RS 1979 Review of Tusk

[lagringader&r]

I was looking up reviews on Tusk and found this one from RS, 79. Bonus reviews at the end. For an album that didn't sell as well as anticipated, it sure got some rave reviews.

http://www.superseventies.com/fleetwoodmac4.html

[desertangel]

Wow... so many references to The Beatles!!

Notice the line about Stevie's tonality change. I always wondered if she permanantely lost range from putting too much the wrong way into the Rhiannon performances prior to and during the Rumours era.

Tusk, "poor sales," decent reviews, huge marketing campaign... hmmm I agree with LB... poor sales was prolly because it didn't sell quite as many as Rumours. BFD. I don't think double albums were selling well at all back then... no matter who's they were or what they sounded like. Quadraphonic albums didn't sell well either because they cost a little more... well and you had to have a special stereo to play them on, but money was kinda tight during that time period.

Tusk has and always will be an incredible work of art. If SYW would have been double and if there would have been some CMV songs on there, I think it would have been the modern version of Tusk.

Thanks for sharing those reviews!

Laura

[David]

Originally Posted by lagringader&r

For an album that didn't sell as well as anticipated, it sure got some rave reviews.

Tusk got outstanding reviews from virtually all the American critics back then who counted (Creem was a notable exception, but Creem was a stronghold of punk, fringe & roots). From Stephen Holden in RS to Noel Coppage in Stereo Review to metro daily critics like Robert Hilburn & Ken Tucker, Tusk was heralded not only as a collection of great tunes but a dazzling display of pop-visionary instinct & conceptualizing. The only other work in the post-1974 Fleetwood Mac canon that rivals Tusk in terms of its critical reception is Out Of The Cradle (which I think is a less interesting work). But Tusk has easily outstripped Cradle in terms of its influence.

Other Fleetwood Mac albums were well-liked (Rumours, Mirage, Tango, Trouble in Shangri-La, Law & Order, Say You Will), but were mostly received in the spirit of recapitulation rather than as documents of something completely new.

It's a shame that Tusk is dogged by so many inaccurate labels: "unpopular," "bad reviews," "poor sales" &c. That just wasn't the case, for anyone who bothers to research the critical reaction or the sales figures.

[catinthedark]

And didn't the Westwood One Radio network air the entire Tusk album, beginning to end, on a much-hyped, much-publicized broadcast? One has to wonder how many sales were lost to people with casette recorders. Quality of sound is not a priority to many people who just want the latest tunes. I believe that show was one of the dumbest concepts in all of broadcasting history. JMO.

[cliffdweller]

"With a pure, dusky alto that's reminiscent of Sandy Denny, this woeful woman-child who's in perpetual pursuit of "daddy" evokes a timeless sadness."

This is an interesting observation. Does Christine have daddy issues?

[chiliD]

Originally Posted by catinthedark

And didn't the Westwood One Radio network air the entire Tusk album, beginning to end, on a much-hyped, much-publicized broadcast?

Yep, the night before the album was released.

But, still...to sell 4.5 million DOUBLE albums..."poor sales" my a$$.

[shackin'up]

Originally Posted by chiliD

Yep, the night before the album was released.

But, still...to sell 4.5 million DOUBLE albums..."poor sales" my a$$.

I agree. One of the most unfair and unrealistic perceptions of an album ever. Commercial failure my ASS too.

[shackin'up]

Originally Posted by David

Other Fleetwood Mac albums were well-liked (Rumours, Mirage, Tango, Trouble in Shangri-La, Law & Order, Say You Will), but were mostly received in the spirit of recapitulation rather than as documents of something completely new.

Absolutely. That's why it still is, and I think will ever be the best album ever recorded by anyone.

[catinthedark]

Originally Posted by chiliD

Yep, the night before the album was released.

But, still...to sell 4.5 million DOUBLE albums..."poor sales" my a$$.

I totally agree. They were never going to win. After the sales phenomenon that was Rumours, they were doomed to fail. Yeah, a 4.5 million failure. Go figure.

[chiliD]

Originally Posted by catinthedark

They were never going to win. After the sales phenomenon that was Rumours, they were doomed to fail.

Which was exactly Lindsey's point about trying to record an album that would've sounded exactly like Rumours. "Why try?" So, we got Tusk...yay, Lindsey!

[SteveMacD]

Originally Posted by cliffdweller

"With a pure, dusky alto that's reminiscent of Sandy Denny, this woeful woman-child who's in perpetual pursuit of "daddy" evokes a timeless sadness."

This is an interesting observation. Does Christine have daddy issues?

Well, she quit touring with Fleetwood Mac after her daddy passed away

[SteveMacD]

Originally Posted by chiliD

Which was exactly Lindsey's point about trying to record an album that would've sounded exactly like Rumours. "Why try?" So, we got Tusk...yay, Lindsey!

And, didn't the white FM album initially sell like five million? So "Tusk" was far from a flop or failure. And, the only time it actually went up in price was last year, when it was issued as a two-CD set. For an album that has been listed at about $17 since 1979, that's not bad at all.

[goldie]

I still am upset that Stevie only had 5 songs on that album! FIVE!

[catinthedark]

Originally Posted by chiliD

Which was exactly Lindsey's point about trying to record an album that would've sounded exactly like Rumours. "Why try?" So, we got Tusk...yay, Lindsey!

Exactly!! It was the perfect time to do something different. It would have been easy to do Rumours II, but you know what? If they had, the critics would have panned them. But this is exactly the kind of thing that happens to many mega-artists. Madonna sold kajillions of albums (er, give or take a few), but as far as I've witnessed, it's only her true, deep fans who believe Ray of Light is her most brilliant work. The "fans" who loved Like a Virgin and Material Girl were long gone whe it came out. Similarly, I think Fleetwood Mac's "fans" who died for Dreams and GYOW were on to the next craze by the time Tusk came out. Even if the band had done Rumours II, I don't think it would have sold 20-million.

Is this making any sense? It's like crystal in my mind!

[Jyqm]

Originally Posted by lagringader&r

For an album that didn't sell as well as anticipated, it sure got some rave reviews.

You make it sound like that's the exception rather than the rule.