retroblog.net » Lindsey Buckingham

the Friday Free for All – Get On Your Boots

retroDan — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:36:57 +0000

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!

Lindsey Buckingham – Gift of Screws – Review

retroDan — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 21:13:10 +0000

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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Gift of Screws to be released in Sept.

retroDan — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 01:58:09 +0000

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

**update 15Jul08: Here’s the Official Press Release**

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, July 15, 2008

LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM — GIFT OF SCREWS — ON REPRISE RECORDS SEPTEMBER 16, 2008
SINGER-SONGWRITER/GUITARIST BEGINS U.S. TOUR THIS FALL

Burbank, CA- Warner Bros. Records will release the fifth solo album from singer, songwriter, and guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, entitled Gift of Screws, on Reprise Records September 16, 2008.

Gift of Screws unites the broad appeal Buckingham showed as the main musical force behind Fleetwood Mac with the restless spirit of experimentalism he’s shown on landmark Mac albums as Rumours and Tusk, and on his own visionary solo albums. It’s the sum of Buckingham’s labors of musical love and dedication, with all the joys and struggles that have come along the way.

“I’d say this album distills several periods of time,” Buckingham says. “It has false starts to make albums, songs that go back a number of years that took a while to find a home, and brand-new songs. I wanted to bring it all together in one place. As an artist I’m still, for better or worse, clinging to my idealism and to my sense that there is still much to be said. This album is a culmination of that.”

Gift of Screws is a rocking complement to Buckingham’s previous album, 2006′s acoustic guitar-driven Under the Skin, balancing such layered guitar-and-voice contemplations as “Time Precious Time” and “Bel Air Rain” with the seductive rush of the title song and the opener “Great Day.” In some ways it’s also an extension of his Fleetwood Mac legacy as Mick Fleetwood and John McVie provide the unmistakable foundation on several songs, including the embracing “Wait for You” and the gloriously mad title song. Showcased throughout are Buckingham’s noted virtuosity as a guitarist, as well as his expressiveness as both a singer and writer.

Largely written and recorded both at his home studio and in solo hotel room sessions during his Under the Skin tour (an electrifying set of concerts documented on the 2008 DVD/CD package Live at the Bass Performance Hall), Gift of Screws was produced by Buckingham, with the exception of two songs — “Wait For You” and the title track — that were co-produced by Rob Cavallo (Green Day, Jewel, Dave Matthews Band).

Last fall, Buckingham embarked on his first U.S. solo tour in nearly 14 years, which continued through the summer. He will tour the U.S. in support of Gift of Screws through September and October. Please visit Buckingham’s website, www.lindseybuckingham.com, for details.
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mix tape: favorite guitarists

retroDan — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 21:35:31 +0000

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?