Tusk singles [Archive]

tabruns

08-22-2011, 10:45 PM

vivfox

08-22-2011, 11:04 PM

tabruns

08-22-2011, 11:29 PM

I agree. There were a ton of single possibilities. The only singles were Tusk, Think About Me and Sister's of the Moon. Tusk was the only single that did well. Think About Me did receive airplay but I wouldn't consider it a hit for them and Sister's basicly bombed. I thought it was gonna be a huge hit for Stevie. Sadly I was very wrong.
Though the album sold well the industry considered it a failure when it didn't sell as many copies of Rumours.

True....although you forgot "Sara", that was a sizable hit for them along with "Tusk". I wonder if the extended version of "Sisters of the Moon" would have done better?

I agree that Tusk was actually a hit....it was just that in comparison to Rumours it was a "flop".

vivfox

08-23-2011, 12:09 AM

True....although you forgot "Sara", that was a sizable hit for them along with "Tusk". I wonder if the extended version of "Sisters of the Moon" would have done better?

I agree that Tusk was actually a hit....it was just that in comparison to Rumours it was a "flop".

OMG how in the world could I have forgotten SARA!!!???!!! Yes, yes, yes that was a HUGE hit for them. The video was shown a lot on several tv shows back then(pre MTV).

drzubritsky

08-23-2011, 02:21 PM

I've been listening to Tusk a lot lately and I'm wondering if WB gave up on promoting the album too quickly back in the day. Granted it wasn't Rumours II and so everyone was reacting to that, but hearing some of these songs now it seems like they could have been singles:

"Brown Eyes" (edited)
"Storms"
"I Know I'm Not Wrong"
"Beautiful Child"
"Angel"
"Honey Hi" <--I used to basically hate this song, but I've come to love it listening to it on the Tusk remastered CD

What do you all think?

Hmmm, I don't know. I'm trying to put myself into a 1980 frame of mind and thinking about what would be radio-friendly at that time. I don't think anything from the list above would have had hit potential at that time...they all lack strong enough hooks for Top 40 ("Angel" probably comes the closest but the chorus doesn't quite achieve a hit-level hook).

While it's certainly true that the title track was an unconventional choice and very different than anything on the radio, it was likely carried on the radio and charts by built-up anticipation for a new Fleetwood Mac song.

With more commercial production and arrangements, it's possible that "Over & Over", "Never Forget" or even "The Ledge" could have been singles.

I really don't hear any hit singles on Tusk, apart from the first three that all made the Top 40. That's not to say there aren't numerous top-notch tracks, just not many with hit single potential.

MacShadowsBall

08-23-2011, 02:45 PM

If Tusk were to have another hit single, wouldn't it be one of Christine's, since she was the one who typically had the "hit" singles. :shrug:

jbrownsjr

08-23-2011, 03:37 PM

If Tusk were to have another hit single, wouldn't it be one of Christine's, since she was the one who typically had the "hit" singles. :shrug:

Agreed, although Angel is a great pick for a single... It almost sounds like Christine wrote it.

UndoingTheLaces

08-23-2011, 06:26 PM

I'm surprised that Think About Me didn't do better. Although I think it had more of a 70's sound. It might have done a lot better in 78 or 79.

Every time I hear The Ledge and it gets to that middle part with the voices going in and out I always picture them in a big room with one mic and they're all just sort of running up to the mic and away again, like The Cure does with the camera in the Why Can't I Be You video.

Have you guys heard Camper Van Beethoven's full album cover of Tusk. I absolutely love their cover of Honey Hi. They sing it in Spanish and there's all these street sounds like they're playing it on a street corner with people and cars going by. It's really cool.

MacShadowsBall

08-23-2011, 06:35 PM

According to wikipedia, Think About Me got up to #20 in US. That's pretty good, actually.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tusk_(album)

GoldDustWoman22

08-23-2011, 07:47 PM

tabruns

08-23-2011, 08:22 PM

According to wikipedia, Think About Me got up to #20 in US. That's pretty good, actually.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tusk_(album)

Generally yeah, but it was following 8 singles that had done better (the latest 6 all having hit the Top 10), so considering that, "Think About Me" was a chart disappointment.

Ordinarily yes Christine was the most consistent hit single writer, but I think Tusk was actually something of a weak album for her. Her songs on Fleetwood Mac, Rumours, Mirage and Tango In The Night - taken as groups of songs - are all more hook-laden and radio friendly than her Tusk batch was.

I think the mayhem and strain of Rumours eventually impacted all 3 writers on the consequent albums. McVie was sub-par on Tusk, then Buckingham had a weak spell on Mirage (probably from being burned by fan and band reaction to the "failure" of Tusk), then Nicks turned in her weak set on Tango In The Night.

tabruns

08-23-2011, 08:24 PM

I do think Angel would have made great single. Maybe it doesn't have the great hook in the chorus, but the beat is strong and the melody is "up" while the lyrics have "a definite eeriness to it" ;). I also think that Stevie's voice sounds amazing on "Angel".

Does anybody else think that "Save Me A Place" would have made a good single? It's a very beautiful song and although not upbeat is very catchy and again the melody is rather easy to get stuck in your head.

Its interesting that a number of people are citing "Angel" as a shoulda-been single. When I think about possible other Tusk singles I also often come back to this song...in some ways, I think it might have done better chart-wise than "Sisters of the Moon" did.

As for "Save Me A Place", I initially *hated* that song when I first got Tusk. Like many people, in 1979 I rushed out and bought Tusk, put it on my record player and then sat there stunned not knowing what to make of the entire album. I admit that I, again like many people, was expecting and looking for Rumours II and I didn't know what to make of it that Tusk was so wildly different. The closest I could come to a Tusk moment was that I thought "Storms" was sort of "Dreams"-ish, but wow was Stevie's voice different! Anyway, I generally disliked most of Lindsey's songs with the exceptions of "Tusk", "That's All For Everyone" and "Walk A Thin Line". "Save Me A Place" in particular seemed like a misbegotten attempt to do some kind of country-ish gospel tinged SOMETHING (I wasn't sure what it was). In the following years though I have to say that I often find myself suddenly singing this song! So there definitely is something about the song that burrows into your mind and lodges there. I don't know that it would have made for a successful single, but clearly the song isn't as throw-away as I initially took it.

vivfox

08-23-2011, 10:27 PM

"Never Forget" or even "The Ledge" could have been singles.

In 1980 I felt that these two songs would have made hit singles. I thought the same about SOTM though and look how that turned out.

vivfox

08-23-2011, 10:28 PM

Have you guys heard Camper Van Beethoven's full album cover of Tusk?

This record is a must have for all the Tusk album die hards. My favorite song is their version of the title track.

David

08-24-2011, 09:35 AM

Hmmm, I don't know. I'm trying to put myself into a 1980 frame of mind and thinking about what would be radio-friendly at that time. I don't think anything from the list above would have had hit potential at that time...they all lack strong enough hooks for Top 40 ("Angel" probably comes the closest but the chorus doesn't quite achieve a hit-level hook).

I really don't hear any hit singles on Tusk, apart from the first three that all made the Top 40. That's not to say there aren't numerous top-notch tracks, just not many with hit single potential.Your comments are always so spot on, drzubritsky.

Look at some of the big hits that year:

"Rock With You" Michael Jackson
"Escape" Rupert Holmes
"Ride Like the Wind" Christopher Cross (who opened for Fleetwood Mac)
"The Long Run" & "Heartache Tonight" the Eagles
"Crazy Little Thing Called Love" Queen
"Longer" Dan Fogelberg
"Call Me" Blondie
"Don't Fall in Love With a Dreamer" Kenny Rogers & Kim Carnes
"Another Brick in the Wall" Pink Floyd
"Against the Wind" Bob Seger

You had the first wave of British synth pop on American charts by Gary Numan ("Cars") & Devo.

And you had a whole lot of syrup from people like Air Supply, Robbie Dupree, Olivia Newton-John, Christopher Cross, Kenny Rogers, Captain & Tennille, Cliff Richard, Diana Ross, Dan Fogelberg, Ambrosia, Stephanie Mills, Leo Sayer, ad nauseam.

In my high school, they were listening to Devo, Pat Benatar, Pink Floyd, & the usual slew of headbangers.

I'm surprised that Fleetwood Mac's "Sara" captured the attention it did. But there wasn't anything else on "Tusk" that was going to do that.

MacShadowsBall

08-24-2011, 10:03 AM

So when they were making Tusk, did they think about what hit singles could be on the album? With a double-album you would think there would be room for more that just Tusk and Sara.

jbrownsjr

08-24-2011, 08:03 PM

So when they were making Tusk, did they think about what hit singles could be on the album? With a double-album you would think there would be room for more that just Tusk and Sara.

Think About Me also was released as a single. I believe it made number 20 on the charts..

tabruns

08-24-2011, 08:38 PM

So when they were making Tusk, did they think about what hit singles could be on the album? With a double-album you would think there would be room for more that just Tusk and Sara.

Well with Buckingham at least there was a determined effort NOT to be commercial. Nicks pretty much stuck to her usual recipe and IMO produced her best group of songs. McVie was normally the most commercial radio-ready writer, but not on Tusk. She had "Say You Love Me", "Over My Head" and "Warm Ways" on Fleetwood Mac, all hits/potential hits, and "Don't Stop", "You Make Lovin' Fun" and "Songbird" on Rumours. On Tusk, she had "Think About Me" - which had heavier guitar than usual on a McVie song - and that's kind of it. Maybe "Never Forget", although there is something slight about that song that makes it a great album track but probably not a single. "Brown Eyes", if edited, might have worked. "Over & Over" and "Never Make Me Cry" lack real hooks, and "Honey Hi" was a little too non-traditional to have made a single.

drzubritsky

08-24-2011, 09:14 PM

So when they were making Tusk, did they think about what hit singles could be on the album? With a double-album you would think there would be room for more that just Tusk and Sara.

As indicated by the other responses, the general answer would be "no", the album wasn't crafted with hit singles in mind. There's the oft-repeated story about the initial listening session with the suits at WB and the executives watching their bonuses fly out the window.

I'm sure they must have been getting pressure from the label as well as within the band to include a few more radio-oriented tracks yet the final results demonstrate that they stayed the course, for better or worse. The only track that sounds like an obvious attempt at something commercial would be "Think About Me", but that could just as well be due to Christine's natural tendency to compose in a more conventional, pop-oriented manner. Even then, "Think About Me" was only a modest chart hit.

"Sara" is a rather curious case in that it doesn't appear to have the ingredients of a hit on the face of it (too long, unconventional no-chorus structure, cryptic lyrics). The winning factors were likely the sheer beauty of the melody, pent-up demand for a Stevie Nicks song, and that it was edited for single release.

A couple of folks mentioned "Save Me A Place" but there is absolutely no way that would have ever been considered for single release. I like SMAP quite well myself and those thick, odd-sounding harmonies can be hypnotic. But that song would have been ratings suicide for a Top 40 station in 1980.

PenguinHead

08-24-2011, 09:30 PM

I was living in the Boston area when Tusk came out. Sara, Tusk and Think About Me got heavy radio air play. Also, I recall Angel being played (at a time when DJs could air what they wanted, and were not beholden to corporate dictates).

Note that Angel was a single in some European markets. Not That Funny was also a single. I have picture singles of both songs.

Justin Reach

08-25-2011, 04:24 AM

I agree. There were a ton of single possibilities. The only singles were Tusk, Think About Me and Sister's of the Moon. Tusk was the only single that did well. Think About Me did receive airplay but I wouldn't consider it a hit for them and Sister's basicly bombed. I thought it was gonna be a huge hit for Stevie. Sadly I was very wrong.
Though the album sold well the industry considered it a failure when it didn't sell as many copies of Rumours.

Here in the UK we got "Not That Funny" released as the 3rd Tusk Single instead of "Think About Me", which in turn ended up as the 4th single. We didn't get "Sisters" as a single at all.

I do wonder if the album would have sold better if Sara had been the lead single instead of Tusk.

PS. I know i'm asking this in the wrong section but does anyone here have the single edit of In The Back Of My Mind? i can't seem to find it anywhere.

GoldDustWoman22

08-25-2011, 02:35 PM

Its interesting that a number of people are citing "Angel" as a shoulda-been single. When I think about possible other Tusk singles I also often come back to this song...in some ways, I think it might have done better chart-wise than "Sisters of the Moon" did.

I definitely think that "Angel" would have done better had it been released in the U.S as a single. It has the upbeat tune, the Stevie Nicks vocal and an incredibly awesome bass line from John Mcvie:nod:. Don;t get me wrong SOTM is one of my favorite songs but I definitely think it's better suited to a live rocker than a single on a radio. I'm wondering though why they didn't include SOTM in the Tusk doc. If it was released as a single you would think they would want to promote it. But on the other hand they didn't do that with the other singles either. I do think that since they spent so much time on "Angel" for the Tusk doc that might have made people want to hear what the final version sounded like. Does anyone know when the doc was originally aired?

Christopher

08-25-2011, 04:14 PM

I definitely think that "Angel" would have done better had it been released in the U.S as a single. It has the upbeat tune, the Stevie Nicks vocal and an incredibly awesome bass line from John Mcvie:nod:. Don;t get me wrong SOTM is one of my favorite songs but I definitely think it's better suited to a live rocker than a single on a radio. I'm wondering though why they didn't include SOTM in the Tusk doc. If it was released as a single you would think they would want to promote it. But on the other hand they didn't do that with the other singles either. I do think that since they spent so much time on "Angel" for the Tusk doc that might have made people want to hear what the final version sounded like. Does anyone know when the doc was originally aired?

SOTM was in the Tusk doc. I haven't watched it in a while, but if memory serves me correct it's the 1st song performed "Live" opening the documentary. FM played a very respectable lively version of the song during the Tusk tour, but when Stevie kicked up the drama during the "Mirage" concert tour, she sent SOTM into infamy.

aleuzzi

08-25-2011, 05:05 PM

Generally yeah, but it was following 8 singles that had done better (the latest 6 all having hit the Top 10), so considering that, "Think About Me" was a chart disappointment.

Ordinarily yes Christine was the most consistent hit single writer, but I think Tusk was actually something of a weak album for her. Her songs on Fleetwood Mac, Rumours, Mirage and Tango In The Night - taken as groups of songs - are all more hook-laden and radio friendly than her Tusk batch was.

I think the mayhem and strain of Rumours eventually impacted all 3 writers on the consequent albums. McVie was sub-par on Tusk, then Buckingham had a weak spell on Mirage (probably from being burned by fan and band reaction to the "failure" of Tusk), then Nicks turned in her weak set on Tango In The Night.

It's true that Christine's Tusk songs are less radio-viable than her work on the other Rumours-era albums, but I would not say her songs were sub-par. Certainly not sub-par in the way a few of Lindsey's Mirage songs and both of Stevie's Tango-penned songs are. Christine's Tusk material shows her stripped down--very simple, spare arrangements that feature her voice. Her vocals, for example on "Honey Hi" (a GREAT tune) and "Never Forget" are outstanding. "Brown Eyes" is one of her best songs. "Think About Me" cracked reach #20, and had "Never Forget" been arranged a little more forcefully, it would probably have made a strong single, too.

My only complaint about Christine's Tusk songs are that there are only six to Buckingham's nine. I wish she'd been more present in the sequencing on the first of the two LPs.

GoldDustWoman22

08-25-2011, 07:49 PM

SOTM was in the Tusk doc. I haven't watched it in a while, but if memory serves me correct it's the 1st song performed "Live" opening the documentary. FM played a very respectable lively version of the song during the Tusk tour, but when Stevie kicked up the drama during the "Mirage" concert tour, she sent SOTM into infamy.

I meant actually working on the song but yea I guess your right! And her performance of SOTM on the Mirage tour is insane in all the right ways. How she totally loses it at the end...is just greatness. It's such a great live song...pure rock n' roll madness. It became the new "Rhiannon" for awhile there ;)

jellyman10

08-25-2011, 07:53 PM

Your comments are always so spot on, drzubritsky.

[..]

I'm surprised that Fleetwood Mac's "Sara" captured the attention it did. But there wasn't anything else on "Tusk" that was going to do that.

Two things.

1) I am so sick with envy that drzubritsky has earned David's approval.
2) David, you're out of your mind if you seriously don't get why 'Sara' connected.

GypsySorcerer

08-25-2011, 09:07 PM

SOTM was in the Tusk doc. I haven't watched it in a while, but if memory serves me correct it's the 1st song performed "Live" opening the documentary. FM played a very respectable lively version of the song during the Tusk tour, but when Stevie kicked up the drama during the "Mirage" concert tour, she sent SOTM into infamy.

I really love the SOTM version on the Tusk doc. Not as wild or raw as Mirage, but great in its own way. Stevie thrusting her fist in the air and yelling, and bringing the audience to their feet is one of my favorite SN moments. :thumbsup:

tabruns

08-25-2011, 10:00 PM

It's true that Christine's Tusk songs are less radio-viable than her work on the other Rumours-era albums, but I would not say her songs were sub-par. Certainly not sub-par in the way a few of Lindsey's Mirage songs and both of Stevie's Tango-penned songs are. Christine's Tusk material shows her stripped down--very simple, spare arrangements that feature her voice. Her vocals, for example on "Honey Hi" (a GREAT tune) and "Never Forget" are outstanding. "Brown Eyes" is one of her best songs. "Think About Me" cracked reach #20, and had "Never Forget" been arranged a little more forcefully, it would probably have made a strong single, too.

My only complaint about Christine's Tusk songs are that there are only six to Buckingham's nine. I wish she'd been more present in the sequencing on the first of the two LPs.

I understand your points here. For me though, on the other Mac albums surrounding Tusk McVie always has at least two hook-heavy songs. On Tusk she really doesn't have any. I love "Brown Eyes" but its more of an atmosphere song rather than a song with hooks. I think "Think About Me" has hooks but it also has a heavier guitar than most McVie hit songs do, and I think that impaired it's chart success somewhat. Her other Tusk songs just don't really have hooks to them.

tabruns

08-25-2011, 10:04 PM

Two things.

1) I am so sick with envy that drzubritsky has earned David's approval.
2) David, you're out of your mind if you seriously don't get why 'Sara' connected.

Have to agree with #2....."Sara" was a pretty amazing song to everyone who heard it at the time.

MrStevie

08-27-2011, 06:40 PM

In 1980 I felt that these two songs would have made hit singles. I thought the same about SOTM though and look how that turned out.

Ditto on the Ledge. :thumbsup:

MacShadowsBall

08-27-2011, 07:32 PM

For me though, on the other Mac albums surrounding Tusk, McVie always has at least two hook-heavy songs. On Tusk she really doesn't have any. I love "Brown Eyes" but its more of an atmosphere song rather than a song with hooks. I think "Think About Me" has hooks but it also has a heavier guitar than most McVie hit songs do, and I think that impaired it's chart success somewhat. Her other Tusk songs just don't really have hooks to them.

I see your point about Christine's Tusk songs lacking that hook that her songs esp from Mirage/Tango had. Most of her Tusk songs were really slow and mellow not really something that would go over on the radio as a single.

To me Christine was looked at as the hitmaker for the band. Though she rebounded greatly with Mirage and esp Tango, she struck out on Tusk.

PenguinHead

08-31-2011, 09:35 PM

I really love the SOTM version on the Tusk doc. Not as wild or raw as Mirage, but great in its own way. Stevie thrusting her fist in the air and yelling, and bringing the audience to their feet is one of my favorite SN moments. :thumbsup:

There was a lot of obvious post-production sweetening in the Tusk documentary. Most noticably, the audience audio.

GypsySorcerer

09-01-2011, 08:20 AM

There was a lot of obvious post-production sweetening in the Tusk documentary. Most noticably, the audience audio.

I know. But it still gives me goosebumps. ;)

Travisevian

09-01-2011, 03:51 PM

I do think Angel would have made great single.

I agree wholeheartedly. It possesses that Werewolves Of London melody, which was a very popular tune during that time and one of which other artists have been influenced by.

Its interesting that a number of people are citing "Angel" as a shoulda-been single. When I think about possible other Tusk singles I also often come back to this song...in some ways, I think it might have done better chart-wise than "Sisters of the Moon" did.

Unfortunately, Sisters Of The Moon didn't stand a chance. Melodically, it was somewhat reminiscent of Stevie's previous songs(Rhiannon, Dreams, Silver Springs, etc.) but lyrically, I think it was just simply too dark for the mainstream to accept.

David

09-02-2011, 10:06 AM

Unfortunately, Sisters Of The Moon didn't stand a chance. Melodically, it was somewhat reminiscent of Stevie's previous songs(Rhiannon, Dreams, Silver Springs, etc.) but lyrically, I think it was just simply too dark for the mainstream to accept.How would the mainstream have even known what the lyrics were? Even the Macheads were lost. I remember the day I bought the Tusk piano+guitar songbook & saw the actual lyrics to the song -- light years from what I thought they were. I once had the Japanese-issue 45 with Sisters on it & lyrics printed on a lyric sheet inserted. I say "lyrics" without the article ("the") for a reason, if you catch my drift!

Part of Tusk's oozy-woozy mystery to my little teenage brain was the absence of lyrics printed on the sleeves.

tabruns

09-06-2011, 08:36 PM

How would the mainstream have even known what the lyrics were? Even the Macheads were lost. I remember the day I bought the Tusk piano+guitar songbook & saw the actual lyrics to the song -- light years from what I thought they were. I once had the Japanese-issue 45 with Sisters on it & lyrics printed on a lyric sheet inserted. I say "lyrics" without the article ("the") for a reason, if you catch my drift!

Part of Tusk's oozy-woozy mystery to my little teenage brain was the absence of lyrics printed on the sleeves.

Oh yeah I forgot about that! I really disliked it that the inner sleeves (4 of them!) didn't have the printed lyrics.