Buckingham Nicks 4 ½ crystals out of 5

Time cast a spell on ‘Buckingham Nicks’: record gets second life in reissue

Charlotte Karner, Senior Life&Arts Reporter

The Daily Texan

September 21, 2025

4 ½ crystals out of 5

“She’s back in town.” Before Fleetwood Mac, there was Buckingham Nicks — the only studio album recorded solely by Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. The record, initially released in 1973, was reissued on Friday after being out of print for almost 50 years. Largely considered a commercial failure, the original release came a little over a year before their introduction into the decades-defining band.

“We’re so happy this album is getting a second life,” Buckingham and Nicks wrote in a collaborative Instagram post Friday.

The release marked the album’s streaming and CD debut, mint for next-generation fans. It features original singles “Crying in the Night,” “Don’t Let Me Down Again,” and a third single chosen for the reissue, “Frozen Love” — the song which Buckingham and Nicks both cryptically posted the lyrics of on their social media in July.

The naked imagery of the album cover parallels the honest dialogue present throughout the tracks, two lovers struggling to reconcile their differences. It’s clear that the emotional appeal of Fleetwood Mac started with the toxic romantic tension in Buckingham Nicks. Through heartfelt harmonies, the pair previews the best of Fleetwood Mac — the inescapable “sound of the woman that loves you.”

Nicks said in a 1989 interview that the opening track, “Crying in the Night,” depicts a TV character played by Lesley Ann Warren. At face value, the song appears to be disconnected from the rest of Buckingham Nicks, but when looked at closer, the “wrong kind of girl” that Nicks sings about seems to represent the girl that she fears she cannot be for her then-partner, Lindsey Buckingham.

After a full listen of the album, the connection between the songs and Buckingham and Nicks’ relationship cannot be denied — with the sexy blues-rock track “Lola (My Love)” depicting a fantasy woman for Buckingham, who “knows how to treat her man” and “does everything a woman can.”

Fleetwood Mac recorded the most widely known version of “Crystal” as a band, but the ballad debuted on Buckingham Nicks. Fleetwood Mac’s version refines the instrumentals, but the Buckingham Nicks original feels raw and exposed. Paired with “Stephanie,” an A-side instrumental from the original release composed by Buckingham as a love song for Nicks, whose full name is Stephanie, the narrative still stains the pages without words.

One universal theme exists in the work: running away from love, heartbreak and loss. Nicks tries to keep up with her lover, “running down the hill,” but he runs too fast, coming out as the “Long Distance Winner.” After the sprint, they find that “Races are Run,” where “some people win,” and “some people always have to lose.”

“Frozen Love” feels like the aquifer seeping into the “Silver Springs.” Buckingham and Nicks cry out for a love shivering in the “cold freezing air” in this 7-minute track. At the chorus, they agree, “If you go forward, I’ll meet you there.”

Buckingham Nicks feels like a direct pipeline to Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours. The record sparked the catalyst for Fleetwood Mac’s success, shown through the emotion that flows through their crystalline harmonies.