Tusk dismantled and spread through Mirage and Tango
 

Purely for fun, while listening to Tusk on my DVD player for the first time, I again can't help but think if FM had made Tusk a single album, it not only would have made it a bigger hit commercially and artistically, it would have also helped them fill in the weaker songs on Mirage and Tango. Imagine:

Tusk album:
Over and Over
What Makes You Think You're the One
Sara
Think About Me
Save Me a Place
Sisters of the Moon
Brown Eyes
Angel
I Know I'm Not Wrong
Tusk
SILVER SPRINGS
Never Forget

Mirage album:
Eyes of the World
Love in Store
Can't Go Back
That's Alright
Book of Love
Gypsy
NEVER MAKE ME CRY
Empire State
STORMS
Hold Me
THAT'S ALL FOR EVERYONE
Wish You Were Here

Tango album:
Big Love
Seven Wonders
Everywhere
Caroline
Tango in the Night
Mystified
Little Lies
STRAIGHT BACK
OH DIANE
Isn't It Midnight
BEAUTIFUL CHILD
You and I

Putting Silver Springs on Tusk would have allowed Stevie to push 2 of her better songs onto Mirage and Tango, of which Tango is pretty universally considered her weakest contributions. I did the same thing with Christine and Lindsey, although honestly, Christine's songs are the strongest on Tango. I hate Not That Funny, the Ledge, Honey Hi, When I See You Again, Welcome to the Room Sara, and Family Man so I left them off completely.

All in good fun, of course, obviously the songs I said I hate have plenty of fans who would be horrified if those songs were left off the albums. But if you could divvy up songs from Tusk to make their next 2 albums even better, how would you do it?

Very cool
I know its just for fun but during the vinyl days and before digital, they stuck to only 10 songs.....5 per side which makes this challenge even more complicated.

I agree Tusk may have been a bigger success not being a double album but that was the point of Tusk....to show a creative side without being so corporate. The 2 out of the 3 songs that charted from Tusk were anything but radio friendly pop songs.

As much as I like Tusk, Tusk had an overall negative effect on the band. The band was NEVER the same again. After the negative press of Tusk, the band was always chasing commercial success which was what Tusk was not about. After Tusk came Mirage, a light pop album purposely created to make music box radio friendly songs. Then Tango, the synth prop album that was anything but daring. It makes you wonder if Tusk actually was similar to the white album and Rumours, what would have happened to the band post Tusk. Like I said, as much as I like and appreciate Tusk, I am not so much saying it was worth it to get the bubble gum, light pop albums which what Tusk was supposed to not be about. Its irony but the quirky Tusk turned the band into the band Lindsey never wanted them to be. That NEVER gets discussed which is why I need my own column at Rolling Stone ;)

This is a cool analysis. Most definitely Tusk would've been bigger as a single album, but without the "experimentation" that left so many scratching their heads way back in the dark ages of 1979. It desperately would've needed the superb song writing and production of its two predecessors. Like Mac Man, I did like Tusk at the time and it has aged reasonably well, but it did destroy the post Tusk band, which in reality besides a few points during Mirage was never a band again in the same way they were. Both Lindsey and Stevie became too self absorbed to realize the sum of the two was much greater than the parts and thus didn't have the same impact on Christine that they did from 75-79 say.

Both Mirage and Tango would need a total rework to have been wonderful with a re-vamped Tusk- ie the band contributing to the all of the music.

Tusk would have been more popular without the Lindsey songs.

Yes, and so would Behind the Mask.

When you throw your darts at his picture in your house, how many times can you hit him, out of ten throws?

Releasing Tusk as the first single was another error. Linds and his ego ruined the album and its chances of great success. So if we are to deconstruct Tusk, removing his songs is the first step.

"Bitter and disgruntled fan, party of one..."

If it was not released first, it would have never charted. The limelight from Rumours and the excitement of new material made it crack the top 10. If you notice, you never hear the song played on the radio. Classic rock radio stations play so much of the Mac but never the song Tusk. I never hear it on the 70s or 80s channels either. Unless you are a rabid Mac member, no one can really sing along with the song. I've heard it a million times and I still am not sure when to yell Tusk. Stevie probably keeps better timing than me when trying to sing along :eek:

But it was a statement just like everything else was with Tusk. The album songs, the lead single, the double album, the album cover, etc. It was making a statement, this is not Rumours 2.

I agree with you though. I would have loved Think About Me as the lead off single. Its the most "traditional" Mac song on the album and no doubt would have cracked the top 10 and probably even sold more copies of the album.

Why? The single was a hit. Sara was a hit. Think About Me did fine too. Charted way higher than Show Them the Way or Edge of Midnight.

[QUOTE=Macfan4life;1262147]

But it was a statement just like everything else was with Tusk. The album songs, the lead single, the double album, the album cover, etc. It was making a statement, this is not Rumours 2.

Yes, I remember when TUSK was released and thought how it separated the true fans of the band from the rest of the pack . To this day Tusk is my favorite Fleetwood Mac song and I thought it was brilliant to release it as the first single.

Nothing wrong with the singles or the opening songs on Tusk. I have problems with the album as a whole, but those aren’t among them. I am more troubled about the singles and opening songs on SYW.

I agree with Macfan4life that if Tusk hadn't been the first single, it wouldn't have performed so well. I think it might have charted, but probably not very high. Radio was really anticipating new music from FM, so ANY song released as the first single was bound to be a hit because it would receive significant airplay. I'm not saying I don't like Tusk or that it's not a good song- after all, there are plenty of incredible songs that haven't charted highly.

My problem with Tusk is that I LOVE half of Lindsey's songs but HATE the other half. Not just, "ooh, sometimes I skip this song or that song," it's "quick, hit FF because I can't even stand to hear one note!"

Could you imagine how much better Tango would have been if Beautiful Child and Straight Back were on that album? That would have put the album right up there with Rumours in terms of critical success. Since Mirage and Tango are often criticized for being too pop or commercial, it would have been great if FM had been able to bring some of their more experimental Tusk songs onto those 2 albums.

Great thread. I really like this. I always think of the album and tour (that never was) between 1982 and 1987. I like the running orders you set up.

I liked Tusk as a single. I think 'Think About Me' and 'Tusk' should have been swapped.

Think About Me FM jam
Sara FM ballad
Tusk. FM funky


It would have given a little more of a normal vibe with the first two. Then turn everything on it's head with Tusk. I remember when it (Tusk) was released and I heard it for the first time, I stopped playing and listened to it, then continued running around.

The title song is one of my all-time favorite songs period. It’s a one-off tribal thing that gets me all frisky every time I hear it.