Buckingham Nicks, the 1973 album that marked Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks’ one and only collaboration, has never been available online and has long been out of print. However, singer-songwriters Andrew Bird and Madison Cunningham will release Cunningham Bird, their own redesigned version of the record, on October 18.
Just Griffin Goldsmith on drums and percussion and Mike Viola on Wurlitzer, bass, and drums are featured on the album, which is produced by Viola. According to a press release, while the new album’s sequencing is similar to the original, the sound and arrangements are not.
Bird stated in a statement, “That little part of you that thinks you might do it better is the best reason to cover anyone.” It felt natural to adopt the excess and confidence that this record personifies in order to represent that spirit ourselves. The courage, that is, to tamper with a famous, although underappreciated, diamond. I’ve met a lot of amazing musicians, but Madison is the best. Her ears are always on the lookout for fresh sounds and interesting harmonic twists. At whatever volume, her voice is expressive, agile, and certain to give you chills. This is the perfect project for us to dive into, all I needed to do was locate it.”
A full track listing and the album’s first two singles, “Crying in the Night” and “Crystal,” are provided below.
What Became of ‘Buckingham Nicks’?
The team gained a small following but experienced little sustained economic success with the original Buckingham Nicks. But Mick Fleetwood heard the song “Frozen Love” shortly after the record was out, when he was paying producer Keith Olsen a visit at Los Angeles’ Sound City studios. Fleetwood welcomed Buckingham and Nicks into Fleetwood Mac in a few of months.
Cunningham continued, speaking of the new endeavor, “This buried Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham record found us in a place where we were trying to figure out what we could do together.” “We chose to tackle it head-to-head in our own unique style, despite our lack of familiarity with it and excitement over its rarity on streaming services. Although I wasn’t surprised that it turned out to be one of my most creatively fulfilling record-making experiences, I wasn’t prepared for the unexpected benefit of realizing how applicable some of those songs would be to my own life at the time of recording. I hope we did it right; it became a lifeline for me.”
On September 30, Cunningham and Bird will play an album release event at the Troubadour in Los Angeles.
‘Cunningham Bird’ Track Listing:
1. “Crying in the Night”
2. “Stephanie”
3. “Without a Leg to Stand On”
4. “Crystal”
5. “Long Distance Winner”
6. “Don’t Let Me Down Again”
7. “Django”
8. “Races Are Won”
9. “Lola My Love”
10. “Frozen Love”
