D.W. Suite

Last updated
"D.W. Suite"
Single by Lindsey Buckingham
from the album Go Insane
A-side "Slow Dancing"
ReleasedOctober 1984
Recorded1983-1984
Studio L. B.'s Garage
Length6:50
Label Reprise/ Warner Music Group
Songwriter(s) Lindsey Buckingham

"D.W. Suite" is the final song on Lindsey Buckingham's second solo album, Go Insane (1984). It was released as the B-side to the song Slow Dancing, also from the same album. The song was written as a tribute to Dennis Wilson, who drowned in December 1983. [1]

Contents

Composition

"D.W. Suite" was not one of the dozen songs that Buckingham presented to Roy Thomas Baker in England. [2] Rather, Buckingham wrote the song a few days after the death of Dennis Wilson in late 1983. Buckingham, who had been working with engineer Gordon Fordyce on Go Insane, requested one week off to work on "D.W. Suite", which he assembled over the course of six days. [3] Buckingham explained his reasoning for dedicating a song to Dennis Wilson:

"Dennis wasn't really a friend, but he dated Christine [McVie] for about three years so I knew him fairly well. He created for me a window into the inner workings of the Beach Boys. Of course, Brian Wilson had always been such a big influence on me that when Dennis died, it got me thinking about The Beach Boys and the rough time that they've had all around, really, and the fact that Brian went from a very commercial format into a far more experimental vein". [4]

The song is divided into three movements: "The Wish", "The Prayer", and "The Reflection". [5] Buckingham incorporated both contemporary and traditional themes into "D.W. Suite", including an interpolation of "The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond". [6] One section of the song features a live audio recording of the Beach Boys being introduced to a screaming audience. [5] Whereas most of the lead vocals on Go Insane were recorded at Cherokee Studios, Buckingham instead conducted some vocal work for "D.W. Suite" in one of his bathrooms. [4] [7] A nineteenth century lap harp is utilized throughout the song; Mick Fleetwood gave the instrument to Buckingham as a gift during the Mirage sessions. [8]

Critical reception

AllMusic hailed “D.W. Suite” as Go Insane's most ambitious piece and the only song on the album that did not succumb to "gimmicky sound effect[s] or [a] busy arrangement." [9] Ultimate Classic Rock singled out “D.W. Suite” as "an exquisite piece of art-pop that shows what Buckingham can achieve when he traps himself in his studio with a Fairlight synthesizer." [5] In a review from the Los Angeles Times , Kristine McKenna wrote that "D.W. Suite" was "the best song Brian Wilson never wrote." The publication further highlighted the song’s "wafting layers of sound [that] incorporate harp, church bells, ambient noise and gurgling water." [10] The Washington Post described the song as "a heartfelt eulogy for a musical hero who never quite coped with the breakdowns on the road to utopia." [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fleetwood Mac</span> British-American rock band

Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band formed in London in 1967 by guitarist and singer Peter Green. Green recruited drummer Mick Fleetwood, guitarist and singer Jeremy Spencer and bassist Bob Brunning, with John McVie replacing Brunning a few weeks after their first public appearance. Guitarist and singer Danny Kirwan joined the band in 1968. Christine Perfect, who contributed as a session musician starting with the band's second album, married McVie and joined Fleetwood Mac as an official member in July 1970 on vocals and keyboards, two months after Green left the band; she became known as Christine McVie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lindsey Buckingham</span> American guitarist (born 1949)

Lindsey Adams Buckingham is an American musician and record producer, best known as the lead guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the band Fleetwood Mac from 1975 to 1987 and 1997 to 2018. In addition to his tenure with Fleetwood Mac, Buckingham has released seven solo studio albums and three live albums. As a member of Fleetwood Mac, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Buckingham was ranked 100th in Rolling Stone's 2011 list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Buckingham is known for his fingerpicking guitar style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christine McVie</span> British musician (1943–2022)

Christine Anne McVie was an English musician and singer. She was the keyboardist and one of the vocalists and songwriters of Fleetwood Mac.

<i>Tusk</i> (album) 1979 studio album by Fleetwood Mac

Tusk is the twelfth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released as a double album on 12 October 1979 in the United States and on 19 October 1979 in the United Kingdom by Warner Bros. Records. It is considered more experimental than their previous albums, partly as a consequence of Lindsey Buckingham's sparser songwriting arrangements and the influence of post-punk. The production costs were initially estimated to be about $1 million but many years later were revealed to be about $1.4 million, making it the most expensive rock album recorded to that date.

<i>Mirage</i> (Fleetwood Mac album) 1982 studio album by Fleetwood Mac

Mirage is the thirteenth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 2 July 1982 by Warner Bros. Records. This studio effort's soft rock sound stood in stark contrast to its more experimental predecessor, 1979's Tusk. Mirage yielded several singles: "Hold Me", "Gypsy", "Love in Store", "Oh Diane", and "Can't Go Back".

<i>Say You Will</i> (album) 2003 studio album by Fleetwood Mac

Say You Will is the seventeenth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 15 April 2003. It followed 1995's Time and was their first album since 1970 without vocalist/keyboardist Christine McVie as a full member following her departure in 1998, though she participated in some songs as a guest musician; it would be her last time being involved with the band in a studio capacity before her death in 2022. Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks shared keyboard duties throughout the album.

<i>Law and Order</i> (album) 1981 studio album by Lindsey Buckingham

Law and Order is the first solo album by Fleetwood Mac guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Lindsey Buckingham, released in 1981. "Trouble", featuring drumming by Fleetwood Mac bandmate Mick Fleetwood, reached No. 9 on the U.S. charts; the album itself reached No. 32 on the Billboard 200. Lindsey appeared on Saturday Night Live on February 6, 1982 and performed "Trouble" and "Bwana" with Mick Fleetwood's Zoo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Go Your Own Way</span> 1976 single by Fleetwood Mac

"Go Your Own Way" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac from their eleventh studio album, Rumours (1977). The song was released as the album's first single in December 1976 in the United States. Written and sung by Lindsey Buckingham, it became the band's first top-ten hit in the United States. "Go Your Own Way" has been well received by music critics and was ranked number 120 by Rolling Stone magazine on their list of 500 greatest songs of all time in 2010, and re-ranked number 401 in 2021. They also ranked the song second on their list of the 50 greatest Fleetwood Mac songs.

<i>Christine McVie</i> (album) 1984 studio album by Christine McVie

Christine McVie is the second solo album by the English musician, singer, and songwriter Christine McVie, released in 1984.

<i>Go Insane</i> 1984 studio album by Lindsey Buckingham

Go Insane is the second solo studio album by American rock musician Lindsey Buckingham, then the lead guitarist and male lead vocalist of Fleetwood Mac. The album was released on July 30, 1984, by Elektra Records and Warner Music Group, while Fleetwood Mac was on a hiatus between albums. It peaked at No. 45 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. Two promotional music videos were shot for the album. These include "Go Insane" and "Slow Dancing". Buckingham played all of the instruments on the album except for on "I Want You" and "Go Insane."

<i>Out of the Cradle</i> 1992 studio album by Lindsey Buckingham

Out of the Cradle is the third solo album by American singer/songwriter Lindsey Buckingham. Released in 1992, it was Buckingham's first album after his departure from Fleetwood Mac, in 1987. He named the album after Walt Whitman's poem "Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking." The album reached #128 on the US Billboard 200 album chart, #51 on the UK Albums Chart, and #70 on the Canada Albums Chart. In Canada, four singles charted within the top 60.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Go Insane (song)</span> 1984 single by Lindsey Buckingham

"Go Insane" is the title track of Lindsey Buckingham's second solo album. Released as a single in July 1984, it became Buckingham's second top 40 hit. "Go Insane" is also Buckingham's most recent U.S. solo hit ; on the other hand, it did not chart in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murrow Turning Over in His Grave</span> 2003 song by Fleetwood Mac

"Murrow Turning Over in His Grave" is the second track on Fleetwood Mac's 2003 album Say You Will. It was written and sung by Lindsey Buckingham. Similar to the first few tracks on Say You Will, its lyrics are politically charged, with Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine labeling the song as "an anti-media tirade". The song references Edward R. Murrow, a mid-20th century American newsman known for his honesty and integrity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silver Springs (song)</span> 1976 song by Fleetwood Mac

"Silver Springs" is a song written by Stevie Nicks and performed by British-American band Fleetwood Mac. It was originally intended for the band's 1977 album Rumours, but became a B-side to the song "Go Your Own Way". A live version was released as a single from the 1997 album The Dance; this version of the song was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slow Dancing (Lindsey Buckingham song)</span>

"Slow Dancing" is a track on Lindsey Buckingham's second solo album, Go Insane. Despite receiving power rotation on MTV, "Slow Dancing" failed to make the Billboard Hot 100, although it did reach number 6 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles, an extension to the Hot 100. 34 years after its release, "Slow Dancing" was performed live for the first time.

"Blue Letter" is a song written by brothers Richard and Michael Curtis, first released by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac on their eponymous 1975 album, Fleetwood Mac. It was the only song on the album not written by a band member. A remixed version of "Blue Letter" was included on the B-side of "Warm Ways".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Not That Funny</span> 1980 single by Fleetwood Mac

"Not That Funny" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released in 1980. Composed and sung by guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, it was written as a response to the punk movement in the late 1970s. The song share some lyrics with "I Know I'm Not Wrong", another Buckingham penned song that appeared on the Tusk album.

"Walk a Thin Line" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released in 1979. Composed and sung by guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, it was one of his nine songs that appeared on the Tusk album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Countdown (Lindsey Buckingham song)</span> 1992 single by Lindsey Buckingham

"Countdown" is a song by Lindsey Buckingham, released in 1992 from his third solo album Out of the Cradle. In the UK, "Countdown" was released in July as the album's first single, although in North America, "Wrong" was released as the first single instead. While the song did not chart on the UK Singles Chart or the US Billboard Hot 100, it appeared on Billboard's Mainstream Rock and Adult Contemporary charts. Elsewhere, "Countdown" charted in Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands.

"Wrong" is a song by Lindsey Buckingham, released in 1992 from his third solo album Out of the Cradle. In North America, "Wrong" was the album's first single, although in Europe, "Countdown" was released instead. In May 1992, "Wrong" was serviced to album-oriented rock radio stations; a music video was also created to coincide with the release of the single. In the song's music video, Buckingham engages in a series of guitar duels with doppelgängers emerging from a mirror.

References

  1. ↑ Evans, Mike (2011). Fleetwood Mac: The Definitive History. New York: Sterling. p. 228. ISBN   978-1-4027-8630-3.
  2. ↑ Strauss, Duncan (November 1984). "Simplicity as a Way of Life: Lindsey Buckingham Seeks Peace of Mind". The Blue Letter Archives. Archived from the original on December 30, 2015. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  3. ↑ Scoppa, Bud (September 1984). "Music Connection, Volume III, Number 19 (09/13/1984), Lindsey Buckingham". The Blue Letter Archives. Archived from the original on December 30, 2015. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  4. 1 2 Paige, Bill (November 1984). "Lindsey Buckingham: Insane Or Not Insane". The Blue Letter Archives. Archived from the original on December 30, 2015. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 Hernandez, Stephanie (October 5, 2021). "Underrated Lindsey Buckingham: Most Overlooked Song From Each LP". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  6. ↑ Brunning, Bob (1990). "Behind the Masks (1990), (Book Excerpt)". The Blue Letter Archives. Archived from the original on December 30, 2015. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  7. ↑ Scoppa, Bud (September 13, 1984). "Music Connection, Volume III, Number 19: One-Man Band With a Bound-up Heart". The Blue Letter Archives. Archived from the original on December 30, 2015. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  8. ↑ Graham, Sam. "Lindsey Buckingham: Personal Brinksmanship and State-of-the-Art Subconscious". The Penguin. Archived from the original on 2005-10-16. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  9. ↑ Ruhlmann, William. "Lindsey Buckingham - Go Insane Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2023-12-25.
  10. ↑ McKenna, Kristine (August 16, 1984). "Los Angeles Times, Go Insane". The Blue Letter Archives. Archived from the original on December 30, 2015. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  11. ↑ Himes, Geoffrey (September 16, 1984). "Lindsey Buckingham's Unusual Mix". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved December 28, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.