How revolted was Tusk?

[Villavic]

Ok, Tusk didn't sound like Rumours. But according to Mick's book, it was like Lindsey wanted to be part of the new 80s sounds, leaving behing the (Rumours) pop sound and the "dinosaur" image of the 70s band. However I don't find an "80s" or "New Wave" groove in Tusk. Yes, Tusk was different than Rumours, but I don't relate Tusk with any of the new bands from that era.
I don't find Tusk as a revolutionary album either. Just different than Rumours.

Lindsey was always listening to the new stuff. On tour in England he went to see the Clash and some of the other new bands. It was like he couldn't stay still when there was this revolution going on. As such, Lindsey wanted to be part of the revolt; when it came time to start work on our next album, Lindsey made it clear that this record was not going to sound anything like Rumours.

Of course, he was right. The old twelve-bar blues of Fleetwood Mac had now completely mutated into the Rumours groove, but that wasn't what we were about either. That was just one epoch in a long history, but suddenly we were being lumbered with the general impression that "this" was Fleetwood Mac. We didn't feel this way, but people around us did. Thankfully, we were still on our own, and were spared having a business cadre whispering "creative" ideas into our ears. We were still in control of our own destinies, with total creative control and almost no outside input. By now, we felt, it was part of our mystique within the industry.
....
As I've said, Lindsey was fairly disgusted with people's expectations for our next album. He was acutely aware of the New Wave criticism of the so-called dinosaur bands, and wanted desperately to make a contemporary artistic statement in our new album. The musical appeal of Rumours had been no accident. Lindsey and Richard shared a house and spent their "spare" time listening to records, trying to discover what worked and why. They'd pick a hit record the Supremes, or the Beach Boys and spend hours working them out for the mechanics of the sound. Lindsey was now bored with the normal pop framework. He wanted to experiment as much as possible within the context of the band, and this led to some serious discussion between the two of us.

[David]

Put on your CD of "The Long Run," and that should make pretty clear just how corrosive tracks like "The Ledge" and "What Makes You Think You're the One" and "Walk a Thin Line" sounded in 1979—especially coming from a band that was already rock royalty, selling billions and ruling the airwaves.

[elle]

Originally Posted by David

Put on your CD of "The Long Run," and that should make pretty clear just how corrosive tracks like "The Ledge" and "What Makes You Think You're the One" and "Walk a Thin Line" sounded in 1979—especially coming from a band that was already rock royalty, selling billions and ruling the airwaves.

you just listed my favorite 3 Tusk tracks (other than Tusk itself).

i don't think i'll ever have a chance to hear "What Makes You Think You're the One" and "Walk a Thin Line" live, but these two songs are at the top of my wish list for LB to do.

[aleuzzi]

Part of Tusk's appeal is its schizophrenic character. On the basis of the album's opener, one might be excused for thinking the album WILL sound a lot like The Long Run. But one second into the next tune confirms the album will be as unpredictable as it will be challenging and occasionally bizarre. No two tracks sound as different than one another on the record than the first two, and the startling effect of their proximity is a familiar motif throughout: Storms follows What Makes You Think You're the One; Never Forget follows Tusk; I Know I'm Not Wrong follows Never Make Me Cry. Just when the listener is lulled into a pleasing consistency (Stevie's and Christine's songs by and large sound like they come from the same beautifully engineered record) a Lindsey song tears through the texture and makes its brilliant assault.

There are exceptions: That's All for Everyone, Save Me a Place, and Walk a Thin Line are all lush, comparatively docile LB tunes that sound like they "fit" alongside Stevie's and Christine's tunes--but this is really only by comparison to the rough-edged other ones. Any three of these "easier" tunes would sound jarring on Rumours. In fact, it's a testament to LB's versatility that he seems to have entirely reinvented himself on that record. Instrumentally and vocally very few moments remind one of his previous material.

Another note: There is a fine bit of programming on side one, where Think About Me, the only Christine tune that sounds remotely in line with LB's harder-edged material, follows The Ledge and softens the blow, without slackening the pace. Her soft vocals against the gritty guitar further demonstrate an effective juxtaposition between soft and hard rock. That song is followed by Save Me a Place, which is as different from The Ledge as Think About Me is from Sara.

It's a daring experiment and the sequencing of the tracks is a lot more studied than it originally appears.

But if I were a record buyer in 1979, going only on the band's previous two records, I'd say What the effin' crap is going here?!

[HighPassion]

I think Lindsey wanted to be more so part of the underground new wave revolt that was happening at that time, not what it actually turned into as the 80's progressed. (The heavily synthesized electronic productions and the echoing in virtually -every- vocal take of -any- artist after 1981 and before 1990).

Not knockin' 80's music. I like some. But it's honestly surprising how similar all the genres of that era were produced.

Anyway, back on topic - that's what I get out of it.

And man is Tusk brilliant. I feel it really was the album that really established all three of their songwriting skills and styles.

As for it being revolutionary, I think Tusk was way ahead of it's time. Had the same album come out today, I bet it would be a major hit. You can hear so many bands nowadays that sound like they've been influenced by the Tusk album.

[justdreamin]

I remember buying Tusk and shutting myself up in my room with my big ol 5 lb. headphones and laying on the floor in the dark, just sooo excited for these 2 records!! Just the album art was mind blowing. I also remember being extremely disappointed in most of what I heard. The only song I had heard from the album prior to buying it was Sara, and after loving the white album, Rumours and Buckingham Nicks, I was really bummed out. I was somewhat eclectic in my music tastes and remember thinking that if I had wanted another Flying Lizard or Adam Ant record, that's what I would have spent my hard earned money on. It really was before it's time. It was comparable to several obscure bands that were experimental with sounds, but not what ended up being the new wave stuff. Over the years it has become one of my favorite albums because there seems to always be something I hear that I don't remember hearing before...or I'm just old. One other thing I remember is how hard it was to talk to people about it because I loved Fleetwood Mac and when friends would bash the record, I wanted to stick up for my band, but it was hard. I remember my best friends older brother (who was a crazy talented piano player) said that Sara was the simplest, most boring, waste of a song he had ever heard and only rich elitist narcissists would be able to get away with selling that crap and getting away with it. Harsh! Then he taught me how to play it. (Surprising he listened to the "crap" long enough to learn it!! ha)
Anyway....

[cliffdweller]

Originally Posted by justdreamin

I remember buying Tusk and shutting myself up in my room with my big ol 5 lb. headphones and laying on the floor in the dark, just sooo excited for these 2 records!! Just the album art was mind blowing. I also remember being extremely disappointed in most of what I heard. The only song I had heard from the album prior to buying it was Sara, and after loving the white album, Rumours and Buckingham Nicks, I was really bummed out. I was somewhat eclectic in my music tastes and remember thinking that if I had wanted another Flying Lizard or Adam Ant record, that's what I would have spent my hard earned money on. It really was before it's time. It was comparable to several obscure bands that were experimental with sounds, but not what ended up being the new wave stuff. Over the years it has become one of my favorite albums because there seems to always be something I hear that I don't remember hearing before...or I'm just old. One other thing I remember is how hard it was to talk to people about it because I loved Fleetwood Mac and when friends would bash the record, I wanted to stick up for my band, but it was hard. I remember my best friends older brother (who was a crazy talented piano player) said that Sara was the simplest, most boring, waste of a song he had ever heard and only rich elitist narcissists would be able to get away with selling that crap and getting away with it. Harsh! Then he taught me how to play it. (Surprising he listened to the "crap" long enough to learn it!! ha)
Anyway....

I guess I never think about how Tusk sounded to people back when it came out. The first time I heard Tusk was like 10 years ago, so of course it didn't sound revolutionary to me. I guess it was weird for listeners of The Mac back in the day and I can see why fans would've been put off. Funny thing is, it sounds like a classic album to me, when at the time it was anything but!

[David]

Originally Posted by cliffdweller

I guess I never think about how Tusk sounded to people back when it came out. The first time I heard Tusk was like 10 years ago, so of course it didn't sound revolutionary to me. I guess it was weird for listeners of The Mac back in the day and I can see why fans would've been put off.

It was undeniably weird—not literally all of it, but big chunks of it. Listening to "Tusk" or "Not That Funny" in October 1979 was a lot like listening to a novelty album by Dr. Demento or a jug band. There were other bands that sounded weird in 1979 (like Joy Division). But no other band of Fleetwood Mac's stature and omnipresence in the culture sounded anywhere near as weird as Mac itself did.

Look at a list of 1979 hits to get the idea.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...s_of_1979_(U.S.)

[aleuzzi]

Originally Posted by David

There were other bands that sounded weird in 1979 (like Joy Division). But no other band of Fleetwood Mac's stature and omnipresence in the culture sounded anywhere near as weird as Mac itself did.

Look at a list of 1979 hits to get the idea.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...s_of_1979_(U.S.)

Good point. If we look back on the hits from that year, acts like the "slick" version of the Doobie Bros, Nicolette Larson, Christopher Cross, Kenny Loggins, Steely Dan, Little River Band, Hall and Oats, ruled the airwaves.

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by David

It was undeniably weird—not literally all of it, but big chunks of it. Listening to "Tusk" or "Not That Funny" in October 1979 was a lot like listening to a novelty album by Dr. Demento or a jug band. There were other bands that sounded weird in 1979 (like Joy Division). But no other band of Fleetwood Mac's stature and omnipresence in the culture sounded anywhere near as weird as Mac itself did.

Look at a list of 1979 hits to get the idea.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...s_of_1979_(U.S.)

The first time I heard Mirage I thought it was extremely weird as well.

[Silver Springs]

Although I've heard in the past from some FM fans that they were severely disappointed not to get a "Rumours 2", I'm personally very glad that the decision was made to make Tusk so different. It was a brave move; But one which stopped the fan from gaining the apathy that comes with constant exposure to the same old thing. Musicians do tend to suffer the indignity of being typecast (Dave Matthews Band, Iron and Wine, etc are all typecast as doing one thing. Some people think very well, but a lot consider it to be to the point of absolute dullness), be it through no fault of their own or through a saturation of their products with the same style, thematic content (I hate to say it but I think Sarah McLachlan is a prime example of the 'one too many love songs' category), thus receiving an ultimately apathetic reaction from a no longer convinced audience. Thus the need for consistent and prolonged change in order to maintain the audience interest and willingness to invest in the media machine the artist relies upon. The fact that Tusk was so different kept people talking; regardless of whether or not they liked the change they still kept the band out there by expressing their joys and disappointments. It's just a shame that it couldn't have paid off as well as it deserved to. Yes, it was a very successful album on its own merit. But it was very much in Rumours shadow, unfortunately.

It makes me wonder how The Mac would have fared had Rumours come at a later stage in their career. Maybe they shot themselves in the feet by creating such an incredible album at the beginning of a new lineup. Maybe it it had come after Tusk and Mirage there would have been less pressure on the band after Rumours to create an equal calibre of success.

[tabruns]

I got Tusk when it was first released. It was definitely a very jarring record, since everyone was expecting Rumours II.

The first time "Tusk" (the single) was played on the radio all the DJs at the radio station kind of went "O-kayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy......" I mean it was *really* a weird song.

I think part of what really threw fans off was that it had been widely publicized that Mac spent a lot of money making Tusk, but then you got the album and half of the songs sounded like they were recorded by a garage band. There was a real disconnect there.

My own personal take: I quickly glommed onto the Nicks songs, which I to this day think are her best song set on any Mac album. I thought "Storms" could be a hit, I knew "Sara" would be, and the other three songs were just as good. Lindsey's tracks that worked for me were "Tusk" (once you got past the weirdness, it actually had a nice strong hook), "That's All For Everyone" and "Walk a Thin Line" (both had a more Mac-esque lush sound).

Where Tusk came up short is I think in Christine's songs. "Think About Me" was good, and "Brown Eyes" was beautiful, and many of the rest were okay. They weren't bad, they just weren't on the level of "Say You Love Me", "Over My Head", "Don't Stop", or "You Make Lovin' Fun".

That to me is what Tusk was really missing: Two really great pop-hook songs of Christine's. If you look at the singles from the album, that's played on the charts: Lindsey song (top ten), Stevie song (top ten), but then Christine song (missing the top 10 and peaking at #18 or so), and then for a fourth single not a second Christine song but instead Stevie's "Sisters of the Moon".

[Scarlett DuBois]

I personally find "Tusk" the album that will turn people onto Fleetwood Mac, weirdly enough. I actually can understand this. I love the Mac for two big things: Lindsey's brilliant meticulousness as an arranger (he stands up there with Phil Spector), and the sparkling personality of the individual songwriters.

I know a lot of Fleetwood Mac fans are also into stuff like The Eagles, James Taylor, etc. Very middle of the road, and (most serious rock criticism will back me on this), a huge amount of mediocrity attempting to sell itself on "sincerity" since it lacks musical ingenuity.

I'm an R&B and straight pop band foremost, but when I DO dig into 70s rock and roll, you're a lot more likely to find me latching onto more creative, unpretentious, fun and weirdo acts like The Clash, Blondie, Elvis Costello, The Police, or even occasionally Siouxise and the Banshees. Tusk, for me, is the album that gives Mac fans a chance to prove that our guys could stand up alongside the new wave for personality and creativity - that they were not, in fact, the Eagles with a couple of chicks. Fleetwood Mac is not middle aged man sports-bar music. It's sophisticated pop - and Tusk is sophisticated insanity. A lot of people my age think of Rumours as "mom and dad's music" (although they shouldn't), but Tusk will impress anybody of any age. It's too unique and too full of personality to ever feel dated or stereotyped, which is certainly more than you can say for $*%U#*$# hotel california.

The Lindsey songs impress me. A guy I used to go out with remarked that "I Know I'm Not Wrong" vaguely seemed like it presaged Green Day. I can see that. Although Christine's writing is in a slump on tusk, in my opinion (I hate Think about me, it sounds like dim-witted bluesy dinosaur rock, only watered down, at least it does to me), she has a gorgeous foray into what might be called "Country Soul" with "Over and Over". And "Honey Hi" is just a really great harmony experiment. One of my few complaints about tusk is the mixing: there is a lot of great vocal interaction going on on that record, and I feel like on ALL mac records, they are MIXED. TOO. LOW. Listen to a live version of "Over and Over" and tell me that the gorgeous vocals Stevie and Lindsey do behind Christine don't BREAK YOUR HEART. There's just NO EXCUSE for that to be buried into a sort of anonymous hum on the record.

I love Lindsey and Stevie's wacky howling over eachother on "The Ledge". It almost reminds me vaguely of the duet between Debbie Harry and guitarist Frank Infante on "I Know But I Don't Know". Stevie doesn't radiate the sparkling intelligence and cool irony that made Debbie Harry a star, but she DOES have a stronger voice and a hell of a lot of charisma, so the numbers Lindsey arranges for her really let us see a different side of her. After "Rhiannon" and then "Dreams", Stevie could've really stagnated if Lindsey let her keep riding the "mystical ballad" horse too much.

But fortunately, he gives us Angel, which sounds like some kind of bizarre funk, and the rough arrangement brings out what I think is her greatest vocal performance on a Mac record. It's not neccesarily a great TUNE, but listen to how she goes from a whisper to a scream and back again, even the cute way she talk-sings the last verse. That number alone shows that Stevie could out-drama Patti Smith, and look better and be less pretentious while she was doing it.

I also feel Sisters of the Moon doesn't get enough credit. It's heavy guitar - and it's basically a three chord progression - I'm pretty sure it's also open fifths, or power chords. If you want to go in a technical sense, Sisters of the Moon really does qualify as a genuine punk song.

I feel like if there are any big flaws in Tusk, it's that Lindsey's presence might be a bit TOO strong. His new-wavey/punk numbers are great, and stand out, but I feel that Walk a Thin line, for instance, was just redundant, and not that funny just wasn't a very good song - especially because the chord progression is recycled for the superior I Know I'm Not Wrong.

Anyway, I feel the slump mainly comes from the fact that Lindsey seems to bring himself and Stevie solidly out of the Mac stereotype: He himself composes songs with a different kind of structure than Rumours era material, and he puts arrangements on Stevie's songs (except for Sara) that cast her as a variety of characters - she gets to play Hillbilly folk singer on storms, dusty springfield esque pop diva on Sara, gothic punker (siouxsie again) on Sisters of the Moon, funky screamer (Dusty agian, actually) on Angel, and he gives her a spare, almost cabaret like space in which to dramatize on "beautiful child". Tusk is all about Lindsey the innovator and Stevie the actress.

He just didn't seem to put the same effort into Christine's material - it just chugs along with the same kind of Rumours vibe, only with less lush production to support it, and inferior melodies. There is no "Oh Daddy" on Tusk. Which is a shame - Tusk feels so disjointed, partly, because Stevie and Lindsey bravely move onto new turf, and Christine kinda gets left behind.

All in all though, I think Tusk is the album that holds up best over time and proves the Mac to be more than just another shiny seventies pop band, but a really distinct group of highly creative individuals sometimes stilted by a little less courage and cooperation than they needed to carry it off.

I also think Mirage is wildly under-rated. I agree that it's a "weird" record, and what makes it weird is that is has this kind of really awesome 50s nostalgia: Lindsey's doo woppy ballads like "Book of Love", Stevie's veer into Country; even Gypsy sounds like it could've EASILY been a girl-group song with a different production. Check out "I Never Dreamed" by the cookies - very similar chord structure. And Christine gets comfortable again with her updated Connie Francis ballads like "Wish you were here". I LOVE Mirage. "Empire State" in my opinion is the only really unimpressive tune on it, and Stevie's "Straight back" is just her phoning in another "look at me, I'm witchy!" song. But That's alright is one of her BEST vocals ever, and one of the Mac's BEST and bravest arrangements.

So, yeah. Them's my thoughts.

[elle]

Originally Posted by Scarlett DuBois

His new-wavey/punk numbers are great, and stand out, but I feel that Walk a Thin line, for instance, was just redundant, and not that funny just wasn't a very good song - especially because the chord progression is recycled for the superior I Know I'm Not Wrong.

i enjoyed reading your little treatise! some things i didn't necessarily think of before. i don't necessarily agree with the buckets you put some songs in... but of course taste and what we hear in songs is different for each of us.

i made no secret of screaming everywhere that for me, Walk A Thin Line was just a revelation when i first heard it and i think it's just a really gorgeous and interesting ballad. of course, i prefer Deerhunter blog version to Lindsey's and wish he would do it in the similar vein live. but i'm not holding my breath.

re Not That Funny - it's interesting, it seems like everybody hates the record version of that song, while everybody loves 15-min pot-smoking orgasmic-screaming version from Mirage tour. to me, record version is really really interesting (and unlike you, i think that while I Know I'm Not Wrong is a really cute song with a nice beat to it, it is nothing special). but record version of Not That Funny has all this interesting instrumentation and sounds, and the way he sings it it sounds just like some combination of folk music from (i think?) some place in southern Europe... speak about progressive and before its time: when did world music become big with Peter Gabriel etc? was it in the 80s or earlier? and if it was in the 80s, than some of Lindsey's songs from Tusk, such as Not That Funny, sound like they predate or coincide with the beginnings of world music wider popularization... maybe? i don't know enough about it, just thought it was interesting how much of that i hear in that song.