Well, I'll just say that I doubt anyone has displayed that album cover (a studio engineer's dog) as wall art. Fans and critics were expecting the band to follow the formula that had served them so well with Rumours. However, during the making of Rumours, the band nearly fell apart at the seams. This story has been rehashed in every single Fleetwood Mac interview since 1977, but for those who are unaware, bassist John McVie and keyboard player and vocalist Christine McVie divorced, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks split up, and Stevie had an affair with drummer Mick Fleetwood. Oh, and then prior to the recording of Tusk, Mr. Fleetwood cheated on Stevie with her best friend, Sara, an event which inspired the song "Sara." After so many personal upheavals, it makes sense to me that the band wouldn't want to relive Rumours. But the record company needed a follow up, so they drowned their sorrows and returned to the studio.
Lindsey Buckingham played a much larger role in the production of Tusk than in that of Rumours, even recording percussion parts on studio chairs when he had one of the world's greatest rhythm sections at his disposal. British punk was beginning to rear its head in the states, and Buckingham was inspired by the harsh imperfections and dissonance of the music. Following Christine McVie's characteristic opening track "Over and Over", Buckingham wasted no time in asserting his newly adopted artistic vision and pouring out his frustrations from the past few years with "The Ledge". The Clash meets rockabilly?
The rest of Lindsey's tunes definitely echo the mood of "The Ledge," but although they seem simple, his leadership in the studio helped him and the band as a whole craft a much more raw and introspective album than Rumours. This video, which is part of an amazing documentary on the making of Tusk (seriously, I could watch this documentary every day of my life), shows Lindsey and John working on a bass part for his song "Save Me a Place" as well as with Nicks for her song "Angel". Regardless of personal differences and arguments, the band worked as a team in the studio. Although some may criticize what appears to be Buckingham's power trip, he actually worked individually with each member in order to push them to produce the best music of their careers.
And yes, that famous "Tusk" riff was actually recorded by the University of Southern California marching band, an added touch of grandeur from a band known for choosing paint colors for hotel rooms and having them furnished with white grand pianos. Mr. Fleetwood even wanted to take the entire marching band on tour before considering the price tag. Recording on a yacht was obviously an option as well. Although in my opinion, the band was peaking as live performers on the Tusk tour, they barely broke even on the tour due to excessive spending and mismanagement of money. Mick Fleetwood was then fired as the group's financial manager, but of course retained his occupation as the band's drummer.
Buckingham was also the driving force behind the decision to make Tusk a double album. Releasing a double album is always frowned upon by record companies because of the fear that the higher price tag will lower sales and discourage listeners. The band actually blamed Lindsey's production and decision making after album sales did not live up to expectations, although a California radio station aired the album in full as a preview, practically inviting listeners to record the broadcast on cassette and avoid buying the album and all of the angst ridden artwork that came with it:
Another gripe many listeners have with the album is its perceived lack of continuity. Even casual listeners will notice that the record sounds like a conglomerate of three different artists rather than three songwriters within the same band. That may have been the goal, though. Perhaps the songwriters had finally learned some respect for personal space. With room to breathe and experiment, all three writers revealed more of themselves on Tusk than on any other Fleetwood Mac recording. So I ask you to give the album a chance to displace Rumours as the most played album in your Fleetwood Mac discography.
Images:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tusk_(album)
http://www.superseventies.com/fleetwoodmac4.html
http://www.fleetwoodmac-uk.com/art/index.php?album=Fleetwood+Mac+Bootleg+Artwork%2FAudio%2FAlbum+Outtakes%2FTusk%2FTusk+Take+Two
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