Revisiting “Tusk”

Editor’s note: Today, I’m taking a look at a favorite album. Let’s take a brief look back at this distinctive album.

Back when Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk was released in 1979, I’d heard that it was quite a musical departure for them, but I bought a copy of the double album through the Columbia House Record Club anyway, on the strength of their previous hit Rumours (1977).

I promptly recorded it on a 90-minute cassette—probably a TDK brand much like this one—so I could listen to it on the car stereo.

It was the golden age of consumer audio—before streaming services reshaped the way we listen today.

But I’ll stay focused on the music.

Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk: A Bold, Experimental Follow-Up to Rumours

Tusk (the album) was released November 3, 1979 and by November 17, it peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200. It stayed on the charts a total of 37 weeks.¹

“Tusk” ² and “Sara”³ charted well and are the two songs most casual listeners may remember best.

“Tusk” created a lot of buzz for including the University of Southern California’s Trojan Marching Band⁴ in the mix. I remember seeing this video released in support of the track; it looked like great fun!

Christine McVie’s piano sets the tone for ‘Sara,’ with Stevie Nicks contributing her characteristic raspy voice.

Some other standouts:

• The slow burn of “Over & Over,” featuring vocals by Christine McVie with Mick Fleetwood’s subtle time-keeping.
• “Storms” is an interplay of Christine’s keyboards and Lindsey Buckingham’s guitar picking, with subtle bass notes from John McVie.
• In the band’s signature style, “Sisters of the Moon” builds slowly with each measure, guitar chuffing and bass throbbing as the song crescendoes and the vocals soar over the soulful guitar solo.
• “Angel” kicks off brightly with the McVies on bass and keyboards (respectively) as Nicks joins in for a song that would be great for a road trip. The interplay of vocals and guitar are classic Fleetwood Mac.

When I bought my copy of 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die in 2018, I wasn’t surprised to see that Tusk was listed there (as was Rumours) .

The book’s entry notes that Tusk was a sprawling, expensive project borrowing from both Brian Eno and Brian Wilson, describing it as a dreamy collage of studio sounds. While not exactly glowing praise, the book provides thoughtful, objective context that helps listeners appreciate the album’s impact.”⁵

Not exactly a glowing review, but the book is full of objective summaries of a variety of music, including details that help the reader understand why an album was impactful, a great way to “discover” music, in my humble opinion..

(In a side note, Mick Fleetwood is quoted as saying that he paid for Dodger Stadium and the USC Trojans Marching Band since everyone thought he’d lost his mind! )⁶

I also learned that the album was considered a “failure” by Warner Bros despite it having obtained sales of four million copies worldwide and a 1981 Grammy nomination for “Best Album Package,”⁷ whose cover famously features a photo of a producer’s dog biting his pants leg⁸.

In all fairness, most of the tracks sung by Buckingham are so experimental they verge on jarring.

Tusk‘s four million copies sold was considered “dismal” compared to its predecessor Rumours, which sold 20 million-plus copies.⁹

It is hard to believe that the album will be 50 years old in just a few short years.

Release History and Track Breakdown of Tusk

Tusk has seen three different releases:

RELEASE	TRACKS	TIME
1979	20	1 hr 14 mins
2015 Expanded Edition	62	3 hrs 51 mins
2015 Deluxe Edition	84	5 hrs 55 mins

Here is a breakdown of each:

Album 1/Side 1

1. “Over & Over”
2. “The Ledge”
3. “Think About Me”
4. “Save Me a Place”
5. “Sara”

Album 1/Side 2

1. “What Makes You Think You’re the One”
2. “Storms”
3. “That’s All for Everyone”
4. “Not That Funny”
5. “Sisters of the Moon”

Album 2/Side 1

1. “Angel”
2. “That’s Enough for Me”
3. “Brown Eyes”
4. “Never Make Me Cry”
5. “I Know I’m Not Wrong”

Album 2/Side 2

1. “Honey Hi”
2. “Beautiful Child”
3. “Walk a Thin Line”
4. “Tusk”
5. “Never Forget”

The Expanded Edition (2015) featured 4 CDs:

• Disc 1, the remastered album
• Discs 2 & 3, various remixes and alternate versions

The Deluxe Edition (2015) featured 5 CDs:

• Disc 1, the remastered album
• Discs 2 & 3, various remixes and alternate versions
• Discs 4 & 5, recordings from live shows

Nostalgia and Shifting Tastes in Music

As the years go by, I find I’ve turned away from popular music to indie rock for enjoyment. I could say that it’s the music-related memories of my formative years that form that bias; but it is probably just that pop music is hasn’t done it for me in a long long time. 

It might be nostalgia speaking, but pop music hasn’t moved me the way it once did.

But I’ll ever cherish the good memories of the songs on this album that got me through my freshman year in high school.

And if you’ve got 8-1/2 minutes to spare, here’s a live performance of ‘Sisters of the Moon.’

Footnotes:

1. Fleetwood Mac: Biography, Music & News . Billboard. (n.d.)  ↩︎
2. “Tusk” peaked at No. 8 in the U.S. Tusk. Music Charts Archive. (2024, September 18). https://musicchartsarchive.com/singles/fleetwood-mac/tusk ↩︎
3. “Sara” peaked at No. 7 slot. Fleetwood Mac. Music Charts Archive.(2024, October 7). Sara. Music Charts Archive. (2024a, September 24). https://musicchartsarchive.com/singles/fleetwood-mac/sara ↩︎
4. Wikimedia Foundation. (2025, May 12). Tusk (song). Recording of the USC Marching Band. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tusk_(song)#Recording_of_the_USC_Marching_Band ↩︎
5. Harrington, Jim. “Fleetwood Mac: Tusk (1979).” 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die,
   edited by Robert Dimery, Universe Publishing, 2017, p. 441. ↩︎
6. Wick, J. (2018, July 25). Let’s revisit Fleetwood Mac’s video for “tusk,” which was filmed at Dodger Stadium in 1979. LAist. https://laist.com/news/entertainment/tusk-video  ↩︎
7. Wikimedia Foundation. (2025, May 10). Tusk (album). Release. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tusk_(album)#Release ↩︎
8. Recordmecca. (2021a, November 15). Fleetwood Mac – Original “tusk” album cover artwork. https://recordmecca.com/products-page/museum-quality-collectibles/fleetwood-mac-original-tusk-album-cover-artwork/ ↩︎
9.  Brannigan, P. (2016, June 10). The 10 most expensive albums ever made. Louder. https://www.loudersound.com/features/most-expensive-rock-albums-ever ↩︎