Tusk v. SYW: What's Lindsey's Best Work?

CarneVaca · #1 04-11-2003, 02:46 PM

Now that we're beginning to hear SYW in its entirety, what is the reaction?

Is this as good, better or inferior to Lindsey's work on Tusk? I'm talking from a songwriting, musicianship and production standpoint.

strandinthewind · #2 04-11-2003, 03:08 PM

Well, I think the somewhat stark Tusk was the child and the full blown and rich SYW is the grown adult. Also, computer editing and other tech marvels have greatly added to SYW what was not really possible in Tusk.

Les · #3 04-11-2003, 03:18 PM

Quote:

Also, computer editing and other tech marvels have greatly added to SYW what was not really possible in Tusk.

I don't know, I think Tusk sounded the way it did because Lindsey wanted it to, not because technology wouldn't allow something else to emerge. He said he made a deliberate effort to "go for slop" on several of his songs on Tusk. It was a stylistic choice. Say You Will (which I haven't listened to yet) is a different stylistic choice. Just my two cents.

stefan · #4 04-11-2003, 04:41 PM

First of all- I like the new album, it's great!
Now regarding the comparison Carne asked for...
Well Tusk is outstanding and will always be. I too think this is in its entirety the best album since tusk. But I don't see the musical connection to tusk that much.
Of course there are some "weird" songs:
Murrow
Red rover
Come
Say goodbye

But there are conventional pop approach songs also (which is not bad but different)
What`s the world
Miranda
Peacekeeper
Steal your heart away
Bleed to love her

So the "envelope" thing is a little overestimated imo. It`s a mix- on tusk it was more one direction.
On Tusk I like every LB song regarding the songwriting and the singing. On Say you will it`s different. I hate Miranda. It's sung O.K. but the production and the chorus is not my kind. What really amazes me- I think the singing parts are not always the best ones. Bleed to love her- the voice sounds weak there, the song also drags. Compare the bridge to it's original You do or you don't. It's sung better imo. Also the singing on Say goodbye... Some parts are changed to the GOS version and I think the voice was better there.
What is the point? Did he leave the voice machine out, did he use one but different...? I don`t know. It`s just I love the sound of his (studio)voice normally and I think it's unique- that`s one aspect why I'm such a huge fan and these 2 songs are somehow not that great. On other songs the voice sounds great so it`s either because of the time frame of several years he had been working on these or just because of a different production. What are your impressions regarding this?

He did a great job in producing Stevies songs and in contributing to them as a singer also.

CarneVaca · #5 04-11-2003, 07:17 PM

Stefan, keep in mind the sound quality of the streaming file you heard is not that great. So you think you may be hearing lower-quality vocals but it might just be overal lower quality sound.

I have not decided yet if I like this more than Tusk. Chances are I won't. Tusk will always by the delightfully quirky Tusk. I like the ****-kicking twang of some of the Lindsey songs, which SYW has none of. SYW seems more commercial to me.

But let's keep in mind that Tusk too had some very commercial songs: Sara and Thing About Me. They were few and far between, but they were there.

Vianna · #6 04-16-2003, 01:36 PM

This is a good question and the answer is I don't know-not sure they can be compared. Tusk has Christine in it-I'd kind of have to listen to it without her songs to get an idea of what it would sound like if it was just Lindsey and Stevie.

This is certainly the best since Tusk, IMHO.

seteca · #7 04-16-2003, 06:35 PM

Yea, this is a very good question, and I'd be very interested to hear Lindsey answering it!

This album certainly doesn't follow the "safe/return to pop" methods of Mirage and TITN, but I don't think it's as daring as Tusk. Even though several of the songs definitely DO "push envelopes", they're not, IMO, as wacky as some of the Tusk songs. The thing is, SYW has pushed envelopes for Fleetwood Mac/Lindsey, whereas Tusk pushed envelopes for music.

I think Lindsey has definitely come a long way musically since 1987, and this is certainly some of his best work. If I was to take LB's tracks from Tusk and put them onto one disc, and do the same with SYW, I would definitely prefer the SYW disc, but with respect to both albums in their entirety, I prefer Tusk.

wondergirl9847 · #8 04-16-2003, 10:52 PM

Yeah, Tusk is the epitome of "wierd" Lindsey in FM and this album, although unique, is not, IMO, wierd in ANY WAY!! I think LYRICALLY, he's on another plane, these songs are MIND BOGGLING...esp. Red Rover and Come!!! I cannot stop listening to Red Rover, even tho I've had this song for well over a year!! LOL The CD version is just THAT much more AWESOME!!!! Now that I know the lyrics and made my interp, it means more to me than before. It's NOW OFFICIALLY my second fave FM song. I have been reading that most people hate it!! EGADS PEEPS!!!!

How can ANYONE HATE THIS?!?!!?! It's BRILLIANCE!!!! I guess I like DARKNESS....I always have.

I guess it takes a special person to GET Lindsey.

LMAO!! Too much thinking involved.

I am PROUD to be Lindsey's fan. I feel like I have a secret, ya know, like I know something special that not many others know!! I've always liked bands/music that not many others around me love and sometimes, I just wanna cry because they don't GET it and I want everyone to feel what I feel when I listen to the music. It's otherworldly and IMVHO, makes me feel closer to God. I know that sounds wierd to some, but it's true. Music and dance have a prominent place in the Bible, btw.

stefan · #9 04-17-2003, 01:46 AM

Yes, that is a little surprise for me also. I supposed a lot of people would have difficulties in getting into the song Murrow because of the high singing and the guitar solo. And Come would be controversial too although I don`t regard it as weird- it's just a rocker and not typical FM (some people still expect soft pop and ballads and don't want anything different from the group) But I`m really surprised how many people don`t appreciate Red Rover. I am too wondering how one can not like it. It's great guitar playing and the beginning raising chorus line has this great and somehow ethereal far away sounding manipulated voice part. I really thought this track would be appreciated by a lot of critics and listeners but even here on the board it's the most anti- mentioned. Or especially here?

I don't know, the tastes seem to be very different. But some mention, that they even think Silver girl is a better one... I mean really...!

I am too very surprised about the quite bad review average which the album achieved. At first I believed that these were just single opinions but now it seems nobody really praises it, some say not bad and some make a bad review. Btw how was this concerning Tusk? Anybody remembers that, then please info me.

I still believe that they did not a good job by creating this running order (regarding the broader public and some critics reaction)

I like the album, but I can hardly compare it to Tusk in terms of style. Tusk has rare instrumentation on LB's tracks and follow one certain direction. (I always skip Christines songs on Tusk, as they don't fit onto that regarding style and idea whereas Stevies songs built the fitting counterpart there) Here on SYW he covers several different styles and jumps from pop to weirdness with full instrumentation. So Tusk is stranger imo- Say you will probably has no guiding line or however you may call it, what some people irritates. I think some of the critics are right by stating that it feels like 2 solo albums put together.
Perhaps I say it because I knew the GOS stuff so well before (but not the Stevie songs) and perhaps they say it because they read some of Lindseys interviews before

but I think it somehow is right and probably renders more difficulty in getting access to the flow of that album?

wondergirl9847 · #10 04-17-2003, 01:56 AM

Yeah, Lindsey used kleenex boxes and chairs scooting on the floor for Tusk, on SYW, he doesn't do that, as far as we know. LOL It's a totally separate, unique musical experience than Tusk. It will be cool to listen to Tusk then switch to SYW. I think I'll do that later today.

jeffles · #11 04-17-2003, 09:07 AM

To answer your question, Stefan, Tusk got panned by plenty of people, while others praised it. Even those who said the music was good called it calculated and self-indulgent (which, i don't see as a bad thing)

sodascouts · #12 04-17-2003, 01:08 PM

Definitely, SYW. I know he was going for a "low-tech" approach during Tusk, but SYW is just so much more sophisticated and complex that, IMO, it blows Tusk out of the water.

CarneVaca · #13 04-19-2003, 02:21 PM

It's a tough comparison, and I haven't made up my mind. Lindsey's songs on SYW are some of his best ever.

Ultimately, I may like Tusk as a whole better, but I will probably like Lindsey's SYW songs better. So it's a toss up as of now.

DownOnRodeo · #14 04-19-2003, 06:29 PM

I'm not sure how they might be compared.... as Lindsey would say, each of these albums has its own space in time, its own circumstances of orgination. His recent remark about SYW striking a balance between the popfest of Rumours and the artisitic integrity of Tusk... If I had to say which is his best production, arrangement, guitar playing .... the 18 SYW songs blow Tusk out of the water for me.. but I still don't see it as a fair comparison.

SYW is really a stand-alone endeavour for Lindsey. Tusk was very self-consciously a reaction to Rumours, so it is flawed for that, and it seems Lindsey thinks the same.

But thinking about this has made me think... what if Lindsey hadn't been freaked out by Rumours, and hadn't made Tusk...

Let's not go there.

wondergirl9847 · #15 04-19-2003, 06:43 PM

NO TUSK!!!?!?

ACK!!! LOL Yeah, let's not even THINK about that.

I agree that it's a different time and place in history....Tusk is greatness and so is SYW. I love em BOTH, they are BOTH relevant, they are BOTH unique.

It's funny because I think Tusk and SYW are almost flawless albums in that there's only ONE song on each that is okay, but is just eh. On SYW, it's Silver Girl and on Tusk, it's Not That Funny. I don't HATE these songs, they are just my least fave on each album.

BRAVO LINDSEY!!