Ghost,
Lindsey's still my #1 guy.
He doesn't have a great voice, but - as you observed - he sells a song with everything he's got. IMHO, he's that rarest of combinations; a brilliant pop songcrafter (a left brain skill) and a crazy ass rock n roll wildman (100% right brain). His seething anger at the women who've betrayed him (at least in his mind/lyrics) is usually evident, and IMHO this adds intensity, even if the music is frothier pop.
He's also the single quirkiest guitar technician that I've ever seen: he employs everything from banjo rolls to (his variation of) classical resquesado strumming. His repeated bends on electric guitar speak to a certain obsessive nature and his fingerstyle acoustic playing is both fantastic and very personal. At the end of the day, there's just about no one I'd rather listen to work a guitar.
BTW, he's done some heavier stuff with Mac ("I'm So Afraid" and "Come" are extended electric guitar workouts and he also reinvents some of the pure pop into rock when Mac plays live. "Eyes of The World" (a rework of Pachelbel's Canon in D as a single/album track) is a screamer in concert.
His solo stuff is all over the board. "Out of The Cradle" is IMHO a pop masterpiece. The three before that wander all over - '50's retro pop to flat-out prog rock - it's pretty clear to me that he was trying to distance himself from Mac style pop. These three IMHO are more for compleatists, tho "Go Insane" is impressive in it's own right.
The three most recent solo efforts are all fabulous....but, but, but...
While "Gift of Screws" is really reminiscent of Mac (when it's rocking) and pretty easy to like, both "Under The Skin" and "Seeds We Sow" are dense, acoustic, finger picking explorations. Not for every taste, but two of my all-time favorite records. SQ on "Skin" drives some people nuts, VERY heavily processed sound - but it's in service to the songs.
Both of the official live CDs "Small Machine" and "One Man Show" are worthwhile. The latter - just LB, guitar and effects, is a pretty astonishing display of his technical virtuosity (both on guitar and electronic manipulation).
Good luck exploring his catalog, nothing out there quite like it.
In case you hadn't noticed, I'm a fan.
Marty
Lindsey's still my #1 guy.
He doesn't have a great voice, but - as you observed - he sells a song with everything he's got. IMHO, he's that rarest of combinations; a brilliant pop songcrafter (a left brain skill) and a crazy ass rock n roll wildman (100% right brain). His seething anger at the women who've betrayed him (at least in his mind/lyrics) is usually evident, and IMHO this adds intensity, even if the music is frothier pop.
He's also the single quirkiest guitar technician that I've ever seen: he employs everything from banjo rolls to (his variation of) classical resquesado strumming. His repeated bends on electric guitar speak to a certain obsessive nature and his fingerstyle acoustic playing is both fantastic and very personal. At the end of the day, there's just about no one I'd rather listen to work a guitar.
BTW, he's done some heavier stuff with Mac ("I'm So Afraid" and "Come" are extended electric guitar workouts and he also reinvents some of the pure pop into rock when Mac plays live. "Eyes of The World" (a rework of Pachelbel's Canon in D as a single/album track) is a screamer in concert.
His solo stuff is all over the board. "Out of The Cradle" is IMHO a pop masterpiece. The three before that wander all over - '50's retro pop to flat-out prog rock - it's pretty clear to me that he was trying to distance himself from Mac style pop. These three IMHO are more for compleatists, tho "Go Insane" is impressive in it's own right.
The three most recent solo efforts are all fabulous....but, but, but...
While "Gift of Screws" is really reminiscent of Mac (when it's rocking) and pretty easy to like, both "Under The Skin" and "Seeds We Sow" are dense, acoustic, finger picking explorations. Not for every taste, but two of my all-time favorite records. SQ on "Skin" drives some people nuts, VERY heavily processed sound - but it's in service to the songs.
Both of the official live CDs "Small Machine" and "One Man Show" are worthwhile. The latter - just LB, guitar and effects, is a pretty astonishing display of his technical virtuosity (both on guitar and electronic manipulation).
Good luck exploring his catalog, nothing out there quite like it.
In case you hadn't noticed, I'm a fan.
Marty