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  #1  
Old 08-04-2012, 09:56 PM
GreenMagic GreenMagic is offline
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Default Why Tusk is the "Perfect" Album

On a more positive note, I would like to share why I think Tusk is a timeless, best album by the Mac. And most importantly, why it is superior to Rumours.

As I've already stated ad nauseam, my musical background was more in singer-songwriters like Mr. Dylan, Industrial like Ministry, and NIN, Brian Eno Talking Heads stuff, REM, etc. It wasnt till getting into albums like Pet Sounds, Forever Changes, Revolver, #1 Record/Radio City, Notorious Byrd Brothers that I started appreciating the Buckingham-Nicks lineup's first couple of albums.

Anyway getting back to my original point, Tusk was the first gateway drug into me liking BuckingHam Nicks. I used to think they were just corporate rock. Then a friend recommended Tusk to me and I thought he was out of his mind. With the first Christine song it sounded par the usual course, although I did like it.

But hearing the Ledge, I was like WTH? But in a good way. This was something completely different to what I ever heard from them. I understood Tusk turned off a huge amount of white album/ Rumour fans wanting more of the same.

But it appealed to me because it wasnt like that. Plus it helped that I listened to a ton of new wave stuff. So the musical direction did not bother me. Anyway here's my reasons -

1. Songs from the album with the exception of Sara or Think About Me hasnt been beaten to death by mainstream or classic rock radio. Every single song off Rumours has.

2. The songs have a quality about them where like Sara even if you heard the thing 20 times, it is not a bother. Whereas Rumours you cringe everytime Dont Stop comes on. They just dont hold up to repeated listening like Tusk.

3. The album have more of a jagged live edge. The production makes the songs sound timeless. Whereas Rumours places them in a certain period of time.

4. Christine, Lindsey and Stevie has their best work songwriting-wise on the album. Especially Christine who honestly I did dismiss at first. But on this album her songs have some teeth to them. As does Stevie's. Sister of The Moon beats Gold Dust Woman for me any day of the week. Lindsey's is just sheer genius. His non-specific surreal, subject matter adds to over-all quality of songs.

5. There's so many songs. You can listen to this album forever and not get tired of it based on that fact alone. You learn new layers about the songs each time hearing them. Especially those who have the DVD audio, I envy you intensely.

6. The music was groundbreaking. They were doing some new stuff arrangement-wise that even some new wave bands weren't doing at the time.

7. It proves to doubters/hipsters that FM did have artistic value to them. And were wrongfully labeled as corporate rock.

That is all I can think of at the moment. For the record I do like the White Album and Rumours. Just burnt out hearing most of the songs from them. But to be fair I'm also burnt out from hearing The Beatles and AC/DC as well. Those are bands I love.

Last edited by GreenMagic; 08-04-2012 at 10:00 PM.. Reason: Mispelling
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  #2  
Old 08-04-2012, 10:37 PM
MikeInNV MikeInNV is offline
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Think About Me has been beaten to death by radio? I wish I listened to the same stations you do.
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  #3  
Old 08-04-2012, 10:45 PM
michelej1 michelej1 is offline
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Originally Posted by MikeInNV View Post
Think About Me has been beaten to death by radio? I wish I listened to the same stations you do.
I know. I think I've heard that song once on the radio in the last decade. Actually, I remember I was in Michigan visting and I'd gone to the movie with my mother and she went to the restroom and that song came on over the speaker and when she came out and was ready to leave, I wouldn't leave until it ended. She was miffed and said, "You can't even hear it over the crowd. Let's go!"

Michele
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Old 08-04-2012, 11:12 PM
GreenMagic GreenMagic is offline
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Dont get me wrong, I love Think About me. I could listen to that 20 times over hearing You Make Loving Fun (even though it is a good song)

I think it depends on the state/area you are in. I used to hear Think on classic rock stations here in Texas all the time. I've also heard it in grocery stores on regular rotation.

Luckily it's one of those tunes you hear a million times and never get tired of.
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  #5  
Old 08-05-2012, 12:30 AM
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elle elle is offline
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Originally Posted by GreenMagic View Post
2. The songs have a quality about them where like Sara even if you heard the thing 20 times, it is not a bother. Whereas Rumours you cringe everytime Dont Stop comes on. They just dont hold up to repeated listening like Tusk.
i don't know, i never could stand Sara. maybe b/c lyrics are usually not what i focus on in a song, and Sara just goes on and on - and on - with not much melody to it . on the other hand, unlike what the popular opinion seems to be, when Don't Stop comes on the radio, to me it still has so many enjoyable parts in it.

but back to the Tusk -
  • other than Sara, i love SN's songs on it. SOTM, Angel, BC, Storms - love them all!
  • other than TAFE and SMAP, i adore LB's songs on it. Ledge, WMYTYTO, NTF, IKINW, Tusk, That's Enough For Me... and did i mention Walk A Thin Line? adore them!
  • other than Think About Me (which i've never heard before buying the CD), i just cannot get through CM's songs on it . maybe they are musically great, i don't know... but they are just. so. slow.


question back at you:

seems so many people who say they love Tusk at the same time severely dislike SYW. to me, these two albums have a lot of similarities, and i could never understand how the same person can love Tusk and hate SYW. what are your thoughts on this?
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  #6  
Old 08-05-2012, 05:34 AM
Ulpian Ulpian is offline
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I never really thought I'd get to like Tusk. Too many of Lindsey's songs seemed (and some still seem) bizarre and impenetrable to me. But, with age, I am really starting to appreciate them, and I think that 'What Makes You Think You're The One' now ranks in my top five Lindsey songs.

Christine, for me, still shines brightest on Tango In The Night; that will always be her album (and Lindsey's). I don't love any of her Tusk songs, though I am happy to listen to them.
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  #7  
Old 08-05-2012, 09:08 AM
On Ice On Ice is offline
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I couldn't agree more with Green Magic's observations, Tusk is Fleetwood Mac's best album and it's greatness is most noticeable when you listen to it from start to finish. Songwriting wise it doesn't get much better for Nicks and she has not reached this level of brilliance since, all of her 5 tracks are stellar. McVie's Over and Over is by far her best composition and Brown Eyes is also sheer brilliance. Buckingham proves you can pack a lot of punch into a 2 minute track with the Ledge and That's Enough for Me. I can't understand why the band wants to focus so much on Rumours when it could delve into the delicious material here, which always translated well to the stage. To me, today's tours should only have max 3 Rumours tracks and at least half of Tusk ought to be in the set list.
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  #8  
Old 08-05-2012, 09:52 AM
mikephxaz mikephxaz is offline
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Originally Posted by elle View Post
i
seems so many people who say they love Tusk at the same time severely dislike SYW. to me, these two albums have a lot of similarities, and i could never understand how the same person can love Tusk and hate SYW. what are your thoughts on this?

great question! the similarities are there and I like SYW and I LOVE Tusk..both cds are experimental...the two major differences are the absence of Christine...her tempo, her lightness is missed on SYW, secondly (and more importantly) Lindesy's over production was in full swing on SYW...what started with the songs on Tango In The Night with his "family man" obscure, over production continued on with Say You Will where Tusk represents the BEST of Lindsey's funky, honest, earthy approach to music...(which was brilliant for Stevie's songs on Tusk) I wish he could get back to that place.
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  #9  
Old 08-05-2012, 10:13 AM
wetcamelfood wetcamelfood is offline
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Yeah I wouldn't say beat to death. I'm still surpirsed that when it was out it was played a little but not much then was more surprised to find out it only made it to number 20. I know they wanted the title track to be the 1st single to show people "this new album is different" but I bet that if TAM was released as a first single then it would've made number one (since that's the sound the public liked/wanted). I guess it would've been misleading to protray a different image to the public of the album but I'm sure WB wouldn't have lost any sleep over it since they'd be getting those Christmas bonuses after all. It's amazing to me that WB didn't step in to say "we want (this) to be the fisrt single" as I doubt Tusk would've been their first choice. Also, let's face it, not EVERY song on an album is a hit anyway ("hit" meaning single release, sales number of those singles etc.) so what's the differece? There's bound to have been albums released by many throughout the years that pushed the commercial sounding songs as the singles then people would get the album home to find the rest of the album is different and so on. Just some thoughs anywyay.

John
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Old 08-05-2012, 01:32 PM
michelej1 michelej1 is offline
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Originally Posted by wetcamelfood View Post
It's amazing to me that WB didn't step in to say "we want (this) to be the fisrt single" as I doubt Tusk would've been their first choice.
That's a good point. I'm surprised they didn't put their foot down. It might have misled the public, but no more so than the existence of Rumours did in the first place. Even with Tusk as the single, I think most people still approached Tusk thinking it would sound more like the first two.

I think Sara did generate album sales though. So, I think that was a good single. Think About Me first would have been best (for sales) and they must have learned their lesson because they put Christine's single first when SYW was released.

Michele
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  #11  
Old 08-05-2012, 02:16 PM
starshine starshine is offline
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I like Tusk probably better than Rumours probably because it hasn't been played to death like all the songs off Rumours have been through all these yrs now. I mean sure I do like some outtakes maybe a little bit more than the released version (like the longer version of Sara/outtake of Angel/ the longer version of Tusk from the box set that you actually hear the marching band on it) I love Christine's songs too esp Brown Eye's on of my favorites (though I don't like the version on the box set on this one ugh). I probably only don't like the LP cover photo with the dog. They had so many great pictures (outtakes taken) I just don't understand WHY they didn't use them. Heck they could've put them in the tourbook. (Just like Stevie could've given us more outtake picture in her toubook's) so sad but anyway. Sorry I get off the subject a little bit. I love Tusk much more its awesome they should play songs (more songs) from this LP for sure.
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Old 08-05-2012, 08:15 PM
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That's a good point. I'm surprised they didn't put their foot down.
Imagine the studio's having put its foot down about anything in 1979 to Fleetwood Mac. Warner Brothers was in Mac's back pocket. The band could have done anything it wanted to.

Quote:
Even with Tusk as the single, I think most people still approached Tusk thinking it would sound more like the first two.
People loved Tusk, so I think you're right. It was the perfect first single by a long shot. It was playful, inventive, energetic, wild, creepy, cinematic, inspired on every level. The Rolling Stone critics voted it the best single of 1979. Other critics loved it; the public loved it; and the USC audience at the Coliseum loved it. It was a newsmaking single: jungle chants and a renowned college marching band. There wasn't a single misfire with Tusk. It was a fabled moment for Fleetwood Mac and for USC, and its triumph has lived to this very day: Go to a Trojan football game at the Coliseum and hear the marching band get the SC fans pumped up at halftime with it. There's nothing else like it in rock history since the Beatles.

But you're right because the really weird weirdness with the album—not the peppy, cool weirdness of Tusk that everyone loved—hit people when they played the rest of the tracks. All those scratching and screeching sounds in the production—of guitars tuned down and played like bass guitars, of sound fields awash in oversaturated gain and distortion, etc.—confused and turned off DJs and a lot of the public that bought Tusk (the single and the album). The martial horns riffing out the title song had the world tapping its feet and clapping along, but the dry-humping & pig-grunting of Not That Funny made people truly sorry not only that they had bought the album but also that a band that previously wrote such great hooks had lost it.
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Old 08-05-2012, 07:29 PM
BombaySapphire3 BombaySapphire3 is offline
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Originally Posted by wetcamelfood View Post
Yeah I wouldn't say beat to death. I'm still surpirsed that when it was out it was played a little but not much then was more surprised to find out it only made it to number 20. I know they wanted the title track to be the 1st single to show people "this new album is different" but I bet that if TAM was released as a first single then it would've made number one (since that's the sound the public liked/wanted). I guess it would've been misleading to protray a different image to the public of the album but I'm sure WB wouldn't have lost any sleep over it since they'd be getting those Christmas bonuses after all. It's amazing to me that WB didn't step in to say "we want (this) to be the fisrt single" as I doubt Tusk would've been their first choice. Also, let's face it, not EVERY song on an album is a hit anyway ("hit" meaning single release, sales number of those singles etc.) so what's the differece? There's bound to have been albums released by many throughout the years that pushed the commercial sounding songs as the singles then people would get the album home to find the rest of the album is different and so on. Just some thoughs anywyay.

John
Having been around ,already 17 and a huge fan at the time of the release of Tusk.I don't see TAM making it to number one as the first single.TAM followed Tusk and Sara both of which did make the top ten .Although a great song TAM is way more raw than any other of Chris's top 20 FM hits.It even has a bit of a punk feel to it IMHO.Consider the case of the far more sleek and polished Little Lies which also followed a Lindsey single and then Seven Wonders which only made it to numer 19.Little Lies sailed up the charts to number 4 becomng the album's biggest US. hit and tied Hold Me for the third highest charting FM single.
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Old 08-05-2012, 08:46 PM
MikeInNV MikeInNV is offline
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Having been around ,already 17 and a huge fan at the time of the release of Tusk.I don't see TAM making it to number one as the first single.TAM followed Tusk and Sara both of which did make the top ten .Although a great song TAM is way more raw than any other of Chris's top 20 FM hits.It even has a bit of a punk feel to it IMHO.Consider the case of the far more sleek and polished Little Lies which also followed a Lindsey single and then Seven Wonders which only made it to numer 19.Little Lies sailed up the charts to number 4 becomng the album's biggest US. hit and tied Hold Me for the third highest charting FM single.
Yes, TAM is raw compared to LL, but the musical landscape changed a lot between 1980 and 1987. I think the sound of TAM was well-suited to the era in which it was released, just as LL was.

(Also, LL did not follow a Lindsey single. Seven Wonders was in between them.)
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Old 12-14-2014, 04:35 AM
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seems so many people who say they love Tusk at the same time severely dislike SYW. to me, these two albums have a lot of similarities, and i could never understand how the same person can love Tusk and hate SYW. what are your thoughts on this?
Interesting thought. I do think they share similarities; they are both distinctive, challenging double albums, but different in production style. Tusk feels more organic and diverse.

I love that Tusk is getting the love and recognition it deserves; far more so than when it was released. It's an album ahead of its time (Thanks Lindsey!). Like a fine wine, it benefited from age in order to be fully appreciated for its distinct flavors and inherent significance. It's a fine example how of hard-line judgments of the moment can sometimes turn fluid over a span of time, transforming perspective and perception.
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