One of the legendary \u201clost\u201d albums of the classic rock era, Buckingham Nicks<\/i>\u2014the duo record issued by Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks just before they joined Fleetwood Mac\u2014was finally reissued this fall after five decades out of print.<\/p>\n
The tumultuous and often contentious relationship between these two singer-songwriters\u2014chronicled across a dozen albums and nearly as many Fleetwood Mac lineup shuffles\u2014has been in evidence since day one, and remains so today. All you have to do is consider the length of time it\u2019s taken for this reissue to see the light of day, and then take a single glance at the physical disc inside the package. For 50 years the artist on this album has been billed as Buckingham Nicks, as it still is on the reproduced cover\u2014but on the CD itself, they are billed as \u201cNicks & Buckingham.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sigh.<\/p>\n
But you probably want to know about the music. It\u2019s solid Seventies West Coast pop-rock of just the sort bound to attract Mick Fleetwood\u2019s attention in 1974, with flashes of virtuosity courtesy of Buckingham\u2019s superb guitar work, and soulful overtones courtesy of Nicks\u2019 beguiling vocal presence. That said\u2014and having been a fan of classic Fleetwood Mac for decades, but never in my life having heard this album before now\u2014I can report that Buckingham Nicks<\/i> is not so much a lost classic as a modestly impressive debut, a solid yet flawed album whose highs aren\u2019t that high and lows (thankfully) aren\u2019t that low.<\/p>\n
As evidenced by the above-mentioned shenanigans on the CD itself, Buckingham and Nicks compete for space throughout this album, while also demonstrating the potency of their musical partnership. The Nicks opener \u201cCrying In The Night\u201d\u00a0 sets the template for the partnership. Buckingham\u2019s firm melodic strums are instantly identifiable; he’s a very rhythmic guitar player and his style pairs beautifully with Nicks\u2019 husky, resonant vocals. The track itself feels very much of its era, \u201970s California rock exploring a dysfunctional relationship that appears to be nearing its end. It\u2019s hard not to consider the interpersonal dynamics still emerging at that point as Stevie sings \u201cShe\u2019ll leave you crying in the night\u201d while Lindsey strums away behind her. (Has any breakup in rock history inspired more songs from the two principals?)<\/p>\n
Next up, Buckingham\u2019s \u201cStephanie\u201d pays tribute to his partner with a warm acoustic instrumental that showcases his dexterity and muscular approach; he snaps the strings like a man with a chip on his shoulder. The lurching, jangly \u201cWithout A Leg To Stand On\u201d is another characteristic LB number, tight and edgy though not particularly memorable until the chorus, where the duo\u2019s harmonizing lifts the song to the next level. <\/p>\n
Nicks\u2019 \u201cCrystal\u201d is the one song here that was remade for the pair\u2019s subsequent Fleetwood Mac debut (1975\u2019s Fleetwood Mac<\/i>). In both iterations it\u2019s sung by Buckingham, an interesting choice, and in both cases, the pair\u2019s harmonies on the chorus are pure magic. The difference between the two recordings lies mostly in the rhythm section. Ace session drummer Jim Keltner and whoever played bass on this track do a fine job here, but close comparison makes it clear that John McVie and Mick Fleetwood are unbeatable in the intuitive, dynamic way they bring added bounce and interest to the Mac version.<\/p>\n
Nicks takes the mic for her \u201cLong Distance Winner,\u201d another dark, prickly chronicle of a difficult love headed south. \u201cDon\u2019t try to change them \/ You never will,\u201d she sings, seemingly to the face in the mirror. A nice electric solo in the third minute adds intensity to an otherwise too-familiar tune; it sounds like Buckingham, though Waddy Wachtel is also credited on guitars.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t Let Me Down Again\u201d is a Buckingham number with the same kind of steady gallop as Rumours<\/i>\u2019 \u201cSecond Hand News\u201d and fiery, prominent lead guitar. It\u2019s interesting to note how often both songwriters choose to play the victim. That said, the guitar work is stellar and the song has a strong push, certainly moreso than on the following \u201cDjango,\u201d a brief acoustic instrumental cover that feels like filler.<\/p>\n
Nicks returns for her \u201cRaces Are Run,\u201d a mid-tempo lament that feels like a reflection of the competitive tension in their musical\/romantic partnership: \u201cRaces are run \/ Some people win \/ Some people always have to lose.\u201d It feels whiny, though the magic is still there when they harmonize at the chorus. If only some of that magic carried into \u201cLola (My Love)\u201d a dopey, leering blues jam in which Buckingham declares his hot-blooded woman \u201cSure knows how to treat her man.\u201d It\u2019s a boys-club novelty that never should have made it out of the studio.<\/p>\n
Closer \u201cFrozen Love\u201d\u2014the one Nicks-Buckingham co-write on the album\u2014is an extended seven-minute number that\u2019s the best thing here. Buckingham takes the initial lead vocal over a complex acoustic riff, before Nicks enters and they proceed in unison until she takes the second verse. \u201cYou are not happy, but what is love?\u201d she sings on this darkly melodic number before they go into a lengthy mid-song breakdown\/buildup that starts acoustic, then billows with strings and intensifies further, eventually resolving back to the chorus. Its tones and shifting moods, if not the music itself, suggest \u201cThe Chain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Buckingham Nicks<\/i>\u2014or should that be Nicks & Buckingham<\/i>?\u2014is an absorbing listen mostly for the context it occupies and the clues its grooves contain about the future. As a set of tunes, it\u2019s decidedly mediocre, with highs (\u201cFrozen Love\u201d), lows (\u201cLola\u201d) and a middle ground of tracks that are solid enough, yet pale in comparison to what both artists would achieve in the years ahead. All that said, the fact remains that, if you\u2019re a fan of either of these artists and\/or of the classic Fleetwood Mac lineup, you need this album to complete the story.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":35380,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"artist":[11132],"rating":[5612],"class_list":["post-47275","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-buckingham-nicks","rating-rating-b-minus"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/47275","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47275"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/47275\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=47275"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=47275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}