Tusk (song) – Wikipedia

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1979 single by Fleetwood Mac

“Tusk” is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac from the 1979 double LP of the same name. The song peaked at number eight in the United States for three weeks, reached number six in the United Kingdom (where it was certified Silver for sales of over 250,000 copies), number five in Canada, and number three in Australia.

The single was released with two different picture sleeves in many territories: the first featured the black and white picture of producer/engineer Ken Caillat’s dog Scooter snapping at a trouser leg, the same as that used for the album cover, whilst the second featured a plain cover with the same font as the album cover but without the dog picture. A limited promotional 12-inch version, featuring mono and stereo versions, was also released to US radio stations.

A slightly different mix of the track appeared on the retrospective four-disc compilation 25 Years – The Chain in 1992.

History[edit]

Looking for a title track for the as yet unnamed album, Mick Fleetwood suggested that they take the rehearsal riff that Lindsey Buckingham used for sound-checks.[2] Producers Richard Dashut and Ken Caillat then created a drum-driven production. In addition to the standard drum kit, Fleetwood Mac also experimented with different found sounds on the song. Fleetwood and Buckingham played lamb chops and a Kleenex box on the track respectively.[3]

I’m playing floor toms, and I overdubbed a lot of American Indian wood tribal drums. It’s a whole hodgepodge of Kleenex boxes, drums, weird stuff, slapping of lamb chops and things. I got a big leg of lamb in there somewhere – I’m hitting it with a spatula.

At the request of Mick Fleetwood, the band recruited the University of Southern California’s Trojan Marching Band to play on the single. A mobile studio was installed in Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium to record the marching band.[5] The recording session took place on June 4, 1979.[6] Some recorded footage of the session made it into the song’s music video.[7]John McVie was in Tahiti during the Dodger Stadium recording, but he is represented in the video by a cardboard cutout carried around by Mick Fleetwood and later positioned in the stands with the other band members.[8]

The Trojan Marching Band’s contributions set a record for the highest number of musicians performing on a single.[citation needed] At the time, the marching band had 112 members.[9] During a game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on October 4, 1980, Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, and Mick Fleetwood presented the Trojan Band with a platinum disc for their contributions on “Tusk”.[10] The song was also performed with the Trojan Band during Fleetwood Mac’s 1997 concert for the recording of the live album The Dance.[11]

For the Tusk Tour, the band used an Oberheim four-voice synthesizer played by keyboard tech Jeffery Sova to cover the horn parts. An OB-X with a cassette interface was kept backstage if the Four-Voice broke down. Christine McVie, who expected to play a percussion part for live renditions of “Tusk”, instead opted to play the accordion. “I never planned on learning the accordion…It was just laying around the stage one day. I wasn’t sure what I was going to play on ‘Tusk’. I thought I might wind up playing some kind of percussion, but I just picked it up and started doing the riff.”[12]

In 2014, it was featured on the soundtrack of Kevin Smith’s movie of the same name.

Reception[edit]

Billboard described Tusk as “an eerie combination of vocals and a heavy percussion track.” Billboard suggested that it was “not as accessible” as other Fleetwood Mac songs and that it was more difficult to “get a handle” on the hook.[13]Cash Box said it “may mystify some with its droning drum beat, the inclusion of the USC Marching Band and dissonant break” but it has a mesmerizing quality.”[14]Record World called it “a unique departure” for the band and said that “The drum-led rhythm and chant-like vocals merge into a thick tribal dance.”[15]

Personnel[edit]

Additional personnel

Certifications[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ “BPI certifications for Fleetwood Mac”.
  2. ^ “Lindsey Buckingham breaks down 10 of his best guitar riffs”. www.msn.com. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  3. ^ Elan, Priya. “Album A&E – Fleetwood Mac ‘Tusk’“. NME.com. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  4. ^ Bosso, Joe. “Mick Fleetwood: my 11 greatest recordings of all time – Tusk (1979)”. MusicRadar.com. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  5. ^ Evans, Mike (2011). Fleetwood Mac: The Definitive History. New York: Sterling. p. 167. ISBN 978-1-4027-8630-3.
  6. ^ Kreps, Daniel (30 October 2015). “Fleetwood Mac Prep Massive ‘Tusk’ Reissue”. Rolling Stone.
  7. ^ Kielty, Martin. “How a Trip to France Saved Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Tusk’“. Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  8. ^ “Burnish.net”. Archived from the original on 7 October 2006. Retrieved 3 June 2008.
  9. ^ Reed, Ryan (11 October 2019). “Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Tusk’: 10 Things You Didn’t Know”. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  10. ^ Rees, Dafydd; Luke Crampton (1991). Rock Movers & Shakers. Billboard Books.
  11. ^ Rado, Alicia Di. “Hit Play: Albums from the Trojan Marching Band”. USC News. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  12. ^ “From the Archive: Christine McVie – KeyboardMag”. www.keyboardmag.com. Archived from the original on 10 July 2015. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
  13. ^ “Top Single Picks” (PDF). Billboard Magazine. 29 September 1979. p. 71. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  14. ^ “CashBox Singles Reviews” (PDF). Cash Box. 29 September 1979. p. 18. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  15. ^ “Hits of the Week” (PDF). Record World. 29 September 1979. p. 1. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  16. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  17. ^ “Fleetwood Mac – Tusk” (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  18. ^ “Fleetwood Mac – Tusk” (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  19. ^ “RPM 100 Singles”. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  20. ^ The Irish Charts (9 November 2009). “The Irish Charts – All there is to know : Search by Artist (Fleetwood Mac)”. Irish Charts / IRMA – Irish Recorded Music Association. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011.
  21. ^ “Nederlandse Top 40 – week 44, 1979” (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  22. ^ “Fleetwood Mac – Tusk” (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  23. ^ “Fleetwood Mac – Tusk”. Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  24. ^ “Fleetwood Mac: Artist Chart History”. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  25. ^ “Fleetwood Mac Chart History (Hot 100)”. Billboard. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  26. ^ “Cash Box Top 100 Singles, November 10, 1979”. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  27. ^ “Offiziellecharts.de – Fleetwood Mac – Tusk”. GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  28. ^ “Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – 1979”. Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  29. ^ “Kent Music Report No 288 – 31 December 1979 > National Top 100 Singles for 1979”. Kent Music Report. Retrieved 10 January 2023 – via Imgur.com.
  30. ^ “Image : RPM Weekly – Library and Archives Canada”. Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  31. ^ “Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1979”. Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  32. ^ “Jaaroverzichten – Single 1979”. dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  33. ^ “Top 100 Singles of 1979” (PDF). Record Mirror. London: Spotlight Publications. 5 January 1980. p. 30. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  34. ^ Cash Box Year-End Charts: 1979/Top 100 Pop Singles, December 29, 1979 Archived 2014-07-13 at the Wayback Machine
  35. ^ “National Top 100 Singles for 1980”. Kent Music Report. 5 January 1981. Retrieved 17 January 2022 – via Imgur.
  36. ^ “Talent in Action” Billboard December 20, 1980: TIA-10
  37. ^ “Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts”. GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  38. ^ “International Certifications” (PDF). Cash Box. 21 June 1980. p. 40. Retrieved 3 December 2021 – via World Radio History.
  39. ^ “British single certifications – Fleetwood Mac – Tusk”. British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 26 October 2019.

External links[edit]


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