My review of the Tusk remaster

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I posted this on epinions.com earlier, but thought I'd be nice and share it here. Granted, I'm sure everyone here already owns it, making my review rather redundant, but I thought it would be a good time to re-evaluate Tusk. I wrote a review of the single-disc for epinions back in August, but was never happy with how it came out. Oh, and the review is obscenely long, so you might want to bring some coffee!

As I write this, all I can think is "did I really need to buy this?" I already own the single-disc Tusk that came out in 1990. Is there any reason for this expensive purchase, besides the unedited Sara and a second disc full of outtakes and demos? Well, yes and no. The sound quality is a marked improvement, and there is a fair share of interesting alternate takes on Disk 2. However, only Fleetwood Mac fanatics (or Mick Fleetwood Fan Club members) will feel the need to double-dip on this rather self-indulgent re-master.

So you’ve just made one of the biggest albums of all time, you’re rich of your asses, selling out stadiums and concert halls, living the big-time rock ‘n roll lifestyle. Critics think you’re too poppy and mainstream, but hey, the people are eating it up, right? You almost killed yourself doing that last album, but soon or a later you gotta deliver another. What do you do now? If you answered "the exact same thing - we need the money!" Tusk isn’t the album for you.

Personnel
Mick Fleetwood: Drums, Percussion
John McVie: Bass
Christine McVie: Keyboards, Synthesizers, Vocals
Lindsey Buckingham: Guitars, Vocals
Stevie Nicks: Vocals
Producers: Ken Caillat, Richard Dashut, & Fleetwood Mac ("Special Thanks to Lindsey Buckingham")
Just for Ha-Has: The USC Trojan marching band
Remastering: Bill Inglot & Dan Hersch

Disc One
Over and Over (McVie) 2. The Ledge (Buckingham) 3. Think About Me (McVie) 4. Save Me a Place (Buckingham) 5. Sara (Nicks). 6. What Makes You Think You're The One (Buckingham) 7. Storms (Nicks) 8. That's All For Everyone (Buckingham) 9. Not That Funny (Buckingham) 10. Sisters of the Moon (Nicks) 11. Angel (Nicks) 12. That's Enough For Me (Buckingham) 13. Brown Eyes (McVie) 14. Never Make Me Cry (McVie) 15. I Know I'm Not Wrong (Buckingham) 16. Honey Hi (McVie) 17. Beautiful Child (Nicks) 18. Walk a Thin Line (Buckingham) 19. Tusk (Buckingham) 20. Never Forget (McVie)

Disc Two: Demos, Roughs, and Outtakes
Over and Over 2. The Ledge 3. Think About Me 4. Sara 5. I Know I'm Not Wrong #1 6. Storms 7. That's All For Everyone 8. Sisters of the Moon 9. That's Enough For Me 10. Brown Eyes 11. Never Make Me Cry 12. I Know I'm Not Wrong #2 13. Honey Hi 14. Beautiful Child 15. Walk a Thin Line 16. Never Forget 17. I Know I'm Not Wrong (alternate) 18. Kiss and Run (studio outtake) 19. Farmer's Daughter (Beach Boys cover) 20. Think About Me (single version) 21. Sisters of the Moon (single version)

The Album

You can read my original review of Tusk here. I’ll try to avoid stomping over old territory in this review.

Tusk is about as blatantly unconventional an album you’ll find from a mainstream pop-rock band. In the late 70s, even "legitimate" rock bands like the Rolling Stones began drifting into disco territory. LA-based evvilllll Corporate Pop Band™ Fleetwood Mac, fresh off the bazillion-selling Rumours, took a complete 180-degree turn. 13 months and $1.4 million later, Tusk is a disjointed mess of an album whose only cohesiveness is it’s lack of cohesiveness. So why do I love it so much?

Rumours was like being caught in a bad argument, while a charming English tea lady barged in infrequently and asked everyone to quit the fussin’ and feudin’. Tusk is also like being caught in a bad argument, except that one of the participants won’t stop banging on pots and cans, while the other insists on twirling around the house, crying about failed relationships. In the end, a marching band tramples everybody, but don’t worry, the tea lady rises from the rubble and cheers everybody up. Crap, even the tea lady’s feeling moody and introspective.

Tusk is most definitely Lindsey Buckingham’s baby. Nine of the 20 songs on the album are his, most of them being the result of endless experimentation. Many have attempted to describe the general style of Lindsey’s Tusk songs. Imagine, if you can, a two-headed transmogrification of David Byrne and Brian Wilson after snorting enough booger sugar to send King Kong up the Empire State Building in ten seconds.

First up is The Ledge, a borderline-psychotic Lo-Fi funk-punkabilly who’s early appearance in a Fleetwood Mac album is about as expected (and for first-time listeners, about as welcome) as the Alien’s appearance in John Hurt. What Makes You Think You’re The One finds him slamming on tissue boxes, grunting out another song about how Stevie stole his mojo all those years back. Not That Funny is a song that’s so bad it’s actually funny. Perhaps meant as a Talking Heads spoof, Not That Funny is about as over-the-top as garage rock gets. It’s the sort of song that will either irritate you, or leave you giggling at the sheer absurdity of it. Come now, Lindsey, do you really think Stevie took this personally?

That’s Enough For Me is another wild-n-crazy rockabillyesque track that’s over almost as soon as it starts. You can almost imagine Lindsey running around his house, playing this song in his underwear. I Know I’m Not Wrong is my all-time favorite, slap-me-silly, Lindsey song of all time. It rushes forward infectiously for three minutes, never wasting a note, leaving me begging for more each time. The guitar solo is gloriously sublime but disappointingly short; maybe some day he'll give it the full I’m So Afraid treatment.

Much has been said of the notorious title track, yet another Buckingham concoction. Don’t blame him for the marching band - that was Mick’s idea. Tusk was, rather boldly, the first single released in conjunction with the album. It’s probably the weirdest song Fleetwood Mac ever produced, and the least likely Billboard Top 10 hit of all time. What made the song hysterical for me was the realization that "Tusk" was an urban slang word for the male genitalia, which makes Tusk the first "cock rock" (literally!) song ever written.

Lindsey has three songs on Tusk that don’t sound like the result of cocaine psychosis. Unfortunately, they aren’t as interesting as their demented counterparts. Save Me A Place is a valiant attempt at a pleasant ballad in the Beach Boys vein, but suffers from muddy production. That’s All For Everyone sounds like a cross between a suicide note and the neurosis of a man screaming to be set free. It’s also about a minute too long. While somewhat meandering, Walk A Thin Line is a haunting song that reflects Lindsey’s gradually eroding emotional state throughout Tusk’s obscenely long production.

Stevie Nicks has five songs on Tusk, which, put together, take up slightly more space than Lindsey’s nine. Stevie spent most of Tusk’s production dazed and bewildered. Without an instrument to play or any engineering or production duties, she spent 85% of the time "bored out of her mind." Except for two genuine rockers, we find her mellower and even more introverted than usual.

Fortunately, her small contribution represents five of the best songs she’s ever written. Sara is an FM radio staple even today, and the source of endless discussion regarding it’s true meaning. Yes, it’s just as dreamy, poetic, and borderline cathartic as you’ve heard it is, but one wonders just what a "great dark wing within the wings of a storm" really is. Storms is a relentlessly downbeat broken-love ballad that depressed the hell out of me the first dozen times I heard it. I still love it, so call me a masochist. Just remind me to never get into a position where my entire "body tries to cry"!

Not all of Stevie’s songs are pretty ballads. Sisters of the Moon is a deliciously overblown self-tribute to her "witchy woman" persona, complete with a wailing electric guitar solo and a gothic-sounding electric organ. Stevie said it was about her decaying state-of-being during the Rumours tour, but I doubt you’ll think that when you hear it. Angel, which took me forever to get into, is a forceful rock poem that sounds like a prototype for songs like Edge of Seventeen. It was her first stab at a real "rock" song, and works very well. Beautiful Child is another emotional ballad, but it seems to have lost some of it’s impact over repeated listens. The repeated cry of "I wish that you were mine!" sounds like a near-breakdown in the studio, and still makes me shudder.

I really hate leaving Christine McVie for last, because she always represented a backbone of sorts for the band. Granted, in this age of screamo and death metal, her dusky-bright pop hits will leave most incredulous. Her voice can still melt butter on a cold day, but this isn’t the Christine we remember.

Tusk opens with Over and Over, which shows us Christine unsurprisingly weary from the chaos of Rumours. Over and Over casts a rather dark aura over Tusk, while Think About Me finds her more in form. Sort of a heavier, crunchier take on You Make Loving Fun, Think About Me has an interesting arrangement and a rather forceful three-part harmony. It should have been a hit, but barely cracked the Billboard Top 20.

After a long gap that threatens to degenerate into The Lindsey & Stevie Show is the gorgeous Brown Eyes, a slow-burning song that didn’t grab my attention immediately. Built around a layered chorus of Sha-la-las… and an undulating synthesizer line, it’s another song that should have been a hit. Never Make Me Cry is the simplest song on the album, and one that's been unfairly maligned. It’s a bit cheesy lyrically, but it’s nice to hear her tear down her wall of sentimental optimism ever now and then.

Honey Hi is almost too sweet for words. Nice harmonies and all, but not really my type of song. I’ve come to appreciate it a bit more after hearing the demo on Disc 2. Never Forget closes the album, perhaps to soften the blow from Tusk somewhat. A bit predictable (Come on baby, lets take a stroll, just remember that love is gold!), but it’s snappy and has great harmonies.

Packaging and Sound Quality
The remastered Tusk was released by Reprise in March 2004 as a two-CD set. The jewelcase comes enclosed in a cardboard sleeve that replicates the front and back cover artwork of the LP. A 28-page booklet is included. This features an essay by Parke Puterbaugh, publicity and concert photos, and a fairly accurate lyrics sheet. Also of interest is an eight-page foldout displaying the inner and outer sleeve artwork from the original album, in color this time.

On a song-per-song comparison with the old CD, the new Tusk didn’t blow me away sonically. When I listened to both albums side-by-side, the superior quality of the remaster became apparent. Bass and drums are far more grounded this time around, tape hiss has been reduced significantly, and the vocals are far less thin and harsh sounding. Buried details come into the forefront, while major elements (the bass line in Angel, the crowd sounds in Tusk, etc.) have greater impact. Except for a few dated moments, Tusk doesn’t feel 26 years old.

This re-issue comes with a second disc full of demos, roughs, and outtakes. Three-quarters of the album is included in varying states of incompleteness. This will be a dealbreaker for many; people happy with the old Tusk probably won’t feel the need to pony up extra cash for the re-issue. Even as a somewhat obsessive Mac fan, I’m still not sure it was worth it.

Three rough versions of IKINW are included, which provide an interesting insight into Lindsey’s basement studio recording technique. The unpolished Ledge is even crazier than the original. All of Christine’s songs are included, which merely prove that Fleetwood Mac needs Christine McVie, and vice-versa. Devoid of three-part harmonies and studio polish, her songs aren’t particularly exciting.

Interesting, Stevie’s songs actually sound better unfinished. Relatively un-intoxicated, Stevie Nicks was a far more passionate singer on stage and in the studio than you might believe. The infamous nine-minute "cleaning lady" version of Sara is included, along with a soul-crushing acoustic version of Storms backed by an organ (presumably, to make it easier to play at funerals). Slightly different single versions of Think About Me and Sisters of the Moon are included, along with a cover version of the Beach Boy’s Farmer’s Daughter.

Closing Thoughts
I apologize if this review seems long and disjointed, but then again, so is Tusk. It’s hard to explain my love for this album - I may be a fan, but I’m not a sheep. Tusk is the sonic equivalent of Bill Gates quitting Microsoft in 1996, and building a 50-story neo-brutalist parking garage in Hartford, Connecticut. Extravagant, avant-garde, just-because-we-can. Music for the sake of music.

Technically, Tusk wasn’t a commercial failure. Two million $17 double albums were sold, despite inflation, questionable marketing, and confused reviews. As a double album, it gave Fleetwood Mac’s songwriters ample opportunity to release their frustrations - creative and otherwise. Mick Fleetwood and Lindsey Buckingham had to fight Rumours producers Dashut and Caillat tooth and nail for this creative control, which seems to explain the cover photo of Dashut’s feet being attacked by a rather irritable-looking dog.

Tusk isn’t for everyone, though a large percentage of Fleetwood Mac fans say it’s their favorite. It’s a big, quirky mess of album that’ll require multiple listenings to fully absorb. When I listen to Rumours, I sometimes get the impression the band was holding back or trying to candy-coat their emotions. Tusk is more direct - feelings of regret, anger, love, and depression (an "epic dysfunction," if you will) are more obvious this time around. You can take that as a warning if you want, but Tusk has a large following for good reason.