Fleetwood Mac's "Tusk"

Blondie at 0:53 is hot.

Black people loved it, because it sounded like the great HBCU marching bands.

White people (other than USC Trojans), not so much.

It's a fun song.

I liked it since it was a departure from what I was hearing at the time. And yes, R3, it is a fun song too.

It seemed strange, kind of a downer.

U*C*L*A SUCKS

Fleetwood Mac was not easy listening.

I was just a kid when it was released, but I can say anecdotally - EVERY adult I knew had a copy of the 1975 s/t album and Rumours. They were ubiquitous. I didn't know anyone who owned this, so I think it must have been considered something of a left-field oddity. I think the song and album are both great, though.

It was a very popular song back then. #1 on the charts.

It was considered self indulgent on FM's part.

The cocaine-fueled, sprawling double-LP Tusk is a wonder of a recording at the glorious twilight of the seventies.

Fleetwood Mac was never quite the same after that.

At the time the story was how expensive it was to produce. The single Tusk was popular and then it was pretty much forgotten.

A more recent (live) version. As an American, marching band music is part of my fabric, so I enjoyed the addition of a marching band. From another recent thread, American marching bands don't seem to be familiar to non-Americans. I just remember being perplexed by the lyrics. I still enjoyed listening to it when it first came out, but sort of had to tune out the lyrics, unlike other Fleetwood Mac songs, where the lyrics made more sense.

I grew up listening to Fleetwood Mac because my mom would play 'Rumours' all the time, but somehow I missed out on this song, and it's not one I"ve ever heard on the radio. Thanks, OP. I dig it even though it's kinda out there and different.

The song peaked at number 8 in the US for three weeks, reached number 6 in the UK (where it was certified Silver for sales of over 250,000 copies), number 5 in Canada and number 3 in Australia.

The album seemed like a disappointment at first. I bought it the day it came out, thought "Well, it's no Rumours," and didn't listen to it much until the 1990s, when I bought a new turntable. I started listening to a lot of my old records then, stuff I'd bought in the '70s, but never listened to very much. Joni Mitchell, too.

Most people were disappointed in it. Not feelgood, not danceable, Not lyrically spiritual..

Not remembered.

Mass chaos, OP. Major riots in the streets.

I now associate the song with The Americans.

It was a cute little novelty song.

This video is further proof that USC Trojans are the biggest cult west of the Mississippi.

[qoute]White people (other than USC Trojans), not so much.

This isn't the first time you've been called an asshole, is it?

There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth. Many felt it was the fulfillment of Revelation.

Tusk was the result of Buckingham taking the lead in the band because John McVie and Mick Fleetwood were both so strung out they couldn't.

There's a lot of different influences on the album, including the new wave sounds seeping into pop.

I actually love the record, and think it's aged tremendously well.

It only seemed better over time. I like it more now than Rumours or FM.

Possibly the best single Fleetwood Mac released off the album, and the one that is mostly forgotten and really should have been a hit. Sassy, sexy, rock and roll from Christine McVie with great harmonies from Stevie and Lindsey. It just never quite took off.

I love Think About Me!

Universally acknowledged as a gigantic commercial and artistic flop. Enough with the revisionist history.

How DARE we like it!

Think About Me really should be in just as heavy rotation on classic rock stations as any of their other hits.

Bullshit

Not a USC fan, though from southern California. But the video with the marching band caught my attention. Don't know about note, but back then, that band was one of the best in the country.

... Don't know about "now". There, I fixed it for me.

Another yes to the blond guy at 0:53.

Great album that just couldn't live up to expectations and sales figures after Rumours. It has aged well.

It gave us one of the greatest Stevie Nicks songs ever that wasn't a hit single, in my view. "Angel" is terrific, and I wish she sang it live more often. She did on the Tusk tour, anyway.

The song is kinda spooky - “why don’t you ask him what’s going on?”

Why don't you tell me, who is on the phone?

I seem to recall this being one of the first, if not the first computerized drums/percussion

Isn't Fleetwood the drummer?

Luck they had it.

Which band member was hottest of the men?

R U cerius, r40?

Lindsey Buckingham was a beautiful man in his younger days.

I saw the Tusk tour. Stevie was terrible! Everybody else in the band was flawless.

Lindsey was a sexy beast!

[quote]Lindsey was a sexy beast!

His was one of the more wantable dongs of the '70s, rock division.

I can just imagine his tusk.

swim team Lindsey?

If there were a fantasy band called Wantable Dongs, who besides Lindsey would have been members?

I was 10 years old when this came out, and loved it. I remember being at a family gathering at my redneck relatives and my teenage girl cousin saying , "That song just sounds like a bunch of African ni--ers!"

After that, I hated her even more than I already did.

Jackson Browne would have been a member, R47. And his member.

Tusk was one of those hits that was only a hit because a popular act released it.

Freeze Frame (J Geils Band), Crimson and Clover (Joan Jett & The Blackhearts), Rescue Me (Madonna) were similar in that they were follow up to very successful prior releases and people bought it.

Freeze Frame is a great song, R50.

And the band plays on.......

Lindsey was at his peak hotness in that video.

Bought the album when it came out. Enjoyed most of it except 'Tusk'. It was a cheesy embarrassment at the time and was forgotten for a reason.

The title song matched with some great clips from "The Americans," which helped put it back on the map.

bump

[quote]I grew up listening to Fleetwood Mac because my mom would play 'Rumours' all the time,[/quote]

Christ, I'm old!

R32, USC still has one of the best marching bands in the country.

Actually, I will take that one step further and declare USC as the best marching band in college football. USA Today agrees. And yes, it is a cult.

The old Trojan band uniforms were better before, like they were in the Tusk video, but unforgiving on a hot LA day.

OK, back to Fleetwood Mac...

Musically and lyrically, Tusk resembles the Rumours track Chain (although Chain is a lot slower), so it's not a complete departure for them.

Sorry, THE Chain

Great song. I respect the fact they (really Lindsey) didn’t want to duplicate Rumours (hell there was no way they could even if they tried). Just like Thriller Michael Jackson. Lightning struck once for these albums. But the follow ups were great, just not as commercial.

The USC band isn't even the best band in the PAC 12. They are in a great location for exposure in the media. For some reason, very few directors want the UCLA band. Maybe, it's the number of Cinema grads from SC.

I didn't like it at first, unlike other music they did.. but, it grew on me and like it a lot. It was very different from Rumours, which was one of my favorite albums.

The fact that it was a double album, and priced accordingly, hurt its sales initially. But four vinyl sides gave each of the three songwriters freedom to include deep tracks that wouldn't have made the cut on a standard LP record. Fans of McVie, Buckinham and Nicks all had a lot to please them.

The album packaging was possibly the most elaborate and expensive of its time. I still have the original vinyl in storage somewhere. Gorgeous.

One of my favorite songs of all time. I turn it up loud when driving long distances. "Tusk" is what Lindsey Buckingham called a "cock". I can't believe we're at 64 replies and nobody has noted this yet.

Lol R66, 'Just say that you want me!'

Who didn't want Lindsey Buckingham's cock in the 1970s?

Christine McVie, r67

Yes, I would believe Lindsey had sex with John McVie before I’d believe he had sex with Christine McVie.

I’ve always liked this song. It’s a great addition to my treadmill playlist.

R75, I second that.

I had to wait until I found a sale to buy Tusk in 1980, but the album layout alone was worth it, even though the deluxe-ness drove up the price and undoubtedly hurt sales.

Two LPs allowed Lindsey Buckingham to experiment and Stevie Nicks to stretch out the dark and pensive atmospheric music she’d always had one foot in.

I really love Tusk.

One thing I always thought was interesting about this record was the extremes. Lindsey's songs are often wired, tense, clearly inspired by new wave, but Stevie and Christine's songs never sounded more dreamy or oceanic. It was famously expensive to make, but the production sounds amazing.

Ha! So the song and album are named after Lindsey Buckingham’s penis!

At that time, it was difficult to get any non-disco song to get played on Top 40 radio, let alone adventurous music, even from Fleetwood Mac. The Eagles also deliberately sat out the disco era,

Lindsey's "Save Me A Place" on TUSK is tremendous. Just beautiful.

I thought that it was Mick's idea to name the album Tusk, that the word was English slang for the male's genitals. I read that Stevie was against the idea and even thought about quitting the band over it.

Some lore.

R76 is close, but Stevie didn’t like the name because it reminded her of poaching.

I think they later performed Tusk with the UCLA band, maybe to even things out.

As for Jackson Browne, he is the reason Tusk failed.

[quote]As for Jackson Browne, he is the reason Tusk failed.

Do tell.

[quote] The USC band isn't even the best band in the PAC 12. They are in a great location for exposure in the media. For some reason, very few directors want the UCLA band. Maybe, it's the number of Cinema grads from SC.

R63 = a UCLA Bruin.

USC is well known across the nation for their marching band. Not a single person ever thinks about the UCLA marching band.

Dish about Jackson Browne.

The song "Tusk" got a great reception on the last FM tour. Stevie has had "Sara" and Sisters of the Moon" in and out of live shows with FM and even some solo shows for many years (still wish she would revisit "Angel").

Finally in the last few shows of the most recent tour, the band played "Think About Me" live for the first time in at least 20 years. And it sounded great. I love the material where the harmonies get to play out.

Love this song. Weird how you never hear it anywhere anymore the way you do other Fleetwood Mac songs.

Westwood One Radio played the whole album with no interruption and thousands taped it. I did. It was $22 for the album in 1979 which seemed nuts.

I don't remember paying $22 for Tusk, which I definitely bought in 1979. More like $8.

I remember Tusk was considered a commercial failure at the time but it actually sold very well for a double album. Comparing it to Rumours was unfair. As for the song Tusk, I never liked it and neither did a lot of Fleetwood Mac fans. Fortunately there are plenty of other tracks that are amazing. I can listen to Sisters of the Moon all day long. You can also clearly hear the influence of cocaine on almost every song.

[quote]You can also clearly hear the influence of cocaine on almost every song.

Thankful I wouldn't know what that sounds like.

Tusk took a while to get used to, but I prefer listening to it now over Rumours.

R86 I'd love to know where you paid eight bucks for it. You are wrong.

Tower Records in Seattle, r89.

Here's one with the original shrink wrap. $12.99.

$15.98 according to the NYT. I must have remembered wrong. Or I somehow found it at a supersale price.

Camper Van Beethhoven redid the Tusk album track-for-track. It is brilliant and really shows the how well the songs themselves hold up. A few standouts are "Tusk" and 'Think About Me." But the others are really good.

[quote]I thought that it was Mick's idea to name the album Tusk, that the word was English slang for the male's genitals. I read that Stevie was against the idea and even thought about quitting the band over it.

And then you take a look at the album cover of Rumours and think, yeah no.

I bought this on CD and rather than release a double CD, WEA decided to try cram it onto one CD to keep costs and the price down and only managed that by taking a knife to "Sara", which was one of the standout tracks on the album.

One of the dumbest dumbnesses of the CD era, r94. On a par with the shitty sounding Beatles CDs.

Loved Tusk and Sara. Sisters of the Moon too!

Suck it, R63. Nobody goes to the UCLA band , because they are dull. Snails have more pep.

UCLA Band performs for tens of fans, most of whom are asleep.