My nit picks for Tusk.
 

Tusk:

I think the Tusk album could have been cut to 11 or 12 songs.

1. I like the live album version of Over & Over better. The Tusk Over & Over should be more like the live album version.

2. The Ledge is okay, sounds like filler to me, could have been cut.

3. Think About Me is good, but Lindsey like hogs all the vocals away from Christine in the second half of the song. It's also too short. It should be at least three minutes.

4. I like Save Me a Place, but I don't like the other low male voice doing backup vocals. The backup vocals should have been Stevie and Christine. Save Me a Place is also too short of a song.

5. The piano on Sara is my favorite thing about the song, but it sounds like it needed tuned or something. The piano track should be tighter and sharper and just slightly more prominent than it already is.

6. I don't really like What Makes You Think You're the One. I know everyone else loves it. I could do without it.

7. I like the live version of Not That Funny better. It doesn't need to be 10 minutes on the album though. I like it when it's more piano prominent like this video on YouTube

http://youtu.be/1Fi3NGwnE3c

I think this video cut out too much guitar though. I like the guitar on Not That Funny, but it seems to overpower the piano when you listen to other live versions. The piano should be less subtle.

8. I guess I just like their 1979-1980 live arrangements better. Same for Sisters of the Moon.

9. I could do without That's Enough for Me

10. Brown Eyes is good but I don't really like the clicking. I would rather have a subtle drum beat. Maybe Mick could have used brushes like he did on Sara.

11. Never Make Me Cry is also too short. It's a great Christine song, but if I had to cut one of hers, it would be this one.

12. I also don't care for I Know I'm Not Wrong.

13. Honey Hi is okay, I love the ending, but the rest of the song is just okay. It needs more to it.

14. Beautiful Child is a beautiful song, but if I had to cut one of Stevie's songs, it would be this one. There is already Sara and Storms.

15. Walk a Thin Line is really good, but it needs Stevie and Christine on it. Like the rest of Lindsey's songs on Tusk.

16. Tusk is okay. I could do without all the extra sound effects and the USC band and have it be more Fleerwood Mac-y.

17. Never forget is also just okay. It needs some more energy. It needs more bass and drums and get rid of the Brown Eyes clicking. The guitar and keyboard need to be more rocky and poppy

To summarize: Stevie's songs were good, but too many slow teary songs. Lindsey needed Christine and Stevie on his songs. Christine's songs were too laid back, they need to be poppier and rockier.

My Tusk track list would be:
(I used the same order and just cut out songs. This is not the order I would have put the songs in. I didn't feel like going through them again.)

1. Over & Over
2. Think About Me
3. Save Me a Place
4. Sara
5. Storms
6. That's All For Everyone
7. Not That Funny
8. Sisters of The Moon
9. Angel
10. Brown eyes
11. Walk a Thin Line
12. Never Forget

(But with all the changes I suggested.)

I haven't read through all your post yet, but for info, they had have the full 6:28 version on the original record release. It is only the original CD release and the 7" single release that feature a shorter version. The 2004 remaster also includes the full verison.

Wow, its hard to nit pick about Tusk but I will force myself.
I love all the songs. The only song I would drop is the Ledge. But I could keep it but place it on the 4th side. Its too early in the mix on side 1 and immediately casts Tusk's quirky side. Although there is nothing quirky about Tusk today. Its held up pretty good. I could not stand to remove any songs due to the creativity on each one.
I was never crazy about the album cover or song Tusk.
My biggest nit pick would have been to release Think About Me as the first single. Its a mainstream rock/pop track that would have been huge. The headline would have been "Fleetwood Mac is back." Even though the single Tusk made the top 10, it confused the masses. I believe Think About Me would have cracked the top 10 if it was the first single. I also believe it would have been a good lead single to promote the album better.
So these are my few nit picks :eek:

Oh I too prefer the live version of Over and Over. But I also prefer the live version of Sisters. If there was a way to make those raw live versions a recording in the studio then I would add that too ;)

I was going with my iTunes. The Sara on Tusk on iTunes is 4:39. My parents won't let me have their Tusk album, they have the original they got in 1979. My dad was a collector back in the day. He's let me take some of his old albums but there's some he won't give up.

Maybe they should have made Rumours 2

I love Tusk and see it as a truly remarkable record. However, my concerns with it are more than mere nitpicks (unlike whatever unreasonable complaint I might have about some aspect of either of the the previous two).

1. The track sequencing is bizarre. That might be part of the point. But it does get in the way of the flow. To start the album with the ultra conventional "Over and Over" and follow it up with music from another planet ("The Ledge") never sits easy with me. I get that Lindsey might have wanted to juxtapose those two worlds--California industry-pop with garage band punk. That's a powerful statement. But it doesn't make for enjoyable back-to-back listening. The result is a fascinating yet frustrating sense of fragmentation.

2. No Christine song on side two is simply wrong. She should have written and performed one in place of "That's all...".

3. Stevie and Christine should be singing harmonies on a number of Lindsey tunes, especially "Save Me a Place" and "Walk a Thin Line." The three harmonies only sound apparent on Christine's songs, and on "Sara" and "Beautiful Child."

4. "Storms" and "Over and Over" give off a strange, echoey vibrato that makes the songs feel chilly when they should feel warm.

I don't know where to start with Tusk. Unlike the previous 2 albums there are plenty of Stevie songs, but she doesn't feature enough in the other songs. I also agree that Lindsey's songs need more Stevie and Christine. IIRC the outtakes of The Ledge, That's Enough For Me and I Know I'm Not Wrong do feature them more which is why I prefer them.

Not that they needed more tracks but I think it's a shame The Dealer didn't make it.

Some of you make some great points. The sequence of songs is pretty random. I think because of the rebel mind of Lindsey Buckingham in 1979 he did this on purpose.

They say Tusk was Lindsey's first solo album where he worked alone on many songs. Yes I would say more group inclusion and harmonies would be better.

I am old enough to have bought Tusk as an album. I had a cheap stereo with cheap needle. Tusk is surely an album for the digital age. Those quiet songs like Storms just get ruined with the scratches and surface sounds on vinyl. I agree that Over and Over and Storms have a chilly effect. That is a great characterization that I agree with.

I would still keep on all the songs. I love Honey Hi and Never Make Me cry even though they are short and sweet. I suppose you could have had a Rumours 2 with dropping The Ledge, Tusk, Not that funny, Storms, Honey Hi, I know Im not wrong, Never Make Me Cry, and That's enough for me. But I cant imagine not ever hearing these songs. Short term yes it would have been a bigger commercial success. But long term Tusk is considered by many including the band members as a crucial album.

Love Tusk and would keep all the songs on there and in the same running order. However;

1) I wish Lindsey had reigned it in and made his songs sound at bit more conventional. As has been said, Christine's and Stevie's voices should have been on his songs.
2) Love the packaging but I hate the pictures with Mick wearing that stupid white hat- Otherwise nice pictures make me want to scream just because of that damned hat.
3) Sisters of the Moon should have been released as the first single. It would have been a big hit had it been the lead song (followed by Think About Me).
4) Indeed, as it was intended as such an epic release they could have pushed the boat out and released non-album songs as singles in support of the album (Beatles-style). Its a shame certain songs were not used.
5) Disappointed Peter Green's contribution to Brown Eyes was barely or completely inaudible.

I haven't listened to Tusk as a whole for ages, so I'll just nitpick what I know (IE, the Stevie songs)

Although I do agree that Christine and Stevie should be on Lindsey's songs more.

The only nitpick I can think of is... as amazing as Sisters Of The Moon is, I wish they'd done more overdubbing like in some of the demos. Like in the "She was dark at the top of the stairs" part in this demo...

I always found the packaging very annoying and felt it was made literally for left handed people. The cover was stupid. After having that gorgeous pic on the cover of Rumours and that awesome White Album cover, for them to waste such a great opportunity was just shameful. There could have been more color photos instead of all the B&W pics.

Tusk was the perfect choice as the lead single though because the world was impatiently waiting to see what FM would follow up the Rumours classics with. Nothing on that album was more grand than the title track to capture the world's attention.

WB waited too long to release SOTM as a single. Because of the backlash FM received, by the time SOTM was put out, the album was long dead unfortunately, in the eyes of the world.

The artwork was a bit crazy. I have not seen the album inserts in many years but wasn't there a photo of Stevie looking like a witch? It just was silly with some of them up on the ceiling in that phony and staged photo session room.
I don't like much of the Tusk photo shoots. The album stuff is cheezy but the video shoot where many photos were taken is pretty bad. Chris and Lindsey are so wasted they cant even look straight.
Fast forward to Mirage.... complete opposite...classy, romantic, artwork. It was the early 80's before the wild 80's of big hair took over :eek:

Did Mirage have photos and stuff in the album packaging?

Each to their own. For me the Tusk artwork was brilliant- epic, even (the ambition of the packaging matching the ambition of a double album).
The ceiling shots in particular were fantastic. The hours I spent pouring over that album cover and all the inner sleeves.

Unfortunately no.
I was referring to the album cover, back and album insert cover.
No album packing but there was a cool photo on the album sleeve of all 5 members almost painted.
I LOVE the shadow silhouette from their HBO Mirage concert. That is my all time favorite group shot. I like the Mirage era because they were not kids anymore and Stevie and Chris were at their beauty peak. No more hippy clothes.