98: Lindsey Buckingham’s Law & Order (1981)
Dismissed by many as an immature, glorified demo tape, Buckingham’s Law & Order came at a crucial time in his progression as an artist. Released in 1981 — after the controversial Tusk and less artistic Mirage — with little fanfare, Law & Order was the first time in Buckingham’s adult career that he’d been able to solely dictate a recording. Odd, then, that so much of it sounds funky and almost childish. Though “Trouble” was a radio hit, the rest of the tunes are eccentric little masterpieces that don’t fit with the Fleetwood Mac catalog, yet stick with you just as any of their most catchy tunes. “Bwana” (an ode to then-Africa-obsessed Mick Fleetwood) is a bizarre dance number and even odder pick for a track one, “Mary Lee Jones” beats just one idea into the ground but does so with wit and pop perfection, and his cover of “A Satisfied Mind” drills home Buckingham’s studio aesthetic with a pick-axe (just listen to the drum track). This one has taken years to grow on me, but I like it so much now, I visit it often and refer to it as a sort of peek into the studio diary of a recently freed artist.
Lindsey Buckingham “Mary Lee Jones” (mp3)
