Has any artist at the absolute center of music fame, like Taylor now, ever released an actual flop new record?The only one that comes to mind might be Fleetwood Mac with Tusk.FM was probably most famous band in world at time and their new album was obviously eagerly awaited.But the first single off new album, the single 'Tusk', was a pretty much complete departure from the traditional FM sound on Rumours.And Tusk was a double album, so most chose not to buy the expensive new album with the weird first single. FM's momentum was seriously curtailed I think. (They later released singles like 'Sara' that had the traditional sound, but they never totally regained their pop culture momentum I don't think.)But were there any others? You could say 'Sgt. Peppers' was a significant departure, but it actually ended up increasing the Beatles momentum.
Tusk [Reprise, 1979]A million bucks is what I call obsessive production, but for once it means something. This is like reggae, or Eno--not only don't Lindsey Buckingham's swelling edges and dynamic separations get in the way of the music, they're inextricable from the music, or maybe they are the music. The passionate dissociation of the mix is entirely appropriate to an ensemble in which the three principals have all but disappeared (vocally) from each other's work. But only Buckingham is attuned enough to get exciting music out of a sound so spare and subtle it reveals the limits of Christine McVie's simplicity and shows Stevie Nicks up for the mooncalf she's always been. Also, it doesn't make for very good background noise. B+
>>127962580Forgot this one.This was probably the biggest career momentum changer in past 50 years.In 1995/96, Alanis was arguably the biggest music star since Guns n Roses or Michael Jackson.Her weird follow-up album abruptly began the process where now she's a 'do you remember her?'
>>127962580Angel is actually one of my top played songs. i have over 350 plays. the song is captivating to me, and almost at times almost seems like gibberish - or illustrates a feeling that you can only know through learned experiences... it seems very cryptic unless you've been in that situation[ship]
>>127962580Bruce Springsteen's Tunnel Of Love, Usher's Here I Stand, Ed Sheeran's Subtract
>>127962732Not speaking on quality or stuff like that, just on the effect an album had or didn't on career momentum.And the song you listed is a pretty good example in my eyes.I mean I'm an oldster and know all the Rumor songs forwards and backwards, like probably 95% of my peer who were into music.But I literally never heard that Angel song before (it sounds pretty good, btw, from the minute of it I just listened to). And I would suspect hardly any of my music listening peers did either.Tusk, no matter it's quality or lack there of, kind of killed Fleetwood's momentum with general music-listening public.
>>127962580>2x platinum>flop
>>127962929> RIAA counted one sold double album, like Tusk, as two. So 2 million RIAA actually means 1 million Tusk sold.> RIAA lists 21 million for Rumors. Rumors was single album, so that figure means 21 individual units of Rumors sold.yep, commercial flop.
>>127962915tusk is fantastic in my eyes. i'm 35 and also know rumours from front to back. It's actually crazy to me that after 20 years of tracked listening habits, i've barely touched their early discography because it sadly doesn't grab me. tusk is just more experimental and I can see why they lost people a bit, as it's not for everybody. i also like Mirage
>>127962998when looking into this a little bit, it seems the idea to make 'tusk' more experimental was mostly lindsey buckingham's idea.which is kind of weird in that he and stevie just joined band a few years prior.i guess he and stevie had the most commercial juice tho, and that, more than tenure, probably determines who is more or less the band leader and can have most sway on what direction to go next.
>>127962580
>>127962987no the RIAA started multiplying sales of double albums in the 90s, anyway Rumours sold about 13m at the time and Tusk 2.5m which is a huge flop ofc (that other anon doesn't know what flop means)
>>127962580>And Tusk was a double album, so most chose not to buy the expensive new album with the weird first singleit also came out after the US economy had crashed into the ground in a major recession so people weren't inclined to spend money.
>>127963042Aside from massive Bee Gees burnout, RSO went under and had no money to promote this album. It also had an awful choice of lead single.
>>127963081No, they must have back-dated that counting system to apply to earlier albums if the system only started in 90's.Because Pink Floyd The Wall is always listed as selling twice what it actually sold, because it was a double album.AI: "Yes, the RIAA counted each disc of a multi-disc album as a separate unit toward its certification, meaning Pink Floyd's The Wall, a double album, was counted twice, allowing it to reach a 23x Multi-Platinum certification."
>>127962580This comes to mind.
>>127962987The failure of Tusk and every subsequent Mac album to so totally capture the zeitgeist the way Rumours and S/T did just reinforces the notion that Stevie (and to a lesser extent Christine) were the only members any normies cared about and that Lindsay even at his most accessible was still too quirky for the hoes.
>>127962580it flopped because it filtered millions of plebs. this is the band's opus and every member is at their creative peak
Tusk is the superior album. The fact that it wasn’t as popular among 70’s housewives is a badge of honor
>>127962718And this happened twice because in Canada her first record was a big success and the second not so much ( after this she went to America and released jagged little pill)
>puts the final nail in the coffin for the Beatles>takes the brunt of the scrutiny because of it even though it wasn't his fault>defies their label and the band by releasing this at the same time as Let It Be>it's a bunch of half-cooked song ideas with a few gemsI like this album but it's a very weak solo debut considering the controversy and hype behind it and because of that, even more people turned on Paul. If it were Ram, there wouldn't have been nearly as much of a backlash.
You could tell Lindsey just wanted a solo career at that point.
Either this or the album after it.
>>127964160like the Bee Gees, massive overexposure so everyone got tired of them
>>127962580Tusk is a great single. Plenty of good "B sides" too. Including ones for the housewives (Sisters of the Moon).
Her album with the Flaming Lips was a big flop but I'd rather listen to this than almost anything else by Miley
The new Doja Cat.
