"Mirage" album cover backstory
 

For a long time, I've been always wondering why the "Mirage" album cover was what it is now. I know a few things, like Lindsey's aunt was who gave them the idea for the album name and that Hollywood photographer George Hurrell did the photography (Fun fact: he also did the cover photography on Lindsey's "Law and Order").

So, is there any theories or any websites containing information about this album cover?

Are you talking about the old-man-head in the hands thing? I love that, but I never noticed it until very recently!

I don't know if I've ever really read anything concrete about why they went with that particular pose for the cover. I know that Hurrell specialized in those very glowing romantic old Hollywood portrait shots, so perhaps he kind of directed the scene he wanted to capture or something like that. Just guessing though.

Sometimes I am in awe of the level of information you guys have. Honestly. I have no idea who took the photos or whose aunt did what (Hmm, actually I knew about he aunt "Mirage" thing). But, wow. Chart positions! I even forget what's on the videos, though I've seen them many times. The only one I can truly remember is Gypsy because it was always my favorite.

I couldn't even name all of the personnel that has made up Fleetwood Mac at one time or another!

My hat's off to you folks.

Whoa!

Where's that? :confused:

Another thing
 

This has been bugging me for a long time.

Why is Lindsey wearing full-on black??

I can't think of anything.

Any ideas?

:wavey:

If you look at the front of the album, Lindsey and Stevie's hands clasped together appear to make the face of an old woman...it's very cool. I love the cover of that album :nod:

Oh, really? :shocked:

Wow, that's something I've never noticed before! Hold on, I gotta see it for myself!

*rushes off to find Mirage CD*

About the hand thing...
 

I got to take a gander, and is it something you notice right off the bat?

Hey LittleLies7 <-- I like your name BTW ~ and the explanation in the sig :wavey:

yes the Mirage mirage took me a fair while to spot. If I'm not mistaken you need to turn the picture 90 degrees right to begin with. It's actually more like an old hag than an old man to me - I only say that in case that makes it easier for you to spot.

here's a link to my outline of the old lady from the cover...

http://fleetwood-mac.john-w-young.net/oldlady.jpe

and here's the pic itself...

http://fleetwood-mac.john-w-young.net/oldlady.jpe

John

So people have far too much time on their hands!! LOL! :laugh:

Love Sarah

Yeah, it's funny what you'll notice while looking at a picture for 20 YEARS! This mystery has been around for a long time, it's nothing new.

John

Yeah, everytime I get my vinyl copy of Tusk out and look at the inner covers I find something I hadn't seen before :D

Love Sarah

Thanks, I've never been able to see it on my own. I lack the Magic Eye.:cool:

- Jake

I've seen the face before, but after seeing John's outline, I was shocked at how much that looks like the famous "Young Girl/Old Woman" optical illusion.

See for your self:



And now John's again so you can see the similarities:



Weird.

Wow! I have never seen those old images before! Those are new to me! This thread has gone a lot further towards "prooving" the image was intentional. You know, a long time ago, before the fan club, Jonathan Todd promised to ask Mick about this. He never delivered (of course). It would be wonderful to hear one of FM's members reactions to these various images.

John

Thanx, DownOnRodeo! I like you name too! :wavey:

BTW: thanx for the tip!

Other things
 

I'll check out that thing about John soon.

Also, what's the idea about Lindsey wearing all black, whereas the others aren't? :confused:

There are outtakes of the 'Mirage' cover photo-session, including one where Stevie & Christine have swapped places.

I used to have one of the outtakes on my old PC, but lost it when the hard-drive got fried.
Haven't found it since. :(

Definitely one of my favorite Mac album covers. I always prefer to see the artist on the album cover, rather than a painting or obscure photograph.

I agree, I cannot stand the covers of Greatest hits and Tango.

- Jake

Interesting little tidbit.... I actually own the original artwork that WAS to be the Mirage album cover. I think it fit the title a little better and should've been used. Here it is in all its glory!

Wow, I think It should have been on the back, or the liner notes, or something. Great Pic:thumbsup:

Huh...
 

Wow! Where did you get that?

That's pretty cool! :wavey:

Mirage LP
 

I believe Ken Caillat gave it to Frank Harding and I in turn got it from Frank. He worked for the band for MANY years. I've had it framed for about 3 years. Its showing its age however, and its also something I'd LOVE to give BACK to the band if I ever had the chance.

That "old lady" thing is a stretch, if you ask me. A clever but unlikely conceit.

Looks like Mick Fleetwood to me!!:D

A little OT, but I think it's really strange that they were considering using that piece of art for the Mirage cover at one time. Just peculiar that they'd use variations on a Tusk photo shoot for a brand new album. Artists would NEVER imagine doing that today.

And I agree about the hand/old woman thing being a stretch. I can see how some people see that in there.. but when I look at that album cover, all I really see is a dramatic pose.

I love the back. John's all in white. Yay for white suit John.

Painting
 

Isn't that painting derived from the photographs on the inside gatefold
of the Live Album?

LOL!! Yeah Sarah!! I used to stare at those for HOURS!!!! There was always something new each time!!! Glad to know it wasn't just me!!

Actually the picture I attached is not the full shot. In the upper right hand corner is an embossed (that means raised) lettering of the Fleetwood Mac logo. The lettering is precisely the way the Mirage album font looks. Also in the lower right corner are embossed penguins whispering to one another. Much like the ones from the 1975 album.

All I can say to that is... remember the title is MIRAGE. Is it not out of place for the cover artist to sneak a little optical illusion onto the cover of something so titled?

John

Never knew all this about the cover shot for Mirage but it's always been my favorite cover.

I can see the resemblance between it and the Law and Order cover.

Does anybody know anything about the pic on the back of Mirage? That's always been a favorite of mine too-love the silhouettes...

I'm having a hard time seeing the "young woman" in the Mirage illusion. does anyone else see it? i've been squinting (helps) for five minutes but it's not working.

i never knew about it either....what's the "pic on the back of Mirage"? are you talking about the cd? i actually don't have it....the lp has mick and john on the back and only Lindey, Stevie and Chris on the front. Maybe they used Lindsey's painting of the band (as seen on the lp insert w/lyrics) as the back on the cd?
I haven't really seen that cd in a while. Need to get it.

I have never heard any discussion of a young woman--just the old lady with the hood. The antique images that you quoted in your message have both a profile of an old woman (with a big face) and a young lady as you'd see her face from looking over her shoulder. The mirage cover has a "mirage" of an old woman if you compare the outline to the portion of the mirage cover to the left of the outline.

John

I like that artwork of the band in a way but it looks too 80's new wavey for that album. I love the cover as it is. If it were going to have an "era" feel to the cover I think for Mirage it would have had to have been a 50's look instead of the (although current at the time!) early 80's look of that picture. It would be cool to know how all the album covers were conceived and possible alternate covers that didn't make it. Like the original Bella Donna that was some sort of double exposed image of Stevies head or something-I think she said it was supposed to represent the two sides of her (and then I'm sure she said what the 2 sides were-at least what they were for that day or that interview). Then she had the dream of the image that became the album cover.
Not too fond of the RAL outtake/alternate cover shoot photos. I think that pic on or near the back of Enchanted w 'Stevie w/ the black lacquered rocking chair and baby rocker are from that
shoot. (I'm not in love with the real cover either tho, her head looks distorted, if I remember right that makes her teeth look a little crooked, and I didn't like how around that time you could tell a lot of her pics were altered. You could almost see the exacto knife slicing off the pounds. OSOTM front cover pose definately has some of that too!

I can't believe for one second that the Mac intentionally did this with their hands. It's too far-fetched! ;)

But they don't have to do anything with their hands. Any decent artist would be able to do a realistic matte painting over their real hands, for example. Such a feat is easy to do with a computer program like PhotoShop and just because they didn't have such technology available then doesn't mean the same effect couldn't be done. It just means it would take more time and use different media to get the same result.

Give me one more concrete example on that album of the mirage theme. They're hard to come by.

John

Sorry, I just don't think that the Mac was very conscious of what kinds of symbols their hands were making during that shoot. Regardless if the effect could be done, it wasn't done back then for the album. It's just a little trivia item that has been blown into some secret message that it isn't.

Lindsey: Stevie, let's clasp our hands for the next pose.
Stevie: Ohmigod! I can see Melacine in our hands!