Disco de Lindsey Buckingham: “Under the Skin [Barnes & Noble Exclusive]”

Lindsey Buckingham has long been one of my favorite artists, going back twelve years to when my parents would play Fleetwood Mac in the car on vacations. His voice is honest, sometimes even angelic--but never fake. His songwriting and producing talents are among the best in the business, and his guitar picking...hell, don't even get me started on that.

So it's not much of a surprise, then, that UNDER THE SKIN is such a great pop record. It has a classic feel to it, as though these were standard pop tunes being revisited; in fact, all but two were written by Buckingham himself. He plays all instrumentation on all the tracks except two (old partner Mick Fleetwood joins him on two songs, and John McVie on one). The acoustic vibe running beneath these songs is sometimes gentle, sometimes furious. Songs of abandonment fit snugly beside tunes of contentment. There are elements of rock, blues, jazz, even country (I dare anyone to say that "Down on Rodeo" is not a country song).

And still none of this is surprising, is it? Because Buckingham has been doing this for decades. He hasn't perfected his art yet--but that's the beauty of it. As good as he is, he is only getting better. UNDER THE SKIN is a beautiful, intimate pop record that will genuinely move you. Give it a listen, and tell me Lindsey Buckingham isn't one of the best pop musicians around.

Who the heck is Lindsey Buckingham and why am I listening to his cd over and over on the same week that Beck released his latest? I'm 32 years old and don't even OWN a Fleetwood Mac record (much less a Lindsey Buckingham album), but I guess it's the extra money I have these days that made me give this cd a try. Of course, I've heard of Lindsey Buckingham; I've just never cared. He has always seemed to me like someone I was supposed to like, but who had never really done anything for my generation so I just ignored him (and Fleetwood Mac). This collection of songs is so good. I was expecting absolutely nothing from this cd and I am finding song after song that not only brims with talent and creativity, but gets better every time I hear it. The only fair thing to do for a cd like this is to go through it, song for song; I don't think it really matters how many "stars" I give each song, but I do think each one deserves to be examined, so here goes:

"Not Too Late" - Obviously, the guitar work here is stunning. I didn't care for the breathy, spoken-word style of the "singing", but it fits the song and it makes the soaring and painful chorus come to life. This is a sad song and somewhat of an odd choice as an album opener, but I like it. I can't say that I'd play it for anybody else, but some of the best music out there isn't stuff that the typical music "consumer" can appreciate. Listening to this song makes me wonder what his voice sounded like before it was weathered by pain, time and use.

"Show You How" - This song is just plain fun. The minimalistic percussion approach to this entire record isn't something I'm used to, but it works here perfectly. Not much guitar here, but this song is literally driven by beautifully layered vocals and that driving rhythm. This is one of my favorites. It shows another set of "tools" for Buckingham and takes the pressure off of him having to play a masterpiece on guitar every song.

"Under the Skin" - This is a really pretty song and it's very relaxing. The guitar is back, but more subtly and less complex than on the first track. I think the melody could've done a few more things in this song that would've made it a bit more interesting, but this song is still quite good. Again, we still haven't heard what Lindsey's voice really does sound like yet. To me, it changes a lot on this cd, which is usually interesting, but sometimes frustrating. Some of this musicianship really deserves more vocal power (just my opinion, obviously). To me, this song just doesn't take me anywhere; it's nice and pretty, but one of the more docile songs on the album.

"I Am Waiting" - The picking on this song is beautiful and the chorus is absolutely breathtaking. To me, some of my favorite songs make you wait for these brief but heart-pounding moments in them that seem to transcend the song itself. The lyric "We're waiting..." describes how I feel during this song while I'm waiting for that little chorus! It's worth every second!

"It Was You" - Again, the vocals are the star on this song, backing away again from the guitar work. The "Jamaiican" guy in this song is kinda neat and there is a distinct reminder of the Beach Boys in the chorus. The trail-off after each "chorus" is a bit weak and almost odd, but it just adds to the interesting texture of the song. Buckingham doesn't seem to be afraid to throw stuff into songs that could've been pure melodic joy, just to throw them off a bit. That's o.k. with me because this song is just so good and the perfect lead-in to the next one. The melody is unique and quite memorable.

"Try For the Sun" - Another favorite; the guitar is amazing and I love the crackling falsetto in the chorus. This is an inspiring song and seems to hint at how majestic and beautiful Buckingham can be when he stretches himself. This song makes me want to hear an entire album of stuff like this, with more powerful vocals and a fuller sound. I wouldn't change THIS song, but it certainly pumps me up for something other than the song that follows it, which is a big letdown for me and the only weak song of the album.

"Cast Away Dreams" - Just don't like it. Nothing interesting to me about it. The music is so-so, the guitar is so-so, the idea is just kinda there. Maybe I'm missing something, so I'll keep listening, but I just don't like it at all. If he would have left this song off of the album, I think it would be much stronger.

"Shut Us Down" - The musical progression in this song is just so much fun to listen to. It doesn't let you know that it's going to get better, but it certainly does. Again, I just wish his voice could rise to the level of his musicianship because if it ever did, this man would be a force. The guitar is the star here (again) and I hope that as I buy some Fleetwood Mac stuff, this guitar work will be there.

"Down on Rodeo" - The best song on the album. My personal favorite. This song just nails it. It's catchy, memorable, wildly melodic and toe-tapping from start to finish. Lindsey's voice actually seems strong in this song, making me wonder why he didn't use it more in other songs. I love the background vocals and the percussion and bass (by Mick Fleetwood and John McVie) are just spot-on; not too much, but the song would never "take off" without them. If I actually listened to radio, I think this song would sound good on it.

"Someone's Gotta Change Your Mind" - To me, "Down on Rodeo", followed by this song is the one-two punch of this album. I'm glad it happens at the end, though, because if it happened at the beginning, I'd expect more from the other songs. I would've ended the album with this song, personally, although "Fly Down Juniper" is still a good song. The chorus, again, is so memorable and worth waiting for. Buckingham seems to have a knack for taking short melodies on extremely interesting rides that you never thought his voice was capable of taking them on. He's more powerful, almost god-like on this song. He sings like a man who is demanding that you listen to him, as opposed to the whispering, crackling speaking of the first track. However, that's one of the surprising delights of this album, seeing the songs develop and reach a climax in the last stage of the cd. Brilliant.

"Fly Down Juniper" - Again, I could do without this song. Not that it's no good, but I would have put it after "Try for the Sun" and left off "Cast Away Dreams"; to me, that's your album. No matter what he did, it probably would've been "downhill" after "Someone's Gotta Change Your Mind".

Overall, I think this guy has tragically untapped potential and I really hope he keeps making music. I guess he's getting pretty old, but I really believe he still has his best stuff in him yet.

Lindsey Buckingham has been tagged with many titles: Rock's most underrated guitarist; the musical architect of Fleetwood Mac; an underappreciated talent; etc. Lindsey himself eschews these titles, showing a humility that is striking in the face of his immense talent.

"Under The Skin" is an overdue display of this uncommon talent. This album was in the making for quite a few years, and as everyone knows, Fleetwood Mac intervened and the project was put on hold. So besides being a labor of love for Lindsey, the album also displays a tangible sense of relief and thankfulness for finally being completed. Created in an intimate and personal style, this album channels a dichotomy of tension and ease in both the music and the lyrics. Lindsey's incredible self-taught fingerpicking is on full display, and his lyrical abilities have improved since the Fleetwood Mac heyday, which he attributes to having children. "Not Too Late" begins the journey with an incredibly fast finger-style explosion, and lyrics that are intimately searching. "Under The Skin" is a lovely, understated example of Buckingham's ability to tone down his legendary intensity (and it's also one of the very few songs you'll ever see him play with a pick in concert). The two covers on this album also provide an interesting insight into Lindsey's interpretive abilities. "I Am Waiting" by the Stones is beautifully haunting, and the chorus shows off Lindsey's urgent tenor. (You can also see Lindsey playing a version of this song with Stevie Nicks doing some harmonies on the "Destiny Rules" documentary, leading me to think that this song was in the running to appear on "Say You Will"). "To Try For The Sun" by Donovan is radically transformed into a rapid-fire gem that displays some of the best finger-picking I've heard from Lindsey. This is definitely one of the stand-out tracks on the album. Another fascinating example of Lindsey's ability to interpret (not included on the album) is his version of "Here Comes The Sun," which was in tribute to George Harrison at the time of his passing (the video of Lindsey's performance is available on YouTube). "Cast Away Dreams" is another introspective lyric, with Lindsey verbalizing his forward-reaching outlook instead of dwelling on dreams past. This is also another of the very few songs that Lindsey strums with a pick. "Shut Us Down" is a bit darker than the rest, with a sepia-toned melody and a delicately devastating vocal. The way this is played perfectly mirrors and complements the content of the lyrics, which is something Lindsey is an expert at doing. The standout track of the album to me is "Down On Rodeo," which Lindsey began writing a good ten years before this album was released. It features Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, and it does evoke that Fleetwood Mac rhythm section vibe, in the vein of "Bleed To Love Her" (the Say You Will version), which is also one of Lindsey's finest creations. The melody and resolution of the music are lingering, and the lyrics are equally poignant: "Faces of glass, all hung in the past, we only came here to drown" and "We never took quite enough chances, we never had quite enough time." This is remarkable work from a remarkable artist, and a testament to his lasting creativity and innovation. Highly recommended, and a great complement to the Fleetwood Mac collection, but also a great introduction to Lindsey's extraordinary artistic vision.

My wife and I loved Mr. B's last album (is it really that long ago?) "Out of the Cradle". It was raw, inventive, with impressive musicianship and great singing. "Under the Skin" is almost none of these things (other than the singing.) The writing is boring, the songs, uninventive and repetitious, the musicianship acceptable, if you like not much more than fast rhythm guitar strumming. Altogether, we were shocked and disappointed. We waited more than a decade for this? As my wife suggested, this is what happens when a songwriter gets happy.

Although this has been billed as Lindsey's stripped-down "bedroom album," there is no need to worry-- Lindsey fans, everything you love about our hero is here -- the intimate, precise and remarkable studio soundscapes; the richly imagined lyrical detail; the self-loathing, self-examination, self-doubt and self-love that mark Lindsey's songwriting; the amazing delicate/furious finger-picking and musicianship; and the incredibly tuneful collection of songs that make this record immediately satisfying.

This is an intense record, very intimate and personal, and it demands 100 percent of your listening attention. But it is rewarding -- it's an uncompromising, mature album, one that perhaps a younger Lindsey could not have produced.

Although there are no clunkers here, and each song is strong, there are a few standouts -- the opening track "Not Too Late" addresses Lindsey's reputation as an unknown "visionary," and not surprisingly, Lindsey demands more, from himself, his critics and his audience. It's a half-whispered, half-screamed piece that reminds me a bit in tone and production of Todd Rundgren's "Tiny Demons."

"Show You How" is classic Lindsey, with bounced speaker-to-speaker vocals and production effects, a driving guitar, call-and-response lyrics and a happy, going down the road feel to it.

"Down on Rodeo" is one of Lindsey's best songs, and that's saying a lot, a wistful look back at lost love and lost opportunities, wrapped in an incredibly catchy hook that in a different age would be an instant hit.

The closer, "Flying Down Juniper," nicely ends the album, with easy strumming, perculating back beats, and a sense of childlike wonderment and lyrics that perfectly end this fabulous record:

If we forgive ourselves we might be whole

But you know that wishing wishing won't make it so

All the children flying down Juniper

All going where children go

All the children flying down Juniper

Let us go

Let us go