Fleetwood Mac - Tusk (Deluxe Edition)
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Free Music Notes for Tusk (Deluxe Edition)
Free Music Review: One of the greatest albums of the rock era
Hit: 5 Stars
An ambitious and often misunderstood recording, TUSK is possibly the Mac's most rewarding effort - even if it's not as accessible as the band's other records. The critics hated it and after selling 18 million records and spending over 30 weeks at #1 with RUMOURS, TUSK's sales of 4 million copies and "only" hitting #4 on the Hot 100 was considered a big disappointment. Originally released as a mammoth, seventy minute-plus double record set, Tusk is anything but commercial. I will always argue, however, that this usual experiment is the best work that the members of any lineup of Fleetwood Mac were ever involved with. Heck, I will even go as far to argue that TUSK is one of the greatest recordings of the rock era, period.
Stevie Nicks turns in five of her very best compositions to the album, and, for the most part, she seems to have been in a highly introspective mood. She penned the set's biggest hit single, the nearly seven-minute mini-opus "Sara" (#7 Pop), which explores some very personal subject matter in a poetic and ambiguous manner - all while seducing the listener with an irresistibly hypnotic groove. Nicks also plays up her mystic persona on the intoxicating "Sisters of the Moon," which can send chills down the listener's spine like an unexpected gush of wind. Stevie even flirts with moderately hard rock on the intense "Angel," which works it's driving melody to the fullest extent in addition to laying down an instantly memorable refrain.
The best of Nicks' material, however, are the gorgeous, refreshingly unsentimental ballads "Storms" and "Beautiful Child." Stevie has commonly been described by fans and critics as a the perpetual woman/child, always just one the verge of reaching full maturity - she is destined to reach for the sky, yet is doomed to walk the earth. This unusual predicament has left Nicks with tremendous gift for crafting songs with universal themes that still manage to carry a unique edge. This is exactly what allows the very best of Nicks' to stand out from the compositions that other writers have been churning out for centuries. "Storms" and "Beautiful Child" are perfect examples of this, and both songs arguably remain her finest song-writing achievements.
Perhaps the stereotypical woes of sudden stardom are to blame, but, as with Stevie Nicks, TUSK also finds Christine McVie in a somber, soul-searching mood. Fortunately, this suits the longtime Mac muse well, and her dark husky voice has seldom sounded more beautifully pained. In fact, the McVie-penned opening number, the mournful "Over and Over," is actually what sets the pace for the entire double record set. The song, which is an extremely rare exception of a cry of desperation that never sounds pathetic or self-pitying, is an absolute tour de force for McVie, and lets listeners know that the band had no intention of simply recreating RUMOURS. It with some irony then that McVie also contributes the most RUMOURS-esque cut on the album. The blaring mid-tempo rocker "Think About Me" (#20 Pop) is the closest thing tusk has to bright AOR of RUMOURS, but even it has slightly dark edge that separates it from the polished pop of the previous record.
After those first two compositions, the bulk of the tracks penned by McVie are featured on the last half of the album. In addition to "Over and Over" and "Think About Me" (which are both sequenced near the very beginning of the record), Christine also delivers the intense ballad "Brown Eyes," the elegant folk of "Honey Hi" and "Never Forget," which plays like an homage to the very best pop of the Brill Building era. While all of Christine's material is remarkably solid (as is the rest of the disc's material), my absolute favorite McVie-penned track on the album (along with the aforementioned "Over and Over") is the heartbreaking piano ballad "Never Make Me Cry." The tender simplicity in the arrangement, melody, and lyrics combine seamlessly with the gorgeous melancholy in McVie's voice to create a haunting hymn to neglected love that resonates in the mind long after the track has ended.
Lindsey Buckingham really took control over the recording, with his name even signaled out from the rest of the band members as a "special thanks" on the production credit. In addition to creating amazing sonic landscapes for the material by Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie, Buckingham also delivers nine original compositions that are nervy, frantic, and fantastic. The lean, fist-thumping rock numbers "The Ledge," "What Makes You Think You're the One," and "Not That Funny" each have a primal energy that seems to radiate through the speakers. Each of these tracks have a stripped-down, blistering urgency that leaves the band sounding more like tried-and-true rockers rather than pampered MOR superstars who are recording the followup to a massive success.
TUSK also allows Buckingham to pay homage to many of his own early influences and musical heros. He seems to channel Buddy Holly on the rootsy rockers "That's Enough for Me" and "I Know I'm Not Wrong," while the lush, tight harmonies of "Save Me a Place" and "Walk a Thin Line" both rival even the very best of the Beach Boys. Impressive variety is present in all of Buckingham's tracks, which are all arranged and performed with a wide assortment of surprises and unexpected turns. On one end of the spectrum is the soft tones of the somewhat distressful "That's All for Everyone," while the thunderous stampede of the avant garde title track (#8 Pop) is on the clear opposite end.
Though commonly thought of as a failure, or at least a commercial disappointment, TUSK represents Fleetwood Mac taking a huge commercial and artistic chances and emerging with one of the greatest achievements of the rock era.
Free Music Review: A controversial Fleetwood Mac album yet one of their best
Hit: 5 Stars
Fleetwood Mac's 14th album Tusk was released in October of 1979.
The album was the band's first album of all new material since 1977's behemoth smash Rumours which has sold over 18 million in the US alone to date and spent an astonishing 31 weeks atop Billboard's album chart.
After the success of Rumours the band, especially guitarist/vocalist Lindsey Buckingham, did not want to record Rumours 2 and decided to record a double album which was partially influenced by the New Wave movement that hit and was an album that would become one of rock's greatest double albums alongside classics like The Wall, Quadrophenia, Tommy, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway and especially The Beatles White Album.
Was this album as good as its predecessor or was it a clunker, read on.
we begin the album with a ballad for a change which was keyboardist/vocalist Christine McVie's very nice Over and Over which is a great song. Next is Buckingham's punkish The Ledge which proved Lindsey was in tune with the times. We follow with the album's third single, the Christine McVie penned rocker Think About Me which is a great shuffle rocker and reached #20 in 1980. Lindsey Buckingham's Save Me a Place follows and is a great acoustic ballad. We end the first quarter of the album with Stevie Nicks' classic Top 10 hit Sara which is one of her best songs ever and is restored to its original length on this remaster whereas the original CD cut the song by two minutes.
Buckingham's What Makes You Think You're the One starts the album's second quarter and is a great guitar/piano stomper which is a great rocker. Next is the mystical Nicks ballad Storms which is a great number. Buckingham's That's All for Everyone is next and is one of his underrated gems. Not That Funny follows and too penned by Buckingham and is a great rocker with some tasty playing from Lindsey. Stevie's rocker Sisters of the Moon is next and was her hardest rocking song up until then and a great number despite the fact it tanked as a single.
Angel follows and is another Nicks masterwork which has New Wave influences in it. Next is Buckingham's That's Enough For Me which is a great song. We then have back to back numbers from Ms McVie which are the exquisite Brown Eyes and the bittersweet Never Make Me Cry. We end the album's third quarter with Buckingham's I Know I'm Not Wrong which is another great track.
Honey Hi is next and penned by McVie whom always seemed to be overshadowed by Buckingham and Nicks(not to take anything away from them as they were all great singer/songwriters). Beautiful Child is a great underrated masterpiece from Stevie Nicks. Walk a Thin Line follows and is the second to last composition on the disc for Buckingham and is a great song. Next is arguably Lindsey's finest hour as a songwriter in Fleetwood Mac with Tusk's Top 10 title cut is a masterpiece with his guitar plus John McVie's shuffling bass and Mick Fleetwood's tribal drumming and help from the USC Trojan Marching band playing that famous riff. Christine McVie's nice ballad Never Forget ends a great album in a relaxing manner.
When Tusk was released, the album went Quadruple Platinum selling 4 million copies in the US peaking at #4 but industry pundits saw the album as a dud since it only sold a fraction of Rumours, get over it.
In 2004, Warner Bros re-released Tusk as a 2-CD set with the complete original album remastered on CD 1 with a fully restored Sara and a second disc of demos, out-takes and single mixes.
Recommended!
Free Music Review: No Rumours But Great In It's Own Way
Hit: 5 Stars
"Tusk" released in 1979 was Fleetwood Mac's third album with Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham after "Fleetwood Mac" in 1975 and the groundbreaking "Rumours" from 1977. While "Rumours" was a pop masterpiece of a band in turmoil "Tusk" was the aftermash. But "Tusk" is no way another "Rumours", the sound is completely diffrent and Buckingham gets even more time here to shine. Many songs are a little strange and mixes soft rock with other infkuences, but yet accessable and memorable. The album didn't sell as good as expected but then again "Rumours" was one of a kind. "Tusk" is also a double album, which was quite uncommon to make back then and a big chance, however "Tusk" went double platinum and it now seen as a classic.
McVie starts with the slow "Over and Over", second song is called "The Ledge", a Buckingham song that proves he's in command of the new Fleetwood sound and that the music is more exprimental then before. McVie continues with "Think About Me" that also was a hit. This is a meliodic midtempo and no wonder it was releases as a single. "Save Me a Place" is a slow paced song with accoustic guitars from Buckingham, quite folkish. "Sara" is one of the best song on "Tusk", also a single-release and it's from the always mystic and charming Stevie Nicks, the song sound like it could have been from "Rumours". The original version was actually 6.30 but the edited single version is around 4.30. "What Makes You Think You're the One" is a somewhat psychedelic Buckingham song with great riffs but it's one of the oddest songs on this album. Nicks Continues with a slow song called "Storm" and Lindsey with "That's all For Everyone" a slow song with beautiful music and haunting lyrics. "Not That Funny" continues the odd Lindsey sound with guitars and a strange way of singing. "Sister of the Moon" with Stevie is once again a Rumouresque song while "Angel" is a typical soft rock song.
"That's Enough For Me" is Buckingham meets synth-pop, odd arrangements and melody but defenitely memorable, a little too avante garde for the fans of "Rumours" perhaps. Christie McVie's "Brown Eyes" is a slow paced song that grows on you, the music is haunting. "Never Make You Cry" is a classic ballad. "I Know I'm Not Wrong" is a happy folkish uptempo with Lindsey. Mcvie sings "Honey Hi" a slow song with accoustic guitars and the others sing backround vocals in a somewhat folkish style. Stevie sings "Beautiful Child" a ballad with backround vocals too. "Walk a Thin Line", Lindsey's slowest and most normal song. on "Tusk" the title track, which is also one of the best songs he once again brings some diffrent arrangments and the song itself with plenty African Drums and horns pretty much sums up what this album is all about. McVie gets the last song called "Never Forget" which is a passable ballad.
Overall, "Tusk" is no "Rumours" it's the aftermash and while some fans may be dissapointed by it's quite diffrent sound, it's still a wonderful album. Lindsey Buckingham shapes the music and also appears on most songs on "Tusk". His songs are rich of odd arrangements and often sound a little avante garde, Christie McVie continues to make great songs like always and Stevie Nicks aswell, and she showes some glimpses of Rumouresque songs at times too. Needless to say, this is a 20 track double album and there are plenty of good songs here aswell. No Rumours but take it for what it is. In the end it's one of Fleetwood Mac's best albums.
Free Music Review: Outstanding Remastered Reissue--Give the Vinyl a Rest!
Hit: 5 Stars
This reissue is a MUST-HAVE for anyone that likes Tusk. The remastering is outstanding, and as is written in the liner notes, the recording sounds like a million dollars. I guarantee you'll experience this album unlike you never had before. Listen with a pair of headphones in particular, and you'll notice never-before-heard details. There's an incredible amount of music crammed into each and every song. I've compared this to a very clean vinyl pressing, and it sounds fantastic. Yes, I am a pre-1990s vinyl junkie, and it has been wonderful to hear the recording as the artists intended, with no pops, clicks, and groove hiss, etc., to boot. Unlike the previous CD issue, this remastered version truly does render the double record obselete, a mere novelty. So, if you are debating about saving a few bucks with the non-remastered CD, forget it; buy this reissue or don't get Tusk on CD, period. Also, after listening to several remastered recordings from the 1970s and 1980s, this is at the top of the heap. In some cases, I still prefer the vinyl, but not with Tusk anymore.
The Second disc is a real gem, particularly for obsessive fans of Tusk and/or Fleetwood Mac. Unlike other reviewers, I have listened to the bonus disc many times, and will continue to do so. On the whole, the demos, roughs, and outtakes are presented in fairly advanced form. It's not really comparable to the Beatles Anthology, as I recall, with rougher outtakes, and really rare mixes, but it opens the door a bit into the Tusk recording sessions, and how Fleetwood Mac developed songs. There are also a few single and alternate versions included. I've heard that Kiss and Run and Farmer's Daughter sound the same as on the Fleetwood Mac Live double album, but haven't heard that in so long, I cannot confirm.
The ONLY negative in this reissue is that the original album version of Sara is NOT included. The shorter single version is on disc one, and there is a rough, longer version on disc two. It's disappointing, but this is the only compromise you must make to enjoy this excellent remastered CD reissue.
The packaging is about as good as standard size jewel cases can be. The liner notes are interesting; there are lots of additional photos; and the lyrics are included.
If you are just being adventurous and are the type of listener that goes beyond top-40, I hope you won't hesitate to give Tusk a chance and spin it through a few times. It captures Fleetwood Mac at its creative peak with no commercial constraints. Nothing else in the discography compares to this album. Rumors is very enjoyable, but this album hints at genius.
Free Music Review: The creative zenith of Fleetwood Mac
Hit: 5 Stars
For all those people who thought that Rumours was either the pinnalce of Fleetwood Mac's achievment,or took it as a sign that the group was a band not to be trusted in the approaching musical revolution of the late 70's, think again. Tusk stands as a shining, glorious moment in the Mac's career, an ambitious album that is two parts Talking Heads, one part Brian Wilson. After the monumental success of Rumours, many dismissed the Mac as yet another coke-snorting creation of the Californian ethos, and another band that would have to be destroyed when punk finally took over the world. Fortunately for all those involved, Lindsey Buckingham's fascination with the changing musical scene forced him to create an album so perfect that one must wonder why it often stands in the commerical shadow of it's predecessor. Buckignham treats us to new wave roller coasters on "The Ledge" and "Not That Funny", while simultaneously indulging in the classic Mac sound with "Save Me A Place" and the dreamy "That's All For everyone". And for all those Stevie lovers out there (and there are MANY...sigh...), Buckingham skillfully couples his new vision with her crystal visions to create such masterpieces as the mystical "Sisters of the Moon", "Angel" and "Beautiful Child". Last but not least, Christine Mcvie contributes reliable pop gems in "Think About Me" and "Never Forget", while pushing the envelope in the sensual "Brown Eyes". Tusk failed to replicate the massive success of Rumours when it was first released in '79, and as such was considered something of a dud. Only now is it receiving the critical acclaim that it deserves from music aficionados and hipsters alike. The bonus disc that comes with this disc is chock full of great outtakes of some of the tracks-most notably Never Make Me Cry, Over and Over, and Brown Eyes- but where are the demos that were never released? Surely, this was a wonderful oppurtunity to include Lady From the Mountain, Watchdevil, Fireflies and the many other songs that were never officially recorded. In addition, while I Know I'm Not Wrong is a wonderful song, are three versions of it really neccessary? Finally, while Farmer's Daughter and Kiss and Run are great additions, the former is nearly identical to the version released on Fleetwood Mac Live, while the latter is nothing more than a rough outtake of a song...oh well. I guess you can't have it all. Still, that doesn't detract from the fact that this is a great album...and this is coming from someone "indie". And while you're at it, buy Rumours too...after all, it's not a bad album...just not as good as this one.