Admittedly, I’m no Lindsey Buckingham buff. Before 2006’s Under the Skin, my exposure to his solo work was limited to his moderately successful radio hits. Still, anyone who is familiar with those songs and his contributions to Fleetwood Mac can recognize his endearingly slightly off-kilter brand of California folk-pop. Not to mention his unique, accomplished finger-picking style of guitar playing.
I seem to remember how his prior solo records would get critical acclaim and good word of mouth, and yet failed to make much of a commercial impact. You’d think that those things going for him combined with his well-known contributions to a band with such a huge following would garner Buckingham at least half of the success that his longtime musical partner Stevie Nicks has enjoyed.
Instead, much like his prior releases, Under the Skin went largely unnoticed by nearly all but his small but devoted fan base – despite being Buckingham’s first release in 14 years. It’s a damned shame, as Under the Skin found Buckingham stripping down the sound nearly to the unplugged level. He seemed to lay out his emotions in a lot of places – like some kinder, gentler Plastic Ono Band. Many of the tracks sounded like demo versions of intricately constructed pop songs, where the soul of these tunes are bared – and that was where the real charm of came from.
Gift of Screws arrived on Sept. 15, 2008, as a quicker-than-expected followup. This time around, Fleetwood Mac’s mad genius was a little less raw but also a little more fleshed out. The arrangements were fuller than predominantly acoustic guitars and beautifully bizarre vocal layerings of Under the Skin.
Those two qualities carried over, as well his stunning guitar work: Check out the plectrum on “Time Precious Time” or the dark, swamp-blues picking on “The Chain”-styled “Great Day.” Gift of Screws also offered fully realized rockers like “Wait For You” or the zany title track. “Did You Miss Me” is one of those perfectly catchy pop tunes he used to crank out with regularity during Fleetwood Mac’s years.
Varied, well executed, and just a little off kilter to make it distinctive, Gift of Screws pulled together all of Lindsey Buckingham’s considerable strengths without going overboard on his quirks. This one wasn’t just for Buckingham or Fleetwood Mac fans. Gift of Screws could appeal to anyone who appreciates well-crafted, original-sounding California pop the way it used to be done. From someone who did it back then – and is still doing it now.
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