FLEETWOOD MAC
TUSK
PRESS KIT
THE MAKING OF 'TUSK': A STATE OF THE ART EFFORT
When Fleetwood Mac set out to begin recording its tenth album for Warner Bros. Records, much thought and consideration went into its planning stages. Early on, it was decided that the new album project would be a double-record set, mainly due to the abundance of new music written by the band's three composers.
Tusk, the resulting album, was recorded at the Village Recorder's newest addition, Studio D, in Los Angeles, considered to be a state-of-the-art facility, with Fleetwood Mac the first to make use of it. The Studio was built with the design input and ideas of Fleetwood Mac engineers/co-producers Richard Dashut and Ken Caillat, who, for one thing, wanted a room that would not become unbearable after long hours spent in it during the months to come. In addition, the control room is large enough to comfortably accommodate the eight production contributors in Fleetwood Mac -- the five band members -- Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, Lindsey Buckingham, John McVie and Stevie Nicks -- and the three engineers -- Dashut, Caillat and Hernan Rojas. The control room is also designed to allow eye contact with musicians in each part of the studio.
With Studio D completed, some of the work on the album began in early Summer, 1978, following two months of rehearsals of the new material. The major work began in September after the band's summer concert tour. Recording was completed in June and mixing in July.
"With this album, we wanted to get a more raw sound," engineer Richard Dashut explains. with an eye toward fully accomplishing this, guitarist Lindsey Buckingham set up a studio in his home and worked out his material for the album there. "I wanted to experiment more with different sounds and different ways to record them," says Lindsey. "I wanted to get back to harder, rawer feeling, and I felt that couldn't be achieved as easily or truly in a sophisticated studio situation." Much of Lindsey's work at home is retained on the finished album. '
Another side trip out of the recording studio took the band to Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles in early June to oversee remote recording on Tusk, the title cut and first single release with 112 pieces of the University of Southern California Trojan Marching Band playing live in the stadium outfield. The event was recorded via the Filmways/Heider remote recording truck and filmed for possible future use.
The album was mixed digitally on Soundstream's new digital master recorder under the supervision of Soundstream engineer Rich Feldman. The decision to utilize the digital mixdown system came after considering a number of alternative mixing systems and a demonstration of the equipment. "when you A-B it," explains Mick, "you can definitely tell the difference. I know we were originally afraid it would introduce some artificial quality in the final sound but it didn't." Dashut adds: "We didn't want to add any more surface tape noise to the noise that was already on the 24-track tape when we mixed it down, and with the digital mixdown, that doesn't happen. Digital just reproduces what you put into it, and nothing more."
Editing of the mixed tapes had to be completed in Salt Lake City, Soundstream's headquarters, because the equipment needed to accomplish the intercuts and fades is located there. Fleetwood explains: "Any intercuts you might have just done with a razor blade on a conventional machine, you have to do on a special machine. That's the only major inconvenience, since we're always chopping and changing and splicing tapes."
Another reason for the digital mixdown, according to Dashut, is to preserve the quality of the master tape. "We had a problem maintaining the quality of the Rumours masters after it had to be remastered so many times. The digital two-track master, however, won't wear out, so it will help the consistency in the quality of the pressings with so many being done." Approximately 100,000 records can be pressed from a master before a new one has to be cut and used.
Quality control has always been a major concern of Fleetwood Mac, a band that has been very vocal in the past about its desire for upgrading the quality of its finished tapes beyond industry standards. The group itself incurred added costs following the release of Rumours to insure that the final mastering and plating wouldn't undercut the sound quality of the finished master tape.
"As a band, and as people involved in the production itself -- that includes Richard and Ken, our co-producers, and the rest of us -- we've always been aware that there are all sorts of things that might be done to upgrade the quality," says Fleetwood, "even against the pressure to finish the project. There are things that you can insist upon getting done in our position, but we're using that manipulative power in a positive way, to show people things can be achieved with respect to better quality recordings."
The overall results of these efforts can only be viewed and assessed in the long run -- in the months and the years to come. "With this whole project, we wanted to present something fresh, with a lot of vitality in it," says Mick. "This album may be far more special than even we know."
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FLEETWOOD MAC
"The magic of a band, any band, is in the combination, "Mick Fleetwood explains. "Not one of us can ever deny that's what makes this band special -- the energy that is created by the right group of people. And if the energy's there, you'd just better acknowledge it."
This band is special. Some even call it magic. The band is Fleetwood Mac, whose five members have taken that rare chemistry and turned it into the musical phenomenon of the decade. The current membership of Fleetwood Mac -- Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, John McVie, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham -- has made three albums together, including the latest called Tusk, has sold more than 20 million records and has played live before 2 million people in some 10 countries around the world. All since 1975.
With the release of Tusk, they add more notable statistics to their burgeoning list of accomplishments. An ambitious double album, it contains 20 brand new tunes written by the band's three resident composers and an unusual cover package featuring the work of worid-renowned photographer/artist Peter Beard, as well as photographers Norman Seeff and Jayme Odgers. Tusk surpasses even Fleetwood Mac's own record-setting Rumours album in the sheer number of albums to be pressed and shipped initially.
"There has definitely 'been pressure on us," Mick admitted midway through the recording of Tusk. "People have been telling us we can never manage another Rumours, but we set out with the intention of proving them wrong."
That was a tall order, with Rumours, released in February of 1977, maintaining radio airpiay that is comparable to that of current product for more than 2 anf half years and selling more than 13 million copies worldwide. But Tusk takes Fleetwood Mac one step further into the annals of recording industry history. Lindsey Buckingham brilliantly and succinctly describes the album as "treading the line between imagination and emotion."
Mick Fleetwood elaborates: "The whole idea behind Tusk was to present something very fresh with a lot of vitality in it and a lot of different things. I think we have succeeded."
"The nicest part of this album is that we have proven to ourselves that the band is still in a very healthy state of growth. we have succeeded in bolstering our creative egos rather than just treading water and repeating ourselves. This album may be far more special than we even know."
Fleetwood Mac began in 1967 when guitarist Peter Green, bass guitarist John McVie and drummer Mick Fleetwood, all refugees from John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, formed a band of their own called Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac. They were joined initially by guitarist Jeremy Spencer and later by guitarist Danny Kirwan, to complete an unusual three-guitar frontline.
Descriptions of the changes in the membership of Fleetwood Mac from that point on have made for major opuses in rock journals, the highlights of which were the permanent addition in 1970 of John McVie's then-wife Christine on keyboards and the five-year association of guitarist Bob welch, now a successful solo performer. His departure in December, 1974, opened the door for the addition of guitarist Lindsey Buckingham and vocalist Stevie Nicks, creating the band's best-known and most successful lineup.
The current Fleetwood Mac unit began in January, 1975, by recording an album simply titled Fleetwood Mac, to establish the feeling of a new beginning. From the album emerged the band's first major single in the United States, "Over My Head," on the heels of an extensive U.S. tour. It was followed by another hit, "Rhiannon," which broke into the national Top 20 as the band began work on its next album Rumours. The momentum continued with the single "Say You Love Me" and a year following its initial release, the Fleetwood Mac album went to Number One on the national charts for the first time. when Rumours was released six months later, preceded by the single "Go Your Own Way," it quickly rose to Number One and remained there for an unprecedented six months, aided by subsequent single releases, "Don't Stop," "You Make Loving Fun" and "Dreams," the band's first Number One single.
Along with the list of achievements comes the lengthy list of awards topped by the 1978 Grammy for "Album Of The Year" and numerous other awards from around the world. The world tour that followed the release of Rumours spanned 10 months and 10 countries, including Europe and the Far East, with similar plans being laid for the tour following the release of Tusk.
The unique and sometimes unprecedented accomplishments of Fleetwood Mac have been well documented, but the essence of Fleetwood Mac cannot be overlooked. Says Mick Fleetwood: "We're all doing very well now, of course, but it would be easy to forget where our success comes from -- enjoying the music. We love the music we create and, more than that, we love working together. It's for the music that we stay together."
FLEETWOOD MAC IS:
MICK FLEETWOOD, Drums: Fleetwood is one of the few highly regarded and successful artists who has taken on the added responsibility of managing the band with which he performs. He provides the driving beat behind Fleetwood Mac's music land his intuition and business sense guide the band's career, which he helped salvage from the clutches of an unscrupulous manager. His success with Fleetwood Mac's management has led him to take on the business affairs of several other artists. Mick began drumming at 13, while still in school in London, and cannot imagine doing anything else. He, with John McVie, is a founding member of Fleetwood Mac and has played on all of the band's albums, surviving many incarnations. He collects cars and percussive instruments in what little free time he has and is easily recognizable due to his unusual height -- 6'6".
CHRISTINE McVIE, keyboards and vocals: Chris comes from a musical family -- her father was a professor of music at the university in Birmingham, England, where Chris grew up. She went to art school, obtaining a degree in sculpture, and became a window designer at one of London's top department stores. As Christine Perfect, she joined the blues band Chicken Shack as vocalist and keyboard player, meeting her future husband John McVie with whose band, Fleetwood Mac, Chicken Shack frequently appeared. As a solo performer, she was voted Favorite Female Vocalist in the Melody Maker Reader's Poll in 1969, resulting in one solo album released in the United States as The Legendary Christine Perfect album. She joined Fleetwood Mac officially in 1970, playing piano on the Kiln House album and painting the picture that appears on its cover. Her lifting vocals and memorable lyrics have been a Fleetwood Mac trademark ever since.
LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM, lead guitar and vocals: Raised in the Northern California community of Atheron, Lindsey began preparing subconsciously for a career in music the day he picked up a guitar at age seven. Consciously, his wants were realized in 1967 with the formation of a local garage band consisting of Lindsey on bass and three other schoolmates. That group, called Fritz, later added Stevie Nicks as vocalist and continued to enjoy mild local success. When Fritz broke up, Stevie and Lindsey began a musical collaboration which eventually led to their restituting in Los Angeles. In 1973, they released their own album Buckingham-Nicks and, although this record did not sell, its existence eventually led to their joining Fleetwood Mac when a fluke led to Mick Fleetwood hearing this album immediately after Bob Welch's departure from the band.
Lindsey started writing songs in 1971 and that same year purchased an Ampex 4-track recorder which marked the beginning of a fascination with the art of the recording process. He says: "Because of the structure involved in modern studios, both mechanical and among workers, there can be a horrible lack of passion in the whole recording process. It should be like painting or making love." Buckingham, who is very serious about his work, has been involved with Walter Egan and John Stewart album projects and has made a major contribution to the production of the Tusk album.
STEVIE NICKS, vocals: Stevie began writing songs at age 16 and hasn't stopped since, producing many more tunes than those recorded by Fleetwood Mac. Born in Phoenix, she was well-travelled as a child, the daughter of an executive with companies such as Greyhound and Armour Meats. while still in high school in the San Francisco area, she became the vocalist with the Bay Area band Fritz where she met the then bass-playing Lindsey Buckingham. After the demise of Fritz, the two headed for fame and fortune in Los Angeles as a duo--Buckingham-Nicks -- netting one album in 1973 and a short tour. They joined Fleetwood Mac in January, 1975.
Stevie creates a mesmerizing image onstage with flowing costumes (that she designs herself) and fluid dance movements. Offstage she studies ballet, collects antiques, reads avidly and writes constantly -- both music and prose.
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JOHN McVIE, bass: A founding member of Fleetwood Mac and the other half of its distinctive rhythm section, John began his professional career in England with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers band, a training ground for many of British rock's biggest performers. He is partners with Mick Fleetwood in Seedy Management, the organization which handles the management of Fleetwood Mac.
When not performing with Fleetwood Mac, he can be found on his boat anchored in the Los Angeles Marina or at his home in Maui -- in any case, absorbing the great outdoors. Nick named the "Penguin," he began the band's association with the bird that has become Fleetwood Mac's logo, trademark and mascot.
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FLEETWOOD MAC 1979 WORLD TOUR --- LEG ONE
October
26 Mini Dome, Pocatello, Idaho
27 Dee Events Center, Ogden, Utah
28 Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah
31 McNichols Arena, Denver, Colorado
November
1 McNichols Arena, Denver, Colorado
2 Tingley Coliseum, Albuquerque, New Mexico
5 Checkerdome, St. Louis, Missouri
6 Checkerdome, St. Louis, Missouri
7 Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati, Ohio
10 Coliseum, New Haven, Connecticut
11 Nassau Coliseum, Long Island, New York
12 Nassau Coliseum, Long Island, New York
15 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
16 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
17 Boston, Gardens, Boston, Massachusetts
20 War Memorial, Rochester, New York
21 Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
22 Civic Center, Providence, Rhode Island
25 Capitol Center, Largo, Maryland
26 Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
29 Chrysler Arena, Ann Arbor, Michigan
30 University of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois
December
1 University of Northern Iowa, Unidome, Cedar Falls
4 Forum, Los Angeles, California
5 Forum, Los Angeles, California
6 Forum, Los Angeles, California
9 Sports Arena, San Diego, California
10 Forum, Los Angeles, California
11 Forum, Los Angeles, California
14 Cow Palace, San Francisco, California
15 Cow Palace, San Francisco, California
16 Cow Palace, San Francisco, California
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OTHER INFORMATION REGARDING FLEETWOOD MAC
- The group will be on the road for 52 days.
- They will travel to 22 cities and perform 32 concerts.
- They will play to an estimated one-half million people.
- There are 51 people in their entourage. (This does not include Warner Bros. Records personnel, promoters, wives, or girlfriends or any other family members.)
- Their entourage does include a voice therapist, masseur, and wardrobe supervisor. .
- There are 40 sound cabinets totaling nearly 15,000 pounds
of sound.
- There are 340 lights.
- Total amount of sound and lights and 70,000 pounds or
35 tons.
- Five semis haul the equipment. One truck for sound, one truck for lights, one for band gear, one for trusses and one for the stage.
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