94 replies to this topic

[HandBanana]

All Ive ever heard from this is the title track, but I think last year's Lindsay Buckingham solo record was incredible and this weeks addition of Tusk to The Onion's Permanent Records: Albums From The A.V. Club's Hall of Fame has piqued my interest.

What does the board think of this one?




Oh and heres the article from The Onion.

Check it....


By Steven Hyden
March 13th, 2007

Fleetwood Mac
Tusk
(Warner Bros.)

The context: The massive success of Fleetwood Mac's Rumours in the late '70s capped the unlikeliest comeback in rock history. A formerly great blues band relegated to the soft-rock scrap heap was transformed into the decade's quintessential California pop hit machine with the addition of smoky chanteuse Stevie Nicks and perpetually wired studio-rat and guitarist Lindsey Buckingham. They joined keyboardist Christine McVie as the band's songwriting and vocal core, and somehow, their wildly divergent personas harmonized brilliantly on one of the few perfect pop-rock albums ever made. Afterward, Fleetwood Mac was awash in the spoils of success, including drugs, round-the-clock rock-star coddling, and million-dollar recording budgets. A bit of each contributed to the making of Tusk, 1979's double-album follow-up to Rumours.

The greatness: The old joke about Warner Bros. executives seeing their checks fly out the window the first time they heard Tusk has a ring of truth: This is a far cry from the über-commercial Rumours, and it ended up doing a fraction of the business. Of course, that seemed to be the point—Buckingham at the time was enamored of The Clash, and he sought to apply punk's unpolished rawness to Brian Wilson-style songcraft. Buckingham wrote nine of Tusk's 20 songs, and his eccentric-yet-catchy numbers play like a nervy new-wave-inspired solo album stuffed inside a Fleetwood Mac record. Buckingham's minimalist aesthetic translates to the rest of Tusk (the band gave him a "special thanks" for his production in the liner notes) but this isn't a one-man show: McVie contributes some of her most haunting songs (including the lost classic "Brown Eyes"), and the band's weariness of superstar rock at the end of the Me Decade is best articulated by Nicks' rough, coke-addled vocals on songs like "Storms" and the hit single "Sara."

Defining song: After leading off with the fine McVie ballad "Over And Over," Tusk really gets going with Buckingham's "The Ledge," a manic two-minute rocker that sounds like "Second Hand News" after a Scarface-sized pile of blow. It's likely the point where label executives started to freak out.

[HandBanana]

Wow. This song "That's All For Everyone" is god damn EXCELLENT. Lindsay man. Dude's a genius.

[The Luscious Phil]

What Makes You Think You're the One? is tops!

[hummingbird]

What Makes You Think You're the One? is tops!

Agreed. Listened to this album a ton after Under the Skin came out and absolutely love it.

[Bobzilla]

"I Know I'm Not Wrong" is where it's at. When Lindsey played that at one of his Park West shows I just about flipped.

Tusk was one of my favorites when it came out, and it more than holds up. Rhino gave this the deluxe treatment a few years ago with an added disc of demos and alternate takes. Worth hearing.

[Meldrick Lewis]

I'm fairly certain it's the only Mac disc that will still be referenced a couple decades from now, even though it's considered the oddest one. Though I like quite a bit of the pre-Lindsey-Stevie Mac, Tusk is the only release by the band I love. Many others are just "good."

[Agrimorfee]

You should be aware that Camper Van Beethoven did a cover of the album. Yes, THE ALBUM, not just the song. Haven't heard either album so I can't comment extensively, but I did hear them perform "Tusk" live (with a retro heavily amped drum machine), and that was a mind-bender!

[r.i.p.]

"The Ledge" is one of my favorite songs. Talk of Buckingham's genius can not be complete without mention of "Holiday Road." If you just take the L. Buckingham songs off Rumors and Tusk: 1. Second Hand News 2. Never Going Back Again 3. Go Your Own Way 4. The Ledge 5. Save Me A Place 6. What Makes You Think You're The One 7. That's All For Anyone 8. Not That Funny 9. That's Enough For Me 10. I Know I'm Not Wrong 11. Walk A Thin Line 12. Tusk You get one of the best albums of the decade. Cut the fat. I'm a sucker for the quick, hyper Buckingham songs with multitracked buzzing, plucked guitars and vocals. Then again, that's essentially his M.O.

[mouthbreather]

You should be aware that Camper Van Beethoven did a cover of the album. Yes, THE ALBUM, not just the song.

Their cover album is pretty hilarious. A silly, sloppy mess, but fun if you're familiar with the original.

The artwork kills me:


Ouch! Damned jackalope bit my leg.

[mouthbreather]

The Buckingham songs on Tusk are among my favorites of his career.
The title track continues to amaze me. It's unlike any other pop song really.

But overall, the McVie and Nicks songs can be pretty painful to take.
I really never need to hear "Over & Over" or "Sara" ever again.

So I would consider Tusk a flawed masterpiece - similar to Sandinista by The Clash - a brilliant mess.

[mouthbreather]

Wow. This song "That's All For Everyone" is god damn EXCELLENT.

Lindsay man. Dude's a genius.

Great song.

I'll try to post the album later for anyone that hasn't heard it.

[Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ]

"What Makes You Think You're the One?" is pretty good. I like the nasal Dylan thing he's got going. Weird to imagine this came from the same people who vomited out "Don't Stop."

man, "The Ledge" sounds like something off of Sad Sappy Sucker. This is fucked up, how is this Fleetwood Mac? My world is shattered.

[mouthbreather]

Tusk

http://www.mediafire.com/?8ahmttjktmd

Maybe I'll up the Camper Van Beethoven version later.

[Rob Gordon]

yeah, it's been ages since I listened to this in it's entirety and I'll probably enjoy it. Still, I don't think it can hold a candle to the self titled and Rumours, their previous efforts during this incarnation.

[superhersh2002]

"Tusk" a favorite Fleetwood Mac album of mine Lindsay was firmly at the controls...Nicks "Beautiful Child" " Sisters of the Moon" yet Christine McVie shines on "Honey Hi" "Never Make Me Cry" "Never Forget"

[DrJimmy]

Still, I don't think it can hold a candle to the self titled and Rumours, their previous efforts during this incarnation.

seconded. Rumors is their most popular for a very good reason.

[coolrock]

I've heard members of Fleetwood Mac say that the title,"Tusk", refers to the male sex organ, but about six months before this album came out, my Orange County coke dealer says, "Wanna do a tusk?" and proceeds to lay out this gigantic, fat, jimmypage-sized line of tootski. Yeeow! Naturally, I didn't want my elephant head to be unbalanced, so I "tusked" the right nostril as well. Anyway, I gotta go with that interpretation; the Mac was legendary when it came to blow consumption, and, goddam if they didn't have a lot of competition in that place and time. My hat's off to them that they could get anything done at all; I could never play music on that shit. I think I've already related the story about how this male hustler I knew got picked up by Stevie Nicks in front of Gil Turner's (kinda famous liquor store) on Sunset Strip. "I need some cum!", I believe, were the words she barked from the back of her limo, and, as she honked away on his HIV dispenser, he rifled her purse. Heh. As my late Aunt Edith, god rest her soul, would say, "Who has more fun than people?"

[Rob Gordon]

I've heard members of Fleetwood Mac say that the title,"Tusk", refers to the male sex organ, but about six months before this album came out, my Orange County coke dealer says,
"Wanna do a tusk?"
and proceeds to lay out this gigantic, fat, jimmypage-sized line of tootski. Yeeow! Naturally, I didn't want my elephant head to be unbalanced, so I "tusked" the right nostril as well.
Anyway, I gotta go with that interpretation; the Mac was legendary when it came to blow consumption, and, goddam if they didn't have a lot of competition in that place and time. My hat's off to them that they could get anything done at all; I could never play music on that shit.

I think I've already related the story about how this male hustler I knew got picked up by Stevie Nicks in front of Gil Turner's (kinda famous liquor store) on Sunset Strip.
"I need some cum!", I believe, were the words she barked from the back of her limo, and, as she honked away on his HIV dispenser, he rifled her purse. Heh. As my late Aunt Edith, god rest her soul, would say, "Who has more fun than people?"

Quite the story coolrock. Always good to see oldsters on the board with tales of debauchery back in the day when things were...well...different.

[pong]

yeah, it's been ages since I listened to this in it's entirety and I'll probably enjoy it. Still, I don't think it can hold a candle to the self titled and Rumours, their previous efforts during this incarnation.

Listened to Rumours the other day. Amazed at it's ecclectic nature song to song. Also, obviously into the guitar playing (see up thread). Christine Mckvie's voice is so warm and mellow. The drum syncopation is so cool. Mac is always playing off beat but right on at the same time: really under-stated but powerful: great drums.

[mouthbreather]

For those who dare...

Camper Van Beethoven - Tusk

disc 1:
http://www.mediafire.com/?dmzzrowzymd

disc 2:
http://www.mediafire.com/?1jjezz0tmzm