Tusk - looking back 25 years later
 

I love this review of Tusk - copied from Amazon's reviews





one of our greatest examples of American studio pop, October 13, 1999
Reviewer: M.I. from california After 20 years, this studio masterpiece stands the test of time right up there with Pet Sounds and The White Album. It is Fleetwood Mac at it's creative peak with some of the most beautiful three part harmonies ever recorded on tape. Rumours was great, but Tusk has so many golden moments it's frustrating to think that the band didn't continue in this vein. The fact that it was not a commerical blockbuster only makes it better; none of us are sick of these tracks from overplay on the radio. Buckingham and Nicks have never recorded at this level since - a requirement for anyone who's serious about collecting the greatest folk/rock/pop albums of our time.

Re: Tusk - looking back 25 years later
 

Thanks for sharing, but I disagree with this claim.

- Jake

Re: Re: Tusk - looking back 25 years later
 

You're right. Out of the Cradle is on par.

Re: Re: Re: Tusk - looking back 25 years later
 

As was Bella Donna for La Nicks.

But even those two stellar efforts pale in Tusk's shadow. Tusk was just on another level and still is IMO :cool:

Re: Re: Re: Re: Tusk - looking back 25 years later
 

Strand, you're absolutely right. They'll never top Tusk. Impossible.

:wavey:

I like SYW much better then Tusk. Maybe only time will tell which one holds up better, but I only recently (a couple years ago) purchased Tusk, so to me they are the same age. I don't know- I just love SYW I guess.

I only just discovered 4 years ago that my parents had the Tusk album on LP since i was 2!!

Tusk would have to be my all time favourite album, 3 singer/songwriters, and a collection of songs that couldn't be more different than eachother!!

Songs like Sara, i have known & heard since i was 5 or 6 and the first time i ever heard Sisters of the moon was when watching the Mirage Video (thank u ebay!!!). When i heard it on Tusk for the first time, i loved it :)

On another note, i remember reading somewhere that alot of people thought that Tusk on LP, sounded very different to the CD version (maybe in depth, different instruments etc). Anyone care to agree or disagree?

I hope they release Tusk in 5.1!!!!!

:D

I completely agree with the intent of this statement. I'm not "sick" of the overplayed songs, but I definitely don't listen to them by choice, even on The Dance. This is also why Tusk is currently my favorite. I usually end up overplaying my favorites until I'm almost sick of them...but nothing like what radio can do to a song!!

25 years of Listening Pleasure!
 

:wavey: We agree 370%...TUSK is just a great work of
art! What an LP...so much richer and melodious
than any cd! Analog tape for me please!:blob1: Sky:)

They have never topped Tusk. I was just listening to it this morning again for probably the millionth time. I don't think they ever will top Tusk:)

Me neither. If there's one thing I love more than demos, its non-commercials albums. I'll be listening to Tusk, and Merle Haggard's new one for ages to come. :cool:

Tusk is still No. 1 for me as well.

Cradle is a close second, and sometimes, it becomes No. 1. But Tusk is greatness, even with Christine's sleepers and the yawner that is Beautiful Child.

>>>>TUSK is timeless with it's bevy of ballads and rock ravers. I love it! My calendar is marked for it's reissue date......

Actually, with 'Say You Will,' I think they've easily bested 'Tusk,' because they've found a way to marry the experimental, edgy side with the commercial, glossy side, in a way that draws you in and takes you on a journey from song to song. Rather than being totally off-balanced and somewhat alienating to the average listener, musically.

I think that's also the quality in 'Out Of The Cradle' that so many of us respond to... it's the perfecting of all of the best aspects of both approaches.

Having said that, 'Tusk' is a fabulous album with a lot of spirit and great music, and definitely deserves a lot of praise. :nod:

While I agree that SYW is a nice marriage of that, I think LB just went too far with that computerized gimmicky voice stuff. Conversely, on Tusk, it is all emotion and raw at that. But - to each their own :cool:

*lol*
Having lived thru 'Go Insane' and 'Tango In The Night,' I feel that the couple instances of VSOd voices on 'SYW' are actually quite tasteful, and while the choice was initially shocking in "Illume," I've actually grown to like it.
It's all part of that "edginess" we talked about.

But I see your point about a raw sound being preferable to a forceably created sound, because it's more emotional and real.
I guess it's just all about textures and where they're used.

I think that Stevie's stuff on Tusk is infinitely better than her SYW material, but I think Lindsey's stuff on both are equally amazing (although Save Me A Place, The Ledge, and Say Goodbye are the biggest masterpieces). :D

Christine's songs aren't very good, IMO, but I think every track of Stevie's is a classic. They are all amazing; the best she's ever put out. :nod:

It's funny, because I see a lot of people list "Save Me A Place" as one of Lindsey's best... whereas, for me, it's near the bottom of the list.

I like it a little better than I used to, but still... the song just seems to plod along with nowhere to go.
The harmonies are beautiful, but that molasses-rolling-up-a-hill-in-June tempo kills it for me.

Of course, as I've said before, it's all a matter of opinion, and no song is write-off, as long as it means something to someone. :)

As much as I LOVE Tusk, I HATE Not That Funny. I think its the most annoying worst Lindsey song ever. I jumped for joy when I learned I wouldnt have to cringe through it on the SYW tour!

you don't mean that. SAY YOU DON"T MEAN THAT!

:eek: :eek:

I feel the exact opposite here. I have grown to absolutely love the vocals on Honey Hi, Over and Over is great, Never Make Me Cry is quite heartfelt (and sounds like The Way I Feel from MTM), and Never Forget is one of the biggest overlooked songs to me. The ending with Stevie singing "never forget" is just classic. Christine, did a nice job on the album in my opinion. Again though, to each his own :nod:

Shamus:)

The first time i heard tusk must have been around the dance period, about 2 years before i became a die hard fan.
I already had tango and rumours on cd, (and greatest hits,'88 european version and behind the mask on tape) so songs i knew were the title song and sara, but none of the other songs.
My uncle (of whom i borowed the Tusk cd at the time) told me "it is not anything like rumours i doubt you'll like it".
Well at that time he was right. I did not care for it at all and returned it to him after one listen.
When i became a diehard fan in '99 and i collected al my remaining mac albums on cd i ofcourse also bought Tusk.
With each listen i liked it beter and beter and beter.
Now it is even in my favorite cd list.
It has happend to me before that an album i don't like in the beginning (or don't much care for) i fall in love with later (supossed former infatuation junkie by alanis morissette and post by bjork come to mind)
I'm glad tusk was among them.
"Sisters of the moon" has even become my favorite altime song.
About the Christine tracks on Tusk, i can agree some may not be that memorable, but still some great gems in there "brown eyes" (hey i have brown eyes myself) and i love "never make me cry".
My favorite lindsey's include: "the ledge and "i know i'm not wrong"
So do i think it stood the test of time ?

It's way above time (no pun intended);)

greetings marc

Completely, totally agree about Stevie's tracks. Her best ever. Period.

As for Christine, I think her material here is weak, definitely the weakest of the three. However, I don't *hate* any of her songs on the album. And I think that Brown Eyes and Never Forget are two of the best songs she's recorded.

TUSK!!
 

When I first became a fan of FM (back in March 2001), I bought Tango and Mirage first, knowing that I loved 80's music. Fell instantly in love with the band and it's sound. Then, I came online, read not very good stuff about Tusk being nothing like Rumours and I got scared. :laugh: I decided to wait to get Tusk after I got Rumours and the white album.

When I finally did get Tusk, I listened to it and went "Okay, some hit me right off the bat, some will take some getting use to." When I heard Beautiful Child, I fell in love with that song, it's my favorite off Tusk. Think About Me was another fave, it was so fun and upbeat. Lindsey's songs were crazy, nutty and at first, it was "Hmm...this is like Time Bomb Town Lindsey...I need to listen over and over (no pun intended. LOL) to fall in love with them."

Tusk is a journey. First, you go walking in the forest of mystic (Stevie's songs), then, you encounter the wild jungle and have adventures (Lindsey's songs) and lastly, you have the nice quiet walk in the woods (Christine's songs) towards home.

I do believe that Tusk was possibly not Christine's best albums. Her songs sound a little repeated in lyrics, but they serve the purpose of slowing down the tempo and the mood (a pause from Lindsey) and giving the record some light, after the darkness of Stevie's songs (like the very sad "Storms"). Perhaps as individual songs they wouldn't work so well, but in the context of the album, I think they are perfect.

Plus, "Brown Eyes" might as well be one of the best things she's ever recorded; "Over & Over" and "Never Forget" are two great forgotten classics and "Think About Me" was even a small hit, and deserving so. :nod:

Oh... the album as a whole. Yes, I think Lindsey was the dominating force, his songs are crazy and I love them all except that he didn't need to write "Not That Funny" twice ("I Know I'm Not Wrong"); and I don't like "That's All For Everyone" either. Stevie presents some songs that would build her style as a solo artist in the future, being "Sara" the most brilliant in my opinion, although she has no low point in this album. Her five songs are great.

It's a fantastic listening experience. :)


Song of the moment - Love That Burns

I love Tusk. It used to be my favorite Fleetwood Mac album until I heard Mystery To Me. All 3 writers were in top form. "Brown Eyes" & "Storms" are my favorites. I think that Christine provided the needed balance between the Buckingham/Nicks songs. "Never Make Me Cry", "Think About Me" & "Over And Over" are especially terrific, in addition to "Brown Eyes", which is my favorite song on the album. I'm not normally a big Stevie Nicks fan, but this is probably her best batch of songs on any Fleetwood Mac album. "Storms" is my all time favorite song of hers and "Beautiful Child" is nearly as good. I think "Sara" is a bit tedious, but still OK. I really like most of Lindsey's songs here. "The Ledge", "Save Me A PLace" & "I Know I'm Not Wrong" are my favorites of his. "That's All For Everyone" meanders a bit, but is still OK. "I like "Not That Funny" on the album, but I HATE it live. It's too long & boring. I like Tusk better too when they played it live with Christine playing accordian. Tusk is a great album and it has aged very well over the years.

Oh I love that stuff, especially on Illume when Lindsey sings (in a woman's voice) "It's just like a river", then Stevie echoes that phrase in a computerized monotone voice. It is just too good for words!

Does anyone else not care for Lindsey's stuff on this album? It is like he is too focused on being weird and being the exact opposite of Rumours that he forgets to make his songs listenable. I agree with Johnny Stew that SYW combines experimental with having mass appeal. Although SYW doesn't have that much mass appeal, it is still strange, you know?

Anyways, Tusk is one of my least favorites. SYW is better, imho, and at the moment is my favorite album.

Ironically Tusk is one of the last albums I bought and took me ages to get into but now its an absolute masterpiece - although for me its purely a phase album, when I love it I LOVE it but get tired of it easy. As for Christine, on the one hand, Brown Eyes and Honey Hi are 2 of my fave Christine songs, on the other hand, Never make Me cry is possibly the worst.

I know Im not wrong is the most underrated song on the album, and is also my 2nd favourite Lindsey song (after GYOW.Miranda and Cant go Back are close contenders!)

:nod: :nod:

Lindsey's songs are my favorite on Tusk. Chris has Think About Me, and Over and Over, and Stevie has Sara and Angel, but most else by the ladies is toooo lethargic. Good, but still sleepytime.......zzzzzzzz
Lindsey's have a very raw energy to them.

i think one of the things that drew me into Tusk was because I was fifteen when it was released. I was too young to go to any of the Rumours shows so this was my first big FM album and Tour.
The Clash were just breaking in the states and I loved them along with Patti Smith and Springsteen.
Tusk almost felt "punk" after Rumours. I thought it was so adventurous of Lindsey to make the album and give it to the record company as a finished work after Rumours. Very brave and for me, Tusk is what made Fleetwood Mac rise to a level that the Eagles were never able to. They had a hard time breaking out of that "Eagles mold". Tusk and most of Lindsey's work proved that he had more in him than what casual fans expected.

I second every word of your post, don't look down! I was just 14 and had the same experience. For me Tusk still has it totally. Also chris'songs! They add so much warmth and spirituality to the album!

And the risk of commercial suicide is so bravely taken by this band!

gerald

Re: Re: Re: Re: Tusk - looking back 25 years later
 

"Oooh, pale... shadow of an album"...

Agreed. Chris shines here, her best songs are on Tusk IMHO.

I love Tusk, mainly for its non-commercial appeal. I mean, we're not all sick of Tusk because it's played over and over (no pun intended) on the radio like Rumours was/is, so it's always fresh and interesting. It's my favorite Mac album by far.

Yes, he's very weird -- not just with the songs themselves (short, choppy bursts of lyrical & chordal ideas) but with the presentation (an element of "found sounds" & the use of conventional instrumentation unconventionally). Much of the appeal of "Tusk" for me & others is in our frame of reference. We were relatively intelligent teens at the time "Tusk" hit the market & we were sick of the sameness & blandness of radio. A lot of the artists who were making important strides in new directions, like Elvis Costello & the Clash, weren't getting any airplay on most stations. Pop music had got so dull & so tired that a lot of us were really suffering with slurpy crap like Randy Van Warmer's "Just When I Needed You Most," Robert John's "Sad Eyes," David Naughton's "Makin' It," Melissa Manchester's "Don't Cry Out Loud," empty, addleheaded cock rock like Pat Benatar's "Heartbreaker," disco with all the R&B juice squeezed out of it like Leif Garrett's "I Was Made for Dancin'" or Rod Stewart's "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" & lots of crap by once-decent artists (Neil Diamond) & nonentities (Olivia Newton-John).

When all that sludge is being thrown at you day & night on the radio, your brain screams for something different. "Tusk" came along -- many of us were already big Mac fans -- & threw us for quite a loop. It was engaging & charming & even very funny, & it avoided many of the tired old conventions of track production. Our fans' pride in the band really grew at that point because it was so refreshing to hear the biggest rock group in the world produce tracks that used chair cushions as kick drums -- not just for the sake of novelty (anyone could have done that) but out of an expressive need for that sort of innovation. I would even go so far as to say that "Tusk" helped some of us hear differently.

Definitely. This was a prevalent view at the time, too. When the Eagles put out their 1979 "Long Run" album, it took just one quick listen & you knew that this was the sort of glossy, conventional "perfection" that Fleetwood Mac was reacting against.

Stevie's stuff on "Tusk" is perfection; her best ever.
Christine's stuff on "Tusk" is excellent.
Lindsey could have used some editing on "Tusk" in my opinion:
The title track is a masterpiece, while "Walk a Thin Line" and "I Know I'm Not Wrong," and "The Ledge," are very very enjoyable.

"That's All for Everyone," "What Makes You Think You're The One," and "That's Enough for Me" are nice but are really song fragments, IMO.

"Save Me a Place" has some terrible vocals and would have benefited from the rest of the band's participation and
"Not That Funny" is just a bad song exhibiting Lindsey's most neurotic tendencies.

*trying to bite his tongue off but not succeeding*

STOP!!

Anyone who devides the Album in three is not listening! This album is not to be portionalised!! Lindsey's work is EVERYWHERE on this album. He chose do be experimental in his own songs, as it comes to songwriting, but he is VERY experimental in the arrangements in Stevies songs, and in the way all the threeway-harmonies are recorded. i think that in Chris' songs Lindsey focussed on the "esoteric" -like he mentions a lot in interviews nowadays. i am convinced he had a big part in her songs, too on Tusk. The whole darkness on this album is his work, soundwise, in terms of vision on atmosphere etcetera.

If you listen to this album without preoccupation on the three songwriters you hear an album that is very coherent, in every song is an experimental touch. Sometimes in composition, sometimes in atmosphere, sometims in rythm or pace. And sometimes on everything at the same time.

And Not that funny is that one. You may not like it, It's the only song that hits it off diffently on all levels, and therefore is a
(maybe The) keysong on Tusk.

gerald.

PS: I understand people who say that IKINW and NTF are very alike, and that's the reason they don't like it. I'm not agreeing on that but OK. But if you think that IKINW is "very very enjoyable" (it's frickin brilliant!) and you despise Not that Funny, I am just going:eek: :eek: :eek:


did i mention that this is only an opinion?:wavey: