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I very much enjoyed seeing Lindsey Buckingham live at the Carolina Theatre back in October. The man’s got charisma, amazingly fast fingers and a dynamic singing voice to boot. I’m definitely going to catch him again when he comes back around here but in the mean time, I’ve got the newly released DVD of his latest tour titled Songs from the Small Machine: Live in LA to keep on-hand whenever I’m jonesin’ for some Lindsey.

The concert was filmed in April at the Saban Theater in Beverly Hills which was well before the release of the new album Seeds We Sow. So the audience at the show got the special treat of hearing the new tunes before they were even released.

Even though this particular show was put on months before the full-fledged tour, it’s essentially the same exact show – the same setlist and even the same stories shared by Lindsey on stage. Yes, we all knew Lindsey was a perfectionist in the studio but he’s obviously the same way with his live shows at least in terms of mapping out all the details.

As I’ve mentioned in my previous concert review, Buckingham starts out the show alone on stage with just his acoustic guitar. The rest of the band comes in after the initial five songs. It’s always a treat to see him do his thing alone on guitar. His performances are mesmerizing. When he’s joined with the band, they get to tackle the new stuff. And I like the new album and all but honestly, the live versions are so much better than the studio versions. Lindsey just belts out the vocals with so much more passion than on the studio recordings. The album simply sound like “demos” in comparison to how they are performed live. I’d definitely recommend getting the DVD/CD combo so that you can have the live versions on CD.

One of things you’ll notice about this concert DVD is that the director included many close-up shots of Lindsey’s guitar solos. Obviously the director understood the need for us fans to see Lindsey’s fingerpickin’ up close so kudos to the editor and director for including those shots.

The audio on the DVD stays true to the live dynamics from the show. Lindsey typically likes to contrast the quiet and loud sections of his songs so thankfully the audio engineers didn’t choose the squash the dynamic range which would have lessened the impact when Lindsey goes for the jugular on songs like “Big Love” and “Go Insane”.

Lindsey Buckingham is simply a marvel on stage. He truly puts his heart and soul into his music while performing live. I mean, just watch toward the end of “I’m So Afraid” to see Lindsey dripping with sweat!!

This DVD does a nice job in capturing all the great moments of Buckingham’s live show. And as a fan, it’s great to view the concert from different angles that we weren’t able to see while actually in attendance of one of Lindsey’s shows.

retroGrade: A

Lindsey Buckingham – Songs from the Small Machine: Live in LA
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
Region: Region 1
Studio: Eagle Rock Entertainment
DVD Release Date: November 1, 2011
Run Time: 125 minutes
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Rock icon Lindsey Buckingham performed at the Carolina Theatre in Durham, NC this past saturday as part of his 2011 Seeds We Sow tour. I have to admit that I wasn’t all that excited before the show since I learned that the setlist didn’t feature some of my personal favorites from “Gift of Screws” and “Out of the Cradle”. But whatever issues I had with the setlist quickly went out the window once the man took the stage. I didn’t realize what a powerful performer Buckingham is. Yes, the guy is a virtuoso on guitar but his dynamic vocal abilities really brought the house down. It was amazing to see and hear how he fully commits to songs like “Go Insane”, “Never Going Back Again” or “Big Love”. Buckingham put so much passion and emotion into those performances, you ended up wondering if the guy was gonna literally pass out on stage. How the hell he could give 110% like that, over and over again at every show is beyond me. Big props to Buckingham because I consider that a rare talent these days.

After doing the first five songs solo, Buckingham brought out the rest of the band – Brett Tuggle, Neale Heywood and Walfredo Reyes. the guys did a fantastic job recreating the new songs on stage. In fact, some of these versions are even better than their recorded counterpart. “Stars are Crazy” and “Illumination” are two that come to mind.

I also noticed that Reyes was playing a Roland electronic drum kit. I’m guessing that it was Buckingham’s decision to use electronic drums but whatever the case may be, I personally missed the hard “thwack” of a real snare on rockers like “I’m So Afraid” and “Go Your Own Way”. oh well, I guess that’s just me.

Buckingham shared a few stories in between numbers which was a nice touch. From all the years of performing live, Buckingham seems to be very at ease on stage. The way he spoke to the crowd was very natural and didn’t seemed forced. He definitely made a connection with the audience which for some other performers is a hard thing to do (i.e. Eric Clapton).

As for the newly renovated Carolina Theatre – I love seeing shows in this venue. It’s a very intimate setting with not a bad seat in the house. Oh, and with the parking deck right across the street, getting in and out of the place is never a problem. plus the folks at the theatre are always polite and friendly. a big thumbs up to the Carolina Theatre and I wish the venue much success with the upcoming lineup of shows. as a matter of fact, I’ll be coming back for the Todd Rundgren/Utopia show next month!

I do have to mention a weird thing that happened with the sound toward the end of the concert. I’m not sure if the sound team were simply testing out the limits of the new sound system or what but the overall volume got extremely loud (which resulted in a muddy, almost distorted mix) for the last few songs. It was pretty noticeable since the sound mix was pretty much perfect up until that point.

highlights of the evening included: “Stars Are Crazy” (way better than the recorded version), “Big Love” (yes, he’s played this version for years but it always packs a big whallop!), “Illumination”, “Trouble” (love the acoustic rendition), “I’m So Afraid” (love the long drawn out guitar solo)

retroGrade: A+

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Lindsey Buckingham just announced tour dates in support of his upcoming album Seeds We Sow. The new release is definitely a pleasant surprise since his usual modus operandi is to labor over the recording process for years and years.. and then a couple more years on top of that.

And a big THANK YOU to those responsible for booking him in my neck of the woods. Didn’t expect our area to be included in such a short tour. I’ve already grabbed my tickets so I’ll be at the Carolina Theatre show in October! See you there!

Here’s the official press release:
ICONIC FLEETWOOD MAC GUITARIST AND MALE VOCALIST LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM ANNOUNCES 6th SOLO ALBUM “SEEDS WE SOW” AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER 6th
BUCKINGHAM PREPS FOR 31-CITY NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
Los Angeles, CA – Legendary guitarist, singer/songwriter, Grammy winner, producer and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame member Lindsey Buckingham will release his 6th solo album, Seeds We Sow, on September 6th 2011. This album is Buckingham’s first self-release, in which he took a true DIY approach, not only writing and performing every song on the record but producing and mixing them as well. Buckingham also announced a 31-city North American tour in support of the album which kicks off on September 9th in Nevada and continues through October 25th in Napa, CA (full routing below). Tickets go on sale in select cities beginning June 16, check your local venue for ticket purchase and on-sale info.

From the album’s first single “In Our Own Time,” to the soft melodic pop/rock tinge of “End Of Time” and the album’s most rocking track, “One Take,” to the touching “When She Comes Down” and the almost lullaby-esque hushed tones of the gorgeous closing number, “She Smiles Sweetly,” the album showcases Buckingham’s full arsenal of skills. Just as his guitar style on Seeds We Sow is more mature and refined, so too are his lyrics, with one of the standout tracks being the hook-laden “Illumination.” “I think the lyrics over the years have actually gotten better because they’ve gotten a little, I don’t want to say obscure, but more poetic in the way they’re created,” he says, adding, “It’s a mysterious process even to me.”

Fri 09/09/11 Sparks, NV John Ascuaga’s Nugget Hotel/Casino
Sat 09/10/11 Sparks, NV John Ascuaga’s Nugget Hotel/Casino
Mon 09/12/11 Boise, ID Egyptian Theatre
Tue 09/13/11 Salt Lake City, UT The Depot
Wed 09/14/11 Denver, CO University Of Denver
Fri 09/16/11 Minneapolis, MN Pantages Theatre
Sat 09/17/11 Milwaukee, WI Pabst Theater
Sun 09/18/11 Chicago, IL Vic Theatre
Tue 09/20/11 Pittsburgh, PA Carnegie Music Hall
Thu 09/22/11 Glenside, PA Keswick Theatre
Fri 09/23/11 Westhampton Beach, NY Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center
Sat 09/24/11 Ridgefield, CT Ridgefield Playhouse
Sun 09/25/11 Boston, MA Wilbur Theatre
Tue 09/27/11 New York, NY Town Hall
Thu 09/29/11 Morristown, NJ Mayo Performing Arts Center
Fri 09/30/11 Baltimore, MD Goucher College
Sat 10/01/11 Durham, NC Carolina Theatre
Mon 10/03/11 Jacksonville, FL Florida Theatre
Tue 10/04/11 Fort Pierce, FL Sunrise Theatre
Wed 10/05/11 Clearwater, FL Capitol Theatre
Fri 10/07/11 Atlanta, GA Symphony Hall – Woodruff Arts Ctr.
Sun 10/09/11 Houston, TX Verizon Wireless Theater
Wed 10/12/11 Phoenix, AZ Celebrity Theatre
Thu 10/13/11 Los Angeles, CA Royce Hall Auditorium
Fri 10/14/11 Las Vegas, NV Aliante Casino
Sat 10/15/11 Palm Desert, CA McCallum Theatre
Mon 10/17/11 Anaheim, CA City National Grove Of Anaheim
Tue 10/18/11 Turlock, CA Turlock Community Theatre
Wed 10/19/11 San Francisco, CA Regency Center
Sat 10/22/11 Vancouver, BC Centre In Vancouver For Perf. Arts
Sun 10/23/11 Shelton, WA Little Creek Casino
Tue 10/25/11 Napa, CA Uptown Theatre Napa
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It’s time once again for Retroblog.net’s Friday Free for All. For today’s edition, I thought we should explore the vast underworld of bootlegs a bit. thanks to the almighty internets, the sharing of rare and interesting boots exploded these last few years. here’s just a random sampling of some that I have on hand at the moment.

Enjoy the tracks. and feel free to post a list of some of your favorite boots.

please note the sound quality will vary here due to these being “bootlegs” obviously.

GTR – Away (No One is to Blame) from the unreleased NeroTrend album (1987). This features Max Bacon on lead vocals and Steve Howe on guitar. Steve Hackett left the group at this point and Robert Berry was his replacement.

Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello – So Like Candy demo from the Flowers In the Dirt Sessions boot (1988). This is a great version that features both McCartney and Costello singing lead.

Todd Rundgren – Slut from the Vancouver August 25, 2006 boot. a great audience recording. It’s a rough and loose rendition with Tony Levin on bass and Jerry Marotta on drums.

Lindsey Buckingham – Go Insane from the Coach House December 10, 1992 boot. an awesome solo performance of his early eighties hit. definitely an improvement over the original recording which sounds a bit dated now due to the heavy use of the Fairlight sampler.

Susanna Hoffs – Darling One from her unreleased columbia album (1994). This is from the album that Columbia Records rejected. Hoffs ended up re-recording this song (along with some others) for her 1996 album “Susanna Hoffs”. This particular version is more upbeat than the officially released one.

Yes – Cinema/City of Love from the June 19, 1994 Canandaigua, NY boot. There are a ton of boots from this tour since the band did a simulcast of each show via “ConcertSonics”. Even though the “Talk” album isn’t one of my favorites, I thought some of the performances on this tour were pretty strong. I definitely miss Trevor Rabin, though. It’s definitely way overdue for Rabin to get back on stage!!

Journey – Send Her My Love from the Detroit Raised On Radio simulcast in 1986. It’s not the greatest sounding live recording but the “Raised on Radio” tour is fascinating to me for a multitude of reasons – one of which is the presence of Randy Jackson (of American Idol) on bass for this tour. listening to these old live recordings of Journey make me miss Steve “the voice” Perry even more!

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Happy Friday, everyone!

I’ve been waiting for Lindsey Buckingham to release a proper follow up to 1992′s superb Out of the Cradle and he finally did it with the recently released Gift Of Screws. Yes, I know Buckingham made a “comeback” of sorts with Under the Skin in 2006 but the understated acoustic album didn’t really count in my book. To me, Buckingham’s solo outings are all about the “excess”- you know, the “going overboard” with song ideas and production techniques that he couldn’t find a place for under the “Fleetwood Mac” umbrella. His 2006 solo effort was more of an anomaly with its hushed-vocals and lack of hooks or strong melodies. But thankfully Buckingham’s signature “big hooks” are in full force on his new album. The one-two punch of the openers “Great Day” and “Time Precious Time” feature Buckingham’s unique style of fingerpicking. The stereo output that he gets from his custom Rick Turner model guitar sounds absolutely phenomenal. I DO have to mention though that beyond his amazing guitar playing on the first two songs, there’s not much else to take away from them. They’re essentially there to set things up for the third track, “Did You Miss Me” which *finally* kicks the album into gear. Tracks like “Did You Miss Me”, “Love Runs Deeper” and “Bel Air Rain” are great reminders of what a pop genius can do in four minutes. As an added bonus we get to hear the rock solid Fleetwood Mac rhythm-section (Mick Fleetwood and John McVie) on three tunes – “Wait For You”, “Gift of Screws” and “The Right Place to Fade”.

I love the uncertainty in the lyrics to “Underground” which is a dig at his record company (They heard fifteen seconds and that was enough, the idea was new but the business was tough, I think I might wander underground). And it’s interesting to point out that he didn’t end up going “underground” and is still with Reprise Records. The album ends strong with a nice strum-along tune titled “Treason” about moving forward from all the lies and deceit. Like most of Buckingham’s lyrics, the song is wide open for interpretation – it could be about a destructive relationship or the dynamics within Fleetwood Mac or a jab at George W. Bush. But with a title like “Treason”, I suppose it’s Buckingham’s take on Bush. In any case, the song works on all levels and a good strong finish to a solid effort.

retroGrade: B+

Gift Of Screws
artist: Lindsey Buckingham
label: Reprise
released: September 16, 2008
Produced by: Lindsey Buckingham and Rob Cavallo

TrackList:
1 Great Day (3:14)
2 Time Precious Time (4:27)
3 Did You Miss Me (3:58)
4 Wait for You (5:02)
5 Love Runs Deeper (3:58)
6 Bel Air Rain (3:51)
7 The Right Place to Fade (4:04)
8 Gift of Screws (2:56)
9 Underground (3:01)
10 Treason (4:28)

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Lindsey Buckingham surprisingly changes it up and doesn’t end up taking a decade to release his next solo album!! Buckingham usually labors for years and years tweaking his songs in the studio but after his recent success with the 2006 release of Under the Skin (and subsequent solo tour), he has decided that follow things up relatively quickly with the September release of Gift Of Screws.

Tracklist:
1. Great Day
2. Time Precious Time
3. Did You Miss Me
4. Wanna Wait For You
5. Love Runs Deeper
6. Bel Air Rain
7. The Right Place To Fade
8. Gift Of Screws
9. Underground
10. Treason

I still enjoy listening to the bootleg of Buckingham’s original unreleased version of Gift of Screws so it’s great to see some of the songs from that original version get the “official” treatment. Interesting to note that two of the songs that were originally titled “Twist of Fate” and “Shuffle Riff” have now been changed to “The Right Place to Fade” and “Wanna Wait for You”. I wonder if those two particular songs have been revamped.

be sure to catch Lindsey on tour in the fall:
September 7 – Saratoga, CA – The Mountain Winery
September 9 – Seattle, WA – Moore Theatre
September 10 – Portland, OR – Newmark Theatre
September 12 – Stateline, NV – Harrah’s Lake Tahoe
September 13 – San Francisco, CA – TBA
September 14 – Los Angeles, CA – Royce Hall Auditorium
September 16 – San Diego, CA – Humphrey’s Concerts By The Bay
September 18 – Phoenix, AZ – Orpheum Theatre
September 19 – Anaheim, CA – Grove Of Anaheim
September 20 – Las Vegas, NV – The Joint
September 22 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
September 24 – Denver, CO – Ellie Caulkins Opera House
September 26 – Tulsa, OK – The Brady Theater
September 28 – Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theater
September 29 – Saint Louis, MO – The Pageant
October 1 – Cleveland, OH – House Of Blues
October 2 – Chicago, IL – House Of Blues
October 4 – Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theater
October 5 – Indianapolis, IN – Murat Egyptian Room
October 8 – Toronto, ONT – Music Hall Theatre
October 10 – Reading, PA – Sovereign Performing Arts Center
October 11 – Atlantic City, NJ – Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort
October 14 – Northampton, MA – Calvin Theater
October 15 – Ridgefield, CT – Ridgefield Playhouse
October 17 – Boston, MA – Berklee Performance Center
October 18 – Glenside, PA – Keswick Theatre
October 19 – New York, NY – Nokia Theatre Times Square

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it has been awhile since I shared a mix tape here so I thought I’d round up some tracks from a few of my favorite guitarists…

please note: the following songs aren’t necessarily THE best examples of their respective guitar work. the songs I have here are simply what I had available on my mp3 player at the time of posting this list.

Trevor Rabin – Not only can the guy shred but he’s got a great melodic sense to his solos. Yes, he’s hated by YES “purists”, but I personally love his contribution to the YES-saga.
Walls by Yes

Steve Howe – Steve’s got this classical/quirky style that you don’t hear that often in rock music.
Sketches in the Sun by GTR

Lindsey Buckingham – Lindsey’s like a mad scientist in the studio. spending long nights trying to get a sound just right. but on stage, he’s a monster on guitar. he does some absolutely jaw dropping stuff on his custom Rick Turner guitar.
Go Insane (live) by Lindsey Buckingham

Lincoln Brewster – a very humble artist that never boasts about his huge talent. Let me boast for him and say that he’s simply amazing on a Fender Strat.
He’s All I Need by Lincoln Brewster

Neal Schon – Journey’s sappy power ballads may sometimes overshadow Schon’s guitar playing but this old man can ROCK! check out his song In Self Defense off of the album Generations. he’s also singing lead on this one. he doesn’t have much of a voice but listen to the incredible guitar work.
In Self Defense by Journey

Eric Clapton – a list of guitarists isn’t really complete without this man.
Forever Man by Eric Clapton

Lyle Workman – Lyle did some great work with Bourgeois Tagg and Todd Rundgren back in the late eighties and early nineties. I just love his unique style.
Out of the Depths by Lyle Workman

Eric Johnson – this guy is probably on everyone’s list of favorite guitarists. come on, this song is THE STANDARD of melodic guitar playing.
Cliffs of Dover by Eric Johnson

Todd Rundgren – of course, I gotta have Todd Rundgren on my list. the man’s my hero! heh.
While My Guitar Gently Weeps by Todd Rundgren

who’s on your list of favorites?