DISCUSSION: Christine's songs from Tusk

[MacShadowsBall]

Tusk has arrived! :cool:

Here's the first discussion thread, focusing on Christine's songs.

Christine's Songs
1. Over & Over
2. Think About Me
3. Brown Eyes
4. Never Make Me Cry
5. Honey Hi
6. Never Forget

[EnchantedKiwi]

Brown eyes is the best song she ever wrote. ever.

[tilthefirefades]

This will be the most difficult album to dissect and choose a favorite. Since it is such a remarkable album. But Never Forget is just so good. As is Over & Over, and Brown Eyes!

[louielouie2000]

Brown eyes is the best song she ever wrote. ever.

Brown Eyes is without a doubt the lustiest song Fleetwood Mac ever recorded. I think it's also perhaps Fleetwood Mac's highest quality song of all time as well. I can't rave enough about this one... LOVE IT!

Over & Over is really fantastic, too. There's something almost epic about it. I especially love the Live '80 version, and the way it slowly works it's way to a boil.

Think About Me really should have been a radio hit, it's so bubbly.

Honey Hi is such a sweet, innocent little song. Reminds me of a fun, happy road trip tune you sing along to with your friend in the car.

Never Make Me Cry is without a doubt the most boring song Fleetwood Mac ever recorded. It's sleep inducing.

Never Forget is a pretty good album closer. It is sort of quiet, showcases the 3 voices separately and beautifully, and leaves you contemplating the big ride Tusk just took you on.

[MissLadyLoki]

Man, do i love this album, in all it's freaky glory.

1. Over & Over- Nice album opener, doesn't really hint much at the chaos ahead, which is a good thing
2. Think About Me- I know she and Bucky collaborated on this one, but it's so damn catchy and fun
3. Brown Eyes- It's dirty, but I just adore that song
4. Never Make Me Cry- Let's put it this way: first time I heard it was during Tusk doc, and even then I felt myself getting drowsy. One of 2 songs I skip over on Tusk
5. Honey Hi-Nice, light little song
6. Never Forget- Like Over and Over, gives us something light to close off all the chaos we just heard

[ButterCookie]

Over & Over: Ahh I love this one. It makes dragging the vinyl out of all those stupid inners worthwhile. It's sweet, melodic and oh so heart warming.

Think About Me: Is actually one of my least favourite on Tusk, I have to admit :distress: I think it's probably the guitar (:sorry:) and the shared lead vocals. Admittedly, the lyrics are very very cute and there's a little AUU in there that makes me smile every time. John is on top form here, though, particularly on live performances.

Brown Eyes: :laugh: Funny story, actually. RickRobert made a 10 minute loop of the sha-la-la-woah-oh-oh-ohh and I do listen to that quite often. The studio version, however, completely melts my heart. I adore it and it's my favourite song off Tusk.

Never Make Me Cry: Looks like I'm the only one with love for this one so far. It's one of the most memorable songs off the album for me. Chris' piano is just magical, IMO.

Honey Hi: Once again, so sweet. I think all of Chris' songs on Tusk are heartwarming but Honey Hi takes the biscuit. I think the lyrics are beautiful and touching considering all that She'd been through up to the point of the albums release.

Never Forget: I agree with Louie that this is a brilliant album closer. It's, shall I say, soothing, after all that just exploded through the speakers.

[TrueFaith77]

1. Over & Over - Possibly the most purely beautiful Mac track of all time. I find it so moving. The sweep of the harmonies is just beyond. It makes me cry. Perfectly establishes the emotional impetus of Tusk as the three artsits present their most complete perspectives on Love.
2. Think About Me - Perfect Mac. The Christine and Lindsey interplay is great--better than Don't Stop, I think, even if it's a bit grungier.
3. Brown Eyes - The sublime distillation of the album's unifying aesthetic approach.
4. Never Make Me Cry - Sarah McLachlan and her ilk imitate but never come close to this song's aching beauty. Funny they aim for minor Christine but can't even touch that. Has Christine ever sounded better on record than on Tusk?
5. Honey Hi - Along with Over & Over and Think About Me, this one joins the ranks of Christine's masterpieces (the only other track I'd compare is "Oh Daddy" from Rumours and Say You Love Me from Fleetwood Mac). The way I hear the song, it applies the metaphysical truth of prayer to heartache. Love is communication--as represented by the sublime harmonies.
6. Never Forget - Perfect ending. Gorgeous. Along with Never Make Me Cry, I probably underrate it; appreciating it more for its role in the whole than as a separate perfect part. It's a sonic treat.

[holidayroad]

All of Christine's songs from Tusk are good and I enjoy them.....but they seem to lack something that I can't figure out. I promise that I don't mean that in a bad way.

[bluefox4000]

Over and over-Just love it. One of Chris's best. Also a brave album opener. This is just a song that touches me. Very atmospheric.

Think About Me- Another Fun Chris pop tune. I love singing along to this. I love Lindsey on the chorus. I know it's a Chris thread but......oh well.:D

Brown eyes- I must be the only person that HATES this song. Just boring and goes on FOREVER...so no. don't like it.

Never make Me Cry- Beautiful tune. I could listen to this all day. Very underrated song.

Honey Hi- Also another half-baked song I don't like. It just does not sound like a finished song.

Never Forget- Great closer. Love it.

So i think Chris' songs are a mixed bag on Tusk....Always have.

Mick

[Kayli]

Christine's Tusk songs are masterpieces. Brown Eyes is indeed their sexiest song, lush harmonies, atmospheric, makes my skin tingle. Never Forget is lovely in its simplicity, one of my favorite Fleetwood Mac songs ever. This being the album closer was genius on somebody's part. Over and Over is perfect, one of her best penned songs. "Could you ever need me and would you know how?" I love that line. Think About Me, Never Make Me Cry, and Honey Hi are flawless.

[chiliD]

Think About Me really should have been a radio hit, it's so bubbly.

It was.


Brown Eyes: Definitely my favorite on the album (and, NO, not because Peter Green plays on it, but then, maybe). Sort of has that spacy Bob Welch feel to it.

Honey Hi: Should've been the opening track on the album (instead of side 4), in place of that funeral dirge called...

...Over & Over: Don't get me wrong, it's a good song, just terrible tracking placement. Should've ENDED a side, not been the album's lead track. AWFUL placement, just awful. :mad: WTF were they thinkin'?? :shrug:

Never Forget: Great song...perfect album ender.

Never Make Me Cry: I really don't care for the version on the album...I've heard alternate versions that I like much better. (there's one that sounds like it's Christine by herself on piano, ala "Songbird")

Think About Me: definitely the pop hit it was designed to be. I think of it as almost the sequel to "Don't Stop".

[Hawkeye]

It was.




...Over & Over: Don't get me wrong, it's a good song, just terrible tracking placement. Should've ENDED a side, not been the album's lead track. AWFUL placement, just awful. :mad: WTF were they thinkin'?? :shrug:

[".


I've said it before and I'll say it again, I strongly disagree with that. I think Over and OVer is the perfect opener for this album, especially with The Ledge coming after it. The best first 2 songs on any Fleetwood Mac album ever.

[David]

Honey Hi- Also another half-baked song I don't like. It just does not sound like a finished song.That's the track's appeal to me, in a nutshell. Its atmosphere is so casual, so unmechanical, & so seemingly unplanned. When the band rehearsed it for the 1979 tour, they sounded exactly like the album version. For a band whose work in the studio so frequently distorts reality & naturalness, "Honey Hi" is a discrepancy.

[aleuzzi]

Over and Over: It's a good song, not a great one. I agree with ChiliD that it's a terrible opener and would've worked better ending one of the sides. Her voice on this is in great form.

Think About Me: I like it. Again, a good one, not her best, but really good. I've always preferred the uptempo live backing track to the studio one, but the song works very well on the record--a good bridge between Chris-Lindsey musical styles of this time.

Brown Eyes: This is not only my favorite of hers on the record but among my favorite tunes of hers period. Damn it's so hypnotic!

Never Make Me Cry: Not a fan. Never understood its appeal. A wanna-be songbird, only more morose. Still, she sings it well--at least in the studio. On the Tusk doc, her performance of the song on the boat was hideous. The 1,000 beers couldn't have helped.

Honey Hi: This is such a magnificent little gem. It's charm never gets old. Her voice is in top form, the almost improvised lyrics add to the charm. And that vocal round! How magnificent. Why the three vocalists didn't do more of this sort of thing is beyond me. The cover version of "Kiss and Run" seems to be the closest they came to reproducing this musical moment.

Never Forget: Possibly her strongest song-as-song on the record. It's a great album closer, and her voice is--once again--in beautiful form. I always felt this could have been a smash if it were given a different arrangement. But then I like the simple, spare approach here.

[HomerMcvie]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I strongly disagree with that. I think Over and Over is the perfect opener for this album, especially with The Ledge coming after it. The best first 2 songs on any Fleetwood Mac album ever.

I agree. I think they set the quirky tone of the album, perfektly. Although I MUCH prefer the live version of O&O, on the live album. The buildup at the end just rocks.
Think About Me - always my favorite Tusk song. I just realized, though, that I don't have a live version of this. Does anyone have a decent version, that they could upload???

[bluefox4000]

I agree. I think they set the quirky tone of the album, perfektly. Although I MUCH prefer the live version of O&O, on the live album. The buildup at the end just rocks.
Think About Me - always my favorite Tusk song. ?

I love the Live version too:thumbsup: Also I will third the fact that I LOVE the placement of Over and Over. GREAT move:blob1:

Mick

[GypsySorcerer]

Over & Over: I think it's a great opener, and I think the placement of The Ledge immediately after was fantastic. Even better on the Live version.

Think About Me: Love to just belt this. :laugh: It's one of my favorite Lindsey/Christine songs.

Brown Eyes: Definitely my favorite of hers on this album. I love the hypnotic "sha la las."

Never Make Me Cry: This one has actually grown on me. I think it's sparsely beautiful and understated.

Honey Hi: Great harmonies. Plus, it's hard not to sing "Homie hi." :laugh:

Never Forget: Very nice; nothing more, nothing less.

[chiliD]

To stress the point...the ENTIRE tracking order of Tusk is GODAWFUL. An entire side without a Christine song? Who's brainchild was that? Miss "I'm Good At Tracking Albums"? Or, "Turner-Boy"? Whoever, they should be shot, ice picks shoved in their ears and shot.

[jbrownsjr]

To stress the point...the ENTIRE tracking order of Tusk is GODAWFUL. An entire side without a Christine song? Who's brainchild was that? Miss "I'm Good At Tracking Albums"? Or, "Turner-Boy"? Whoever, they should be shot, ice picks shoved in their ears and shot.

I have to agree... who starts off with a mellow tune...

What's the World Coming To.. also a very bad choice... In fact, the same could be said about the tracking order for SYW.. it's just awful!!!

[chiliD]

I have to agree... who starts off with a mellow tune...

What's the World Coming To.. also a very bad choice... In fact, the same could be said about the tracking order for SYW.. it's just awful!!!

Totally agree there, too.

Other Fleetwood Mac albums that need retracking:

Future Games (retracked):
SANDS OF TIME
MORNING RAIN
LAY IT ALL DOWN
WOMAN OF A THOUSAND YEARS
SOMETIMES
WHAT A SHAME
FUTURE GAMES
SHOW ME A SMILE


Heroes Are Hard To Find (retracked):
COMING HOME
HEROES ARE HARD TO FIND
SHE'S CHANGING ME
BORN ENCHANTER
PROVE YOUR LOVE
ANGEL
BAD LOSER
BERMUDA TRIANGLE
SILVER HEELS
COME A LITTLE BIT CLOSER
SAFE HARBOUR


Behind The Mask (retracked):
IN THE BACK OF MY MIND
SAVE ME
FREEDOM
BEHIND THE MASK
WHEN IT COMES TO LOVE
WHEN THE SUN GOES DOWN
LOVE IS DANGEROUS
SKIES THE LIMIT
STAND ON THE ROCK (or "Got No Home")
HARD FEELINGS
AFFAIRS OF THE HEART
DO YOU KNOW?
LIZARD PEOPLE

Time (retracked):
I DO
TALKIN' TO MY HEART
I WONDER WHY
WINDS OF CHANGE
SOONER OR LATER
DREAMING THE DREAM
NIGHTS IN ESTORIL
NOTHING WITHOUT YOU
I GOT IT IN FOR YOU
HOLLYWOOD (SOME OTHER KIND OF TOWN)
BLOW BY BLOW
THESE STRANGE TIMES
ALL OVER AGAIN

[jbrownsjr]

Wow, Chili I love Heroes and BTM!!!

[HomerMcvie]

I happen to love the sequencing on Mirage. Flows perfectly...IMO

[chiliD]

I happen to love the sequencing on Mirage. Flows perfectly...IMO

Yeah, Mirage they got right. :nod:

[aleuzzi]

Heroes definitely should have been sequenced differently. I like the idea of starting with Coming Home.

"I Do" is a weird song to start Time with, in my opinion. Talking to My Heart was the right one. In fact, I think Time is pretty well tracked overall.

Other well-tracked Mac albums (besides Mirage and Rumours): Tango in the Night, Bare Trees, Fleetwood Mac/White Album, Kiln House, and English Rose.

[PenguinHead]

Totally agree there, too.

Other Fleetwood Mac albums that need retracking:

Future Games (retracked):
SANDS OF TIME
MORNING RAIN
LAY IT ALL DOWN
WOMAN OF A THOUSAND YEARS
SOMETIMES
WHAT A SHAME
FUTURE GAMES
SHOW ME A SMILE


Heroes Are Hard To Find (retracked):
COMING HOME
HEROES ARE HARD TO FIND
SHE'S CHANGING ME
BORN ENCHANTER
PROVE YOUR LOVE
ANGEL
BAD LOSER
BERMUDA TRIANGLE
SILVER HEELS
COME A LITTLE BIT CLOSER
SAFE HARBOUR


Behind The Mask (retracked):
IN THE BACK OF MY MIND
SAVE ME
FREEDOM
BEHIND THE MASK
WHEN IT COMES TO LOVE
WHEN THE SUN GOES DOWN
LOVE IS DANGEROUS
SKIES THE LIMIT
STAND ON THE ROCK (or "Got No Home")
HARD FEELINGS
AFFAIRS OF THE HEART
DO YOU KNOW?
LIZARD PEOPLE

Time (retracked):
I DO
TALKIN' TO MY HEART
I WONDER WHY
WINDS OF CHANGE
SOONER OR LATER
DREAMING THE DREAM
NIGHTS IN ESTORIL
NOTHING WITHOUT YOU
I GOT IT IN FOR YOU
HOLLYWOOD (SOME OTHER KIND OF TOWN)
BLOW BY BLOW
THESE STRANGE TIMES
ALL OVER AGAIN

Nice! You did a great job! I wish I could my disc player would allow me to reprogram the squence of songs. I could do that with my old cd player..but now I only have a DVD/CD player and it doesn't have a manual control. How would you sequence Say You Will...with the bonus tracks!?

[chiliD]

Nice! You did a great job! I wish I could my disc player would allow me to reprogram the squence of songs. I could do that with my old cd player..but now I only have a DVD/CD player and it doesn't have a manual control. How would you sequence Say You Will...with the bonus tracks!?

Thanks! Don't have my iPod with me at the moment...since I have to make a trip back home during my lunch hour, I'll post my SYW tracking order this afternoon.

Heroes definitely should have been sequenced differently. I like the idea of starting with Coming Home.

It was their opening number at a few of the shows on the '74 tour, so I figured why not open the album with it, too?

Oh...when I got home last night, I was listening to Heroes.... I was going from memory when I posted that one (& hadn't listened to the album in a while)...I erred. Here's my actual retracking:

COMING HOME
HEROES ARE HARD TO FIND
SHE'S CHANGING ME
PROVE YOUR LOVE
SILVER HEELS
BORN ENCHANTER
BAD LOSER
BERMUDA TRIANGLE
ANGEL
COME A LITTLE BIT CLOSER
SAFE HARBOUR

"I Do" is a weird song to start Time with, in my opinion. Talking to My Heart was the right one. In fact, I think Time is pretty well tracked overall.

Disagree. The way Time was tracked, it accentuated the disjointedness of the album. I think my version smooths out the album and makes it more of a cohesive statement. "I Do" was the single...so it just makes sense to open the album with it; plus, lyrically it sets up the rest of the album and Christine's closing statement in "All Over Again".

Other well-tracked Mac albums (besides Mirage and Rumours): Tango in the Night, Bare Trees, Fleetwood Mac/White Album, Kiln House, and English Rose.

Agree to a point. Re: Tango..., with the songs chosen for the album, yes, it's tracked pretty well. However, after hearing the 45 B-sides, I think they could've swapped out a couple of those tunes for the weaker tunes on the album which would've mandated a an overhaul to the tracking order.

[jbrownsjr]

I like this Heroes ^^^ even better Chili...

Book ends very nicely..

[vivfox]

To stress the point...the ENTIRE tracking order of Tusk is GODAWFUL. An entire side without a Christine song? Who's brainchild was that? Miss "I'm Good At Tracking Albums"? Or, "Turner-Boy"? Whoever, they should be shot, ice picks shoved in their ears and shot.

I laughed when I read this. Your cracks at Stevie and Lindsey really are humorous.:lol:

[TrueFaith77]

Two of my friends responded to this query. I thought their responses were interesting, PARTICULARLY my Friend #2's distillation of Tusk.

Friend #1:

Part of the difficulty is Christine's consistent songwriting excellence which immediately points to her deft grasp of the lite-pop idiom that shines in "Think About Me" and "Never Forget." I always thought "Over and Over" was the most exquisitely produced track on Tusk which leaves the profoundly simple (simply profound?) "Honey Hi" and the amazing sensuality of "Brown Eyes." Up against the wall, I'd have to pick "Over and Over."

Friend #2:

I'm gonna say "Never Forget" - which I never thought I'd say - this is after listening to Tusk twice all the way through :)

Then, after hearing the result of the poll:

I think "Brown Eyes" was my favorite after the FIRST listen. I mean, it's all perfect! Among so many other things, the album is a peerless epic of friendship. The purely spiritual harmonies that link Lindsey, Stevie, and Christine's voices and perspectives also validate each individual performer/songwriter's deepest humanity. On Rumours, each of the three certainly had a compelling story to tell; on Tusk, each one comes to represent a distinct state of lovers' consciousness.

[jbrownsjr]

Two of my friends responded to this query. I thought their responses were interesting, PARTICULARLY my Friend #2's distillation of Tusk.

Friend #1:



Friend #2:



Then, after hearing the result of the poll:

wow I like those reviews...