Quick; what is the third best-selling album in history? Even quicker; who was the main creative force behind that album? No clue and no clue?

“Rumors” by Fleetwood Mac is the third best-selling album of all time, and Lindsey Buckingham was the driving creative force in the band.

What most people fail to realize is that Buckingham has been at the helm of all the production and arranging for all of Fleetwood Mac’s hits since 1977, including the now classic album “Rumors,” which pop-culture-freak Chuck Klosterman cites as his favorite album of the 1970s.

If ever there was a musician who deserves more recognition than he gets, it is Lindsey Buckingham. An incredible visionary and writer of rock classics such as “Go Your Own Way,” “Big Love” and “Second Hand News,” the name Lindsey Buckingham is still foreign to most people.

For everyone at the Pabst Theater on Oct. 17, however, Buckingham was the long-awaited main attraction who put on a great show, highlighted by songs from his most recent album, “Under the Skin.”

A virtuoso guitarist who excels in the difficult art of finger-picking, Buckingham began his show last Wednesday with the very difficult “Not Too Late” off of the new album. With lyrics like, “reading the paper, I saw a review, said I was a visionary but nobody knew,” it is clear that Buckingham is fed up with his role as “that guy from Fleetwood Mac.”

The show was filled with songs from his acclaimed new album, including “Down on Rodeo” and “Show You How.” However, it was classics such as “Red Rover” and “Never Going Back Again,” the greatest song ever under two minutes, that got the warmest receptions.

Buckingham played a rip-roaring version of “Go Your Own Way” that got the older crowd on their feet and allowed the entire theater to sing along to the song originally written in response to the breakup of Buckingham and partner Stevie Nicks.

Many of the already great new songs benefited from having a backing band behind Buckingham at several points during the night.

Buckingham came off as a very personable man as he played requests that were shouted out by obsessive female fans, spoke of his fondness for the beautiful Pabst Theater and allowed audience members to strum his guitars as he played.

This is Buckingham’s second solo tour, as commitments to the “big Mac” have always occupied the bulk of his time. He has, however, promised another album slated for a 2007 release that will showcase his electric side.

Everyone at the Pabst Theater knows how great Buckingham is both as a member of Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. Now, it is finally time for everyone else to give him the credit he has always deserved.

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