Buckingham Nicks a short but energetic work of art.

 “Buckingham Nicks:” the prequel to Fleetwood Mac reissued

ByMaleena Muzio
The Daily Campus

Rating: 4.75/5

“Buckingham Nicks,” the once-forgotten album produced by rock icons and ex-lovers, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, was remastered and re-released on Friday, Sept. 19.

“Buckingham Nicks” was originally released in September of 1973, in the pre-Fleetwood Mac era, when Nicks was just 25 and Buckingham was 24. The album was not a commercial success and was pulled from the shelves by Polydor Records months after its release. The record has been a rare find since then, only existing on vinyl and bootleg digital sources.

Despite “Buckingham Nicks” being initially unsuccessful on the market, it is one of the major reasons as to why drummer Mick Fleetwood recruited Buckingham and Nicks into his band at the end of 1974, setting them up for a lifetime of fame and acknowledgement.

The album also served as a source of inspiration for Fleetwood Mac. “Crystal,” on “Buckingham Nicks” was originally written by Nicks and sung by Buckingham, and appears on the 1975 self-titled album, “Fleetwood Mac.” The song “Don’t Let Me Down Again” has extremely similar instrumentals as the hit “Second Hand News,” which opens Fleetwood Mac’s most popular album, “Rumors.”

“Lola (My Love),” a duet between Buckingham and Nicks, features the same guitar riffs in the intro as “The Chain,” which may be Fleetwood Mac’s most successful song.

Ten songs make up the entirety of “Buckingham Nicks,” only allowing it to play for 35 minutes total. The album is a short but energetic work of art. The album quite literally ends on a bang with the best and most intense song, “Frozen Love.”

“Frozen Love” is a duet cowritten by both artists and encapsulates the same energy that many live performances of “The Chain” hold, introducing the passion between Buckingham and Nicks that we all know and love. It is also the longest song on the record, playing for seven minutes, including a climactic guitar solo.

The opening song of the album, “Crying in the Night,” is another highlight of the work, this time written and sung exclusively by Nicks (with Buckingham only on backing vocals). “Crying in the Night” contains hints of Nicks’ later solo career, reminding me of songs on her popular album, “Bella Donna.”

Other great songs on the album are “Long Distance Winner” and “Without a Leg to Stand On.”

“Long Distance Winner,” a song primarily sung by Nicks, is an honest confession about her relationship with Buckingham. With intense lyrics, like “Love somebody, save their soul // Tie them to your heaven, erase their hell” and truthful ones like, “ Love their lifestyle if you feel it // Don’t try to change them, you never will” we get some poetic insight to the pair’s powerful relationship even before the Fleetwood Mac days.

“Without a Leg to Stand On” is a gentler duet between the two artists, showing a softer side of Buckingham and Nicks’ relationship. The song expresses the two depending on each other, which is ironic today, considering their very public breakup.

It is no wonder that this brief album snagged the interest of Mick Fleetwood, who was initially drawn to Buckingham’s guitar playing. The instrumentals are intricate and generally upbeat. However, the album nor Fleetwood Mac would have ever been complete without Nicks’ unique voice and songwriting. Together, Buckingham and Nicks proved themselves to be one of the greatest romantic and musical duos in rock.