A Brief Followup And Number 98

I was a little tired when I wrote the last entry, so there were some other comments about Loverboy I wanted to make. I first got into Loverboy after seeing their video for "Queen Of The Broken Hearts." It was an outrageous video in which Loverboy goes into the desert, meet a bunch of love hungry supermodels and then rock out in a sandstorm. Plus, the keyboard player talks in a computer voice! It just didn't get better than that.

I enjoyed Loverboy's music for the rest of the 80's having fond memories of Mike Reno's giant headband, the term "laser rock" getting used in music news articles and the sight of Canadian men in matching tight black leather clothes. Wait...that last part didn't sound quite right. I saw them in concert in 1986 and Loved Every Minute Of It (Ok, that was a really bad joke). They were a very energetic band to see live.

Anyway, now it's time to move on to Number 98 on my list:

Lindsey Buckingham - Out Of The Cradle (1992)

Lindsey Buckingham is the singer / songwriter / producer / guitarist of the 70's version of Fleetwood Mac. Buckingham joined the band along with Stevie Nicks in the mid 70's leading to a series of platinum albums and top 10 hits. Buckingham has often been considered a first rate producer and has been considered responsible for Mac's lush, melodic sound. However, I have been just a big fan of his unique guitar playing (he seems to finger pick everything) and economical song writing.

Out Of The Cradle was the album Lindsey Buckingham left Fleetwood Mac for in 1987 (he rejoined in 1997). The album is far and away Lindsey Buckingham's best solo album. It's the only solo album he's done that has the warm feel, cascading / echoing vocals and sharp songcraft that had been his hallmark with Fleetwood Mac.

The album has a theme running through it about leaving the past behind to find a better tomorrow. Highlights include the bouncy opener "Don't Look Down", the breezy "Soul Drifter" and the shimering beauty of "Surrender The Rain". Although the video for "Wrong" was a bit silly, it was still great to hear a good song get exposure.

In the end, Out Of The Cradle is an excellent album that highlights all of Lindsey Buckingham's best talents.