The Vinyl Word: classic albums turning 40 this year

Fleetwood Mac's album Tusk turns 40 this year. Photo / Getty Images

This year is a milestone year for several classic albums that celebrate their 40th anniversary and are still as relevant today as they were when they were released.

Let's start with the legendary Fleetwood Mac's Tusk.

This was the band's 12th studio album and was released in October 1979. At the time of recording it was the most expensive rock album ever recorded.

The production costs were estimated to have been over US$1 million (equivalent to $3.45 million today).

The double album was considered more experimental than their previous albums and contained tracks like the title track Tusk that involved the full band along with the USC Trojan Marching Band with a live performance of the band recorded at Dodger Stadium in June of 1979.

Funny story with that particular video recording involving John McVie. He was in Tahiti during the Dodger Stadium recording but if you watch closely, Mick Fleetwood carries a cardboard cutout of him around the stadium. It's a great album and one of my favourites.

Another album to turn 40 this year and another of my favourites is The Eagles' The Long Run.

This was the Eagles' first album to feature Timothy B. Schmit on bass.

He replaced founding member Randy Meisner. It was also their last full studio album to feature Don Felder before he left the band in 2001.

This sixth studio album was released in September of 1979 and from that album three singles were released: Heartache Tonight, The Long Run and I Can't Tell You Why.

The album took 18 months to record in five different studios, with a little help from their friends J.D Souther and Bob Seeger, who co-wrote Heartache Tonight with Glenn Frey and Don Henley.

The Long Run would turn out to be their last studio album until 2007's Long Road Out of Eden.

The album was a huge success and sold more than eight million copies. The single Heartache Tonight reached number one on the Billboard charts and won a Grammy Award for single of the year.