Ivory Keys' article on the Tusk Sessions

[SisterNightroad]

Tusk Sessions (1978-1980)

With the upcoming release of the Deluxe repackaging of Tusk, I decided to post all of the known outtakes and demos for the album. The upcoming new release does not include the extra material that was on the 2004 reissue of Tusk, so those songs are now out of print (excluding the actual album, of course).

I know nothing about the non-Stevie songs on here, so I will not be commenting on them or giving historical data concerning them.

The question on my mind has always been: “If Tusk was a double album, why did Stevie only get five songs, not six?”

Regarding “Sara,” Stevie had this to say on the Tommy Vance Show in May 1994:
“I wrote ‘Sara’ on the piano, by myself. The original ‘Sara’ was 16 minutes long. Like about nine more verses than what you hear on the record. It got edited down to 14 minutes, down to 11 minutes, down to 9 minutes, down to 7 minutes, down to 4 minutes and 40 seconds. I was to the point where I went, 'Is the word ‘Sara’ even going to be left in the song?'
"I knew that ‘Sara’ would be very popular because I loved writing that song. I've had more fun writing that...I remember the night I wrote it. I sat up with a very good friend of mine whose name is Sara, who was married to Mick Fleetwood. She likes to think it's completely about her, but it's really not completely about her. It's about me, about her, about Mick, about Fleetwood Mac. Its about all of us at that point. There's little bits about each one of us in that song and when it had all the other verses it really covered a vast bunch of people. ‘Sara’ was the kind of song you could fall in love with, because I fell in love with it.”

Stevie recorded her first demo of “Sara” in Dallas in July 1978 at Gordon Perry’s studio, Goodnight Dallas, in July of 1978 while Fleetwood Mac was in town playing at the Cotton Bowl. As she said in her Off The Record interview in 1988:
“Tusk was a very uncommercial album. Sara was a very commercial song. I didn’t write it to be a commercial song. I wrote it as a demo in Dallas, Texas, after a concert on the Fourth of July…. way way long time ago…. and uh…. never in a million years dreamed that it would make any record. It was just a really special song to me.”

This demo would become quite significant because it helped settle a lawsuit against Stevie and Warner Brothers wherein a woman claimed that she sent the lyrics to her poem, “Sarah,” to WB and that Stevie stole the words. Both Gordon Perry and Kenny Loggins testified that they had heard Stevie’s demo of “Sara” well before the woman sent her poem to Warner Brothers.

A little known fact is that Stevie herself is playing the basic piano line in “Sara.” Stevie and Mick recorded their parts together with the other instruments being overdubbed in later.

Stevie told Jim Ladd on his Innerview radio program in 1979 that “Angel” was one of her Rhiannon songs:
“That's from the story of Rhiannon... there's a man, in the story of Rhiannon and his name is Arawn... who is the great lord of darkness ~ who is the man who possesses the power to take or give life, but he only takes life... because of pain. And so I wrote something at some point... because Aaron is my father's name, and Aaron is also my brother's name. And Aaron is also my grandfather's name. So Arawn is many things to me.
“And it says, 'So I close my eyes softly/Till I become that part of the wind that we all long for sometime.' And so Arawn touched the twins with his hand so that they would sleep. And in that sleep there will be no pain. And in that nonexistence of pain there will be happiness. Because it was only given with great love. And this was in a haunted song, and a charmed hour, and this was the angel... of my dreams.”

She also revealed the meaning of the “charmed hour” in the song:
“The best hour. The best of all your life....It always will remain in your memory and always ring through your dreams, and be there when any people hurt you or bring you down, or you suffer, maybe. That haunted song will be there for you, because that's the Birds of Rhiannon. And that's what that was written about, is the Three Birds of Rhiannon, which always are there if you need them. And you may black out ~ and that's what they do ~ they just take the pain from you, and you wake up and it's all right. And that's the haunted song of Rhiannon... you have to know the story.”

Stevie has never spilled a lot of information about “Sisters Of The Moon” throughout the decades. In early 1980, when Fleetwood Mac was profiled on ABC’s 20/20 news magazine, she did explain a little bit of the song:
“We toured solid for four months and I was, even then, wearing all black. And I just walked in front of a mirror and I just looked so frail to myself that it just scared me. It was, like, ‘Who is that little kind of frail-looking girl in black? Real pale, real blonde, real skinny.’ And I realized that it was me. And so, if I’m talking to someone in the song, I’m talking to myself.”

“Sisters Of The Moon” was performed live at several of the final Rumours Tour concerts in the Summer of 1978 right before Fleetwood Mac headed into the studio to begin work on Tusk.

The bootleg album, Almanac, was released in November 1978. In addition to several Live tracks from 1975’s radio concert, the album is mostly comprised of Stevie demos from 1972-1978, including two early takes of “Storms.” In 2000-2005, dozens of Master Reels from throughout Stevie’s career were discovered and transferred digitally. Those same versions of “Storms” were on a reel labelled “Living Room Demos 1/4 Inch Tape 1978.” This reel also contains demos of “Secret Love”, “Watch Chain”, and “Love You Enough”. Other reels discovered would have different demos and outtakes of “Storms,” including a beautiful piano and guitar demo.

In Stevie’s documentary film, In Your Dreams, a shot of a YouTube video of “Secret Love” incorrectly dates the demo as “1980.” The Living Room Demos session was in 1978. Stevie resurrected the song in 2010 and recorded it for her In Your Dreams album. Stevie still has not revealed exactly who “Secret Love” is about, but she has listed Mick Fleetwood as the inspiration behind her song, “Watch Chain,” which was re-recorded and released on her 2014 album, 24 Karat Gold: Songs From The Vault.

For decades, Stevie Fans would speculate as to who “Beautiful Child” was about. On March 31, 2013, Stevie put the speculation to rest. At a Question & Answer session at the Los Angeles premiere of her film, In Your Dreams, Stevie revealed that the song was written about her brief relationship with Derek Taylor, who had been the road manager and press officer for the Beatles.

“It didn’t last very long, because he was married,” Stevie told the audience, “but it affected me very much, because he told me so many stories about the Beatles… The road managers are the ones who know everything. And so I learned so much about him about the whole world of the Beatles that it was stunning.”

“Fireflies” is clearly Stevie’s tribute to Fleetwood Mac as she implores everyone to stay close so that the fire never fades. Recorded at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium during a soundcheck, “Fireflies” would be released as one of the “new” songs on Fleetwood Mac Live, which debuted on December 8, 1980.

Stevie herself remixed the song when it was released as a single in February 1981. The two edits of the song contain a few different vocals not heard on the album version.

An outtake of “Fireflies” from the soundcheck first appeared in 1998 when work on a Fleetwood Mac rarities box set was being done but never completed. Also, a portion of a piano demo of “Fireflies” that Stevie recorded was found on a Master Reel in 2003.

The earliest copyrights for “The Dealer” appear in 1978. “The Dealer” and “Beauty And The Beast” would be included on a Master Reel labelled “Tusk Unmastered: Stevie’s Songs.” The other songs on the reel were album versions of Stevie’s five songs on Tusk, so the evidence would indicate that both “Beauty And The Beast” and “The Dealer” were destined to be included on Tusk at one point.

Stevie’s first piano demos of “Beauty And The Beast” were also recorded in Dallas, Texas, in July of 1978. At Reunion Arena in Dallas on September 5, 1983, Stevie told her audience:
“Many years ago...I'll just share this little tiny story with you. I know I'll be shot down in flames, but I want to tell you this so I don't care. Many years ago we came and played Dallas... Fleetwood Mac. Mick's dad was dying of cancer and he had to fly there ~ get there right after the Dallas show within 45 minutes before Mike died.. and so I went to Gordon's studio and I recorded ‘Beauty And The Beast’ here. And this song kind of went down in the history of the scheme of my life... and when I die there will be a few moments that I will remember and that was one of them in this little church recording studio where we recorded ‘Beauty And The Beast.’ Everybody has to remember how special everybody is... and this is the story of Beauty and the Beast... how special we are to each other... You let me into your life here. Thank you very much. Read the story of Beauty And The Beast if you can.”

By 1991, Stevie is a bit more cryptic when she writes about “Beauty And The Beast” in her liner notes on TimeSpace. A year after Mick Fleetwood released his book detailing their 1978 affair, Stevie was still not happy with him about that as well as refusing to let her put “Silver Springs” in TimeSpace:
“I also remember Mick and I years later at the Red Rocks Rock A Little video. He had come by himself to play, and he stayed there with me all night (in the rain) to do close-ups... everyone else had left.
“Who is the beauty, and who is the beast...? Which one of you? Have you ever really been able to answer that? I have, it took a long time, but I finally did... find the answer.”

“Smile At You” gained legendary status throughout the decades before its official release on 2003’s Say You Will. Stevie had recorded blistering versions of the song for both Tusk and Mirage, but it was deemed too bitter and harsh to end up on either record.

“Mad songwriter” that she is, Stevie was always working on new songs throughout the recording of Tusk. While “All The King’s Horses” remains officially unreleased to this date, “24 Karat Gold” would become the title track of Stevie’s 2014 album, 24 Karat Gold: Songs From The Vault.

Stevie’s unreleased song, “Cecilia,” shares a link with “Sisters Of The Moon.” The music for both songs is similar, but the connection was made explicit in Stevie’s live performances of “Sisters Of The Moon” on the 1979-1980 Tusk Tour. After the final verse of the song, Stevie would often sing lines from “Cecilia,” including the “Where have the white birds flown? Have they flown so very far?” lyrics.

The demos of “Cecilia” from the 1978 Rhiannon Board Tape Master Reel are Ivory Keys Exclusives that we first shared with the world in July 2001.

In the Early 2000s, a Master Reel surfaced with some impromptu jamming in the studio, featuring Fleetwood Mac playing around with some well-known pop songs as well as Stevie’s “Dreams.” This “Kiss And Run” performance is longer than the one on the 2004 re-release of Tusk:

Dreams
Do It Again
Kiss And Run
My Boyfriend’s Back
I Write The Songs

Brown Eyes - Outtake 1 (Instrumental)

Honey Hi - Outtake 1 (Instrumental)
Honey Hi - Outtake 2

I Know I'm Not Wrong - Early Studio Work 1
I Know I'm Not Wrong - Early Studio Work 2
I Know I'm Not Wrong - Instrumental #1
I Know I'm Not Wrong - Instrumental #2
I Know I'm Not Wrong - Outtake #1
I Know I'm Not Wrong - Outtake #2 (With Stevie Vocals)
I Know I'm Not Wrong - Outtake #3
I Know I'm Not Wrong - Outtake #4

Lindsey Song #7 - 07/10/1979
Lindsey Song #8 - 07/10/1979

Never Make Me Cry - Outtake 1

Over And Over - Outtake 1 (Instrumental)
Over And Over - Outtake 2 (With Stevie Vocals)
Over And Over - Outtake 3

That's All For Everyone - Outtake 1
That's All For Everyone - Outtake 2

That's Enough For Me - Outtake 1 (Instrumental)
That's Enough For Me - Outtake 2
That's Enough For Me - Outtake 3

Think About Me - Outtake 1
Think About Me - Outtake 2
Think About Me - Outtake 3

Tusk - Outtake 1 (Instrumental)
Tusk - Outtake 2
Tusk - Rough Mix 07/18/1979
Tusk - USC Intro Mix

Walk A Thin Line - Outtake 1
Walk A Thin Line - Outtake 2
Walk A Thin Line - Outtake 3
Walk A Thin Line - Outtake 4
Walk A Thin Line - Outtake 5
Walk A Thin Line - Outtake 6
Walk A Thin Line - Outtake 15

What Makes You Think You're The One - Outtake 1
What Makes You Think You're The One - Outtake 2


Source with all the demos and outtakes: http://stevienicksivorykeys.blogspot...1978-1980.html

[PenguinHead]

When Stevie describes the "meanings" of her songs, she elaborates on themes and backstories that don't actually reveal themselves. But in her head it all makes sense. The articulation is often oblique; that is her "poet in my heart" impressionistic nature. It's a unique quirk that makes Stevie "Stevie."

Personally, I think questions about what her songs are about are useless. There usually isn't a direct narrative; she isn't that kind of writer. The meanings are malleable; most are about what she wants them to be at any given time, and how we individually interpret them.

The inspiration for her songs may be informed by a person, place or thing, but it's the emotion, feeling and imagery that carry them.

[KarmaContestant]

Originally Posted by PenguinHead

When Stevie describes the "meanings" of her songs, she elaborates on themes and backstories that don't actually reveal themselves. But in her head it all makes sense. The articulation is often oblique; that is her "poet in my heart" impressionistic nature. It's a unique quirk that makes Stevie "Stevie."

Personally, I think questions about what her songs are about are useless. There usually isn't a direct narrative; she isn't that kind of writer. The meanings are malleable; most are about what she wants them to be at any given time, and how we individually interpret them.

The inspiration for her songs may be informed by a person, place or thing, but it's the emotion, feeling and imagery that carry them.

I agree completely. I've always laughed at how Stevie tells the story of what Dreams is about - and then proceeds to tell the circumstances of where it came to be written - which isn't what it's about!