Interviews about "Mirage"
 

Are there any interviews (either transcripts or audio) of Lindsey or other members talking about the "Mirage" album?

Some random quotes from LINDSEY:

Buckingham has been referring to Mirage as a "a reconciliation of opposites" from the time of the first sessions. "There are some aspects of Tusk and some aspects of Rumours," he explains, but Mirage is a much more of a band album than Tusk was.

“Mick would say to me, "Well we went too far, you blew it." And it was very hurtful. We were out on the road and I'm going, "Oh my god, how am I gonna react to this?" So, the Mirage album...there was a direct correlation between that pressure and that album."

“By the time we finished that tour [Tusk], there was a bit of a backlash within the band.... It took a bit of the wind out of my sails creatively. And so you get to the Mirage time and I'm sort of going, "Ah well, I don't know. What are we ...what do you want to do?"....I was almost withdrawing from the responsibility of writing at that time and it was all out of a sense of sort of having given up the ghost a little bit. [Oh Diane?] I hate that. I mean, it's such a cliché. That album has a lot of fairly generic music on it, for me. There's a couple of good things on there, but it's probably my least favorite."

“[M]irage was in my eyes a very reactionary album. The group's collective will dictated that we return to a slightly more conservative format. I don't think we can ever go back to the kind of spirit or eclectic mood that was created on the Tusk album. I don't think the other members of the group would want that and I don't think that's my place to impose it on them.""

“I think we've done a really good job with Tango. I would be more than happy to leave (the band) on this note. I couldn't say that about Mirage. That was a very ambiguous piece of work to me, and after we toured with that album, there were a lot of loose ends in the group emotionally, financially and otherwise.”

"'Tusk,' the album that followed 'Rumours,' was a brazen act of rebellion for which I took a lot of flak," he said. "Because of that, the 'Mirage' album, was, in my mind, a reactionary piece of work that tried to reprise 'Rumours' and had very little vision. When the group left the road after the 'Mirage' tour, there were many issues left unresolved.

“I think the real need to do a record 5 years after the last one came from…when we did the Mirage album and tour, a lot of things had been left hanging out on a limb – emotional things and even financial things."

“The most disappointing thing to me after Tusk was the politics in the band,” Buckingham admits today. “They said, ‘We’re not going to do that again.’ I felt dead in the water from that. On Mirage, I was treading water, saying, ‘Okay, whatever,’ and taking a passive role. For me, none of the albums after Tusk quite had it. I think we lost something after that.”

And one from CHRISTINE:

“Mirage was an attempt to get back into the flow that Rumours had. But we missed a vital ingredient. That was the passion,” she confesses bluntly.

The BLA (blue letter archives section) has a few print articles if you search for Mirage. Not particularly in depth on Mirage but insightful to the time period.

http://bla.fleetwoodmac.net/index.php

Lindsey also said:

During his TITN press:

Now, when she was promoting Mirage, Christine said:

Mick promoting Mirage:

Stevie. I remember her talking about leaving Smile At You off of the album before it was released. She said that Lindsey wanted to put something more positive on it. After Mirage she said:

I'm glad Mirage was the worst album at that point and not Tusk.

Michele

If Lindsey was feeling so passive around the time of Mirage, I wish he would have let Stevie have one more track: "Smile At You." That take certainly didn't lack the passion he and Christine were apparently feeling at the time.

I love Mirage and would love to have a remaster. It contains "Gypsy," which is in my top 5 songs of all time. Stevie's "That's Alright" and "Straight Back" are great too.

I think Lindsey sounds adventurous enough on four quirky songs I really enjoy: "Can't Go Back," "Book of Love," "Empire State" (yes I said it), and "Eyes of the World."

Christine contributed two fine singles "Love In Store" and "Hold Me" (though I've always felt like the latter could have used an extra verse or something).

The only bland spots for me were Christine's "Only Over You" and "Wish You Were Here" (but they're okay).

1982 was probably one of the better years in my appreciation of 80s music because synthesizers and drum machines weren't decade-defining technology yet.

"Tango" has aged okay, but a lot of it sounds very much like a reaction to the technology of the time (is that why you left the single version of "Big Love" off "The Very Best" complication, Lindsey? Cuz the oohs and aahs are a little embarrassing now?). A lot of it sounds like pure solo Lindsey, cuz it actually is.

I'm glad "Mirage" was more of a group effort.

Thanks to those who have provided links and quotes. Mirage was my introduction to the band, so I have a soft spot for it -- but I also think it's a terrific and underrated piece of work. Coming after the big commercial ambitions of Rumours and the artsy experimentalism of Tusk, I actually think the deliberately "small" sound of Mirage was a great next move. I'd really love to know if that "smallness" was what they were aiming for and a deliberate production choice, or if it was just happenstance. I asked Richard Dashut on his blog, but didn't see a response.

I'm not a fan of "Smile at You," either the one Mirage era version I've heard or especially the awful arrangement on Say You Will, but if someone knows of a well-produced version I should hear, I'm open to learning to appreciate it.

Mirage is my favorite Fleetwood Mac album.

Gypsy, Hold Me, That's Alright, Empire State, Straight Back, Love in Store, Book of Love, Eyes of the Wo... Okay, all of them.

I wish they would have done That's Alright on the Mirage tour and/or any tour after that. It's such a great Fleetwood Mac song. Each member has their distinct instrument part and the signature trio harmony on the chorus is perfect. It's a short song too, it would have fit right in to the set on the Mirage tour.

Based on the things Lindsey, Stevie and Christine say about Mirage, I can see why they never play anything more than "Gypsy" and "Eyes of the World" on stage. They really dislike this album, as well as most of the public.

I disagree with you Mirage bashers ;)

Yes Mirage was reactionary from the public thrashing from Tusk. As Mick says...the band wanted to do something more "classic Fleetwood Mac."
It is a very musically safe album. But it holds up well. It went to #1 something Tusk never did. It was also important to hit #1 since Stevie's first solo album just went to #1 too. The criticism of the album was it was too soft rock. For the first time rock stations were not playing the new Fleetwood Mac album.

But here is why Mirage is a favorite of mine.

The album opens with Love in Store. Talk about classic Fleetwood Mac. The harmonies on Love in Store are probably the most profound of any Mac song ever. That's Alright is such a classic song that almost translates full country. Stevie's voice is so strong on it and I love that it was an old Buckingham Nicks era written song. Hold me is the ultimate pop song. So catchy and the lyrics melt together perfectly. I love the percussion part at the end. Amazing! Only Over you is such a classic McVie love song. So mystical and magic. Empire State is Lindsey still fighting to bring Tusk edgy songs along. Good song. Straight Back is probably the top 5 favorite Mac songs for me. Lyrics 10 Music 10 Vocals 10. I love Chris backing Stevie "like a wolf on the run." It still gives me goose bumps! Eyes of the world finally we get to hear some guitar on Mirage. Too bad it was so short though. Gypsy is probably the most classic Mac song ever. The band is really at its best especially Lindsey on guitar. Oh Diane is catchy and a safe Lindsey song. I love how the album closes with Wish you were here. I don't think the song is written by Christine but you know how much she loved the song to play it. Ahhhh what classic piano at the beginning!

I love the album cover and think Stevie and Chris were at their peak beauty. The Mirage tour was short but I think their set list was the best ever. The band sounded amazing and it truly was an end of an era!

LOVE LOVE LOVE me some Mirage!

I guess I'm not a part of the public that you say dislikes the album because I love it.

Oh, I love Mirage. It's the first new album I bought as an FM fan. The first one I waited for with anticipation, stalking my record store and looking for the "Coming Releases" flyer.

Michele

I love the album too. Though it's not as diverse as Tusk, or as epic as Rumours, it's still a vital part of their discography. Mirage has great pop songs, with a pleasant, albeit, more light-weight approach, which is not a bad thing. It's a fun and easy listening album, and a brief a relief from excessive emotional weight.

The first time I attended a Fleetwood Mac show was on the Mirage tour. I'll never forget it, because the show was so overwhelmingly fantastic. Great set list, with lots of raw energy and excitement. I'm so glad I got the chance to see them in their purest form. It was the end of that era.

Lucky you. The Mirage tour was great for many reasons. But there was so much tension too. I think that tension led to great performances. To only agree to 18 shows. Stevie's best friend passed away during the tour. No doubt there was jealousy toward Stevie (mostly from Lindsey) about Bella Donna success. Christine had her own record scheduled. Stevie was already working on Wild Heart. But with all that drama I think Stevie's voice and performance was at it's peak (thus speaking in tongues during Sisters of the Moon).
This also was probably the last tour where drugs were not making a huge impact on Stevie's live performances. Her voice was a bit fried during some songs in some cities but for the most part her voice was strong its just that she was weak emotionally because of Robin. But that vulnerability in her performances made them more special IMHO.
I saw Stevie on Wild Heart and drugs were definitely starting to affect her live performances. It did not help that Joe Walsh was touring with her to feed that frenzy. Joe was later quoted that if they did not break up they would have both died of an overdose.
So while everyone was still high during Mirage (Chris says she stopped after Mirage and when she did her own album) it was not affecting the live performances.

Christine said in an interview that she quit in 1984. I always wonder if she completely quit doing cocaine cold turkey or if she kept doing it just sporadically while doing her own thing with her solo album and tour. I mean it was still the early-mid 1980s everyone else around her was still doing it. Surely she partook occasionally after she "quit."

I couldn't agree with you more. I remember how excited I was for the release of Mirage. It seemed like those three years between albums was forever. I had Belladonna and Law & Order to hold me over but was really missing the fab 5. I can't wait for 2015!

I will never forget when Hold Me was released. Hearing that opening piano riff on the radio... When I first knew what it was, I would scream at my friends, "TURN THE RADIO UP!!!!!!!". Oh for a time machine...

DAMN THEM for not learning it for OWTS. :mad::mad::mad::lol:

Let's not forget the Hold Me video! MTV played that video in a high rotation and Stevie Nicks looked amazing.

True, Feather Blade. I love the album as well, just saying most of the public in general seem to hold the album in lower regard than the other four from the Rumours lineup. Mirage is actually the album I spin the most even though it's probably my 4th favorite of the 5. Go figure...

Huge irony between Tusk and Mirage

Tusk got bad reviews for being way too experimental
Mirage got bad reviews for being too safe and conventional

You cant please them all ;) I love both equally. The harmonies on Mirage are hard to beat!

Without a doubt Mirage was a reaction record to how Tusk was received. I think Mac did play it safe, and I think that did temper their fire in an over-all sense, however, being Fleetwood Mac moments of brilliance still shine through "Gypsy" definitely being one.

As I've said before, I think the massive success of Rumours has had a lingering effect on them. Chris wasn't meeting her usual pop song standards on Tusk. Lindsey played it too safe on Mirage. And Stevie's coke addiction finally brought down the quality of her songwriting on Tango.

Each of those albums had one of the 3 off their game, and since then we've had the Lindsey-less Behind The Mask and the Christine-less Say You Will, neither of which can be considered a "classic Mac lineup" album.

Christine did write the music for Wish You Were Here. Words written by someone else. I forget his name. Collin Allen?

I love the album....well, a little more than HALF the album, which is still much better than most bands.

Gyspy, Hold Me, Love In Store, Only Over You, Wish You Were Here, Straight Back, Eyes of the World, and Book of Love.

I wish Goodbye Angel had been included, as well as Teen Beat. I really do not like Empire State or Oh Diane. Can't Go Back sounds like an LB solo song. And That's Alright, though a great song, sounds much better in its demo form from the mid-70s.

These days I get up real early in the morning, like 1 or 2 a.m. If you're a "creature of the night" like me, the music on Fleetwood Mac's XM channel is a perfect blend of haunting, atmospheric songs. A lot of old FM and fewer newer, pop stuff (which I love during the daytime hours.). Reminds me of old-time FM (frequency modulated) radio. Check it out...kiddies and smoke a joint if you're into that kind of stuff. Oh, my those were the old days!:nod:

RS was so disgustingly, blatantly misogynistic in those days it's amazing. Bunch of smug-a$$ douchey guys pontificating self-importantly.

My take on 'Mirage' is a bit different. I think Buckingham pulled his punches here, not surprisingly, due to the negative reaction he got from 'Tusk'.

The last album where all 3 writers were at 100% was 'Rumours'. McVie was off on 'Tusk' - her songs just don't have the pop hooks they normally had. Buckingham was off on 'Mirage', and Nicks was off on 'Tango'.

Lindsey's comments on it are weird to me. Maybe he just doesn't like the album but I think Mirage is great lol. I remember someone went to the last tour and brought a copy of Mirage and when Lindsey signed it they said he said like "you're the first person in a long time with a copy of Mirage". It's so fun and lighthearted but still has that trace of something kind of mysterious. They are his weakest songs in general but still enjoyable (minus Empire State). I love the production of the album.

Well that makes two of us.

I love Only Over You.:mad: :mad: :mad:

Are you oooooooout of your miiiiiiiiiind????

jk, jk :sorry: :laugh: :xoxo:

It took me YEARS to appreciate it. Along with Mystified. And I've not like Warm Ways since about 9th grade...

However, I love Sugar Daddy more than baby jebus.

People think I'm crazy. But they don't know.:]

I could never really get into Warm Ways. It's so saccharine. Even the melody line. It's like one of those CDs for sleeping toddlers.

Same. And the production sounds horribly dated.

I've always loved the guitar at the end, but that's about it.

Have I mentioned that I freaking LOVE me some Sugar Daddy?:wavey::woohoo::wavey::woohoo::wavey:

I love Sugar Daddy but can't stand the dreadful Oh Daddy. IMHO, it's the worst track on Rumours and the one I always skip. It really should have been replaced by Silver Springs, even if they had to cut it down by 30 seconds. :nod:

I know. Even though Christine was always my favorite, some of her "sleepers" bore me to tears. I've never really cared for:
Warm Ways
Oh Daddy

And it took me YEARS to learn to even marginally like:
Mystified
Only Over Ewe
Honey Hi
Never Forget

And it's not just her. I've never been much on:
Storms
Beautiful Child
Crystal

But give me a beat like Sugar Daddy or Think About Me, and I'm all about it. Or Angel! There you go Chiffonheads. There's a bone for ya!:lol:

Oh, I thought you were tossing that one over to the Welchies. :D

This is the incorrect forum for THAT Angel.:p

True, but if we have whole threads on this forum dedicated to discussions on Post-Rumours lineup auditions and concert setlists then a Pre-Rumours song shouldn't be verboten. ;)

I'll even go so far as to post the most fitting Post-Rumours song describing the band's current status: :(