey Buckingham Paradox:

#10 Steve Perry (Journey)
Oh Sherry notwithstanding, just... what? Diva, untamed.



#9 Glenn Frey (The Eagles)
Where, oh where, has our Desperado gone?



#8 Tim Finn (Crowded House, or even Split Enz)
Crowded House undoubtedly achieved its great(er) success after Tim left the band, and while they were never the same, Tim... didn't. And wasn't. While Tim's brother Neil is a creative genius in his own right, somewhere in the collaboration? That's where the miracles live.



#7 Art Garfunkel (Simon & Garfunkel)
The haunting magic that Art brought to Paul Simon's artful mastery was like the unexplained awesometasticness that bursts out of, say, dipping french fries in chocolate milkshakes. There's no reason that these two things should be any good together, but they ARE. Unlike this example, however, both of those ingredients are better on their own. Not so with Mr. Garfunkel.



#6 Peter Cetera (Chicago)
Sorry, Matt. I know you're going to drive to South Carolina expressly to poke me with a very sharp stick over this one, but, man. I know even you will agree with me when I say: If You Leave Me Now? The apex. There was nowhere Cetera could go but down, down, Karate Kid down.



#5 Dennis DeYoung (Styx)
Remember when Styx was groundbreaking? Then remember how Dennis DeYoung put on the +20 Perm of Suck and went all concept album on our collective asses? Yeah. Me too.



#4 Paul McCartney (The Beatles)
Say you want a revolution? Well, you know.



#3 Jon Anderson (Yes)
The mere existence of that Jon Anderson lyrics generator is enough said.



#2 Sting (The Police)
Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers brought their own special flavors to the Police party, and without them, Sting is just a big bowl of goddamned puffy cheetos. Like Bono, maybe, without the passion or, you know, cred.



#1 Billy Corgan (The Smashing Pumpkins)
"My band is a bunch of mean-spirited drug addicts! H8erade! Solo Career! Wait, oh noes, where'd my career GO? Come back! I'll stop being an insufferable diva with a superiority complex, oh my god, I swear, just take me baaaaaack (wah)".

[mylittledemon]

Originally Posted by Madness Fades

because the whole of Fleetwood Mac is so much greater than the sum of its parts.

if I hear one more person say this, I'm just gonna snap in two.

[Cammie]

Everyone has one !!! C.

[michelej1]

I don't think that's what happened with Lindsey exactly.

Still, I'm proud to have a paradox named after him, even if it's not apropo.

Michele

[louielouie2000]

I think there's a certain truth to the article, even if specific details are off. Sans Out Of The Cradle, Lindsey's albums are indeed downright manic. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Lindsey's sonic experimentation immensely, I just think he's at his best when he's not the only cook in the oven. However, I don't think it's Stevie Nicks who's his muse... I'd argue it's Christine McVie.

[LukeA]

Originally Posted by Madness Fades

Today's Top Ten Artists Suffering The Lindsey Buckingham Paradox:

#10 Steve Perry (Journey)
Oh Sherry notwithstanding, just... what? Diva, untamed.

Perennial douchebag who is content with the inexplicable renaissance of "Don't Stop Belevin'".

Originally Posted by Madness Fades

#9 Glenn Frey (The Eagles)
Where, oh where, has our Desperado gone?

Shhh, Little Man still hasn't realized "South of Sunset" was canceled 17 years ago.

Originally Posted by Madness Fades

#7 Art Garfunkel (Simon & Garfunkel)
The haunting magic that Art brought to Paul Simon's artful mastery was like the unexplained awesometasticness that bursts out of, say, dipping french fries in chocolate milkshakes. There's no reason that these two things should be any good together, but they ARE. Unlike this example, however, both of those ingredients are better on their own. Not so with Mr. Garfunkel.

Great voice, flakey doof. I do sincerely hope that his recent vocal ailment isn't career ending.

Originally Posted by Madness Fades

#6 Peter Cetera (Chicago)
Sorry, Matt. I know you're going to drive to South Carolina expressly to poke me with a very sharp stick over this one, but, man. I know even you will agree with me when I say: If You Leave Me Now? The apex. There was nowhere Cetera could go but down, down, Karate Kid down.

He had a solid, respectable solo career- never really claiming "serious" artistic relevance.

Originally Posted by Madness Fades

#5 Dennis DeYoung (Styx)
Remember when Styx was groundbreaking? Then remember how Dennis DeYoung put on the +20 Perm of Suck and went all concept album on our collective asses? Yeah. Me too.

This guy is one of the most unintentionally hilarious people I've ever met. So overdramatic and pretentious that, if he was a TV/movie character, he'd be deemed over-the-top and unbelievable. Once had to cover uproarious laughter with a coughing fit- and, I'm proud to say, I pulled it off!

Originally Posted by Madness Fades

#4 Paul McCartney (The Beatles)
Say you want a revolution? Well, you know.

All things considered, probably the biggest letdown (in terms of pedigree/degree of anticipation/ultimate result) of a solo career possible. Justin Timberlake is the Bizarro World Paul McCartney.

Originally Posted by Madness Fades

#1 Billy Corgan (The Smashing Pumpkins)
"My band is a bunch of mean-spirited drug addicts! H8erade! Solo Career! Wait, oh noes, where'd my career GO? Come back! I'll stop being an insufferable diva with a superiority complex, oh my god, I swear, just take me baaaaaack (wah)".

I would say this is a deserving #1, except I'm not sure he has the musical talent to live up to his massive diva ego. Sometime early '06- back when he regularly bought full page ads in the Chicago Tribune to tell his public how he was doing, what he had for breakfast, and the like- he once stopped by our office (he's friendly with my old company- I've been to a Cubs/Sox game with him and ran into him at corporate events numerous times). He plopped down in one of the big chairs in our lobby, and listened to his iPod.. saying "hi"/"bye" to everyone who came in/left. No one really knew what to do about it. He must have sat there for at least four hours, and probably only left because we were closing.

[MissLadyLoki]

Originally Posted by louielouie2000

I think there's a certain truth to the article, even if specific details are off. Sans Out Of The Cradle, Lindsey's albums are indeed downright manic. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Lindsey's sonic experimentation immensely, I just think he's at his best when he's not the only cook in the oven. However, I don't think it's Stevie Nicks who's his muse... I'd argue it's Christine McVie.

I completely agree with that While OOTC is a huge exception, his other solo albums are a mess of craziness. While i do completely agree with the fact that he is a musical genius, he needs La Nicks and Chris to bring out the best of that genius.

BTW, i just thought of somebody who should've been on that list: Brian Wilson. Like Bucky, he was a mad genius, but when he went at it without the Beach Boys, he came out with some very strange stuff.

[Silver Springs]

Originally Posted by MissLadyLoki

I completely agree with that While OOTC is a huge exception, his other solo albums are a mess of craziness. While i do completely agree with the fact that he is a musical genius, he needs La Nicks and Chris to bring out the best of that genius.

BTW, i just thought of somebody who should've been on that list: Brian Wilson. Like Bucky, he was a mad genius, but when he went at it without the Beach Boys, he came out with some very strange stuff.

I think even Bucky himself could agree that Surfs Up, even with the Beach Boy's backing, was far beyond any of their other albums. It was a mismatch of ideas that only really worked if you failed to take notice of this. You get the feeling that the songs are meant to work independenly, but place them together and it's disjointed. Although, having said that, Don't Go Near The Water and Long Promised Road do flow into each other perfectly. But that's where that phenomena ends.

[holidayroad]

Originally Posted by MissLadyLoki

I completely agree with that While OOTC is a huge exception, his other solo albums are a mess of craziness. While i do completely agree with the fact that he is a musical genius, he needs La Nicks and Chris to bring out the best of that genius.

BTW, i just thought of somebody who should've been on that list: Brian Wilson. Like Bucky, he was a mad genius, but when he went at it without the Beach Boys, he came out with some very strange stuff.

When I read things similar to this article in the past, It usually started with a mention of Brian Wilson. Then Lindsey was compared to him.

Hmm.....I'm wondering what it says about my husband that two of his faves are on this list (Steve Perry and Dennis DeYoung)??!

[michelej1]

I think that what Lindsey can create with Fleetwood Mac is different than what he does solo and that one is not necessarily an evolution or inchoate version of the other.

OOTC is great, but so is the more recent GOS. I don't think GOS is in any way a deterioration. I think it's a culmination. If he can hit a peak at 60 years old, more than 25 years after his first solo album came out, I think that entirely refutes the thrust of this article.

And judging from the fact that many of the songs he made for the first GOS didn't sound as good with FM (although with Christine gone, we can't fully judge what FM would have brought to them, not even to SYHA, BTLH or My Little Demon), I think it can be argued that the way FM reigns him in isn't always good. The solo versions of his songs are often better, just as the solo versions of Stevie's songs are.

There is no question that he and Christine are magic together and he and Christine and Stevie even more so. What we would have gotten if he and FM had put out more albums might have been just as great, but quite different than his solo ventures and I'm not willing to give either path up. I don't think he lost his way by going solo at all. He only explored a different route, which doesn't negate or usurp the alternative group one.

I think he left FM for emotional reasons, more than creative or artistic ones. Even though he felt stymied by the band after Tusk. Consequently, he rues Mirage. However, he was happier with Tango and it wasn't the music or dreams of a solo career that made him leave. He didn't leave because he wanted more art wise. He left because he wanted less craziness. What we got afterwards, from OOTC, GOS and, yes, even UTS, was not a disappointing echo of what could have been. I don't consider it unrealized potential in any sense.

I regret the fact that we do not have more FM, but I think we could have gotten it along with his solo career, not instead of. I don't think he floundered creatively after leaving FM. He had no commercial success, but after Law and Order and Go Insane, I don't think he expected that anyway.

Michele

[Fannymac]

I think a large part of the problem with Lindsey's solo output is that it's so insullar...he works great with others (as is evident with the Mac), but his solo stuff is 95%-99% just him....it gets a little dull after a while!
I'd like to see him do a record with other musicians and vocalists ~ I'd KILL to see him team up with Kim Carnes again!! ~ I'm sure he CAN play well with others!!

[Lindsfan]

Originally Posted by Fannymac

I think a large part of the problem with Lindsey's solo output is that it's so insullar...he works great with others (as is evident with the Mac), but his solo stuff is 95%-99% just him....it gets a little dull after a while!
I'd like to see him do a record with other musicians and vocalists ~ I'd KILL to see him team up with Kim Carnes again!! ~ I'm sure he CAN play well with others!!

I respectfully disagree with the first part, as I love all his solo stuff, BUT I do agree that he plays well with others I would love to see him put out a record with Melissa Etheridge, or even Amy Winehouse! OK, Amy might be a bit of a stretch, but you never know...how about Crystal Bowersox? Crystal or Melissa defintiely!

[Silver Springs]

Originally Posted by Lindsfan

I respectfully disagree with the first part, as I love all his solo stuff, BUT I do agree that he plays well with others I would love to see him put out a record with Melissa Etheridge, or even Amy Winehouse! OK, Amy might be a bit of a stretch, but you never know...how about Crystal Bowersox? Crystal or Melissa defintiely!

Amy Winehouse? Oddly enough, in his younger days I could really see this match working. Now that he's grown up and learned how to behave himself a little more, I can't help but think that he'd find Amy too overbearing. Face it, she's a big personality. And for some bizarre reason which I am sure I will never understand (), I get the impression that he's just a small bit of a control freak.

[chiliD]

Originally Posted by Silver Springs

I think even Bucky himself could agree that Surfs Up, even with the Beach Boy's backing, was far beyond any of their other albums. It was a mismatch of ideas that only really worked if you failed to take notice of this. You get the feeling that the songs are meant to work independenly, but place them together and it's disjointed. Although, having said that, Don't Go Near The Water and Long Promised Road do flow into each other perfectly. But that's where that phenomena ends.

THE most underrated Beach Boys album (or, on second thought, maybe that would be Holland). Love Carl's vocal on "Feel Flows".

But, then Brian was still trying to use up songs from the aborted Smile album even at this point ("Surf's Up")...he'd kind of spread them out over Smiley Smile, 20/20, & Sunflower...

Hmm...kind of similar to Lindsey's spreading the original GoS songs over three (four?) albums.

Speaking of the Sunflower album...there are a few songs that kind of sound like they could've been Lindsey songs. Guess he must have listened pretty intently to this album at some point.

Who would've guessed that Lindsey was such a Rolling Stones fan...especially around the time of Between The Buttons??