Buckingham Nicks (Rhino High Fidelity, 2025 vinyl reissue)

Rhino has been on a roll with all things Fleetwood Mac, following the Rhino Reserve edition of Tango In The Night and the self-titled Fleetwood Mac album released under the Rhino High Fidelity imprint. But the most exciting news is the long-awaited Rhino High Fidelity reissue of Buckingham Nicks, the 1973 debut album from Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks.

Out of print for decades, the record last saw an official reissue only briefly in the wake of Fleetwood Mac’s mid-’70s success. Its scarcity has added to its legend, giving Buckingham Nicks an almost mythical reputation among collectors and fans alike.

The new Rhino High Fidelity edition is fully AAA, cut from the original stereo master tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio. It’s pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Optimal in Germany and housed in a beautiful, high-gloss, heavy-duty tip-on gatefold jacket. The package includes an insert with photos of the original tape boxes and new liner notes by David Fricke, drawn from recent conversations with both Buckingham and Nicks. The iconic black-and-white photograph by Jimmy Wachtel looks fantastic on the new edition.

Recorded in 1973 at Sound City Studios in Los Angeles, Buckingham Nicks was produced by Keith Olsen using the studio’s newly installed Neve 8078 console, giving the album its warm, analog character. Olsen kept the arrangements lean, focusing on Buckingham’s layered guitars and Nicks’s distinctive vocals, supported by a subtle rhythm section and minimal overdubs. Mixed for clarity rather than polish, the record captured an organic, intimate sound that—though overlooked upon its original release on Polydor—would later prove pivotal: a demo of “Frozen Love” from these sessions directly led to the duo’s recruitment into Fleetwood Mac.

That warm analog essence was already evident in the original 1973 Polydor pressing. Over the years, several mastering variations and pressing plants have surfaced. My longtime reference copy is a U.S. 1973 pressing stamped Sterling and PRC. This was the version I used for my original comparison review on my YouTube channel, The Pressing Matters. However, curiosity about the Robert Ludwig–signed cut led me to dig deeper. A close friend unearthed his 1981 reissue, while a viewer generously provided a Ludwig-mastered promo copy. I also had access to Chris Bellman’s recent cut for Rhino (the blue vinyl version). Comparing all of these across multiple systems revealed some clear distinctions.

Starting with the Ludwig Sterling promo, I found a warm and lush presentation with excellent clarity and top-end extension, supported by a deep bass foundation that flows naturally into the midrange, where Buckingham’s acoustic guitars and Nicks’s vocals shine. Details are clearly audible but never forced, with vocal harmonies gently layered and guitars rich in harmonic texture. The soundstage is dimensional and well-layered, with each element precisely placed. On “Crystal,” the music shimmered with warmth, intimacy, and emotional pull.

The PRC pressing, by comparison, sounds slightly less forward but equally organic and relaxed. Tonally, it shares much of the same DNA as the Ludwig cut and remains a thoroughly enjoyable listen.

The 1981 Polydor reissue—the final vinyl version before the 2025 reissues—is easy to identify by its single-pocket jacket rather than a gatefold. Pressed by Keel Mfg. Corp. from a Sterling stamper with no mastering credit, it proved the sleeper of the bunch. It surpassed the PRC but fell just short of the Ludwig’s richness, though its guitar tone stood out beautifully.

Chris Bellman’s blue and pink vinyl “budget” editions were cut around the same time as Kevin Gray’s Rhino High Fidelity version, using the same tape source. Unfortunately, the pressings were noisier than ideal, but the mastering itself is very good—laid-back yet clear and dynamic. It’s a shame the vinyl quality doesn’t quite do it justice, as this could have been an excellent affordable option. Given a quiet copy, it’s easy to appreciate Bellman’s balanced, musical touch.

Finally, the new Rhino High Fidelity pressing delivers exactly what the series promises: a more revealing and refined perspective rather than a recreation of the original. The Optimal pressing is superbly quiet, and Kevin Gray’s mastering chain at Cohearent Audio provides remarkable clarity and an ultra-low noise floor that brings out subtle detail and imaging precision. Vocal harmonies are rendered with pinpoint separation, and unlike some other Rhino High Fidelity titles, there’s a solid bass foundation anchoring it all. The Ludwig retains a touch more warmth, but the Rhino counters with greater transparency and focus. All this is heard clearly on the closing track, “Frozen Love,” which hinted at the direction Buckingham and Nicks would soon take when they joined Fleetwood Mac. The rest, as they say, is history.

For those lucky enough to own a Ludwig Sterling cut, the new Rhino High Fidelity can be seen as a worthy upgrade—preserving the magic of the original while offering a tasteful boost in clarity and dynamic range. For everyone else, a quiet Bellman pressing makes a fine, slightly warmer alternative, while the Rhino stands as the definitive high-fidelity experience for this long-missing classic.