Analyzing album covers: Tusk

[shackin'up]

Originally Posted by WatchChain

The album cover, like the material on the record, was like a sucker punch out of left field. At the time, "Tusk" was the most unexpected thing Fleetwood Mac could have done. "Tusk" was like flipping the middle finger at the machine that is the music industry. No one saw this coming, including the record executives.

Someone once said that, when the band sat down in a conference room to play the final/finished product to the businessmen and record executives at Warners, the company execs saw their Christmas bonus checks flying out the window. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall in that room during this little "listening party". I would imagine some pale and confused faces by the time "The Ledge" played early in the session. So, the cover is fitting for such an eclectic piece of work from a band that was expected the stick with the PROVEN $$$Formula$$$$..........

Exactly. Tusk was a deliberate bite in the anckles of what was expected. Not only to the board of WB, but also at the big expectations that they built up themselves in their audience, that bought 20 million records in a couple of years with their brand on it. It's also a very selfabsorbed cover; we don't want to do what you want from us. And we know, that we are only able to show this attitude BECAUSE you spent this huge amount of money on us collectively, so we will use that money and position to put out the opposite of what you want from us. We are artists, and not expectationfillers.

Don't say that you love me. Just tell me that you want me. I'll tusk you.
And... What makes YOU think you're the one, recordindustry? Everything you do has been done, and it won't last forever.

On the inside, there's that pretty sepia pic of Lindsey preparing a room, sitting on his knees. Some insight in , or metaphore for the artistic sparkle for the album, experimenting alone and bring the result to the band in a later stadium,and there's the whole african scrapbook of small photographs and handwritings, that fit with Lindsey's own idea of being a refined primitive, something that can be said about Mick, and to a certain extend, about John too. I'll leave some space for others to fill in other perspectives than Lindsey's but I'm convinced that he was largely responsible for the "story of the album", so I read it that way. The colourphotographs are something else. They leave room for projecting meaning about flying around in space without feet on ground, and then leave, but not without leaving traces. I could ramble on, but I know there are a lot of people over here that are oversensitive for Lindsey's artistic ethics and the conflicting reality of making big chunks of money with it. I believe in his unadult behaviour towards the industry, and maybe he overstretches with his cocky, therapeutic talk. Still, he was the beating heart of Tusk, and his attitude is still alive, although he can look at it now with more life-experience and relativation. (Some of this rant will not be in correct english. Keep in mind, I'm Dutch.)

Also the sexual connotation, the history of dildo's in the early FM performances and the tusk as a male sybol, add to the primitiveness of the whole album and it's cover. Oh there's a lot more to say. But I'll leave it here.

To me, Tusk means "f*ck you", in all it's layers of meanings.

[FierySequences]

Originally Posted by shackin'up

Exactly. Tusk was a deliberate bite in the anckles of what was expected. Not only to the board of WB, but also at the big expectations that they built up themselves in their audience, that bought 20 million records in a couple of years with their brand on it. It's also a very selfabsorbed cover; we don't want to do what you want from us. And we know, that we are only able to show this attitude BECAUSE you spent this huge amount of money on us collectively, so we will use that money and position to put out the opposite of what you want from us. We are artists, and not expectationfillers.

Don't say that you love me. Just tell me that you want me. I'll tusk you.
And... What makes YOU think you're the one, recordindustry? Everything you do has been done, and it won't last forever.

On the inside, there's that pretty sepia pic of Lindsey preparing a room, sitting on his knees. Some insight in , or metaphore for the artistic sparkle for the album, experimenting alone and bring the result to the band in a later stadium,and there's the whole african scrapbook of small photographs and handwritings, that fit with Lindsey's own idea of being a refined primitive, something that can be said about Mick, and to a certain extend, about John too. I'll leave some space for others to fill in other perspectives than Lindsey's but I'm convinced that he was largely responsible for the "story of the album", so I read it that way. The colourphotographs are something else. They leave room for projecting meaning about flying around in space without feet on ground, and then leave, but not without leaving traces. I could ramble on, but I know there are a lot of people over here that are oversensitive for Lindsey's artistic ethics and the conflicting reality of making big chunks of money with it. I believe in his unadult behaviour towards the industry, and maybe he overstretches with his cocky, therapeutic talk. Still, he was the beating heart of Tusk, and his attitude is still alive, although he can look at it now with more life-experience and relativation. (Some of this rant will not be in correct english. Keep in mind, I'm Dutch.)

Also the sexual connotation, the history of dildo's in the early FM performances and the tusk as a male sybol, add to the primitiveness of the whole album and it's cover. Oh there's a lot more to say. But I'll leave it here.

To me, Tusk means "f*ck you", in all it's layers of meanings.

Wow, some very good observations. The thing that is unique, I think that the band and LB was not really concious to these metaphores and allegories while writting and putting together the theme on the album/pictoral layout. But that is part of the artistry and appeal about Tusk.

I think you are spot on with your assesments and this is a theme that would carry over into Mirage. Although in Mirage the pop-sounding music returned, it was laced with dark undertones once found in Tusk (album) and pioneered (by the BN era) in earlier songs like GDW and ISA. Artistical evolution of a band at it's finest.

[GypsySorcerer]

Originally Posted by shackin'up

Exactly. Tusk was a deliberate bite in the anckles of what was expected. Not only to the board of WB, but also at the big expectations that they built up themselves in their audience, that bought 20 million records in a couple of years with their brand on it. It's also a very selfabsorbed cover; we don't want to do what you want from us. And we know, that we are only able to show this attitude BECAUSE you spent this huge amount of money on us collectively, so we will use that money and position to put out the opposite of what you want from us. We are artists, and not expectationfillers.

Don't say that you love me. Just tell me that you want me. I'll tusk you.
And... What makes YOU think you're the one, recordindustry? Everything you do has been done, and it won't last forever.

On the inside, there's that pretty sepia pic of Lindsey preparing a room, sitting on his knees. Some insight in , or metaphore for the artistic sparkle for the album, experimenting alone and bring the result to the band in a later stadium,and there's the whole african scrapbook of small photographs and handwritings, that fit with Lindsey's own idea of being a refined primitive, something that can be said about Mick, and to a certain extend, about John too. I'll leave some space for others to fill in other perspectives than Lindsey's but I'm convinced that he was largely responsible for the "story of the album", so I read it that way. The colourphotographs are something else. They leave room for projecting meaning about flying around in space without feet on ground, and then leave, but not without leaving traces. I could ramble on, but I know there are a lot of people over here that are oversensitive for Lindsey's artistic ethics and the conflicting reality of making big chunks of money with it. I believe in his unadult behaviour towards the industry, and maybe he overstretches with his cocky, therapeutic talk. Still, he was the beating heart of Tusk, and his attitude is still alive, although he can look at it now with more life-experience and relativation. (Some of this rant will not be in correct english. Keep in mind, I'm Dutch.)

Also the sexual connotation, the history of dildo's in the early FM performances and the tusk as a male sybol, add to the primitiveness of the whole album and it's cover. Oh there's a lot more to say. But I'll leave it here.

To me, Tusk means "f*ck you", in all it's layers of meanings.

Spot on analysis, Gerald.

[shackin'up]

Thanks, GypsySorcerer and FierySequences. I'm really still very much inspired by Tusk, Its music, Its artwork and its darkness and cry for artistic freedom. And the position it has as the afterburner following Rumours and FM. Not only on LB's songs, but all delicate arrangements on CMs and SNs songs are focussed on depth and meaning within the songs, not towards the effect on a big audience or radiofriendliness. The only song close to a single was Think About Me, but it did not succeed as such. To me, that is still one of the best songs Chris wrote, and to this day, I love Anglo-american Fleetwood Mac because of Sisters, That's Enough For Me, Over and Over, Why, Not That Funny/IKINW, Tusk, Red Rover, Illume, EOTW, Murrow, Storms, Never Forget, That's Alright, and World Turning.

And definately not because of Everywhere, Oh Diane, Little Lies, Seven Wonders, Family Man and Big Love. The Tuskattitude made me a fan for life, I'm holding my breath for the new songs, that -I'm Afraid - will be deliberately popsongs, called "typical" Fleetwood Mac, which COULD mean, not MY typical FM.

The Tuskcover just represents why I fell in love with them for life.

[GarboSpeaks!]

I also love it for about all the reasons people have mentioned. To me it signified the "WE WILL NOT MAKE RUMOURS II" and the picture conveys the "biting back" and/or standing their ground on the bands decision. And kudo's to them, because IF ONLY they could make such bold statments now instead of rehashing the same ol' over and over again. Despite anyone that may not like it...you gotta admit this was the one and only time in the Rumours lineup where they tried something new. It was bold, dangerous and sadly never repeated. Not to say that I want a Tusk II...but I think FM and all those involved past and present have chops and I'd have liked to see them explore more creatively. For most favorite album ever I'm always tied between Tusk & Mirage.