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Jul 24, 2024 Web Exclusive By Frank Valish

Lindsey Buckingham’s musical proclivities seemed perfectly suited for the 1980s. His biggest assertion of dominance within Fleetwood Mac, the sprawling double album Tusk in 1979, featured several of his compositions that when set alongside the more typical Mac fare made for a strikingly unique and musically satisfying album. After the release of that album and before Fleetwood Mac’s next one, 1982’s Mirage, Buckingham embarked on a solo career that saw albums released in 1981 (Law and Order), 1984 (Go Insane), and 1992 (Out of the Cradle).

20th Century Lindsey collects these three albums, with an additional album of rarities, all on vinyl, packaged in a handsome box. The first of these albums, Law and Order, is the most esoteric of the bunch. There’s a light, loping number (“I’ll Tell You Now”) and a beautiful lullaby with harmony vocals by Christine McVie (“Shadow of the West”). But otherwise, the songs are experimental. There is a bizarre, jumpy spoken/sung stylistic melange called “That’s How We Do It In L.A.,” a very ’80s electro-rocker called “Johnny Stew,” and three covers—two from the ’50s (Gary Paxton’s “It Was I” and the oft-covered “A Satisfied Mind”) and one from the ’30s (the Kurt Weill composition “September Song”).

Compared to Law and Order, Go Insane is infinitely more accessible. Accented with clear ’80s flair, there are no more idiosyncratic cover songs, and the album finds Buckingham’s signature guitar work more on display. The title track is pleasingly melodic, with an insistent electro beat and some very period effects. “Loving Cup” skitters along nicely. And excepting the bizarre, sound effect-laden, breathy vocals-filled “Play In the Rain,” a track which starts on side 1 and finishes on side 2, the songs on Go Insane are easier to digest than those on its predecessor, although certainly retaining Buckingham’s experimental bent.

Buckingham quit Fleetwood Mac for a time after 1987’s Tango In the Night and devoted his musical efforts to what became 1992’s Out of the Cradle. This album can be described as more mature, sticking to more typical song structures and ironically sounding the most like Fleetwood Mac of any of Buckingham’s solo albums thus far. “Don’t Look Down,” “Wrong,” and “Countdown” start the album impressively, before “All My Sorrows” slows things down to a near stop with its gentle guitar and gentler vocals. The instrumental introduction preceding “This Is the Time” on side 1 completely mesmerizes, and the song that follows finds Buckingham interjecting some grit into the proceedings. “Turn It On” is yet another standout, an engaging melody set to lyrics of empowerment.

The extra LP here, entitled Rarities, is a collection of soundtrack cuts and a few remixed or extended versions of songs that fill out the era, starting with 1983’s “Holiday Road” and “Dancin’ Across the USA” from National Lampoon’s Vacation movie and concluding with “On the Wrong Side” from the With Honors film soundtrack and “Twisted,” the Stevie Nicks duet from Twister.

As with all of these Rhino reissue boxes, 20th Century Lindsey is the perfect piece for the collector, especially one who may have missed out on one of more of the albums at the time. It provides a comprehensive summation of Buckingham’s ’80s and ’90s solo work, topping things off with one-off tracks that are here all in one place, wrapping it all up with a nice little bow. (www.rhino.com)

Author rating: 7/10