What if Tusk had only been one cd/album?

[bwboy]

I love Tusk, although I have to admit it took me a LONG time to appreciate it. But I can't help but think the album would have sold millions more if it had been 12 songs instead of 20. Basically, 4 songs by each of the songwriters. I know we would never come to a consensus over all the songs that should make the cut, but I think we can agree on Tusk, Sara, Think About Me, and Sisters of the Moon (all singles), and 8 more songs. So for Tusk:

Over and Over
What Makes You Think You're the One
Think About Me
Sara
Tusk
Sisters of the Moon

Not That Funny
Angel
Brown Eyes
I Know I'm Not Wrong
Beautiful Child
Never Make Me Cry

Then, that would have left 8 songs from Tusk that could have been included on Mirage, along with Hold Me, Gypsy, Love in Store, and 1 more Mirage song. Imagine this listing for Mirage:

Love in Store
The Ledge
That's Alright
Save Me a Place
Never Make Me Cry
Storms

Hold Me
That's All For Everyone
Gypsy
Honey Hi
Walk a Thin Line
Never Forget

Then, continuing the domino effect, that would have meant 8 more songs from Mirage that could have been considered for Tango in the Night. Imagine Tango with this listing:

Big Love
Seven Wonders
Everywhere
Tango in the Night
Welcome to the Room... Sara
Wish You Were Here

Little Lies
Eyes of the World
Straight Back
Isn't It Midnight
Can't Go Back
You and I, II

I know it's kind of like playing Monday afternoon after the game quarterback, but regardless of what ever combination you mix and match, it makes Mirage and Tango so much stronger in terms of material.

I'd love to hear other combinations, and why.

[Macfan4life]

This is an impossible task. There have been other threads of making Tusk one album. I have 2 problems with a thread like this. First, its hard to limit Tusk because its a total package. Second is I appreciate Mirage so much that I would not like to see those songs axed for leftover Tusk.
Having said all that. I will take the challenge. This would be my Ideal Tusk single album:

Think About Me
Tusk
Storms
Save Me a Place
Over and Over
Sisters of the Moon
I know I'm not wrong
Sara
Brown Eyes
Beautiful Child
Never Make Me Cry
Never Forget tonight

I feel guilty because I still left off favorites Honey Hi and Angel. Like I said....really hard task :eek:

[aleuzzi]

Tusk wouldn't have worked as a single album. Or, to put it another way, if the band were going to make a single album they would have approached their songs differently. Knowing that they were doing a double album allowed them to attack many of the songs so individually. And it's the sprawling nature of the album that enables the tunes to hang together as they do. If you dwindled the album down to 10-12 songs, I doubt the songs would be as powerful back-to-back. They'd have to have approached the album differently and come up with a more unified sound to make it work.

[BLY]

Think About Me
Save Me A Place
Sara
I Know Im Not Wrong
Angel
Brown Eyes

Over and Over
Tusk
Sisters of the Moon
That's All For Everyone
Beautiful Child
Never Forget

[aleuzzi]

I'm trying to come up with twelve songs and it just doesn't work. Some of Tusk's best songs are the wackiest ones, like the title track, Not That Funny, and That's Enough for Me. I can't picture these songs on a shorter record alongside Sara or Over and Over. But here's one version:

Tusk
Think About Me
Angel
Save Me a Place
Over and Over
Storms

Never Forget
Sara
Brown Eyes
Walk a Thin Line
Not That Funny
Sister of the Moon

This doesn't have my second-favorite Tusk song, Honey Hi, but it didn't seem to fit. In fact, no single record does. Tusk needs to sprawl and be all-over-the-place to work.

[secondhandchain]

this topic has been done to death. You might want to search for it.

[BaronVonBielski]

this topic has been done to death. You might want to search for it.

Very true.

[bwboy]

Thanks... feel free to simply not respond if it's a topic you're tired of.

[Ench]

Pretty much any topic has been done to death now. But, when new people turn up it's natural for them to discuss things that others have discussed before.

In my case, I think that a single disc Tusk just doesn't work. When I see single disc Tusks they often seem to have all the female composers' best songs, and a few Lindsey songs. The album then loses its flavour and becomes a more normal follow up to Rumours with strange Lindsey songs that don't fit.

[ryan4136]

According to KC. One of the ides floated in the begining was to create two "companion" albums that told two chapters of the same story. They would've been single albums released a few months apart. The record company was not keen on the idea, they thought it would confuse album sales, and the movement changed towards the double album approach. They had a bunch to say there was no way they were going to release just 10-12 songs and move on at that point.

But it's fun to think about.

[ryan4136]

I'm trying to come up with twelve songs and it just doesn't work. Some of Tusk's best songs are the wackiest ones, like the title track, Not That Funny, and That's Enough for Me. I can't picture these songs on a shorter record alongside Sara or Over and Over. But here's one version:

Tusk
Think About Me
Angel
Save Me a Place
Over and Over
Storms

Never Forget
Sara
Brown Eyes
Walk a Thin Line
Not That Funny
Sister of the Moon

This doesn't have my second-favorite Tusk song, Honey Hi, but it didn't seem to fit. In fact, no single record does. Tusk needs to sprawl and be all-over-the-place to work.

If my goal was to put together the best 10 song Tusk from a sales and marketing standpoint, many of my favorite songs would get cut too. That's the beauty of double albums, some for the fans some for the artist, some for the mass market.

[bwboy]

Something else that kind of surprises me is that FM didn't put Silver Springs on Tusk. I know it was the b-side of the Go Your Own Way single, but that shouldn't have been a factor in why it wasn't on Tusk. I'm ultimately glad it wasn't, as that would likely have booted another one of Stevie's songs off Tusk, but it definitely would have fit well there, and it clearly was a favorite of Stevie's.

[FuzzyPlum]

this topic has been done to death. You might want to search for it.



http://cdn2-www.dogtime.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/file_26979_grumpy-dog-earl-feat.jpg

Somebody's been very grumpy lately :distress:

[24karatstevie]

Something else that kind of surprises me is that FM didn't put Silver Springs on Tusk. I know it was the b-side of the Go Your Own Way single, but that shouldn't have been a factor in why it wasn't on Tusk. I'm ultimately glad it wasn't, as that would likely have booted another one of Stevie's songs off Tusk, but it definitely would have fit well there, and it clearly was a favorite of Stevie's.
I never really thought about this but I think Silver Springs absolutely could have worked on Tusk. The problem is that every single one of Stevie's Tusk songs are pure gold and I couldn't pick one to take off for Silver Springs to take its place. Actually, while I wish Silver Springs made it onto Rumours, maybe it is better how it happened. I mean Silver Springs from The Dance essentially revitalized Stevie and FM's popularity and has now become one of their most beloved songs to fans.

[bwboy]

http://cdn2-www.dogtime.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/file_26979_grumpy-dog-earl-feat.jpg

Somebody's been very grumpy lately :distress:

So adorable! Thanks, FuzzyPlum!

And I agree with you about Silver Springs, 24KaratStevie. None of the new songs they made for the Dance- Sweet Girl, Temporary One, My Little Demon, or Bleed to Love Her would have been a bit, but Silver Springs and Landslide introduced a whole new generation to Fleetwood Mac. So yeah, it's a good thing SS didn't end up on Tusk, after all.

[Iamwilliame]

I know I'm Not Wrong
Sara
Save Me a Place
Think About Me
Storms

Brown Eyes
Walk A Thin Line
Sisters of the Moon
Tusk
Never Forget

I hate leaving off Over and Over and Honey Hi but this song selection is about as cohesive as I could come up with for a single album Tusk. It is hard to balance the 3 writers and make the songs fit alongside one another in a cohesive manner given the time constraits in 1979.

[Phil]

In my opinion, "Silver Springs" would have been more suited to the production of the Tusk album rather than Rumours.

[BaronVonBielski]

Also, it's not about track amount. It's about total time which should be about 45min or less. If you're going by the way things were back then.

[David]

A good part of Tusk's fabled vibe was its sprawlingness. (As every Machead knows, it was compared to the Beatles' White Album.) A single Tusk album would have been a contradiction in terms. Imagine a two-album Rumours. It's off-kilter.

The fact that some listeners love one chunk of songs and some listeners love another chunk of songs is probably all part of the design. You're meant to find your own groove on Tusk. To me, for example, Tusk is all about Christine McVie's erotic delicacy, but on some days it's all about Lindsey's urgent attempt to break out of a bland, formulaic mainstream band, with Stevie Nicks flitting in and out of the woodwork, like seeing stars when you stand up too fast.

I looked at the suggested track lists you guys posted for a single album. To me, they're not Tusk, they're just playlists. Who really wants "cohesion" with Tusk? You got that perfectly with Rumours already.

[jbrownsjr]

A good part of Tusk's fabled vibe was its sprawlingness. (As every Machead knows, it was compared to the Beatles' White Album.) A single Tusk album would have been a contradiction in terms. Imagine a two-album Rumours. It's off-kilter.

The fact that some listeners love one chunk of songs and some listeners love another chunk of songs is probably all part of the design. You're meant to find your own groove on Tusk. To me, for example, Tusk is all about Christine McVie's erotic delicacy, but on some days it's all about Lindsey's urgent attempt to break out of a bland, formulaic mainstream band, with Stevie Nicks flitting in and out of the woodwork, like seeing stars when you stand up too fast.

I looked at the suggested track lists you guys posted for a single album. To me, they're not Tusk, they're just playlists. Who really wants "cohesion" with Tusk? You got that perfectly with Rumours already.

Wow, this is so well written. ...To the point that I can feel what you mean along with comprehending it. I've listened to both of those albums so many times all the way through. It's rarely been a playlist for me.

[bwboy]

A good part of Tusk's fabled vibe was its sprawlingness. (As every Machead knows, it was compared to the Beatles' White Album.) A single Tusk album would have been a contradiction in terms. Imagine a two-album Rumours. It's off-kilter.

The fact that some listeners love one chunk of songs and some listeners love another chunk of songs is probably all part of the design. You're meant to find your own groove on Tusk. To me, for example, Tusk is all about Christine McVie's erotic delicacy, but on some days it's all about Lindsey's urgent attempt to break out of a bland, formulaic mainstream band, with Stevie Nicks flitting in and out of the woodwork, like seeing stars when you stand up too fast.

I looked at the suggested track lists you guys posted for a single album. To me, they're not Tusk, they're just playlists. Who really wants "cohesion" with Tusk? You got that perfectly with Rumours already.

A well written post! Still, no harm in imagining what if, especially since it would have had a domino effect. I mean, if Tusk had been a bigger hit as a single cd, there's a chance they would have recorded a follow up sooner than later, and imagine if Mirage had featured some of the songs left off of Tusk- talk about a wealth of riches! I like Mirage, but could you imagine if, instead of Only Over You or Oh Diane, they had included Brown Eyes, I Know I Know I'm Not Wrong, and Storms? Or any combination, for that matter. Mirage is considered their safest album by pretty much everyone, including the band, but a few songs from Tusk would have added some much needed adventure to the album.

Plus, if Tusk had been a bigger hit, it's hard to say if or when Stevie, Lindsey, and Christine would have recorded their solo albums when they did. Maybe Tango would have come out sooner, which would have meant Stevie would have been more involved in the the album. Wouldn't it have been awesome if another album had been released between Mirage and Tango? All in good fun.

[BaronVonBielski]

I've always designed my single disc Tusk as what would have been the most like the previous 2 releases. A natural progression, but not so much a different direction per se.