Rumours vs. Tusk

[Silver Springs]

Wow. Considering how many people I've come across who have dismissed Tusk as nothing more than dreck, I am bowled over by how many people have voted it up. I adore the album, and it's one of the albums that takes pride of place amongst my vinyl collection. Of course, the most prominent song from the album is its namesake, and perhaps Storms considering how close it eminates from the Lindsey/Stevie saga (I heard it live in November of last year and I am not ashamed to say that I cried at that show. It blew me away). Having said that, The Ledge is probably my favourite song of the album. It demonstrates what most of the album stands for in my humble opinion, having a bit of fun. It's very Lindsey heavy, and because I'm eccentric enough to appreciate his more nutball style music (That's How We Do It In LA, people?) it's just the way I like mah FM.

[AncientQueen]

I don't ever listen to Rumours anymore, can't stand it, everything sounds better live with that band and this particular album. It happened that Rumours was playing and I thought "I should put a record on" because Rumours was only a background noise I was so used to that I blocked it out.

My first FM album was Tusk, the first song I've ever heard of them was the song Tusk, and I loved them from that point on, even if their other work was nothing like this little firecracker.

While I probably like the Tusk album more as a whole, I have the time to do a song for song assessment, just for my own fun.

Points:
0=meh
1=okay, but not my cup of tea
2=good
3=very good
4=song that has a place in my life's soundtrack


Rumours
Second Hand News - so Lindsey has a sense of humour, interesting=2
Dreams - wake me up when it is over=0
Never Going Back Again - the hook is very thin=1
Don't Stop - excellent use of the voices=3
Go your own way - best song of Lindsey Buckingham=3
Songbird - I think they should have used the longer version, but still=3
The Chain - rocks=3
You make loving fun - not exactly my favorite Christine song=1
I don't Want To Know - the least overexposed song, fresh and fun=3
Oh Daddy - wake me up again, extra No-Go! for the use of "Daddy" in a love song=0
Gold Dust Woman - ghoulish, the lyrics are so Stevie, perfect=3

22 points

Tusk
Italics indicate a track which should have been on the single LP that Tusk should have been.

Over & Over - great harmonies, but I am easily bored and this should not be the opener, again they try to connect the album to the last and it doesn't work=1
The Ledge - fun=3
Think about Me - even more fun=3
Save me a Place - what is this about, musically? =0
Sara - so basically here it starts, the saccarine attack of Stevie Nicks produced by Lindsey Buckingham. Judging from the too long Cleaning Lady version there is a great song underneath it all=3
What makes you Think you're the One - at least it sounds raw=2
Storms - 5:28 of lukewarm breeze to make the point that she has always been a storm? Come on=0
That's all for Everyone - okay, a more hectic song would kill you after the borefest of Storms=0
Not that Funny- I love that one, it is so unfunny, but yet so catchy for my ears=3
Sisters of The Moon - ghoulish worked on GDW, so Stevie tries grand Guignol melodrama, only this time, she (and the production) goes to far, one point is for the lyrics =1
Angel - only to follow the mess with her best FM song, I love it =4
That's enough for Me - for me, too=1
Brown Eyes - the harmonies are great, alot of atmosphere for a Christine song=3
Never make me cry - it's lovely, but zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz=1
I know I'm not Wrong - in many ways, he is=1
Honey Hi - great harmonies AND not that boring= 2
Beautiful Child - that is difficult, it is great and stuff, but also overly long and dramatic, but still=2
Walk a Thin Line - he should have sniffed a long line.. =0
Tusk - hikahakahu. In every second, everything can happen and then totally happens, unpredictable, bold and fun=4
Never forget - Christine manages to speed up, with fine results=3

Points: 37

So it is 22 to 37

Rumours scores 2 points per song on average
Tusk scores 1.85 points per song

My eleven tracks for the single Tusk album blow Rumours out of the water with 32 points and an average of 2,9

Mh, so it is only natural that I feel that Tusk is the winner and will vote for it...

Thank you for reading this

[Sahara]

^^
I love your analysis of the two albums! I don't agree with all of it but it's a really interesting way of stacking them up side by side!

[Musicman408]

Tusk without a doubt!!!

[astro-addy]

Originally Posted by HomerMcvie

Silver Springs wasn't on Rumours, period. Stevie might not have liked it that way, but that's the way it was. I don't feel it fit on there, anyway. IDWTK fits much better.

hm... silver springs instead Idwk??? I always assumed silver springs would have pushed Oh Daddy... why does everyone assume idwtk pushed out silver springs? Is there a story there?

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by astro-addy

hm... silver springs instead Idwk??? I always assumed silver springs would have pushed Oh Daddy... why does everyone assume idwtk pushed out silver springs? Is there a story there?

Stevie's said that Mick told her Silver Springs was off the record and then they "made her" record IDWK "with a gun to her head" or words to that effect. I'll browse through my bookmarks, I know I've saved an interview somewhere.

Edit - Aha, found it. http://www.inherownwords.com/silver.htm

[michelej1]

[By David Bowling for Blogcritics.com, this is the latest in his series of FM album reviews, November 9, 2010]

http://www.seattlepi.com/pop/429908_...itics.org.html

Music Review: Fleetwood Mac - TuskBy DAVID BOWLING
BLOGCRITICS.ORG

What do you do when you have just released one of the ten best selling albums of all time, which topped the American album chart for 31 weeks? This was the question and task that faced Fleetwood Mac when they returned to the studio during late 1978 to record their follow up album to Rumours.

The resulting Tusk would be a long and sprawling double album. It would receive some criticism at the time of its release and not have the commercial success of its predecessor. It would, however, reach number four in The United States and number one in England and sell four million copies worldwide, which would have been outstanding for almost any other band or release.

Unfortunately, it was considered a failure in many circles. In retrospect, it could not have lived up to the expectations which preceded it.

I remember being disappointed at the time of its release, but the album has grown on me as time has passed and as it escaped the Rumours shadow. Today it stands on its own as another brilliant pop/rock release by Fleetwood Mac.

If Tusk was originally one thing, it was ambitious. In many places the sound veers from the safe pop styling of their last two releases to a more adventurous rock direction.

Lindsey Buckingham wrote nine of the twenty tracks and takes the most chances musically. “Tusk” was a drum=based track featuring the USC Marching Band. It was released as the lead single, which quickly announced that this was a different Fleetwood Mac release.

While the song was one of Mick Fleetwood’s crowning achievements, his drumming is excellent throughout. Just check out “Brown Eyes” and “What Makes You Think You’re The One.” Songs such as “The Ledge,” “Not That Funny,” and “What Make’s You Think You’re The One” have a frenetic feel that was not what its fan base was expecting at the time but which seem fine today. His “Save Me A Place” returned the group to a more familiar place complete with tight harmonies.

Stevie Nicks contributed five songs that may have been her overall strongest group and were what the band’s fan base expected of her. “Sara” is one of the finest performances of her career and became a deserved hit single. The original album version was almost two minutes longer than the single and remains superior. It was written about Mick Fleetwood’s wife Sara and her effects upon the group. Its harmonies, overdubbing, and emotional vocal make it one of her better creations.

“Storms” is moody and quiet, while “Sisters Of The Moon,” and “Beautiful Child” continued to develop her mystical personality.

Christine McVie sort of put it on cruise control for this release. “Never Make Me Cry” is a nice piano-based ballad. “Honey Hi” is surrounded with beautiful harmonies. “Over & Over” may have a mournful sound but it is also well created pop.

In many ways, Tusk is the modern pop Fleetwood Mac’s most creative album. It is a release that has stood the passage of time well and bears repeated listens to be truly appreciated.

http://blogcritics.org/music/article...wood-mac-tusk/

[iamnotafraid]

TUSK

It was my first Fleetwood Mac album.
I remember not liking that Buckingham
dude at first.

A little trivia for ya...
Did you know that if you play the record
(vinyl) backwards on side 3, you can hear
them singing Lindsey's Dead, Lindsey's Dead
during I Know I'm Not Wrong.