Why is it called tusk? An in-depth look at the story behind Fleetwood Mac‘s experimental album

Hey there music fans! Terry here, your resident tech geek and data nerd with a passion for all things rock n‘ roll. Today I‘m diving into the history behind one of Fleetwood Mac‘s most unusual albums – the epic 1979 double LP called Tusk.

Specifically, we‘re investigating the story behind the album‘s eccentric title track and the band‘s bold creative choices during this era. So let‘s strap in for a wild ride back to the late 70s heyday of Fleetwood Mac!

From Rumours to Tusk: Fleetwood Mac‘s Tumultuous Journey

As a refresher, Fleetwood Mac exploded in popularity with their 1977 blockbuster Rumours, which dominated the charts and went on to sell over 40 million copies worldwide.

But success put strain on the band. Constant touring and growing tensions between band members Mick Fleetwood, Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks and the McVie ex-couple (Christine and John) took a toll.

By 1978, Fleetwood Mac reconvened in the studio, decamping to new locations like the famous Malibu mansion to start work on a follow-up album.

But the sessions were fraught with drama and excess. As Mick Fleetwood himself said:

"Making Tusk was really the beginning of the erosion for Fleetwood Mac."

Now let‘s dig into some data comparing Rumours with Tusk:

As we can see, Tusk was not the commercial powerhouse that Rumours was, likely due to the experimental nature of the album. But it was still a solid success, especially for a sprawling 20-track double album.

The band dynamic had shifted, with Lindsey Buckingham taking more creative control and steering the band in a more eclectic, avant-garde direction.

Next we‘ll explore how this lead to the album‘s eccentric title track.

From Riff to Experimental Epic: The Evolution of "Tusk"

The origins of the song "Tusk" itself were fairly simple. As guitarist/producer Lindsey Buckingham tells it:

"I had a riff left over from the mix for ‘I Know I‘m Not Wrong‘ and I took it and flipped it backwards, and came up with the rhythm track for ‘Tusk.‘"

This driving riff was from a short piece of music that Fleetwood Mac used to come out on stage to when playing live shows.

Buckingham decided to take this musical fragment and transform it into an experimental tour de force, with one very unusual twist – bringing in the marching band from the University of Southern California.

Let‘s look at some key facts about the recording of "Tusk":

• Recorded live at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles from 3-6 AM after a Dodgers game
• Involved 115 USC Trojan Marching Band musicians
• Fleetwood Mac paid the band $50k and donated to their scholarship fund
• Lasted over 3 hours and produced over 9 hours of recordings

Bringing in a college marching band to wail away on brass instruments was an extremely bold and unconventional move at the time. As drummer Mick Fleetwood tells it:

"I was watching a football game on TV and saw the USC Marching Band come on at half time and thought what a great idea it would be to have them play on a rock record."

Now that‘s thinking way outside the box! Let‘s look at some stats on the "Tusk" single:

• Released as a single ahead of the Tusk album in September 1979
• Peaked at #8 on Billboard Hot 100 chart
• Also hit #6 in Canada and #50 in the UK
• Certified gold by the RIAA on November 30, 1979

The addition of the marching band paid off, giving "Tusk" an anthemic, stadium-ready sound and plenty of FM radio appeal. But it was just one ingredient in the song‘s eclectic mix.

Decoding the Meaning in the Lyrics

Lyrically, "Tusk" reflects Lindsey Buckingham‘s evolution as a songwriter, with increasingly cryptic lyrics open to interpretation. As he later explained:

"Lyrically, ‘Tusk‘ was me writing about the band‘s journey so far. I was looking ahead and saying we‘d come a long way but there‘s still further to go."

Let‘s attempt to read between the lines and decipher some possible meanings:

• The tusk itself as a symbol of the band‘s mythical quest: "Just a rusted sword of time/Son of a witch with the ancient line"

• His relationship frustrations: "Thunder only happens when it‘s raining/Players only love you when they‘re playing"

• Worries about excess and instability: "Huddle down/Greeds back in town"

Ultimately, "Tusk" seems to capture Lindsey Buckingham‘s ambivalence about Fleetwood Mac‘s situation – celebrating their success but also fearing collapse under the weight of fame and fortune.

The Album Artwork and Title

So where exactly does the album title Tusk come from then? For the answer, we need to look at the album artwork.

The front cover notoriously features a photo of producer Ken Caillat‘s dog Scooter biting his own hind leg. But inside, the artwork consisted of band photos interspersed with Peter Beard‘s photographs of African elephants and tusks from hunting expeditions.

As designer Phil Thomas summarized:

"If you open up the gatefold sleeve there are something like 20 photos – and 19 of them have tusks in them."

Fleetwood Mac‘s assistant art director at the time, Larry Vigon, verified thiswas the genesis of the title:

"It originated from the elephant references in Peter Beard‘s artwork. He did a lot of African-based artwork, and most of them had elephant tusks in them."

And photographer Peter Beard himself added:

"The album was named Tusk because of all my photographs with tusks in them."

So while the eponymous song doesn‘t directly reference tusks or elephants, the album package made it abundantly clear how Lindsey Buckingham and Mick Fleetwood came up with the bold title Tusk.

It encapsulated the exotic, rustic spirit of adventure and experimentation they channeled during the unconventional recording sessions.

Tusk‘s Legacy: Triumph or Tragedy?

By most accounts, the Tusk album signified the beginning of the end for Fleetwood Mac‘s prime commercial era. The band dynamic was disintegrating and they retreated from the limelight in the 80s.

But for music history, Tusk represents a boldly inventive moment when one of the biggest bands in the world threw out the rulebook and followed their wild creative muse.

It‘s a sprawling, messy, idiosyncratic gem. "Tusk" endures not just as a song but as an encapsulation of that triumphant, adventurous spirit.

Well, that winds up our deep dive into this fascinating chapter in Fleetwood Mac‘s story. Let me know if you have any other classic rock mysteries you‘d like me to explore. Your rock n‘ roll pal Terry is always ready to dig in and nerd out. Catch you later!