Pick four songs from any band and you can tell a lot about their sound. This summer, I’m featuring #RockBlocks, four picks from bands across various genres. They might be wildly different from each other, but what binds them together is the fact that they’re all a part of my life soundtrack.
USC’s marching band made a cameo on “Tusk” to ensure this already percussion-driven track had all the power it needed to be exceptional at one thing only — which was to shove the rhythm into the foreground. On “Tusk”, a coherent melody is almost indecipherable. It was unlike any other Fleetwood Mac song, but it has become one of their most well-known songs and has frequently appeared on live setlists.
When I listen to “Tusk”, I think they’re talking about male-female dynamics. But the atmosphere screams jungles, warpaint, tribal dances around a fire and dead animals on a spit. Every percussion element plays an integral role in the ritual — from McVie’s bass line to the floor toms. But the most unusual aspect of the song is Mick Fleetwood’s use of non-musical objects. At one point, he’s literally slapping a leg of lamb with a spatula. “Tusk” is rough, raw and uninhibited, making a great song like Peter Gabriel’s “Games Without Frontiers” seem tame in comparison.
“Hooga haaga hooga. Don't say that you love me. Just tell me that you want me. Tusk.”