Back to This Week in Music History: September 30 - October 6

October 6, 1979: Fleetwood Mac Release 'Tusk'

Warner

Fleetwood Mac released their Tusk album on this day. The double-album was considered one of the band's most experimental releases because of its flirtations with punk and new wave.

The most interesting thing about Tusk was probably the business behind it. Although the album sold four million copies and hit #1 in the UK and #4 in the US, it was considered a business failure because the band had spent a then-unheard of million dollars recording it. The label blamed band leader Lindsey Buckingham's excesses for its unprofitability. Buckingham says tape trading based on recordings of advance album plays on radio stations caused poor sales.