Hey hey! I love every song, even Empire State!
There's a time here in summer (summer in the south of the world), when I hear Mirage without a rest, and the only songs I add to the original album tracklist are Blue Monday, Teen Beat, Goodbye Angel and If You Were My Love (the Sparkly Piano version). It's definitely the perfect album!

Yes! It's so cool New Year's Eve in summer! I like to listen Eyes of the World while driving on the highway to the beach on New Year's morning.

What are the temps where you are on New Year's Eve?

Yep, the alternative stuff seems a lot edgier in the way it’s played. I bet Lindsey started out with trying to put more Law and Order energy into all the tracks, but the band reined him back. Could explain why he was never excited at all about doing the short tour in 1982 — he had been declawed.

He isn’t always right, certainly, but he was right with Mirage. It needed a lot more ferociousness. The tracks were too palatable and too cheesecakey and the critics called it out. Great craft on the album, but way too sugary.

Totally! It was an over reaction to Tusk.

The three US hits are classics that crystallize the best in FM’s radio-friendly approach. All are “up,” poppy, and airy...with a warmth you don’t hear on the Tango hits.

Beyond those three songs, a pervasive sense of containment flattens the overall experience. Even the more aggressive songs (Empire State, Eyes of the World) beg for a bit more spontaneity, more edge.

The deluxe, alternate version of Only Over You would have improved side one.

Well I felt warmth in Everywhere.

And Cool Water is from Mirage.

Yeah, it’s the most FM-y track on the record. Have you ever heard the demo? It’s gorgeous—and warmer.

I just heard it!! Here it is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...3o3f4xUFshNVSQ

Tango is very programmed synth pop. Mirage is still using real pianos, keyboards, drums and bass. The sterile programming of many of the Tango songs leaves me empty and cold. While Mirage is very poppy too, its warmer in that its real instruments and no trendy trickery. Everywhere is much warmer live and that is because its more upbeat and less programmed than the studio track. Lindsey really loved the gadgetry of the mid 80s. Tango is very synthetic while Mirage is organic.

The Pizza Hut in Bloomington, IN had Gypsy on a 45 in the jukebox. I'd play Cool Water, and everyone would be like, WHO TF is that? It's not a very FM sounding recording.

Some of the non-hits and outtakes would surprise a lot of hits-only listeners. I don’t think most casual “fans” would guess Empire State was FM, or any number of Lindsey’s Tusk songs. The ladies are more recognizable, even when they stretch their styles a bit.

I'm not sure I'd recognize COOL WATER haha

My mother surely recognized it, and was like, "who is covering this?" when I played it as one of their B sides.