Lindsey Buckingham Once Said Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Tusk’ Could Be Considered His ‘First Solo Album’
Lindsey Buckingham is largely responsible for Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk, and the guitar player has since said that the 1979 record could be considered his “first solo album.” Here’s what Buckingham said about Tusk and the new solo album he’s working on in 2023.
Lindsay Buckingham said ‘Tusk’ was Fleetwood Mac’s most underappreciated album
In a 2021 interview with Vulture, Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham was asked what he thought was the band’s most underappreciated song.
“It wasn’t so much about the song than it was the whole album Tusk and the fact that everyone was expecting Rumours II,” he responded. “We gave them something totally different. When Tusk came out with the song and the album, people either got why we did it and appreciated the departure we’d made, or it alienated them.”
Buckingham said Tusk gained more appreciation over the years, and he also said it was his most fulfilling Fleetwood Mac album.
“I think Tusk has stood the test of time and it’s one that resonates with fellow artists more in a lot of ways,” he said. “It also has become understood in terms of why it was done and is appreciated for that. But in the moment, it definitely divided up the room.”
Lindsey Buckingham said Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Tusk’ could be considered his ‘first solo album’
Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsy Buckingham once said that Tusk set the tone for his solo work, and he even claimed that the 1979 record could be considered his “first solo album.”
When asked what Tusk represented to him in 2008, Buckingham replied (per Stevie Nicks Info), “It was the beginning of everything for me. You could look at that almost as a first solo album. Certainly it was the setting of a tone to which I still try to adhere. A point of departure in terms of what I think is important.”
He said the band’s 1977 record Rumours, their best-selling album to date, taught him that success could be surprisingly limiting.
“I don’t think I would’ve gotten to that point had we not had this hugely successful album preceding Tusk,” Buckingham shared. “I gained perspective on the lack of freedom that success can give you.”
The guitar player is working on a new solo album
After making Tusk with Fleetwood Mac, Lindsey Buckingham went on to record seven solo studio albums. He continued his solo work after being fired from the band in 2018.
Buckingham also made an album with Fleetwood Mac keyboardist Christine McVie. One month after McVie died in November 2022, Buckingham revealed that he was working on a new solo record.
“Although 2022 was certainly a positive year in many respects, it was also a year of loss and disappointment,” he revealed in a Dec. 30 Instagram post. “The sad passing of several of my longtime soulmates has been profoundly heartbreaking. And a largely successful year of touring was unexpectedly cut short at the end due to challenges with my health.”
Besides McVie’s death, Buckingham had to cut his European tour short due to health issues. He wrapped the run early after performing at The London Palladium on Oct. 1.
The “Go Your Own Way” singer said the year’s drawbacks only inspired him “to remain in the moment and to continue to move forward.” “Happily, my health has returned, and I’ve begun work on a new album,” he shared.
