Tusk at 40: FM's defining record

[bombaysaffires]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

I'm with you admiring Christine as my favorite member. She has always had a calming effect on me. Her songs are always excellent and always loved how it was never about "her" but always the group effort. All traits that I admire. I love her playing too. Everything she adds to a song it always top notch. But if you read some of Bob's interviews during the 90's, Bob had some harsh things to say about her saying stuff like she acted like royalty, etc. I guess those traits of putting the band FIRST (no matter what) does come with some negative baggage i.e. turning your back on Lindsey and not putting your foot down, turning your back on Bob, etc. She seems to have a blind loyalty to Mick except when she wanted to leave the band. She even gave him $50,000 during his peak debt crisis in 1984.

I'd always heard it was $100k.

[BombaySapphire3]

Originally Posted by bombaysaffires

I'd always heard it was $100k.

Either way it was not nearly enough to get that greedy old P.O.S. out of the red..It took the Tango album and tour to do that but he would lose that fortune as well.

[vivfox]

Originally Posted by BombaySapphire3

Either way it was not nearly enough to get that greedy old P.O.S. out of the red..It took the Tango album and tour to do that but he would lose that fortune as well.

Mick has revealed to the world that he lost all his money more times than we originally knew about. Should we assume he will eventually blow through the ten million dollars he earned from this current tour also? I try to imagine having his income from 1977. Would I still have my fortune today? Would I have been like him and blow it all? It's so easy for me to criticize his stupidity when it comes to money but I myself made many a blunder with all the money I earned in my lifetime. I have been marijuana free for almost 11 years now but during those smoking times, I never was able to save money. My bills always got paid but everything after that went up in smoke.

[On Ice]

BTW, would it not be a dream to bring Lindsey into this Tusk conversation. I bet he would love it too. Answering all Tusk related questions with dedication. (I don't believe this) but there are many in the rock world that believe Tusk ruined FM. You hear the White Album and Rumours on classic rock stations every day. They never play Tusk or Sara and Mirage is too light pop, etc. I often wonder not about Tusk that changed the band but Rumours. What IF Rumours was as successful or a tad less successful than the White Album. What would Tusk have sounded like then? Would it have even been called Tusk? What if we got another "traditional" album like the first 2. Interesting to think about it.

Interesting perspective MacMan and one that supports how the bands setlists have remained unchanged for how many decades now. With the exception of I Don't Want to Know and Oh Daddy here and there the whole album gets played. Tusk has all but disappeared and Gypsy and Hold Me are the only Mirage tunes. As for the others, did Behind the Mask and Say You Will actually exist? So I think the band themselves have defined what is memorable and what is not- the shout outs to Tusk that Stevie or Mick gives are empty in my mind as they know a concert full of Tusk songs would see a lot of empty seats. As for what ruined the band's creativity, it was in my mind the gargantuan success of Rumours, they didn't know how to handle it all and it went to their heads, along with a lot of coke, they lost their way and the creativity that spawned Rumours went up in smoke.

[Villavic]

Originally Posted by On Ice

So I think the band themselves have defined what is memorable and what is not- the shout outs to Tusk that Stevie or Mick gives are empty in my mind as they know a concert full of Tusk songs would see a lot of empty seats.

But empty seats confirm my suspicions of who defines what is memorable. The band? Mmmm... I think it is people. Common admirers, who are the majority. It reminds me the History of the Eagles doc, Glenn explained it very clear:

Randy Meisner, called the road manager and said "Tell Glenn I don't want to do Take It To The Limit any more. Take it out of the set. "
Glenn: I confronted him about this. I called him up, and I said, "Randy, there's thousands of people waiting to hear you sing that song. "You just can't say, 'F... them. I don't feel like it. Do you think I like singing Take It Easy and Peaceful Easy Feeling every night? I'm tired of those songs, but there's people in the audience who've been waiting years to see us do those songs."

And to be sincere, I felt so identified with that, since 1997 was my first opportunity to see Fleetwood Mac live, and did I want to see them playing Honey Hi? No, I was dying to see them singing the hits... Don't Stop, GYOW, Tusk(song), Sara, Everywhere, or Rhiannon. Of course in 2009 I wanted different songs and I was so thrilled watching Stevie singing Storms. And in 2014 after being at 2 concerts it was time to expect Sister of the Moon and IKINW, and enjoyed!!! But do most of the public go to a Fleetwood Mac concert 3 or 5 times in their lives? . Ledgies do, of course. Common mortals don't.

And concert operating costs are high, so any singer or band are forced to fill seats. Otherwise it will be the last tour.

[John Run]

I am late to this - but I think Sara is one of the greatest production jobs ever. (I for one have always believed Lindsey generally made better production choices on songs he did not write.) The 2 intertwined acoustics a steel string and nylon mimicking each other and mixed to sound as one. The tele yearning to be heard within the layers of harmonies, while the cradle rocking rhythm arrangement simultaneously anchors the song and hinges each section together. Then my absolute favorite part - the two electric pianos - Christine playing Stevie’s two finger part into a self contained orchestra of chords while Lindsey counters it with a second piano part played slightly off time as only he would.

Just a perfectly produced song.

[michelej1]

But what about those acts who acknowledge they have dedicated fans who see them over and over and over again and play accordingly. Springsteen does this. There are always people there to see him for the first time, but he plays to those people who know everything he’s done and will embrace the deep tracks.

Unfortunately, Prince thought people still needed to see him in high heels. If he’d switched to Reeboks, he might still be alive. But he wasn’t as misguided with his set list. He often liked to play as if he was in his own living room. He would pull old songs out of the mothballs and play them. He would switch up every concert and just choose songs to perform spontaneously and he would expect his band to follow along and to know all of them

How do you finally transform into that performer? When you’ve been around for 40 years and you have sold a record-breaking number of albums, why do you keep playing for those who are seeing you for the first time. You’re almost 80 years old. Stop creating your set list for new people.

[bombaysaffires]

Originally Posted by John Run

I am late to this - but I think Sara is one of the greatest production jobs ever. (I for one have always believed Lindsey generally made better production choices on songs he did not write.) The 2 intertwined acoustics a steel string and nylon mimicking each other and mixed to sound as one. The tele yearning to be heard within the layers of harmonies, while the cradle rocking rhythm arrangement simultaneously anchors the song and hinges each section together. Then my absolute favorite part - the two electric pianos - Christine playing Stevie’s two finger part into a self contained orchestra of chords while Lindsey counters it with a second piano part played slightly off time as only he would.

Just a perfectly produced song.

the ebbing and swelling of the background vocals are signature Lindsey production and give a momentum to the song her demo doesn't have. Without it the song would drone. He does the same on Gypsy. He puts the hills and valleys into her otherwise flat musical landscape.

[sue]

Originally Posted by John Run

I am late to this - but I think Sara is one of the greatest production jobs ever. (I for one have always believed Lindsey generally made better production choices on songs he did not write.) The 2 intertwined acoustics a steel string and nylon mimicking each other and mixed to sound as one. The tele yearning to be heard within the layers of harmonies, while the cradle rocking rhythm arrangement simultaneously anchors the song and hinges each section together. Then my absolute favorite part - the two electric pianos - Christine playing Stevie’s two finger part into a self contained orchestra of chords while Lindsey counters it with a second piano part played slightly off time as only he would.

Just a perfectly produced song.

Wow, thanks John.
I’m going to put on and listen again(and again) to Sara.
I love it when people with musical knowledge explain and breakdown a song.
Thanks

[Macfan4life]

Originally Posted by bombaysaffires

I'd always heard it was $100k.

I'm going off memory from Mick's own words in his first book. Although $50,000 in 1984 would almost be $100,000 today. But the money only carried Mick for one month before he officially declared bankruptcy.

BTW, would it not be a dream to bring Lindsey into this Tusk conversation. I bet he would love it too. Answering all Tusk related questions with dedication. (I don't believe this) but there are many in the rock world that believe Tusk ruined FM. You hear the White Album and Rumours on classic rock stations every day. They never play Tusk or Sara and Mirage is too light pop, etc. I often wonder not about Tusk that changed the band but Rumours. What IF Rumours was as successful or a tad less successful than the White Album. What would Tusk have sounded like then? Would it have even been called Tusk? What if we got another "traditional" album like the first 2. Interesting to think about it.