Fleetwood Mac was formed in the late 1960s by former members of John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers. After several changes to their lineup, the band relocated to the United States in 1974 and recruited Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham. Their self-titled 1975 album was a massive success, paving the way for the even more successful Rumours, which was released in 1977. The album, which saw its creators draw on their complex romantic relationships for subject matter, left the band exhausted and disillusioned.
For the group’s next album, Buckingham knew that trying to top Rumours in terms of pop songcraft would be impossible. Instead, he decided to take a sharp turn into the leftfield, resulting in the band’s most experimental album to date, Tusk. Buckingham was interested in incorporating the vitality of the nascent new wave movement into Fleetwood Mac’s sound and moving away from radio-friendly pop. Although Tusk sold a fraction of what Rumours did, it is widely considered one of Fleetwood Mac’s finest and most forward-thinking records.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Buckingham stated that Tusk is his preferred Fleetwood Mac album, and he considers the title track as his favorite song from the band’s repertoire. He explained that it is not solely because of the music but also because of the reason behind the album’s creation. According to him, it set him on a different path that was challenging to navigate, balancing between the big machine of Fleetwood Mac and the small machine of his solo work.
“I was very interested in confounding external expectations, not bowing to those expectations and starting to paint ourselves into a corner creatively by continuing to try to make Rumours 2 or 3.” “For that reason, not just the song ‘Tusk,’ but the album Tusk is probably my favourite album. Not necessarily for the music, but for why we did it — and it set me off on this alternative path that was a tightrope to walk between the big machine of Fleetwood Mac and the small machine of solo work that followed.”
Despite the band’s long hiatus, their music remains as popular as ever, and Buckingham’s revelation about his favorite track and album is sure to delight Fleetwood Mac fans. If you haven’t heard ‘Tusk’ yet, you can give it a listen and see why it holds such a special place in Buckingham’s heart.