I don't believe that Angel was ever a single.. It got airplay on rock radio for the first few months after Tusk's release. It would have made a better 4th single than Sisters though as it is more poppy and catchy even though Sisters is the superior song IMO.

I think Never Forget, Angel and Tusk would have been good choices.

From the point of view of Warner Brothers, the traditional idea of a radio-friendly single that would appeal to a mass audience was very strong.

But from the point of view of the band (or at least some of the band), that idea was tiresome. Why give the radio audience what it expects? Give it something it doesn’t expect, like Tusk, a track that didn’t sound remotely like anything else on the radio in the US in 1979. Tusk was a brilliant idea for a first single, not only because it’s a great track but because it’s a completely new idea for a radio single—it’s an anti-single. Its response on radio was mostly positive on its own terms (everyone was talking about it in 1979—it wasn’t flying under anyone’s radar), and that weirdness combined with its sonic power (a jungle statement) also made it a longstanding artifact of USC Trojan culture in the years after. (I attended many, many Trojan football games at the Coliseum, and Tusk at halftime was always rowdy and popular. Unlike a lot of other halftime nonsense, it energized the stadium.)

After Tusk, it didn’t matter what the singles were. Nothing was going to make the album sell millions more, and the tour itself was pushing the weirdness quotient that the band wanted to push that year (where songs onstage lost all resemblance to their sleek, smooth studio counterparts).

Before June 1982, nobody knew what Mirage was going to sound like. Tusk succeeded in that way.

I completely agree. I love Tusk as the first single. I was commenting on what would have been more radio friendly. I even like Tusk's running order. And I did NOT when I first bought it.

I love the experimentalness of Tusk, Honey Hi and Brown Eyes.

I don't think anyone disagrees that Tusk was experimental and sort of anti-corporate rock. Bravo. It was a huge risk to dare to be so different.
HOWEVER, lets talk about the band post-Tusk. IMHO life after Tusk killed the band's creativity. While I like Mirage, it was an album that swung way too far into the pop/adult contemporary sphere that was so anti-Tusk. It was purposely commercial almost sweet bubble gum high pop greatness. Then Tango came along and the band again was under HUGE pressure for a commercial success after 5 years apart. We get sweet 80s synth pop. So while Tusk was considered a refreshing change, its impact sort of ruined their rock chops to some extent IMHO.

What Makes You Think You're the One ?

Awesomeness for 40 years long! Still just LOVE that song SO much!:thumbsup::nod:

One review (Rolling Stone maybe?) described the whole album as having a music-box quality and to me that's an apt description of the sort of..... tinkly....elements on most of the songs.

Issuing “Tusk” (the song) as the lead single was the right choice. So left field and so bizarre in comparison to anything from the previous two records (or eight records). It’s not only my favorite song from the album but one of my favorites from the entire band catalogue—as iconic and palate cleansing as “Hypnotized” or “Albatross,” but weirder, so much weirder.

The lush, mysterious “Sara” makes for great contrast. “Think About Me” lands somewhere between the elegant folk of “Storms” and the frenzied rockabilly of “”That’s Enough for Me.”

While I do agree that Tusk was the best first single(given how.....DIFFERENT the album was), but I think that Think About Me might have pulled people in more, giving them more of a Rumours vibe. Who knows, maybe it would have sold a bit more? 4M is huge numbers now, but it wasn't then, following their career defining album.

Sara was a good followup. As a former $tevie fan, I was always amazed that Angel didn't make it as a single.

Looking back, there really weren't many "hits" on it(radio listening wise).

Yes. The band (except Lindsey) felt they had made a mistake with Tusk (shortly after Tusk, not today) and were always chasing pop radio. So while Tusk was anti-corporate and anti-commercial, its impact on the band made them more corporate and more commercial with their final 2 albums with this line up. While I appreciate Tusk, the Tusk hangover impacted their greatness IMHO. I don't see Mirage and Tango as having the depth of greatness their first 3 albums had with this line up.

I think the reason that Mirage and Tango didn’t have the “depth of greatness” was largely due to the solo career focus that was in full force from 1981-1987.

I see your point and would agree a tiny bit. The bigger picture is that while the band was creative naturally for their first 2 albums together and very creative for #3. The blowback from Tusk changed the band to be chasing commercial success. It was pivotal for the band for Mirage to chart hit singles and be radio friendly (aka music box). Even more so for Tango. I believe even in Mick's first book Lindsey was under tremendous pressure for the album to get Mick out of bankruptcy. My only point is that something that is not talked about (much). While Tusk is applauded these days for the risk the band took, there is no doubt it changed them forever and seeking commercial success and so anti-Tusk the rest of their album existence.
That is what irks me about Tusk. Not the album itself but the post Tusk era i.e. over compensating future projects. While Tusk is underproduced Mirage and Tango are way overproduced.

Yes..I would agree with your point. Let’s also add the drugs and all the obsessive life styles that was spinning out of control from 1981-1987

Think About Me---what a great tune. But I like the earlier 1978 version (on the deluxe edition) MUCH better. It's catchy, direct, Christine's voice is not double-tracked, Lindsey isn't hogging the mic, the organ and keys are very present. And you can hear these cool, industrial percussion things going on in the background. I think if the track had been built up in a way that captured the spirit of this initial version, it could have been a BIG statement of girl pop...Still, I do like the finished album version. Just not as much as I do the 1978 version.