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Law and Order
Studio album by Lindsey Buckingham
Released	October 16, 1981
Recorded	1981
Studio	Larrabee (West Hollywood) Wally Heider (Los Angeles)
Genre	Rock
Length	36:13
Label	Asylum (US/Canada) Mercury (outside US/Canada) Warner Bros. (reissue)
Producer	Lindsey Buckingham Richard Dashut
Lindsey Buckingham chronology
Law and Order (1981) Go Insane (1984)
Singles from Law and Order
"Trouble" Released: October 1981 "It Was I" Released: March 1982 "The Visitor (Bwana)" Released: March 1982 (UK) "Mary Lee Jones" Released: May 1982 (UK)

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.

Background

Following the relative commercial failure of Fleetwood Mac's Tusk album, where many of the tracks were recorded in Buckingham's home studio, Mick Fleetwood informed Buckingham that the band was not interested in recording subsequent releases in the same manner. This was the impetus for Buckingham to create Law and Order. "In that moment, I realized, 'If I wanna continue to take risks try to define myself as an artist in the long term, I'm gonna have to start making solo albums.'"

Buckingham began Law and Order in February 1981 with a setup that included a multi-track tape machine, a couple of microphones, and a small console. The solo album was temporarily put on hold when Buckingham worked with Fleetwood Mac for the initial Mirage recording sessions. Buckingham resumed progress in June and spent the next few months making final adjustments to Law and Order until its eventual release in October. "I'll Tell You Now" was the oldest song on the album; Buckingham posited that it would have been included on Fleetwood Mac's Tusk album had the song been written a few months earlier.

When asked about the title of the album by Jim Ladd, Buckingham explained that it did not pertain to the contemporary context of the term, but was instead about establishing personal laws to abide by. "I think that in order to keep that sense of innocence, you really have to instill a sense of discipline in yourself and a sense of commitment, really. Commitment is a key word too. A sense of order about your life, if you will. And that's how the title came about."

In a 2018 interview with Stereogum, Buckingham described the album as a sarcastic body of work that was "almost verging on a comedy album". He further explained that "Law And Order doesn't speak in a sincere way. It speaks more in an ironic way, a tongue in cheek way."

Music promo videos

Two promotional music videos were shot for Law and Order, "Trouble" and "It Was I", both directed by Jerry Watson and produced by Paul Flattery. "Trouble" featured friends of Buckingham playing either guitar or drums. They included Mick Fleetwood, Bob Welch, and Bob Weston from Fleetwood Mac and singer-songwriter Walter Egan.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Record Mirror
Robert Christgau	B+
Rolling Stone

Jon Pareles of Rolling Stone, in a 4/5 star review, wrote that "based on the evidence of Law and Order... Lindsey Buckingham's biggest contribution to Fleetwood Mac has been his unabashed fondness for pop music at its most hokey and hooky." Billboard said that the album balanced Buckingham's "elegant guitars work and deft melodic sense against a newer element of rhythmic playfulness and a more urgent vocal attack." On the other hand, Robin Smith of Record Mirror panned the "miserable" album in a 1/5 star review, saying that it "sounds like the out takes of Mac's worst studio sessions delivered around reedy little voice."

In a retrospective review, William Ruhlmann of AllMusic gave the album 3.5/5 stars, saying that it "comes off as a high-quality demo of largely unfinished material".

Track listing

All tracks are written by Lindsey Buckingham, except where indicated

Personnel

Main performer

• Lindsey Buckingham – vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, drums, percussion

Additional personnel

• George Hawkins – bass on "Trouble"
• Mick Fleetwood – drums on "Trouble"
• Carol Ann Harris – harmony vocals on "It Was I"
• Christine McVie – harmony vocals on "Shadow of the West"

Production

• Lindsey Buckingham – producer, recording, Polaroid art
• Richard Dashut – producer, recording
• David Brown – recording
• Sabrina Buchanek – recording assistant
• Judy Clapp – recording assistant
• Dennis Mays – recording assistant
• Larry Emerine – mastering
• Stephen Marcussen – mastering
• Precision Lacquer (Hollywood, California) – mastering location
• Larry Vigon – art direction, design
• George Hurrell – front cover photography
• Sam Emerson – back cover photography

Charts

Certifications

References

1. "FMQB" (PDF). p. 33.
2. "Lindsey Buckingham singles".
3. "SNL Season 07 Episode 11 - James Coburn, Lindsey Buckingham - NBC.com". NBC. Retrieved 2020-02-27.
4. Chiu, David (September 15, 2021). "Lindsey Buckingham looks for life after Fleetwood Mac". Newsweek. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
5. DeRiso, Nick (October 3, 2016). "How Lindsey Buckingham Tried to Break Free on 'Law and Order'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
6. "I'm 40: Lindsey Buckingham, Law and Order". Rhino. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
7. "Innerview with Jim Ladd (1981), (Radio Show Partial Transcript)". The Blue Letter Archives. 1981. Archived from the original on December 30, 2015. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
8. "Lindsey Buckingham Reveals Stories Behind His Solo Songs And Whether He'll Ever Rejoin Fleetwood Mac". Stereogum. December 10, 2018. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
9. "Trouble Video". Go Your Own Way : The UK Resource for All Things Fleetwood Mac, Lindsey Buckingham & Stevie Nicks. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
10. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r31798/review
11. ^ Smith, Robin (7 November 1981). "Lindsey Buckingham: Law and Order". Record Mirror. p. 19.
12. "Robert Christgau: CG: Lindsay Buckingham". www.robertchristgau.com.
13. ^ "Lindsey Buckingham: Law and Order : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". www.rollingstone.com:80. Archived from the original on 23 April 2009. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
14. "Album Picks" (PDF). Billboard. October 24, 1981. p. 76. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
15. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0459". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
16. "Charts.nz – Lindsey Buckingham – Law & Order". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
17. "Lindsey Buckingham Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
18. "1982 was a Big Year" (PDF). Billboard. December 25, 1982. p. 103. Retrieved 20 December 2020.

• Lindsey Buckingham albums
• 1981 debut albums
• Albums produced by Richard Dashut
• Albums produced by Lindsey Buckingham
• Asylum Records albums
• Mercury Records albums
• Reprise Records albums
• Warner Music Group albums
• Albums recorded at Wally Heider Studios