Uncut's Gift of Screws Review

"Gift Of Screws" Review
by: John Mulvey
Wild Mercury Sound
2008-08-05

As previously reported, Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey Buckingham has enlisted the help of band members Mick Fleetwood and drummer John McVie on at least two of the tracks for his forthcoming fifth 'solo' album 'Gift of Screws.'

The three of them have worked on tracks, including the album's title track and one called "Wanna Wait For You" and John Mulvey has just filed his first preview of the album:

Residual indie prejudices can be tough to shake off and, for me, one lingered longer than most: a profound distrust of Fleetwood Mac. I read all the essays about them – and especially about Lindsey Buckingham – where they were extolled as great emotional confessors and discreet musical radicals. But their records always seemed to me the epitome of hollow decadence, redolent of a certain air-conditioned, blow-dried Hollywood vulgarity, the criticism of which is now every bit as clichéd as the original material.

Not for the first time, of course, I was wrong.

Interestingly, though, the record which provided me with a gateway into Fleetwood Mac was the last Lindsey Buckingham solo album, 2006’s “Under The Skin”. Mainly solo and acoustic, it foregrounded both the meticulous and slightly odd way in which Buckingham constructed songs out of pristine guitar flurries, and the emotional heft which he could still locate, even as a contented, middle-aged family man.

The opening “Not Too Late”, for instance, might be one of the more moving instances of a mulit-millionaire superstar grumbling about his lack of credibility I can recall, as he begins, “Reading the paper saw a review / Said I was a visionary, but nobody knew.” You would’ve thought that selling more records than virtually anyone else on the planet in the past 30 years might have provided some kind of consolation. But I suppose one of the reasons Buckingham is so interesting is the way he manages to juggle a desire for artistic integrity with an innate commercial imperative, and how a very heartfelt lyrical character can co-exist with an incredibly fastidious musical style that can so easily sound bloodless.

“Gift Of Screws” sees all these diverse aspects of Buckingham in full effect. The title, my little Wiki helpers inform me, was originally given to a Buckingham solo album from the late ‘90s which was never released. Songs from that have been dispersed across the last solo album and Fleetwood Mac’s “Say You Will”, as well, presumably, as this one, though I’m not clear on whether they’re re-recordings.

I’m not clear because, of course, I know comparatively little about this whole business, but also because Buckingham’s music exists in such a glorious vacuum. What I can tell is that “Gift Of Screws” is the perfect next step for neophytes like me drawn in by “Under The Skin”. There are some gorgeous minimalist pieces that would have sat perfectly on that last record, most notably the rippling, systems-like acoustics and yelps of “Time Precious Time”, which presents Buckingham as an unlikely father figure to the Animal Collective.

Then there are a bunch of tracks where he’s backed up by Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, that sound, by his standards huge but relatively unfussy, and betray a desire to re-engage commercially and reassert himself as a serious rocker. Consequently, “The Right Place To Fade” and “Love Runs Deeper” have big swirling Fleetwood Mac-like choruses, and also a weirdly aggressive punch, characterised by Buckingham’s flash and excitable soloing on the latter: not out of control, exactly, but at once fiery and – perhaps more menacing – utterly precise.

“Wait For You” is a sort of hygienised but still compelling cousin to “Gimme Shelter”. And the title track is a supercharged, vigorously-focused rocker – with Fleetwood and McVie again onboard – which features Buckingham repeatedly cackling like a deranged rooster. It’s very odd, and very good, too.

So anyway: I have a bunch of old Fleetwood Mac albums, I’ve a soft spot for “Tusk”, but does anyone fancy guiding me straight to the stuff I might like best?

John Mulvey

Bumping Into Geniuses (Danny Goldberg on Stevie Nicks)

Danny Goldberg who started Modern Records with Paul Fishkin and Stevie Nicks back in the early 80's has a new Tell-All Book coming out....

Goldberg worked with Led Zeppelin, Kiss, Warren Zevon and Bonnie Raitt, among others, and tells stories about working with Stevie Nicks, Hootie and the Blowfish, and Hanson.

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
A giant of the music industry grants an all-access pass to the world of rock and roll, with mesmerizing stories of thirty-five years spent working with legends from Led Zeppelin, to Stevie Nicks, to Nirvana.

Danny Goldberg has been a hugely influential figure in the world of rock and roll. He did PR for Led Zeppelin; he managed the career of Nirvana; he ran Atlantic Records, Mercury Records, and Warner Bros. Records; he launched Stevie Nicks’s solo career. In Bumping into Geniuses, Goldberg shares his stories about performers who represent a broad and powerful portion of the psychic real estate of the rock and roll kingdom: Patti Smith, Warren Zevon, Bruce Springsteen, KISS, Kurt Cobain and Nirvana, Hole, Stevie Nicks, Bonnie Raitt, Steve Earle, Led Zeppelin, and more.

But there’s more to this story than just Goldberg’s varied career. It’s also a look at the industry itself: a business that was neither the romantic vehicle for self-expression that its most naive fans imagined, nor the purely crass money machine depicted by its most cynical critics. It was complex and chaotic—a mixture of art and commerce, idealism and selfishness—and sometimes, rock’s most gifted and influential musicians were able to transcend it all.

For anyone interested in the rock and roll industry, or simply the mores and temperaments of the musicians themselves, Bumping into Geniuses is an incredible insider’s tale that only Goldberg could tell.

About the Author

Danny Goldberg is president of Gold Village Entertainment. He has worked in the music industry since 1969, including his years as chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Records and Mercury Records.

Fleetwood's Daughter is Discharged

Mick Fleetwood's Daughter is Discharged
from Los Angeles Hospital

LOS ANGELES, Jul 31, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) --

Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood's six-year-old daughter Ruby has been discharged from the pediatric unit of Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Center today after being admitted in critical condition following a pool accident on July 18th.

"The doctors at Cedars are stunned by our little fighter," says Fleetwood's wife Lynn. "Based on the condition Ruby was in when she arrived at the hospital 12 days ago, none of them expected her to have come this far in such a short time. She has blown them away with her strength and her will to survive."

Lynn Fleetwood reports that Ruby is now walking on her own, drawing, kicking a ball, and recognizing more of her everyday words and objects. "Her smile is bright, her eyes sparkle and her sense of humor is funnier than ever before."

On July 18th, Ruby and her twin sister Tessa were on a playdate with close friends of the family at a pool in the Hidden Hills area of Los Angeles. The Fleetwood family says that Ruby was doing somersaults in the pool, became disoriented, and swallowed a high quantity of water. She became unconscious in the pool, was revived by CPR, and was rushed by ambulance to West Hills Hospital where she was stabilized. Several hours later, she was transferred to Cedars Sinai Pediatric ICU.

"We would like to thank everyone at Cedars-Sinai for their excellent care," says Mick Fleetwood. "Their wonderful bedside manner was second to none and helped us tremendously throughout this entire ordeal. We want to thank them for everything from the bottom of our hearts."

Ruby will be treated as an outpatient at UCLA Medical Center. The Fleetwoods wish to thank the media for all its well wishes and ask that everyone continue to respect their privacy while they tend to their children and their family.

SOURCE: Warner Brothers Records
Warner Brothers Records
Luke Burland, 615-418-6661
Luke.Burland@wbr.com

2008 Promo

Thanks: BTFLCHLD

Flickr Pics - Reading, PA - April 18, 2008

Stevie Nicks - April 18, 2008. Sovereign Center.

Photos by: Scott St. John

Lindsey's New Single... "Did You Miss Me"

According to Amazon Lindsey Buckingham's first single from "Gift of Screws" will be "Did You Miss Me".

Release Date: July 29, 2008

Amazon has a 15 second sound bite up on their site. It's the chorus of the song.... Sounds great!

Rhiannon Rings Again!!

The second part of Stevie's Soundstage began airing last night... Here's Rhiannon & Circle Dance... Well worth the wait, if only to see Stevie in a top hat again....

Click through to youtube to watch these in high quality, it's worth it for the clarity...