Tusk (album)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Tusk | ||
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| Studio album by Fleetwood Mac | ||
| Released | October 19, 1979 | |
| Recorded | 1978-79 | |
| Genre | Rock | |
| Length | 68:57 | |
| Label | Reprise (1979) Rhino (2004, re-issue) |
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| Producer(s) | Fleetwood Mac Ken Caillat, Richard Dashut |
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| Professional reviews | ||
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| Fleetwood Mac chronology | ||
| Rumours (1977) |
Tusk (1979) |
Live (1980) |
Tusk was a double album released in 1979 (see 1979 in music) by Fleetwood Mac. Considered somewhat experimental due to Lindsey Buckingham's apparent attempts to allow punk rock and New Wave influence into his work, Tusk did not achieve the level of success of its predecessor, Rumours. However, it still went double-platinum in the U.S. (sales in excess of two million copies).
The unusual title track, "Tusk", featuring the University of Southern California's Spirit of Troy marching band, proved to be a hit, reaching both the US and UK Top 10. The accompanying promotional film was often played as a fill-in segment by Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) TV channels during the 1980s (the single had enjoyed its highest international chart placing in Australia, peaking at #3 in the singles charts).
The album was one of the first to employ digital mixing.
The project had apparently made some record executives nervous, not only for its million-dollar production budget, but the label had expected a similar formula to that which had made Rumours so successful. The luxurious packaging and product that resulted did top the UK album charts on 10 November 1979, but only reached #4 in the US. Warner Bros attributed this to the record being "over produced" by Buckingham, making it less commercially viable. However, Fleetwood himself stated that matters were not helped by a major US radio station playing all 20 of the tracks in their entirety just prior to the album's release, thus allowing for home taping.
As the third album since the inclusion of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks into Fleetwood Mac, Tusk perhaps most importantly displays the talents of the individual singers/songwriters in the quintet, working together as a whole and yet giving each other ample room for themselves. Every member was afforded the time and space to delve deeply and personally into their own artistic interests. At Buckingham's insistence, the album needed to be a double album in order for this to be so, a problem that often arises when a band contains so many creatively independent personalities and a cramped, stunted feeling arises.
A remastered and expanded version of the album (featuring 41 tracks) was released on a double CD in 2004. The first disc is the complete 20-track album (with the full length version of "Sara", which had been edited for the original CD release of the album due to running time constraints on earlier compact discs). The second disc features a collection of demo tracks, alternative cuts and other rarities from the time of the album.
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
- "Over and Over" (Christine McVie) – 4:36
- "The Ledge" (Lindsey Buckingham) – 2:02
- "Think About Me" (McVie) – 2:44
- "Save Me a Place" (Buckingham) – 2:40
- "Sara" (Stevie Nicks) – 6:26
- "What Makes You Think You're the One" (Buckingham) – 3:32
- "Storms" (Nicks) – 5:29
- "That's All For Everyone" (Buckingham) – 3:04
- "Not That Funny" (Buckingham) – 3:13
- "Sisters of the Moon" (Nicks) – 4:45
- "Angel" (Nicks) – 4:53
- "That's Enough For Me" (Buckingham) – 1:48
- "Brown Eyes" (McVie) – 4:30
- "Never Make Me Cry" (McVie) – 2:14
- "I Know I'm Not Wrong" (Buckingham) – 3:02
- "Honey Hi" (McVie) – 2:43
- "Beautiful Child" (Nicks) – 5:23
- "Walk a Thin Line" (Buckingham) – 3:48
- "Tusk" (Buckingham) – 3:36
- "Never Forget" (McVie) – 3:44
[edit] Credits
Fleetwood Mac
- Stevie Nicks - vocals, keyboards on "Sara"
- Lindsey Buckingham - guitar, piano, bass, drums, harmonica, vocals
- Christine McVie - keyboards, vocals
- John McVie - bass
- Mick Fleetwood - percussion, drums
Additional personnel
- USC Trojan Marching Band - appears on "Tusk"
- Peter Green - appears uncredited on "Brown Eyes
[edit] Production
- Producers: Fleetwood Mac. Ken Caillat, Richard Dashut
- Engineers: Lindsey Buckingham, Ken Caillat, Richard Dashut, Hernan Rojas
- Assistant Engineer: Rich Feldman
- Mastering: Ken Perry
- Remastering: Ken Caillat
- Photography: Peter Beard, Jayne Odgers, Norman Seeff
- Art Direction: Vigon Nahas Vigon
- Design: Vigon Nahas Vigon
[edit] Charts
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | US | 4 |
| 1979 | UK | 1 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | "Tusk" | US | 8 |
| 1979 | "Tusk" | UK | 6 |
| 1979 | "Tusk" | AUS | 3 |
| 1980 | "Sara" | US | 7 |
| 1979 | "Sara" | UK | 37 |
| 1980 | "Think About Me" | US | 20 |
| 1980 | "Sisters Of The Moon" | US | 86 |
[edit] Miscellanea
- In 1991, R.E.M. covered "Tusk", introducing it by noting that, earlier in their career, they were able to take advantage of Fleetwood Mac's unused recording studio time.
- In 2002, Camper Van Beethoven, an alternative/new wave/punk rock group, released a full cover of the original "Tusk". The cover art and track listings are almost identical.
- The name for the album Tusk was inspired by a giant mammoth tusk in the museum of a small town called Saffron Walden, in Essex, England. The band saw it while touring and "tusk" became a running joke over the tour.
- Tusk is often played at USC Trojan football games by the marching band with the fans chanting "UCLA sucks" at their crosstown rivals.
- Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie & Mick Fleetwood have stated in interviews that "Tusk" is their favorite Fletwood Mac album.
