"…I've Always Been A Storm..."
Following
the global monolith that was 1977's "Rumours" (the most successful
Rock album in history at that point) – Fleetwood Mac didn't cow down to 'more
of the same please' cries from WB executives pandering to a post-punk world
that wanted (nay demanded) more radio-friendly relationship angst. Instead they
stuck to their artistic guns, went all Communist and produced the workers warts
'n' all double-album sprawl that was "Tusk" in the autumn of 1979.
Not
everyone was pleased – many of who were fans. I remember at the time
"Tusk" was greeted with a kind of 'what's this all about?'
bewilderment and even palatable disappointment. Sure it looked nice with its
four beautiful but slightly wasteful and pointless inner sleeves. But what was
this Neil Young grunge guitar from Buckingham on tunes that seemed to repeat a
single lyric line from start to finish? Or that title-song used as lead off
7" single with the Trojan Marching Band sounding like an engineer with a
bad ear-infection had recorded them in a very rusty bucket? And why were all
the tunes so relentlessly whiny and miserable? While "Tusk" managed
the top slot in the UK LP charts – it made only No. 4 in the USA – which after
the juggernaut of "Rumours" was a major come down...
But
of course time and distance has turned "Tusk" into an altogether
different musical beast – revered and beloved by fans and even sometimes cited
by the true faithful in moments of drunken abandon as 'better' than
"Rumours". Well this truly awesome 2015 Warner Brothers '3-CD
Expanded Edition' certainly wants to make you reassess and re-appreciate that
1978/1979 splurge of creativity – even put up a case that suddenly Fleetwood
Mac's "Tusk" demands respect. And I think they're right. Here are the
Sisters Of The Moon...
Released
4 December 2015 - "Tusk: 3-CD Expanded Edition" by FLEETWOOD MAC on
Warner Brothers 081227950842 (Barcode 081227950842) is a 3CD Reissue/Remaster
and plays out as follows:
Disc
1 "Tusk (Original Album)" 2015 Remaster (74:25 minutes):
1.
Over & Over [Side 1]
2.
The Ledge
3.
Think About Me
4.
Save Me A Place
5.
Sara
6.
What Makes You Think You're The One [Side 2]
7.
Storms
8.
That's All For Everyone
9.
Not That Funny
10.
Sisters Of The Moon
11.
Angel [Side 3]
12.
That’s Enough For Me
13.
Brown Eyes
14.
Never Make Me Cry
15.
I Know I'm Not Wrong
16.
Honey Hi [Side 4]
17.
Beautiful Child
18.
Walk A Thin Line
19.
Tusk
20.
Never Forget
Tracks
1 to 12 are the double-album "Tusk" - released October 1979 in the UK
on Warner Brothers K 66088 and in the USA on Warner Brothers 2HS 3350. It
reached Number 1 in the UK and No. 4 in the USA LP charts.
Disc
2 "Singles, Outtakes, Sessions" (77:37 minutes):
1.
Think About Me (Single Remix, 2:46 minutes) – February 1980 US 7" single
on Warner Brothers WBS-49196, A
2.
That's All For Everyone (Remix, 2:52 minutes)
3.
Sisters Of The Moon (Remix, 4:43 minutes) – May 1980 US 7" single on
Warner Brothers WBS-49500, A
4.
Not That Funny (Single Remix) – February 1980 UK 7" single on Warner
Brothers K 17577, A as "It's Not That Funny"
5.
Sara (Single Edit, 4:40 minutes) – December 1979 US 7" single on Warner
Brothers WBS 49150
6.
Walk A Thin Line (3/13/79 Song No. 3)
7.
Honey Hi (10/18/78 Version)
8.
Storms (11/30/78 Version)
9.
Save Me A Place (10/10/78 2nd Version)
10.
Never Make Me Cry (4/17/79 Version)
11.
Out On The Road (12/19/78 Demo – "That's Enough For Me")
12.
I Know I'm Not Wrong (Demo – Lindsey's Song No. 1)
13.
I Know I'm Not Wrong (10/10/78 Version)
14.
I Know I'm Not Wrong (11/3/78 Version)
15.
I Know I'm Not Wrong (4/25/79 Version)
16.
I Know I'm Not Wrong (8/13/79 Version)
17.
I Know I'm Not Wrong (1/23/79 Version)
18.
Tusk (1/15/79 Demo)
19.
Tusk "Stage Riff" (1/30/79 Demo)
20.
Tusk (21/1/79 Outtake)
21.
Tusk (1/23/79 Outtake Mix)
22.
Tusk (6/4/79 USC Version)
Tracks
9, 11 and 13 to 22 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Tracks
6 to 8, 10 and 12 first appeared on the March 2004 2CD Remaster of
"Tusk" and were Previously Unreleased at the time
Disc
3 "The Alternate Tusk" (79:44 minutes):
1.
Over & Over (4/2/79) [Side 1]
2.
The Ledge (3/13/79)
3.
Think About Me (2/18/79)
4.
Save Me A Place (10/18/78)
5.
Sara (3/10/79)
6.
What Makes You Think You're The One (2/24/79) [Side 2]
7.
Storms (6/2/79)
8.
That's All For Everyone (10/20/78)
9.
Not That Funny (5/19/79)
10.
Sisters Of The Moon (11/12/78)
11.
Angel (4/2/79) [Side 3]
12.
That's Enough For Me (9/29/78)
13.
Brown Eyes (with Lindsey Buckingham & Peter Green, 9/20/78)
14.
Never Make Me Cry (2/8/79)
15.
I Know I'm Not Wrong (11/2/78)
16.
Honey Hi (10/11/78) [Side 4]
17.
Beautiful Child (10/8/78)
18.
Walk A Thin Line (4/6/79)
19.
Tusk (7/19/79)
20.
Never Forget (6/29/78)
Tracks
1, 3, 4, 6 to 9 and 11 to 20 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Tracks
2, 5 and 10 first appeared on the March 2004 2CD Remaster of "Tusk"
and were Previously Unreleased at the time
It's
presented in a tactile and pleasing four-way foldout card digipak (dog photo
embossed on the cover) - the four inner flaps having beautiful black and white
outtake photos from a shoot that sees all five members of the band larking
about in front of the camera (I think most of these are unseen). The other two
flaps reproduce two sides of the four inner sleeves while each CD has the same
colouring as the album cover. The 24-page booklet is a pleasingly in-depth
affair with new Liner Notes from JIM IRVIN called "The Elephant In The
Room: The Background To Tusk" (Pages 2 to 9) and Track-by-Track song
analysis with contributions from LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM, STEVIE NICKS and MICK
FLEETWOOD (Pages 10 to 15) followed by Lyrics, Photos and Reissue Credits.
Long-time Rhino and Warner Brothers Audio Engineers BILL INGLOT and DAN HERSCH
have handled the transfers and Remasters – and beautiful is the only word to
describe it. The 2004 version had fabulous audio too but here they've somehow
found more depth – sleepers like "Brown Eyes" and "Never
Forget" sound breathtaking. The band trusted Inglot and Hersch with
"Rumours" and anyone who's heard that beauty will know what to expect
here...
Album
tracks that stand out in the improvement stakes are the gorgeous Christine
McVie opener "Over & Over" (the first of six compositions she did
for the album – Tracks 3, 13, 14, 16 and 20 are the others) and both of the
truly haunting love songs "Storms” and "Beautiful Child" by
Stevie Nicks. Lindsey Buckingham's "The Ledge" and "What Makes
You Think You're The One" both sound gimmicky still – but not so his brilliant
and layered "That's All For Everyone" (fantastic harmonies) and the
mellow "Walk A Thin Line". Christine's "Think About Me" is
probably closest to that "Rumours" sound (the remixed single version
has real clout) – but its Nicks who dominates the double with the soft and
harsh – light and dark of "Sara" and "Sisters Of The Moon".
It ends on a McVie ballad that is 'so' Fleetwood Mac – so slyly sweet - the
plaintive and prophetic "Never Forget". A great job done by Inglot
and Hersch...
Of
the Extras - It won’t take long for fans to notice than the 2CD 'Expanded
Remaster' of "Tusk" from March 2004 has superb previously unreleased
outtakes like "Come On Baby (Never Forget)", "Kiss And Run"
and "Farmer's Daughter" which are clearly a no-show here – so you
can't quite throw that 2CD baby out of the bathwater just yet. What you do get
in 2015 is the full 20-track album newly Remastered on Disc 1, six rare
remixes/7" single edits of album cuts and 29 Previously Unreleased
Versions/Outtakes across Discs 2 and 3 along with other tracks from previous
reissues. There's even an entire 'Alternate Version' of the 2LP set on Disc 3
with a whopping 17 out of the 20 tracks being unheard before. You can't argue
that you don't get diversity (quality and quantity too).
The
first Previously Unreleased outtake from the sessions is a 3rd version of
"Walk A Thin Line" dated March 1979 – Lindsey chugging away on Guitar
while Mick hammers the drum kit and the ladies harmonise trying to find that
mood and groove (its bloody good too). But then you're hit with something
really special – the loveliest version of "Save Me A Place" which is
all Buckingham vocals and high acoustic guitars. As a Previously Unreleased
outtake (credited as a 2nd version) – it's properly worthy of the moniker
'bonus'. A really great variant of "Out On The Road" (an early
version of "That's Enough For Me") graced the 2004 2CD set. Here we
get a Demo that's all over the place but stylistically cool and interesting as
they search for something inside all that chugging and vocal shouting (mumbles
rather than words). One of the undoubted highlights of Disc 2 on the 2004
Remaster was Version No. 1 of "I Know I'm Not Wrong" which is an
Instrumental in its earliest form. The compilers have decided (not surprisingly)
to repeat it here but also follow it with 5 more rock-guitar variants – the
song developing from take to take. In October 1978 Buckingham has a 'here comes
the night' and 'I Know I'm Not Wrong' lyric in place while he ad-libs the rest.
Come November 1978 the drums and guitar and more developed as are the full set
of lyrics and suddenly the song is motorvatin'. By the time you get to August
1979 (the song as we know it) "I Know I'm Not Wrong" is almost fully
formed. It might seem indulgent putting on six versions in a row - but actually
when they're this good - it's a properly fab look into the process and it
doesn’t bore because the song is great in the first place. It could just be me
but I'd swear that there's an unidentified child's voice at the beginning of
the January 1979 demo of "Tusk". Whatever you hear – it's
more-drawn-out five-minutes is beautifully recorded with just Guitar and Drums
whacking your speakers while Buckingham ad-libs vocals wails. The 'Stage Riff'
version is an utter blast and even better – Buckingham playing a distorted
guitar while Christine McVie gives it some Clavinet. By the time you get to the
late January and early February 1979 mixes of the track – Buckingham has the
'don't tell me that you love me' roared chorus in place.
For
me the 'Alternate Tusk' is a brill idea that works way better than it should.
All 20 songs run in the same order but all are alternates (17 never heard
before). While "The Ledge" is virtually indistinguishable to the
finished track – both "Over And Over" feature thrilling new passages
– a longer piano run on "Over and Over" and a different
arrangement/added duet Stevie Nicks vocals on "Think About Me". The
gorgeous "Save Me A Place" is another outtake winner – all beautiful
acoustic guitars and ensemble vocal harmonies that makes Fleetwood Mac feel as
special as Don Henley and Glenn Frey whenever they pitch their larynxes at any
song. Stevie Nick's "Sara" started out as a monumental 16-minute
demo, proceeded to a "...I want to be a star...I don't want to be a
cleaning lady...." mix at 8:48 minutes, made the album version at 6:30 and
then got chopped further down to a 7” single edit at 4:40. Here they use the
8:48 minute version – very cool stuff.
I
actually prefer the unreleased 'more guitars' version of "What Makes You
Think You're The One" - better to my ears than the finished article which
seemed to loose something to over production. The very acoustic guitar take of
"Storms" still has that aching pain in her vocal and lyrics – but the
finished version that's on the album is still the one. "Never Make Me
Cry" is radically altered and fab for it too. But one of the real prizes
on here will be the 5:09 minutes of "Brown Eyes" with Peter Green's
guitar work which was relegated to an uncredited 'end section' of the song on
the album at 4:27 minutes. Now you can 'hear' those famous licks and
Greeny-style as it trucks along to the finish line (how good is this)...
Reissues
and Remasters come in for stick from fans – and in some cases – rightly so
(look at Disc 2 of McCartney's 2012 version of "Ram" – pitiful 33
minutes of which 80% is unlistenable dreck). But presently languishing in
Amazon's empty warehouse at £7.99 (March 2016) – Fleetwood Mac's 2015 3-CD
Deluxe Edition overhaul of "Tusk" is not one of those crappy
cash-ins. Time to welcome the mongrel back into your musical doghouse...
This review is part of my SOUNDS GOOD Music Book Series. One of those titles is CLASSIC 1970s ROCK - an E-Book with over 250 entries and 2100 e-Pages - purchase on Amazon and search any artist or song (click the link below). Huge amounts of info taken directly from the discs (no cut and paste crap).
