Tusk (studio album) by Fleetwood Mac

Like many double albums, Tusk perhaps overstays its welcome a little bit, and it doesn't reach the same heights as often as Rumours or 1975's self-titled, but what it does do is stay remarkably consistent for all 75 minutes. The low points are very few and far between; it's pretty dang solid all the way through. Highlights for me would be Sara, Storms, That's All for Everyone, Sisters of the Moon, Brown Eyes, I Know I'm Not Wrong, Beautiful Child, and Tusk. That alone would be a fantastic single album—throw in the rest of these good tracks and you've got a fine double album, even if it's not as immediately powerful and approachable as other FM records.

Rumors was an incredibly focused, accessible, and well written album. Most of Fleetwood Mac's fanbase undoubtedly came from that album for those reasons. Tusk has the misfortune of being the followup to Rumors, and was specifically designed to turn the Rumors formula on its head, while still making a great piece of art. This means that Tusk was designed to be messy, inaccessible, but still well written. I feel that a lot of the detractors that this album has are hung up on the fact that this album is long and varied, and tend to overlook the incredible innovation and incredible songwriting on this beast. I first listened to this album probably seven years ago, and I could not make it through on my first few listens. However, as I have grown older, I have learned to appreciate this album more than Rumors. If Rumors is about the deconstruction of relationships, then Tusk is about the deconstruction of the self. Here we have a band who know each other very intimately- Stevie and Lindsay were a couple, Stevie and Mick had a fling, and the McVie's recently had a divorce. Each member is dealing with the memories of their intense relationships with each other, and coping in different ways. Buckingham has devolved into a paranoid cocaine abuser, Stevie Nicks is clearly traumatized by the betrayal of her new lover Mick Fleetwood as well as her recent abortion, and Christine McVie is still processing her divorce, and the breakdown of the band. This leads to a variety of music that ranges from beautiful, to heart-wrenching, to utterly deranged. "Sara" has one of my favorite drumming performance of all time, and is an utterly beautiful song where Nicks alludes to her aborted baby, Sara, as well as her friend that Fleetwood left her for (also Sara). Fleetwood apparently put 24 hours straight of effort into making the drumming for this song as perfect as possible, and it shows. I could be reading into it to much, but the drum tone almost conveys a sense of remorse that adds to the ethereal bitter-sweetness of the song. McVie's songs aren't quite as depressing as Nicks' contributions, but they exude a similar energy. "Over and Over" is a beautiful opener that sets the tone for what the rest of the album will be, but then is quickly subverted by the bonkers "The Ledge". Buckingham had succumbed to a "blizzard of cocaine" when writing this album, and was apparently obsessed with appealing to Talking Heads fans and Beach Boys fans alike with his compositions. This leads to occasionally beautiful harmonies like those in "Save Me a Place", but usually results in paranoid, angry songs like "Not that Funny". "Tusk" is the culmination of Buckingham's paranoia, which is essentially a song about telling Nicks and Fleetwood that he knows their dirty little secret and can blackmail them whenever he wants, then forces Fleetwood to give the best damn drumming performance of his career on it.

At this point I am rambling, but that in a way is part of what Tusk is. It is rambling and unfocused, but contrary to what other commenters on here say, is devoid of filler. Filler implies that an artist wanted to reach the length of time required for a full album, but that is definitely not what is going on here. Each song has a unique soundscape and purpose that contributes to themes and sound that is Tusk.

Tusk is one of my favourite Fleetwood Mac songs and the rest of the tracks are good but the album would work better as two single albums rather than a double

Not my favorite from FM

If they cut some of the songs here, this album would've been much better, but still great listening experience.

A double album that could have done with a bit of trimming, there are a few duds here but there are still enough good songs to make this a good album. My highlights are Sara, Tusk and Save Me A Place.

Some awesome songs. Some not so awesome songs. Really raw & stripped down which makes it quite a document of their creativity and skill.

too much filler Sara saves it

Coming after the blockbuster success of 1977's Rumours, Tusk is a very weird yet highly interesting and experimental pop/rock album. Lindsay Buckingham was the main driving force behind this album, and due to his fascination with bands like the Talking Heads and in an attempt to make an album that would relevant to the post-punk world, the band made this avant-pop masterpiece. Of course, not every song on this double album is weird and experimental, with songs such as "Sara" sounding more like conventional post-Green Fleetwood Mac songs, albeit of significant high quality. It''s these balance of styles that makes this album great.

I applaud them for not taking the easy route and simply replicating Rumours on this album, when they could very well easily have done so. I would highly recommend a listen. It might not grab you immediately, especially if you listen to this just after Rumours, but it is a fascinating listen.

Sara is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard