So...I just listened and I gotta say I totally agree with you. Perhaps Ken liked this one the most? :laugh: Maybe it was for space considerations - the 'definitive' version we've been trading for years runs 5:40, and this one is a minute less - whereas the outtakes CD is 1 hour and 19 minutes and however many seconds - iTunes doesn't tell me - but there may not have been room for the better version. :shrug: I guess this leaves Warner with more (and better) material for a future release.

I seem to recall though - back in the early aughts, Ken did a Q&A (on here, perhaps?) and I *swear* at the time he claimed to have no knowledge of the song whatsoever. Perhaps he truly wasn't familiar with the song and just picked whatever he heard first?


Here is what I would have preferred:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmGaJtn696o


Versus what we got (assuming someone at Warner will have YouTube cleaned up after this release?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7c8tWds_H0

And then - there are the other, earlier (?) versions of the song that are presumably Tusk-ish era recordings?

the 5.1 IS a completely DIFFERENT ALBUM. "Only over" through "Straight Back" is like seeing through a microscope for the first time. These songs are the highlight of the 5.1 album. It's more htan just parts we've never heard, there's a vibe and a feeling that feels weird and connected.

"Cool water" at the end of the 5.1 album makes the BEST closer ever. The entire album now plays out like a cast album to a 50s musical!

Truly thrilling!!

That early version of Empire State is bringing me much joy. :woohoo:

Is it really just 19.99 for all 45 songs (3 discs) on iTunes?

I really love it. I wish those vocals would have made their way onto the finished track. Sounds better then his whispery vocals.

I have to say I am very impressed. I bought the HD files and they sound amazing. The outages are actually outages. Some really different takes on the songs. Is Lindsey a genius or what? To think Stevie gets annoyed at all his "5 thousand overdubs" studio tinkering. The man creates art. I'm feeling a Tha's all for Everyone vibe in the Only over you outage. Book of Love is really cool. The only one I didn't like at all was Thats all right. Good stuff overall!

Fleetwood Mac: Mirage (Expanded Reissue)
Written By Hal Horowitz // September 20, 2016

http://americansongwriter.com/2016/0...anded-reissue/

Fleetwood Mac
Mirage (Expanded Reissue)
(Warner Brothers/Rhino)
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Often considered the belated follow-up to 1977’s mega platinum Rumours, 1982’s Mirage was a clear retreat from the somewhat abrasive, occasionally commercial avant-pop of the controversial Tusk. While that album has, over the decades, come to be respected as Lindsey Buckingham’s creative zenith, it appears Warner Brothers was less enthusiastic about their star act’s detour into the artsy abyss. Perhaps Mac were tired of it themselves, because the slick, glossily produced Mirage seems a capitulation to an audience who might have found the dense, inconsistent, but bold Tusk a musical and drug-fueled bridge too far.

While Mirage was no Rumours, its dozen sophisticated pop songs include such near-classics as “Love in Store,” “Gypsy,” and “Hold Me,” the latter two appearing on most subsequent Mac hits packages. But there are other, often unappreciated gems here too. Selections such as Buckingham’s folksy “Can’t Go Back,” Stevie Nicks’ surprisingly effective foray into country “That’s Alright,” the frisky pop/rock and sumptuous harmonies of “The Eyes of the World” and the closing “Wish You Were Here,” one of the always dependable Christine McVie’s more affecting and least appreciated pieces, are well worth reexamining.

It’s not a great album but it’s a good one, especially for Mac’s avid pop fans, and ripe for rediscovery on this newly remastered and expanded edition. A second disc with 20 previously unreleased rarities includes early, stripped down demos, alternate arrangements and outtakes of nearly every tune, plus some that didn’t make the final cut, and is well worth the price of admission. The no-frills versions are a welcome contrast to the finished product’s often over-produced slickness, and such oddities as a four minute in-studio jam on drummer Sandy Nelson’s 1959 instrumental “Teen Beat” with Buckingham at his most frazzled and unhinged is a major find.

But the real excitement is relegated to the pricey “deluxe” package that includes not only a 5.1 surround audio-only DVD of the album and a remastered vinyl reproduction, but a live show from the ‘82 Mirage tour. This 74-minute concert catches the band on a particularly inspired and improvisation filled night in LA as Mirage was ensconced atop the Billboard charts. It kicks off with a propulsive seven-minute “The Chain” that smokes the studio take into oblivion and features extended performances of two Tusk tracks with a nearly 10-minute “Not That Funny” along with another 8 minutes of “Sisters of the Moon,” closing with an unplugged emotional “Songbird” all in front of a clearly engaged audience.

Whether that’s worth dropping nearly $90 is up to you, but this is an invigorating presentation. It captures these five musicians (before they added an unnecessary backline to bolster the live sound) bouncing energy off each other and feeding from the crowd with exhilarating results.

I just bought the 2 CD package- sorry, but no way in hell was I gonna pay $90 for an album I didn't want, along with an audio concert of a video I already own. Rip off! Now if it had included the entire concert, then I would have buckled and bought it, like I did with the Deluxe Tusk.

Nothing against those folks who did pay for the Deluxe Mirage... I just wish the label had offered more material for the price they're asking.

STRAIGHT BACK is amazing on 5.1
 

The highlight of the 5.1 mix is "Straight Back." It's an entirely different and amazing song. New parts, new vocals, etc! I urge all of you to play this song on your DVD player. While it wont be in 5.1, you'll still hear all the new, amazing parts!!

I prefer the alternate version of Book of Love to the final version.

Listening to the second disc right now and am currently at Gypsy. I've got goosebumps from every song so far.

EDIT: Holy Hell! This version of Empire State is epic! Sounds like it's straight from Tusk with a little bit of the Go Insane album thrown in.

Just listened to Smile at You from the new album for the first time as a thunderstorm swept over Austin...perfect timing.:nod: I liked hearing this version, but would have preferred the "Angry" version. At least it's better than the SYW track. Oh well....

Just notified by Amazon I'm getting $10.51 refund for pre-ordering. Sweet.

Not that funny [L]
 

Strange, that from the live version of Not that funny nearly two minutes were deleted; Mick's drum solo (which starts at app. 7:00) has been edited out.

ALL OF THIS!!!!.
I could listen to this outtake until my dying day.
and i might.

Stevie's Mirage songs are my fave of all her FM songs except SYW.
I'm only 1/3 of the way through the remastered album versions
but everything so far is delicious. :thumbsup:

A few thoughts (delux set not arrived yet, so these are based on itunes version)
1. Mirage was my first Fleetwood Mac album, so this was always going to be a bit special. Indeed, I always thought that the production/sound was always top class, even on the original release. In comparison I always think Tusk and Tango 'over produced'.

2. Alternates are wonderful, especially 'Love in Store', 'Hold Me' and 'Gypsy'(long version). But at the end of the day, it's the finished album that is the main deal for me - not sure how often I'll be listening to these tracks in years to come.

3. As I write I'm listening to L.A. Forum disc. What can I say? One of the best versions of 'The Chain' EVER. Would love to have full show released on CD. Can't say I'm too bothered by non release of DVD of this show: full show in audio will do nicely thanks.

All in all - Remastered Mirage was a long time coming and something I didn't think we would ever see, so for that I'm grateful.

Does the ending of "Gypsy" on the DVD-Audio sound weird to anyone? Could it be my speakers or system?

At one point it I hear several Stevies and Lindseys singing "I still see your.." but NOT at the same time. Less than a second off for each. Was this intended?!

In case you do want to buy it, I got it for under $50 from the Amazon UK site. :)

Kevin

Kevin,
Has your set been dispatched yet?

It's so many shades of awesome. I love the grittier vocal and the guitars chugging along like a freight train. Lindsey should have saved it for a solo record, but it's nice to hear Empire State in this deliciously raw form.

Much prefer it to the flimsy final version on the record (one of the weakest points on the album). This rawer sound is more in tune with Tusk and Law and Order.
In fact, as with the Tusk Deluxe I find I prefer the majority of the alternate versions.

The digital packages is far cheaper. I miss the pictures, but the CDs&DVD package was too expensive for me this year.

Happy to finally listening Mirage with a decent sound. The original CD sucked. I really like the additional material.

Yes it has. It's supposed to arrive Tuesday. I"m on the West Coast. I can't wait. :)


Kevin

The alternate version of Only Over You is wonderful. It sounds like it's coming from inside a massive cave. I prefer the alternate Book Of Love, It's Alright & Empire State to the originals.

I love the Alt. Only Over You.

The Morton Report

http://www.themortonreport.com/enter...eluxe-edition/

Album Review: Fleetwood Mac - Mirage (Deluxe Edition)
September 26, 2016 By Jeff Burger, Contributor

If ever there was a case of the media building up and then knocking down a band, it was the one involving Fleetwood Mac in the late-'70s and early-'80s. The critics cheered when the group—newly energized by the addition of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks—delivered its chart-topping eponymous album in 1975 and the even better Rumours a year later. But many of those same critics spoke less kindly of the follow-up to Rumours, 1979’s Tusk. According to them, it eschewed commercialism in favor of self-indulgent experimentation, though major experimentation was in fact largely limited to the excellent title cut. Then, when the group reverted to fully accessible form on its next studio album, 1982’s Mirage, reviewers griped that the band was going backwards; never mind that this radio-friendly LP delivered exactly what the critics claimed was missing in its predecessor.

Well, as I noted last year, Tusk ranks among the most underrated albums of the rock era. But Mirage—which Fleetwood Mac’s members recorded in France after pursuing solo projects—is arguably even more underrated. Rolling Stone, for example, allowed that it found the group returning to “simple pleasures” but awarded it only three stars and said “the band seems to have lost its spirit.”

As the fans who took the album to the top of the charts apparently knew, nothing could be further from the truth. This is the sound of a band at the peak of its powers, delivering one great piece of ear candy after another. The melodies are irresistible, the hooks will hook you, and the harmony vocals are impeccable. “Love in Store,” “Hold Me,” and Stevie Nicks’s “Gypsy,” the album’s three hit singles, are all on a par with the tracks on Rumours, and “Only Over You”—which Christine McVie dedicated to the Beach Boys’ Dennis Wilson, her love at the time—ranks with her most sublime efforts. And I defy anyone to turn down the volume during the infectious “Oh Diane,” which draws inspiration from early pop/rock.

This deluxe edition of Mirage, the latest in a series of Fleetwood Mac reissues, contains three CDs, an audio-only DVD, a vinyl LP of the original album, and a 12-page, oversized booklet that includes lyrics, credits, photos, and liner notes. Disc one preserves a remastered version of the original album while the second CD collects 20 oddities, including outtakes, demos, and alternate takes, all but three of them previously unreleased. Some of the early renditions of tunes that wound up on Mirage pale by comparison with the final recordings, but fans should enjoy such curiosities as “Suma’s Walk,” the instrumental that evolved into “Can’t Go Back” and a somewhat stripped-down version of “Oh Diane.” And there are some gems here as well, most notably “Goodbye Angel,” which features a compelling lead vocal by Buckingham.

If you already own the original Mirage, though, the biggest reasons to upgrade to this package are CD number three and the audio DVD. The former preserves 13 songs culled from an October 1982 concert at the Forum in Los Angeles, including Mirage’s “Gypsy,” “Eyes of the World,” and “Love in Store” plus such earlier high points as “You Make Loving Fun,” “Go Your Own Way,” and “Rhiannon.” As for the DVD, it features a spectacular 5.1 mix of the original album, plus a reading of “Cool Water,” the Western classic popularized by the Sons of the Pioneers, that shows off the Mac’s vocal prowess. On a good sound system, even longtime fans of Mirage will hear things in this immersive mix that they never heard before.

I've just listened to the remastered version of the album.


Stunning....


I've always maintained that Mirage is a beautiful album that was cruelly punished with a disastrous transfer to digital on the initial (and most widespread) CD release. It saddens me that most will only ever hear that horrible edition of the album. The remaster is one of the best I have experienced...in fact, I would say that the current redux editions of FM material (2013's Rumours, 2015's Tusk, and now Mirage) are among the best remastered collections in terms of sonic quality.

The remaster really allows for the lush production of this album to be truly experienced. This is certainly true of "Gypsy"...in my opinion the best track FM ever made in terms of production quality. In the new remastered form it is stunning...especially on a good sound system. "Love In Store" is equally impressive...those harmonies are (in my opinion) the best the Mac ever put to tape in the studio. "Empire State" is truly a new experience to listen to with the new edition...so much of that track's quirkiness was muddled in the first CD edition. I have never been a fan of "Wish You Were Here", but this has changed. The music to me as always been great, but the lyrics of that song leave a lot to be desired. However, the jam session that takes place in the last minute of the track really shines on the new release...Christine and Lindsey play off of each other so well, and it's apparent more than ever listening to the remastered version.

I am beyond happy that this album...the forgotten jewel in Mac's catalogue...finally got the treatment that it deserved. There are so many wonderful hooks, melodies, and studio magic on this album; the songwriting and craft shine more than ever on this edition.

I have rarely listened to Mirage in the past due to its poor digital release and sound quality (admittedly I have never heard the original vinyl version...). Having a good sonic experience is important to me, and it is why I rarely listen to CDs from the 1980s or early 1990s. So glad that now I can enjoy Mirage the way it was meant to be experienced.

I love the alt Empire state the only thing missing is the blistering solo from the final version which I always loved too.

Also love the alt Only Over you it reminds me off That's All for everyone with the wave sounding effect.

It's really gorgeous.

So many surprises on the 5.1 surround mix, if you haven't listened to it yet and you have it you should listen to it. Almost like a new album with so many added extras ... I was blown away by all the extra vocals and harmonies I heard for the first time. "That's alright" has a totally different feel, landing somewhere between the original and the new alternate mix. I can see me coming back to this DVD many many times.

I'm so intrigued. Now I'm thinking about buying the DVD.

You won't regret it.

Do you play it in your DVD?

Yeah, with the 5.1 surround sound system. Honestly sounds superb. :blob1::blob1::blob1::blob1::blob1::]

I have been listening to the 3 "disc" digital edition from HD Tracks - and have been loving the revisit of Mirage over the last couple of days. The Mirage live concert really cemented my love of Fleetwood Mac all those years ago, after I got over the initial cringe of the moments of drug-fuelled excess, I learnt to see the amazing musicianship and creativity and it become one of my favourite Fleetwood Mac live recordings ever, particularly "The Chain" and "Sisters of the Moon". The version of "Songbird" on that is also unique to that tour, at least to my knowledge, with Christine doing some really beautiful, tinkly piano playing from the 1:55 mark....I always miss that little instrumental part in other live recordings as the song evolved.

One thing I did miss from the set is the 5:21 version of Gypsy....as it extends my favourite part of the song significantly....lots more calls out for the "Bright Eyes" and more guitar solo....but no biggie, as it is readily available on the Chain box set.

The LIve CD sounds so good in my car.

I love all the "new" vocals that you can't hear in the regular mix of the album. "That's Alright" is truly superb. The 5.1 mix is bright and brings up Lindsey's incredible guitar work. And yes, those harmonies are classic Buckingham Nicks.

I'm also hearing new "I still see your bright eyes" in "Gypsy" just before Lindsey's solo. Maybe it's a studio trick, but I've never noticed it before. I like how the solo runs about 10 seconds longer, with a nice cymbal crash at the 5:01 mark.

"Eyes of the World" is another standout 5.1 track. Wow, so much goodness going on there. It almost sounds symphonic is parts.

I'm curious... why or how is it that the DVD audio sounds so different and better than the CD? Is it the technology of the DVD itself, or do you have to have surround sound? I just don't understand why there are differences and would appreciate an explanation, preferably in as simplest terms as possible. I have a DVD player but I never use it to listen to music.

Thanks!

DVD audio uses a higher bite rate and broader frequency spectrum. I'm simple terms it is less compressed than what a CD can do. It's closer to being Vinl quality of sound. This is why Super Audio CD and DVD audio are what audiophiles buy when thy are not hoarding vinyl. CDs are nice but even a well mastered CD pales to a good vinyl. This is why having the remastered vinyl will be nice

try googling it