The keen eyes and ears of @all.the.records summed up this phase of my already-leagues-deep dive into Christine McVie’s discography in a comment on the previous installment in this series: ‘The takeaway I’m getting from these most recent … posts is the members [of Fleetwood Mac] worked on a lot of songs or records during some downtime in FM in the early ‘80s.’
I’d go a step further, actually: non-Mac downtime work became the band’s new standard operating procedure post-Tusk.
Having finally achieved multiplatinum success, the quintet was no longer reliant on one another to maintain musical pursuits. Which is why by the end of ’81 they were all actively engaged elsewhere, including even Mick Fleetwood (then forming his forthcoming Zoo) and John McVie (busy anchoring a reunion of John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers).
Two of the group’s three songwriters remained most visible, however, especially Stevie Nicks, whose July ’81 landmark Bella Donna rapidly outsold Mac’s last trove, catapulting her into an independent career ultimately worthy of separate Hall of Fame induction.
Lindsey Buckingham endeavored likewise, if never to the same level of Stevie’s popularity.
Having been told by Mick his home-studio production process wouldn’t form the backbone of the next FM LP, the virtuoso retreated to his fortress of solitude and crafted this appealing breakaway assortment, Law and Order.
It too would come to define his solo artistry: He made better albums (still waiting for Out of the Cradle to get a proper pressing) but they’ve all in some way evoked the nervy eccentricities and DIY aesthetic established here, whether mellow (‘Trouble’) or peppy (‘Bwana’) or nutty (‘That’s How We Do It in L.A.’) like how he’ll sound soon on ‘Holiday Road.’
And Christine? She seemed content to make moves behind the scenes, uncompelled to cut another album under her own, now-changed name for another three years. Yet she’s on hand for almost everything save for Stevie’s breakthrough.
Lindsey recorded L&O virtually by himself — and still there was room for Chris to add her harmony to the loping stroll ‘Shadow of the West.’
Only contributions to this album not made by Lindsey Buckingham? One other backing vocal, by Carol Ann Harris on ‘It Was I,’ and the bass and drums on ‘Trouble,’ the latter provided by Mick Fleetwood. Otherwise it’s all LB.