Turlock, October 18, 2011

[michelej1]

The Modesto Bee Thursday, Oct. 13, 2011

http://www.modbee.com/2011/10/12/190...ing-a-new.html

Buckingham's back, bringing a new CD, old hits and a lot of history to TurlockBy Brian VanderBeek

It's difficult to imagine any established rock band undergoing a larger immediate stylistic transformation than what happened when Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joined Fleetwood Mac.

This point certainly is up for argument.

Yes, the Doobie Brothers morphed from bar band to pop hit-makers when Michael McDonald joined, and Journey most definitely swapped a hard instrumental edge for a dynamic frontman and commercial success with the addition of Steve Perry.


This debate is relevant with Buckingham's appearance Oct. 18 at Turlock Community Theater as part of a tour in support of his solo album "Seeds We Sow."

Buckingham was not available for an interview to discuss the new album or the tour, but recently told Guitar World that this new album materialized out of the need to be creative in the down days following Fleetwood Mac's 2009 tour.

"I had no real plan to make an album," he told the magazine. "But the time opened up and so I filled it. I did not have a concept or an agenda, musically or lyrically, of any kind going into it. In fact, I only had rough ideas for songs. I didn't have a lot of fleshed-out material.

"So the whole thing took, I guess, something like a year, but I think what made it so good as it turned out was that it was kind of off-hand and there was no one thing I was trying to accomplish."

"Seeds We Sow" is Buckingham's sixth solo studio album, most of which have come after the huge commercial success of Fleetwood Mac from 1975-82.

But the majority of music fans, even followers of Fleetwood Mac, probably don't recognize the band for its works prior to the addition of Buckingham and Nicks.

Before then, Fleetwood Mac was a British blues band, and a very successful one at that. Band founder and guitarist Peter Green named the group after drummer Mick Fleetwood and bass player John McVie, apparently in an effort to entice both of them to leave John Mayall's Bluesbreakers in 1967.

The band maintained the British Blues style and scored hits with Green's composition "Black Magic Woman," (later a mega-hit by Santana,) and "Oh Well," the latter of which Fleetwood Mac played live well into the 1990s.

Fleetwood Mac built a strong following in Europe, but Peter Green developed mental issues, which several biographers later linked to his use of LSD. Green left the band in April 1970, setting off a flurry of personnel changes and, for a while, the band's manager quit and — claiming he owned the name — quickly put together a second touring band identifying itself as Fleetwood Mac.

The confusion finally played itself out after the band relocated to Los Angeles, but guitarist Bob Welch — who had replaced Green — grew tired of the lawyers and quit the band in 1974.

Fleetwood immediately began his search for a new guitarist, and discovered Buckingham by accident. While touring a new recording studio in Van Nuys, a sound engineer showed off the monitors by playing a track called "Frozen Love." It was off the debut album by Buckingham Nicks — the 1973 release from two musically inclined sweethearts from Menlo-Atherton High School.

Fleetwood was taken by Buckingham's finger-picking guitar style and contacted him to join Fleetwood Mac. Buckingham agreed to join, but only if Nicks also became part of the band. The new Fleetwood Mac came together on New Year's Eve, 1974, and immediately went into that Van Nuys studio.

The "Fleetwood Mac" album was released on July 11, 1975, and the new pair's influence on thefar less-bluesy sound was immediate and impressive. Buckingham's song "Monday Morning" opens the album, and Nicks' compositions "Rhiannon" and "Landslide" became concert and radio staples.


The band embarked on a lengthy tour to support the album, which spent a year on the charts before hitting No. 1.

On Aug. 29, 1975, a little more than six weeks after the album's release, that tour took Fleetwood Mac to Modesto's Olympic Gold Ice Arena on Tully Road at Stoddard Avenue. Seven months later, an arsonist torched the rink.

Within a year of playing to several hundred people on a plot that now is a Modesto Junior College parking lot, Fleetwood Mac was on top of the rock world. Strained relationships, drugs and alcohol would tear apart the band by 1982.

It no longer was a full-time unit — Buckingham released his first solo effort, "Law and Order," in 1981 — but Fleetwood Mac never has officially broken up. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 and released its most recent album, "Saw You Will," in 2003.

In early May, Nicks announced that Fleetwood Mac will be going out on tour in 2012 — a report forwarded by Buckingham in August — and hinted at a new album.

Through all these years, Buckingham has maintained that Fleetwood Mac remains his preferred musical outlet and recently told musicradar.com that he yearns for a time when the band can reunite for more than just a tour.

"If I'm not off doing my thing, then Stevie's off doing her thing," Buckingham said. "It probably drives John and Mick crazy.

"And, you know, I think there should come a time when we can just be Fleetwood Mac for a longer period of time, where we can connect the dots, each one of us. I'd love to see that happen."

Yet through all the breakups and reunions, Buckingham never has slowed down. "Seeds We Sow" is his first self-released project, and he plays all the instruments on all but one track.

It remains edgy and — in typical Buckingham style — heartfelt and revealing. At 63, he still can write a relevant tune and craft a flowing album, all with his trademark fingernail waterfall arpeggios.

But you still get the feeling he's saving his best songs for the lush layers only Fleetwood Mac can provide. All things considered, that's not a bad decision.

[Syrah]

We will be there! the show looks only about 1/2-3/4 of the way sold out...last time we saw him here the crowd was VERY dull. I think we were the only ones standing and dancing!

[Syrah]

Well here is my quick take on the Turlock show...

The show seemed like it was almost sold out! BUT the audience was probably the worst I have ever seen in my life. It was very quiet...no loud cheering except when he played Fleetwood Mac songs, but I was expecting that. The first 4-5 rows were made up of all season ticket holders...somehow my Dad managed to snag two tickets up in the front row thou! woohoo! Some old man sitting behind me kept complaining about the show..and I quote "I can't wait til this is over!" and my friend Steven who also attended the show said that someone behind him said "I'm going to be asleep by the middle of the show" yikes...sounds like it was past all these senior citizens bed time. And when I say senior citizens I'm not exaggerating lol

My take on the show...AWESOME. Lindsey killed it even thou the lack of audience enthusiasm. I loved hearing all of the new songs live! Both Lindsey and Bret recognized us. Bret even mentioned during the band intros about seeing familiar faces The audience seemed to come around after GYOW...We were the only two who stood up in the front to play Lindseys guitar, I also got the lady next to us to stand up...she was so excited. No one knew that Lindsey WANTS us to stand! After GYOW people started moving up from the back but security told them to go back to their seats. boo!

We waited for him after the show by his bus but he came out from the back, went straight into the bus and was on his phone...off he went to SF! Love Lindsey, Loved the show, Loved the new songs, and especially loved hearing "trouble" and "Go Insane"...all in all....wouldn't go back to Turlock haha

[mylittledemon]

Originally Posted by michelej1

"If I'm not off doing my thing, then Stevie's off doing her thing," Buckingham said. "It probably drives John and Mick crazy.

"And, you know, I think there should come a time when we can just be Fleetwood Mac for a longer period of time, where we can connect the dots, each one of us. I'd love to see that happen."

Then do it!