Tusk (album)

This article is about the Fleetwood Mac album. For the Camper Van Beethoven album, a remake of this one, see Tusk (Camper Van Beethoven album).
"Angel (Fleetwood Mac song)" redirects here. For an earlier song by the band with the same title, see Heroes Are Hard to Find.

Tusk
Studio album by
Fleetwood Mac
Released12 October 1979
Recorded1978–1979
StudioThe Village Recorder, Los Angeles, California
Genre
Length74:02
LabelWarner Bros.
Producer
Fleetwood Mac chronology
Rumours
(1977) 		Tusk
(1979) 		Live
(1980)
Singles from Tusk
  1. "Tusk"
    Released: September 1979
  2. "Sara"
    Released: December 1979
  3. "Not That Funny"
    Released: March 1980 (UK)[5]
  4. "Think About Me"
    Released: March 1980 (US)
  5. "Sisters of the Moon"
    Released: June 1980
  6. "Angel"
    Released: July 1980

Tusk is the twelfth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released as a double album on 12 October 1979 in the United States and on 19 October 1979 in the United Kingdom[6] by Warner Bros. Records.[7][8] It is considered more experimental than their previous albums, partly as a consequence of Lindsey Buckingham's sparser songwriting arrangements and the influence of post-punk.[9] The production costs were initially estimated to be about $1 million but many years later were revealed to be about $1.4 million (equivalent to $5.88 million in 2023), making it the most expensive rock album recorded to that date.[10][11]

The band embarked on a nine-month tour to promote Tusk. They travelled extensively across the world, including the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Japan, France, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK. In Germany, they shared the bill with Bob Marley. On this world tour, the band recorded music for the Fleetwood Mac Live album, released in 1980.[12]

Compared to 1977's Rumours, which sold ten million copies by February 1978, Tusk was regarded as a commercial failure by the label, selling four million copies. In 2013, NME ranked Tusk at number 445 in their list of "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".[13] The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[14] In 2000, it was voted number 853 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.[15]

  1. ^ "Tusk - Fleetwood Mac | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference RSreview was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Grimstad, Paul. "What is Avant-Pop?". The Brooklyn Rail.
  4. ^ Molanphy, Chris (14 January 2023). "Thinking About Tomorrow Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  5. ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 30.
  6. ^ "BPI".
  7. ^ "...group's new Tusk album scheduled to be released today..." (12 October 1979). "A Star for Fleetwood Mac". Los Angeles Times. pp. A44.
  8. ^ "Tusk - Fleetwood Mac | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  9. ^ Elan, Priya (4 August 2011). "Album A&E – Fleetwood Mac, 'Tusk'". NME. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  10. ^ "The 10 Most Expensive Albums Ever Recorded". HowStuffWorks. 29 April 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  11. ^ "15 Albums That Cost a Fortune to Make". Mental Floss. 8 July 2014. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  12. ^ Brackett, Donald (2007). Fleetwood Mac: 40 Years of Creative Chaos. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 150. ISBN 9780275993382.
  13. ^ "Rocklist.net....NME: The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time : October 2013". Rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  14. ^ Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (7 February 2006). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 0-7893-1371-5.
  15. ^ Colin Larkin (2000). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 264. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.