Customer Reviews

Go Insane

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The 1980s saw Stevie Nicks emerge as a major recording star--and in the wake of her success Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie also released solo efforts. While McVie's self-titled effort was enjoyable and well executed, it broke no new ground; Lindsey Buckingham's GO INSANE, however, was unexpectedly memorable.

The album is very much of its time, relying heavily on synthesizer and drawing a great deal from both late 1970s "New Wave" idioms and the slick rock-pop-dance music that dominated the airwaves of the 1980s. But even so, and although it generated an unexpected number of hits, GO INSANE is hardly the sort of recording that one would expect to make the charts: glitchy, anxious, and deliberately surreal, it merges everything from random sound to Scottish melodies to flashes of Middle Eastern guitar and snatches of South African harmonies.

Buckingham is, I think, one of the most under-recognized guitar players out there, and now and then on GO INSANE one hears that increasingly intense guitar that made many of Fleetwood Mac's recordings so memorable. But this album is less about guitar than it is about production: in general, the recording uses layered sound (including vocals) in an extremely disorienting and disconcerting fashion, bits of music that sound as if they were played in reverse, and everything from the sound of breaking glass to the sound of pouring water.

The lyrics are covertly erotic, with virtually every cut dealing in some form or fashion with sexual desire, and Buckingham's edgy voice serves the material extremely well throughout. Indeed, it is almost impossible to single out any one cut for praise above the others, but I will note that I have always been particularly fond of the jumpy "I Want You" (opening with the sound of an alarm clock ringing), the Dada-ish "Play In The Rain" parts one and two, and the intense "Loving Cup." Whatever the case, it's all good and very unusual stuff, and while it won't necessarily please Fleetwood Mac fans it's certainly a reference point for those who wondered where all the strangeness of the earlier TUSK and the later SAY YOU WILL comes from.

--GFT (Amazon reviewer)--

This album was, when it came out, a work of sheer wonder for me. 18 years on that wonder still holds.

I understand the criticisms of the production style; the production, very state-of-the-art at the time, is quite "in your face." But this is key to what renders this album so magical.

On the first few listens this album will sound cold and icy-- like those gum commercials where they show cold winter scenes accompanying the chewing of said stick or chicklet. You almost feel the harsh winds blow. But after you listen a few times, you start to find yourself penetrating the icy veneer, and you find the white hot passion and raw emotion juswt beneath the surface--passion that makes so much of Lindsey's best work so powerful and enduring.

Listen to "Bang the Drum." Pure ice. Listen to it again. And again. Hell, listen to it on headphoines. As you penetrate the shell, you begin to picture this tiny Lindsey, in the face of the female protagonist's "deep down feeling that won't let go", her fears that "I just don't think I'm tough enough", urging her to "bang the drum! Play it loud!" It is a profound message, a message of transforming pain and fear to hope and self, a message all the richer for the way it rrequires that unwrappping. I generally think albums that improve with subsequent listens end up being the best albums.

You can also, by the way, hear the sonic seeds for Tango In the Night, a Fleetwood Mac album comprised largely of songs lifted (in some cases intact) from an aborted Lindsey solo project (much as Say You Will rises from the ashes of the unreleased Gift of Screams). The vocal effects Lindsey uses on the Tango track "Big Love" to emulate Stevie singing-- fooling most listeners who thought she was actually on that track, including at the time David Letterman, who nightly played the song and made fun of "Stevie's" love grunts-- can be found all over Go Insane.

Ultimately, I found this little gem to be one of the best releases of the 80s. It doesn't sound dated at all to these ears (let's face it, this isn't Men Without Hats or Duran Duran we're talking about here). If you can go with it, give in to the synthesized icy production sheen that is the hard exterior, you will be amply rewarded when the thing explodes with color and flavor inside your head and heart.

About a year ago, I discovered that I liked a number of Fleetwood Mac songs, so I went ahead and bought their "very best of" collection. I fell in love with it and proceeded to obtain the rest of their catalog (only the ones with Buckingham). I then found out that Buckingham had some solo cds, so I got "Law and Order" and "Out of the Cradle," and I loved them. I then searched every music store in Philadelphia, and then every music store I could find in Pittsburgh, for "Go Insane." Failing in all my efforts, I turned to Amazon, and finally was able to get the cd in just a couple of days.

At first, I thought the cd was just weird. The production is very off-kilter, and it basically felt like he'd taken the quirkiness of "Law and Order" to the next level. Which I suppose he did. If "Law and Order" is the album of an isolated, mad-folkie cutting loose in the studio, "Go Insane" is more the album of an isolated mad-scientist cutting loose in a studio.

I then listed to the cd again. And again. And again. While I still slightly prefer "Law and Order" to "Go Insane," I've become entranced by this cd. So few people seek out (or even know to seek out) Buckingham's solo work, sticking with his big-time Fleetwood Mac work, and they are just plain missing out.

"Go Insane" is an art-rock masterpiece, particularly if seen as a companion-piece to "Law and Order." The few of us who have pursued obtaining these cds are indeed a lucky group. I recommend this album wholeheartedly to anyone interested in Buckingham in a different light. (Highlights "I Want You," "Go Insane," and "I Must Go" in particular are equal to Buckingham's best individual songs with Fleetwood Mac.)

In Lindsey Buckingham's work with Fleetwood Mac, there was always a sense of urgent intensity under the surface, waiting to explode at any moment. This is the album where it finally explodes! The album opens with the sound of a ringing alarm clock, waking us up to the fact that Buckingham does not intend to play it safe this time around. This leads into "I Want You", an intense track set to a funky jackhammer rhythm, with Buckingham's distorted vocals drawing us right in to his insane world of lust and longing. This song is followed by three tense (and surprisingly funky) tracks, the most notable of which is "Slow Dancing". This song is incredibly haunting, with Buckingham's trademark vocal harmonies, as well as some beautiful (almost Celtic sounding) acoustic guitar playing at the song's end. All the tension leads up to the album's centerpiece, "Play In The Rain". This 2-part piece uses strange sounds of exotic percussion, sitars, feminine voices, and synthesizers to create a feeling almost of sexual release. After this, the album begins to take a more hopeful tone, leading up to "D.W. Suite" which encompasses life, death, and redemption. This is a true concept album that needs to be listened to from beginning to end. Buckingham proves his true skill to be not just as a guitar player but also a producer in control of a vast array of sounds. The vocal effects and synth sounds are a precursor to the work he would do on "Tango In The Night". Overall, "Go Insane" is an overlooked masterpiece of an album that takes you into the insane world of Lindsey Buckingham.

Go Insane has often been referred to by fans as Lindsey's "show off" album. And I have to agree, studio wizardry aside, this is also his least realized solo effort. This is the first time Lindsey Buckingham released a project that wasn't produced by himself or his coproducer Richard Dashut (Rumours, Tusk, Out of The Cradle, etc). This time, Roy Thomas Baker is brought in to oversee things and the music certainly suffers because of it. Most of you will remember him as the producer of The Cars records. That said, the usual brillance and genius of Buckingham's guitar work and song structure still manages to shine on every song. If you can put up with the countless layers of 1980's style production tricks, then you will find a few favorites amongst all the clutter. This is the one collection of Buckingham tracks that would certainly feel out of place on a Fleetwood Mac record. Highlights include D.W. Suite, a three part tribute to Beach Boy Dennis Wilson(who at the time of his drowning death was involved with FM member Christine McVie) and the humorously self-gratifying "I Want You" complete with his signature wild electric guitar romp. One for the die hard fans. For a more focused look at Buckingham's work check out the very simple Tusk-like "Law and Order" or the utterly breathtaking "Out of The Cradle".

Lindsey flies solo for the second time on this colorful disc. Again, he plays most of the instruments on the album and does most of the vocal tracks. This one man band release differs slightly from his previous work, Law and Order. Lindsey uses drum machines and synthesizers to greater use on Go Insane. In fact, the album relies almost entirely on these instruemts. However, the songwriting is still fairly top notch. The best tracks on the album ("Go Insane," "Slow Dancing," and the two-part "Play In the Rain") could easily have evolved into brilliant Fleetwood Mac songs. The joy of listening to a Lindsey Buckingham solo record is to hear a true artist who knows how to paint music in a unique and original way. The colors he chooses to paint his music are brilliant and truly artistic.

Buckingham's sophomore solo album was another experimental set that was popular with music critics, but it failed to win much interest from the music-buying public and stalled #45 on the Hot 200. It seems as though many listeners were accusing Buckingham of putting style above substance and of being more interested in production gimmicks than actual song-writing. While it is true that Buckingham often prefers to place much of the emphasis on obsessively detailed production and lyrical tags rather than the traditional "song" format, I can't help but feel that many of these cynics have an extremely narrow-minded view of Buckingham's particular craft. It often goes unheralded, for example, that Buckingham also loads his tracks with compelling melodies and memorable hooks, which allows his compositions to function as true music rather than novel sound effects alone.

Perhaps a reflection of Buckingham's own personal strife at the time, GO INSANE is a rather dark recording, lacking the almost fun house-like fun of 1981's LAW AND ORDER. All of the wild and seemingly unrestrained production tricks crash in a harrowing collision on the stellar tracks "I Want You," "I Must Go," and "Bang the Drum," all which are consistently surprising and instantly memorable. A similar effect occurs on the terrific hit title track (#23 Pop, #4 Mainstream Rock), in which a mass of choral vocals combine into one nervy master work. The intoxicating "Playing in the Rain" retains it's mesmerizing hold through an effective reprise (which originally carried over to the second side of the original vinyl LP), while "Slow Dancing" and "Loving Cup" incorporate subtle electronic funk into Buckingham's catalog.

Best of all is the amazing "D. W. Suite," which closes the album. A tribute to the late Beach Boy Dennis Wilson, who was one of Buckingham's musical idols, this nearly seven minute track is a tour de force of sonic landscaping and effective song-writing. It is the one moment of the entire disc where Buckingham truly drops the mask and writes straight from his heart. After a full album of top-notch synthesizer-heavy rock, this bittersweet, genuinely moving epic is the perfect way to bring the whirlwind to a close.

This album is not for everyone. Having said that, anyone who appreciates an artists willingness to experiment should love that aspect of "Go Insane." It is no holds barred Lindsey. While it may not display his brilliant guitar talent like "Out of the Cradle" does, it stands alone a work of art.

With his 1984 solo album "Go Insane", Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey Buckingham delivered an album that ingeniously combines hard-hitting songwriting with bracing, thrilling production and great arranging.

The problem with Buckingham tends to be that he doesn't have the raw materials to justify all of his "insanity", and his work ends up sounding badly forced and at times grating; however, this extremely cathartic album is a huge exception. Aside from the first track, Buckingham composed every track here himself, and he also does all the vocals/ plays all the instruments on all but 3 tracks (and of those 3, he still sings/ plays nearly everything), and track after track oozes confidence and brilliance.

Don't let anyone fool you into thinking this album has a "generic '80s sound". Actually, this album strikingly foreshadows a considerable amount of what George Michael did on his 1987 "Faith" album which is widely hailed as a masterpiece. Compare the layered, seemingly vari-speed vocals of Lindsey's "I Must Go" with those on George's "I Want Your Sex (Part 1)", both of which are extremely edgy tracks, and you'll have a good idea of what I'm getting at; plus, both Lindsey & GM played all of the instruments on their respective tracks.

The back cover of the "Go Insane" album shows Buckingham staring at a naked woman, which is a perfect complement for the music inside. The delirious carnival-from-hell style opening track "I Want You", the stomping title track, & "Slow Dancing" each have richly harmonized, irresistibly catchy choruses. The romantically/ sexually-obsessive "Slow Dancing" is absolutely brilliant--masterfully detailed and executed, it makes great use of a characteristic Buckingham bass line, featuring his ingenious "music box"-style instrumental breaks, and a fade-out that gives way to a lone waltzing acoustic guitar; this track is a great example of the kind of terrific details/ hooks that are packed into track after track. The explosively funky "I Must Go" is another uncanny, ultra-catchy, intricately arranged gem of a track (good grief, just listen to the VOCALS); and "Play In the Rain"/ "Play In the Rain (Continued)" are a cool mix of sound collage with Oriental-ish influences & effective use of a simple guitar progression (though the former is marred a little by the annoying panting sounds).

Fans of Buckingham's guitar playing will finds lots to sink their teeth into here. Also, over the course of the album, Buckingham gets a ton of mileage out of various techniques including crashing electronic percussion, methodologically placed sound effects, and stereo tricks such as having each syllable of the lyric alternating between each stereo channel. The one track where he goes relatively easy on the stereo tricks is the bluesy "Loving Cup", and Lindsey's vocals on this track are kind of buried in the mix as well--but even this is a wild track that totally gets under your skin.

The "ballad" "Bang the Drum" is a track you could accurately describe as a disorienting "updating" of 1950's style doo-wop. Quite intriguing stuff.

The album closer is the 3-part "D.W. Suite" (D.W. standing for Dennis Wilson, of the Beach Boys, who died in 1983)--the first part, "The Wish", starts it off as a gorgeously-melodic, emotional ballad before working its way through "The Prayer" & "The Reflection" sections--Buckingham's reach did exceed his grasp on these last 2 which slip over into obnoxiousness.

Despite the flaws, this is an overall brilliant, fully-realized, mind-blowing album, and if you're curious/ confused as to why Buckingham has such a huge reputation, this is the ideal album to get, because he truly lives up to his reputation on this wild masterpiece.

Here comes a CD bursting with creative power and energy. Lindsey Buckingham second solo album, and arguably his best, shimmers with a greatness, much in the way Brian Wilson's solo work does. "I Want You" opens the album and features synthesizer and cowbell. Unfortunately, Lindsey's maginificant guitar work is not as present on this disc as his previous work with Fleetwood Mac. "Go Insane" is the perfect song at capturing Lindsey's style and mood. This song was recently performed by the reunited Fleetwood Mac.