4 Mind-Blowing Facts About Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Tusk’

After the release of Fleetwood Mac’s powerhouse 1977 record Rumours, a lot was on the band’s shoulders to release something just as good or even better. Unfortunately, that didn’t quite happen. Let’s take a look at a few mind-blowing facts behind Fleetwood Mac’s 1979 album Tusk.

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1. It Cost Over $1 Million to Produce

Tusk is considered one of the most expensive albums of all time. The production costs behind the album were estimated to be about $1 million in 1978. However, years later, the cost was revealed to be closer to $1.4 million. For reference, that’s about $6 million in 2024 money.

So, why was Tusk such a pricey project? According to one member of the band, it didn’t have as much to do with the music as it did with the frivolous things the band was buying at the time. Though, the studio they were using charged “a f**k of a lot of money”, according to Lindsey Buckingham.

“Recording ‘Tusk’ was quite absurd,” said Christine McVie. “The studio contract rider for refreshments was like a phone directory. Exotic food delivered to the studio, crates of champagne.”

2. It Was a Hefty Commercial Flop

Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk, despite their best efforts, was considered by many to be a commercial flop upon its release in 1979. Though, at the time, you wouldn’t have guessed as much. The record boasted new creative directions and didn’t feel like a cash grab. A number of songs from Tusk were radio hits, too. 

However, Tusk did not sell as much as Rumours did. Some consider the record a flop because it was such an expensive endeavor that couldn’t be paid off easily.

3. Lindsey Buckingham Played a Kleenex Box as a Drum on ‘Tusk’

While working on Tusk, Lindsey Buckingham and Mick Fleetwood did a bit of home studio work outside of the rest of the band. Those mini studio sessions yielded demos that became Tusk tracks, including “That’s Enough For Me”, “Save Me A Place”, and “The Ledge”.

Interestingly enough, for certain songs on the record, Buckingham played a Kleenex box as a snare drum, which Fleetwood later overdubbed with his own drum tracks.

4. Stevie Nicks Cursed a Producer’s Dog Over a Dispute Involving the Cover of ‘Tusk’

Well, we have to say, this is a very Stevie Nicks thing to do. As if things surrounding Fleetwood Mac’s record Tusk couldn’t get more stressful, a dispute was born between Nicks and a producer over the cover image for the album.

Allegedly, Fleetwood promised Nicks that the cover art for the album would feature a photo of Nicks twirling around and dancing. However, producer Ken Caillat allowed a photographer to photograph his dog, which ultimately became the cover art for the album. Nicks told Caillat that she cursed his dog for stealing her cover. Allegedly, the dog died. Spooky!

Photo by MPIRock/MediaPunch via Getty Images

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