Mirage

[DavidMn]

Ok, everyone knoes this album was mainly recorded in France. The question I have is this; what was the main reason? I've heard it was becuse of Mick's tax issues he was having at the time. I've read some stuff about that in his book, but if anyone knows more, or if I'm wrong please let me know. And as long as I'm at it, I'll say this too; I'd love to know more about the recording of Mirage. I mean it kind of gets left behind in discussion for the most part when it comes to the albums the big 5 were on. As a matter of fact, I think it would be somewhat interesting to see somthing come out on the making of Mirage, although that will probably never happen. I mean, its the only album with Stevie, Lindsey, CHristine, John and Mick that wasnt recorded in the U.S for the most part. AM I cuckoo here? :]

[David]

Ok, everyone knoes this album was mainly recorded in France. The question I have is this; what was the main reason? I've heard it was becuse of Mick's tax issues he was having at the time. I've read some stuff about that in his book, but if anyone knows more, or if I'm wrong please let me know. And as long as I'm at it, I'll say this too; I'd love to know more about the recording of Mirage. I mean it kind of gets left behind in discussion for the most part when it comes to the albums the big 5 were on. As a matter of fact, I think it would be somewhat interesting to see somthing come out on the making of Mirage, although that will probably never happen. I mean, its the only album with Stevie, Lindsey, CHristine, John and Mick that wasnt recorded in the U.S for the most part. AM I cuckoo here? :]I think the majority of the album was recorded in the United States. Basic tracks were laid down in France, but the band went there in April 1981 & came home in May. The entire rest of the year, for the most part, was spent recording, mixing & mastering Mirage at Larrabee Sound & a few other studios.

In fact, there's a radio interview out there -- I forget which -- with Stevie, & she's doing the interview from Larrabee. The radio station must have caught her on one of the few days she actually showed up at the band's sessions. Ken Caillat, Mick & Lindsey have all said Stevie wasn't around much -- around 10 percent of the recording time, & most of that was the work in France. Lindsey estimated Stevie was available for the U.S. sessions for about ten or fifteen days total. That's out of seven or eight months. Lindsey & Christine & the engineers played around with vocal tricks on the board to get the effect of Stevie without her actual singing. For example, "Book of Love" backup vocals were made to sound like Stevie even though she didn't sing on it. (Stevie was, as everyone knows, busy promoting her solo album at this time.)

The only reason I've ever really heard about going to France was because the band wanted to intentially isolate itself from Los Angeles hullabaloo.

[DavidMn]

I think the majority of the album was recorded in the United States. Basic tracks were laid down in France, but the band went there in April 1981 & came home in May. The entire rest of the year, for the most part, was spent recording, mixing & mastering Mirage at Larrabee Sound & a few other studios.

In fact, there's a radio interview out there -- I forget which -- with Stevie, & she's doing the interview from Larrabee. The radio station must have caught her on one of the few days she actually showed up at the band's sessions. Ken Caillat, Mick & Lindsey have all said Stevie wasn't around much -- around 10 percent of the recording time, & most of that was the work in France. Lindsey estimated Stevie was available for the U.S. sessions for about ten or fifteen days total. That's out of seven or eight months. Lindsey & Christine & the engineers played around with vocal tricks on the board to get the effect of Stevie without her actual singing. For example, "Book of Love" backup vocals were made to sound like Stevie even though she didn't sing on it. (Stevie was, as everyone knows, busy promoting her solo album at this time.)

The only reason I've ever really heard about going to France was because the band wanted to intentially isolate itself from Los Angeles hullabaloo.
Well, I've certainly got somethings still to learn, that's for sure. Oh well, thank you for enlightening me. :)

[tuigirl]

Did I read that they used the same recording studios as Elton John did for his "Honky chateau" album....Chateau D'herouville? I think this is near Paris, I need to google and find out......Also wasn't there an interview from sometime then (maybe a mag) that suggested they had a miserable time esp with some of the food ..I have a feeling I heard about that from Mick...perhaps it's in his book.

[macfan 57]

Did I read that they used the same recording studios as Elton John did for his "Honky chateau" album....Chateau D'herouville? I think this is near Paris, I need to google and find out......Also wasn't there an interview from sometime then (maybe a mag) that suggested they had a miserable time esp with some of the food ..I have a feeling I heard about that from Mick...perhaps it's in his book.

Yes, they used the same studio as Elton John did. In his Q & A, Ken Caillat mentioned that both Stevie & Lindsey complained about everything in France. I also have a Fleetwood Mac promo interview in which Stevie complained about the food, cold showers & just generally pretty much everything.

[tynan88]

I read an article about Stevie in which she says she was haunted by a ghost in her bedroom in France..it was in a book in our school library so I haven't got it...can anyone else know what that is?

[David]

I read an article about Stevie in which she says she was haunted by a ghost in her bedroom in France..it was in a book in our school library so I haven't got it...can anyone else know what that is?Timothy White's "Out There with Stevie Nicks," Rolling Stone cover story

It's in the Blue Letter Archives

[HomerMcvie]

I also have a Fleetwood Mac promo interview in which Stevie complained about the food, cold showers & just generally pretty much everything.
I'm not surprised. I've told my story of a lady I know, who was responsible for taking care of Stevie's dressing room at one of her solo shows. She said Stevie complained about eveything, and was a total b***h. She said NOTHING pleased her. Of course, when I tell this story, the army comes at me with bayonets.

Taking cover now.... :D

[shackin'up]

I know dutch Debbie was there outside that castle camping to get in touch with them.............

[Sugar]

I'm not surprised. I've told my story of a lady I know, who was responsible for taking care of Stevie's dressing room at one of her solo shows. She said Stevie complained about eveything, and was a total b***h. She said NOTHING pleased her. Of course, when I tell this story, the army comes at me with bayonets.

Taking cover now.... :D

What tour?

[vermicious knid]

I read that going to France was Mick solution to the problem of every band member's manager getting in the way of things. He made it be in France to get away from the managers. The individual managers having been introduced after Mick's role as band manager ended after the Tusk tour debacle.

[HomerMcvie]

What tour?
I'm not sure. I think the lady told me it was the late 80s.

[DavidMn]

I'm not surprised. I've told my story of a lady I know, who was responsible for taking care of Stevie's dressing room at one of her solo shows. She said Stevie complained about eveything, and was a total b***h. She said NOTHING pleased her. Of course, when I tell this story, the army comes at me with bayonets.

Taking cover now.... :D
Well, if the stories true, it doesnt really bother me, but I will say this, we can all have bad days, and maybe this person only took care of her for one show?

[HomerMcvie]

Well, if the stories true, it doesnt really bother me, but I will say this, we can all have bad days, and maybe this person only took care of her for one show?
Yes, it was one show. She was with the promoter or venue.
The only time I'm a real bitch is if I'm overheating(no A/C, or lack of working A/C). So, let's say it was too hot, and forgive her. :rolleyes: ;) :mad: :lol:

[DavidMn]

Yes, it was one show. She was with the promoter or venue.
The only time I'm a real bitch is if I'm overheating(no A/C, or lack of working A/C). So, let's say it was too hot, and forgive her. :rolleyes: ;) :mad: :lol:
good point. I wholeheartedly agree :nod:

[Alexbt]

If I'm not mistaken, I only like 3 songs on Mirage, and two of them are Stevie songs. The production of each is different though.

Gypsy seems like it had a lot of work done on it. I have summized from different studio boots I have heard that she was originally going to do this on a solo album, which by the timeframe would have been Bella Donna and/or with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (I believe one boot says they're the band playing). The arrangement is quite different than the one we all know today. I also have some boots where Lindsay is playing chords and singing possible lead guitar parts.

I'm wondering if they just did some of these demos in France.

I have some boots of Hold Me with Chris, Lindsey, and Stevie singing together. They went through a couple different versions of the song.

Straight Back sounds like it's a demo to me--that being the final product sounding like a demo. I think it's a great song but not enough production was available to put into it. I have some studio boots marked "Early" of this song which are not too far off from what was released. I'm guessing that they did this in France in a few takes and never really changed much. (Which would also explain why nobody really remembered how to play it in the Mirage Tour Rehearsal boot--John plays a completely different bass part, and Chris fumbles through the keyboard part)

[DownOnRodeo]

I read that going to France was Mick solution to the problem of every band member's manager getting in the way of things.

Vermicious Knid! I love your name. Great Glass Elevator was a favourite read of mine.

[FuzzyPlum]

Mirage article containing contributions from Ken C...

AV Club:
Fleetwood Mac’s Mirage is a well-crafted diamond in the rough
http://www.avclub.com/article/fleetwood-macs-mirage-well-crafted-diamond-rough-239731



From a commercial standpoint, Fleetwood Mac’s Mirage was an unqualified success. Released in June 1982, the record went platinum by the end of the year and spent five weeks atop the Billboard album charts. Mirage also spawned two major hit singles—the piano-spun, Christine McVie co-written “Hold Me” and the Stevie Nicks-penned, mystical twirl “Gypsy”—and a solid-selling U.S. tour. From a career-trajectory standpoint, Mirage was also a triumph. The album helped steady Fleetwood Mac’s ship after the experimental curveball of 1979’s landmark double album Tusk, and ensured the band eased into the ’80s nearly seamlessly.

“Mirage was just more of a traditional record,” Ken Caillat, who co-produced and co-engineered that album, tells The A.V. Club. Gardens & Villa multi-instrumentalist Adam Rasmussen, whose band covered “Gypsy” on the 2012 Fleetwood Mac tribute album Just Tell Me That You Want Me: A Tribute To Fleetwood Mac, observes that Mirage “feels really sweet, lush, nostalgic, soft.” “The rock colors that are present on [1977’s] Rumours and more experimental aspects of Tusk are nonexistent, or at least very subdued, on Mirage,” he says. “I like that it is subtle. [Lindsey] Buckingham’s guitar work is really delicate.”

As with most things involving the notoriously fractured (and occasionally fractious) Fleetwood Mac, however, the narrative around Mirage isn’t quite straightforward—and separating facts from mythology is a little more challenging. For example, contrary to popular belief, Caillat points out that Mirage and Tusk aren’t that far apart sonically. (He would know: He also co-produced and co-engineered Tusk and Rumours.) “Lindsey had decided to be different [on Tusk],” Caillat says. “He basically just wanted it to be dirty—he wanted to see if he could paint himself into a corner and get out of the corner. But yet on the songs [written by Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie], he did some of the most beautiful guitar work. If you just listen to Tusk without any of Lindsey’s songs, it sounds almost identical to Mirage.”

Those aren’t the only parallels: Although Tusk is known for its unrestrained sound, Mirage as well boasts that versatile, anything-goes spirit. “Can’t Go Back” starts with a burst of whimsical, pitter-pattering instrumentation that’s not far off from today’s cheerful indie pop; plush harmonies blossom in the background of “Book Of Love”; and the soulful “Only Over You” feels like an old-fashioned torch song. And although Buckingham’s Mirage songs aren’t as off-kilter as his Tusk compositions—there’s nothing close to the discord of “The Ledge” or post-punk punctures of “Not That Funny”—the acoustic-driven, hopscotch-speed “Eyes Of The World” is plenty abstract.

“It seems like in this era people were making albums that felt really specific and cohesive—almost like conceptual albums that followed a specific guideline,” Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino tells The A.V. Club. “Mirage doesn’t do that. You go from having a mid-tempo ballad about being crazy only over one person, ‘Only Over You,’ to a total Lindsey Buckingham-centric ‘weird’ pop song about New York, ‘Empire State.’ That’s what makes Mirage such a flawless record: It defies expectations.”

Still, it’s impossible to listen to Mirage and not think that it was a reaction to Tusk. “I feel like [Mirage] was them at a crossroads,” singer-songwriter/producer Butch Walker, an avowed fan of both Fleetwood Mac and Buckingham, tells The A.V. Club. “Tusk was such an experimental, ‘**** you’ record, more so from Lindsey, of wanting to do the opposite everybody was expecting him to do. When they put out ‘Hold Me,’ it was like, ‘This is straight-up pop.’ [Mirage] is like, ‘I want to show everybody that we can be as pop as the next person—and be even better at it.’

“It was almost like it was a submission, that record—[Fleetwood Mac was] finally submitting to each other and the pop machine,” he adds. “But the beauty of it is—even them at their most blatantly pop, accessible—it’s better than most people’s best, because the talent involved in that band was ridiculous.”

After the Tusk touring cycle wrapped up, the members of Fleetwood Mac took a break from each other and explored other creative outlets; Mirage emerged after they reconvened, armed with new perspectives and experiences. “Mirage was a great thing for us to try to come back to,” Caillat says. “We tried to make it a second Rumours. So you’ll notice, comparing [Mirage] to Tusk, it’s much more mainstream than Rumours.” To recapture the spirit of those pre-fame days, Fleetwood Mac and the studio team attempted to replicate the close-knit vibe of the Rumours recording sessions. “We thought living together like we did during the Rumours album might make more sense,” Caillat explains. Initially, everyone hunkered down at an 18th-century French chateau, Château D’Hérouville, the same place where Elton John made his 1972 LP Honky Château. (“It almost felt like a castle in some ways, and supposedly it was haunted,” Caillat recalls of the locale.) To finish Mirage, the band and studio team then returned to their home base of California.

Still, Fleetwood Mac circa Mirage wasn’t the same group it was during Rumours. “By that time, the band were all superstars and very much full of themselves, as all of us were,” Caillat says. The members were enjoying the finer things in life—fancy food and booze, new houses, luxury cars—and liberally indulging in illicit substances. “Everybody would show up to do the record, like late afternoon, we’d start working,” Caillat says. “And then, of course, there was a lot more drugs for Mirage than any other record.” (The indulgences weren’t necessarily a creative detriment, however, Caillat stresses. “When you lock yourself in the studio for a year, you think you’re going to discipline yourself and keep working,” he says. “But sooner or later, somebody is going to bring a six pack of beer in, and you’re going to put your feet up on the table and have a beer and relax. Really, the drugs were nothing more than that. They were just a form of relaxation.”)

Plus, in the time between Tusk and Mirage, various band members had been making their own music, with varying degrees of success. Mick Fleetwood traveled to Ghana to record his solo LP The Visitor while both Nicks and Buckingham also released solo albums. The former’s 1981 LP, Bella Donna, reached No. 1 and featured smash duets with Tom Petty (“Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around”) and Don Henley (“Leather And Lace”), as well as the electric “Edge Of Seventeen.” Buckingham’s own 1981 effort, Law And Order, launched only one top-10 hit (“Trouble,” which featured Fleetwood) and peaked at No. 32 on the Billboard 200 list. In the case of Nicks and Buckingham, these solo excursions had an impact on Mirage “only in the competitive side of each of them with each other,” Caillat says. “Stevie did a solo album, and it [did really well]. She would end up rubbing it in Lindsey’s nose and then Lindsey never had really good solo records, so then probably he would try harder to make this record more of a statement.”

Where Mirage is concerned, that doesn’t necessarily explain Buckingham’s New York City mash note “Empire State” or the skeletal (some might say half-finished) anguish he conveys on “Eyes Of The World.” However, he’s far more effective on “Oh Diane,” which laments love’s ephemeral nature, and the clever self-pity (and anti-deity) vibe of “Book Of Love.” Yet Mirage’s tone is set by Nicks’ poetic remembrances (“Straight Back”) and McVie’s straight-up emotional vulnerability (“Wish You Were Here”). In fact, the former’s “Gypsy” and its elaborate backstory—it’s a nostalgic remembrance of her pre-fame days living in San Francisco—has become the stuff of legend.

Cosentino characterizes Mirage’s overarching lyrical theme as “the past,” an assessment with which Rasmussen agrees. “For [Fleetwood Mac] there was probably a sense of returning, or homecoming, maybe the familiarity of writing and playing together again,” he says. “A year and a half is a long time to not be working together creatively. To me, this record does feel especially reflective for the Fleetwood Mac catalog. The themes of relationships and intimacy that we all love from Fleetwood Mac lyrics are still present, [but] the storytelling is heavily reflective, memory-driven, nostalgic, almost dreamlike. It doesn’t have much of the angsty vibes of Rumours, or the far-outness of Tusk.

“The record almost leads you on, instead of taking you home,” he adds with a laugh. “Gives you moments instead of just handing it to you. You have to walk through it slowly to see its brilliance, in my opinion.”

Within Fleetwood Mac’s canon, Mirage’s cultural influence and legacy does feel subtle and less defined. It’s obvious that the drama suffusing 1977’s Rumours helps that record endure, for example, and that Tusk’s deliberate weirdness makes it an object of fascination. Even 1987’s gauzier, more commercial Tango In The Night has become an inspiration, thanks to the popularity of ’80s pop’s electronic production and keyboard-driven sound. But Mirage is free of gimmicks or backstory; its defining quality is its songcraft and music. That’s not necessarily sensational or attention-grabbing—but it does make for an album that’s aged very, very well.

“By that time, we knew how to make a good record,” Caillat says. “Rumours, I was completely surprised. Everybody thought that we would be so confident that we knew we had a smash-hit record. But we were so tired and really had taken the songs such a long distance from where they started that it was like, we didn’t know. But on Tusk, we knew [McVie and Nicks’] songs were great. And Lindsey, he knew enough not to screw around with those.

“When Mirage came around, all the songs just went back to… really, if you listen to [Nicks and Buckingham’s] first solo album, [1973’s] Buckingham Nicks, or the first album that they did with Fleetwood Mac [1975’s self-titled LP], Mirage is a little bit more polished, a little bit more aggressive, drums and bass, than those first albums. They kind of returned to their roots.”

In the case of Nicks’ country-folk warble “That’s Alright,” there’s a good explanation for that: The song is a holdover from Buckingham Nicks. Yet Mirage was clearly not a rehash of the past—perhaps because the three main songwriters had grown into their strengths and, as a result, had become more distinctive. “One thing I love about all Fleetwood Mac records is the fact that they always have such a sprinkling of different vibes because of the fact there are three different songwriters and singers,” Cosentino says. “With Mirage, it’s much more out in the open. On this record, we get to hear really specific Stevie, Lindsey, and Christine songs—by this time, it was so easy to spot which song belonged to who, they all started to develop their own niche, and a songwriting style and lyrical content that was so specific to themselves.

“That’s something people really respected and still respect about Fleetwood Mac: their ability to stay true to themselves, regardless of all the bull**** they went through as a band,” she adds.

That last point is important: Mirage also demonstrated the almost supernatural strength of Fleetwood Mac’s internal musical equilibrium, which survived despite the band’s interpersonal turbulence and separate endeavors. More specifically, Mirage underscored how this improbable stability gave the band enough confidence to grow and change, which helped it stay relevant in the ’80s and beyond. Classic rockers were notoriously clumsy when attempting to embrace modern trends or technology—think about how many of these bands and artists shoehorned synthesizers into their sound or looked ridiculous in music videos. But perhaps because Fleetwood Mac was used to being chameleonic—the group had an established career and sizable body of work as a blues-based band before Nicks and Buckingham even joined—the band didn’t flinch at progress.

Nicks’ new wave-leaning “Straight Back” boasted contemporary-sounding keyboards, while Fleetwood Mac embraced the power of MTV early on, and made an elaborate, film-shot music video for “Gypsy” with noted director Russell Mulcahy. (Naturally, the clip received its world premiere on the channel.) Mirage illustrated Fleetwood Mac’s unparalleled ability to balance looking back and moving forward: The band’s music may have sounded timeless, but it wasn’t frozen in time.

“I like that they were able to adapt with new keyboard sounds and stuff like that—but no matter what, it never sounded distorted,” Walker says. “It never sounded like KISS doing the gratuitous disco record when disco was hot. Or the Stones doing the gratuitous disco record when disco was hot. This was early on for new wave, obviously, which was just kind of starting to happen and bubble up around ’82. They tapped into a little bit of that future sound that they finally probably were hearing in their head—and maybe a lot of underground bands were doing. That, to me, just kind of shows how brilliant they are, because they were able to [evolve]. It didn’t sound forced or trendy.”

To Cosentino, that Mirage was both cohesive and diverse is just as significant, and one of the biggest ways she sees the LP influencing modern music. “I think to see a record do well commercially and not have it stick to one formula was probably very influential to a lot of people then—and, to me, it still is,” she says. “It makes me feel like it would be okay for me or any other artist to make an album that doesn’t feel like it sticks to one specific vibe. I feel like a lot of artists in pop music do that now, and it works really well.

“We see and hear so many albums now that are all over the place, but in a good way—and they work regardless if the opening song is a crazy, Top 40-sounding pop anthem that fades into an R&B-style ballad,” she adds. “Bands and artists take risks now; they seemingly say ‘**** you’ to this idea a record has to have the same vibe throughout and they just do what they want. Mirage is very ‘**** you’ when it comes to following a strategy. It doesn’t follow one—that’s its main strategy.”

Cosentino is an outspoken Fleetwood Mac loyalist; in fact, she says Mirage is her favorite LP by the band. In general, Walker admits he’s “stolen from the handbook of Lindsey many, many times”—specifically Buckingham’s 12-string sounds and unorthodox fingerpicking arpeggiations—in his own career. “Definitely my records and for productions I’ve done for other people, I’ve snuck that **** in there—whether or not it was fashionable, I still did it,” he says. (In fact, portions of Walker’s forthcoming album, Stay Gold, absolutely feature the kind of forceful, strident acoustic guitar work for which Buckingham is known.)

But Fleetwood Mac is now more fashionable than ever. Walker name-checks Haim and Jenny Lewis (as well as the latter’s former band, Rilo Kiley) as modern purveyors of the Fleetwood Mac sound, while Rasmussen has seen greater acceptance of—if not enthusiasm for—Mirage-style tones and approach. “Soft rock is back—alive and well,” he says. “My DJ friends are definitely revisiting this era.” A typical playlist when he goes out, he says, might include “Gypsy,” followed immediately by Gerry Rafferty’s “Right Down The Line,” the Bee Gees’ “More Than A Woman,” and Buckingham’s “Trouble.”

From a songwriting standpoint, Rasmussen has also observed a resurgence in the type of music Fleetwood Mac popularized. “The music I’m hearing currently at shows is also a nod to some Fleetwood Mac sentiments and stylings,” he says. “In 2016, we’re moving past the electronic fever, whether partially or exclusively. Many of the musicians that I know and work with are returning to writing song songs [and] stories. I’m seeing a return to minimal production and a delicate marriage of acoustic and electronic sound sources, I think because it feels good [and] feels real. I’m very happy that these influences have come to the surface again.”

Post-Mirage, Caillat bowed out of working with Fleetwood Mac. However, he recently did a 5.1 remix of the album for Rhino Records’ upcoming deluxe reissue, an experience he says was “really, really enjoyable. There’s some honest, really honest songs; there’s some great sounds to the record. We really were focused. And we were making a record that sounded great.

“Fleetwood Mac was always great at putting melody lines in,” he continues. “Particularly Lindsey would put in these lines you wouldn’t think were necessary in a song, but they were something in the background that were so many colors. We had layers and layers of colors. Now that I was able to take the 24 channels and spread it around five speakers. You hear backgrounds that you didn’t hear that were buried in layers of stereo. You can actually hear melody lines and hear guitar lines and keyboard lines that you might not have been aware of in the compacted stereo mix.”

However, Caillat also notes this depth was always present in Mirage—and it’s a trait Cosentino particularly finds makes this LP a hidden gem. “Mirage is like the outsiders’ Fleetwood Mac album,” she says. “It’s the album that I kind of feel like only true, die-hard Fleetwood Mac fans really have a special place for in their hearts. If you don’t ‘get’ Mirage I think that’s okay, but for the people that do ‘get’ Mirage I think we can all agree how special it is.

“There is so much going on on that record, but all the songs work together,” she adds. “It doesn’t feel like too much of one thing; it feels like the perfect amount of everything.”

[Macfan4life]

Thanks for posting this. This quote sums it up for me:

“It was almost like it was a submission, that record—[Fleetwood Mac was] finally submitting to each other and the pop machine,” he adds. “But the beauty of it is—even them at their most blatantly pop, accessible—it’s better than most people’s best, because the talent involved in that band was ridiculous.”

When I first joined this board, Mirage was trashed and I almost felt in the minority of Mirage lovers. I am so happy for this upcoming release and so many giving Mirage a second look. That quote about submission to the pop machine is so true especially after the anti-corporate pop machine Tusk. However, that does not mean the Mac could not spurn creative and great songs. Mirage is a group effort....something that Tusk and Tango were not. This is why this new album is going to be so special. It could be the first time since Mirage that these 5 key members all worked together as a whole. Now that is exciting isn't it?

[sleepless child]

Mick was starting to have some money troubles and he wanted to escape taxes by recording in France. It was his idea. I remember the Rolling Stone interview with Stevie where she talked about the ghost haunting the place they stayed.

[~*BellaDonna*~]

I didn't really like Mirage very much upon it's original 1982 release, but.... 34 years later, it has become a favorite. Is it September yet? :wavey:

[FuzzyPlum]

KC: 'If you just listen to Tusk without any of Lindsey’s songs, it sounds almost identical to Mirage'

Is this really the case? Clearly Stevie and Chris' Tusk songs are much more straight forward and 'normal'. I wouldn't compare them with Mirage though. I find Mirage to be experimental in a very different way to Tusk but still a long way from their previous sounds. Stevie & Chris' Tusk songs are in line with The White album and Rumours. I think the way the Mirage songs are produced gives them all a very different feel.
I love the songs on Mirage but I really dont like the flimsy, fluffy production touches. It's the album that made them a pop group rather than a rock band.

[jbrownsjr]

it took me a few weeks to actually understand Mirage. Once I did, I was hooked. It has so many beautiful things about it.

[BLY]

I was in College when Mirage was released and I was hooked at first listen. Hold Me and Gypsy were of course instant classics for me and the heavy rotation on MTV gave me the visual as an added bonus. Love in Store, Book of Love, Eyes of The World, Straight Back and Wish You Were Here were the stand outs for me at first but as all of their albums every track I can appreciate and got into. I CANT WAIT for the deluxe release.

[jbrownsjr]

I was in College when Mirage was released and I was hooked at first listen. Hold Me and Gypsy were of course instant classics for me and the heavy rotation on MTV gave me the visual as an added bonus. Love in Store, Book of Love, Eyes of The World, Straight Back and Wish You Were Here were the stand outs for me at first but as all of their albums every track I can appreciate and got into. I CANT WAIT for the deluxe release.

Ditto.... really needing it, soon than later.

[WatchChain]

Fleetwood Mac's "Mirage" is one of the most underrated albums in the history of rock music, and certainly within the band's catalog. The album has NEVER received the praise that it truly deserves, and I'm so happy that it's finally getting some love. A previous poster described it as a "music box". It has stood the test of time, and still sounds fresh to the 2016 ear; its not dated at all. In fact, "Mirage" is far superior to "Tango In The Night", which, at times, sounds like an 80's synthesizer dated MESS.

[jbrownsjr]

Fleetwood Mac's "Mirage" is one of the most underrated albums in the history of rock music, and certainly within the band's catalog. The album has NEVER received the praise that it truly deserves, and I'm so happy that it's finally getting some love. A previous poster described it as a "music box". It has stood the test of time, and still sounds fresh to the 2016 ear; its not dated at all. In fact, "Mirage" is far superior to "Tango In The Night", which, at times, sounds like an 80's synthesizer dated MESS.

On any given day, i feel this exact same way. And I love Tango, but...

[KenB]

I think I was the poster who said Mirage had a "music box" sound. But I recently discovered that I apparently got that description from Rolling Stone's original 1982 review of the album. Accidental plagiarism, I guess, but it's an oh so appropriate term.

[FuzzyPlum]

It has stood the test of time, and still sounds fresh to the 2016 ear; its not dated at all. In fact, "Mirage" is far superior to "Tango In The Night", which, at times, sounds like an 80's synthesizer dated MESS.


I like Mirage a lot but I think it has dated... quite badly.
For me, Tango has a much more cohesive sound; Mirage is more disparate- It sounds a bit cobbled together...like a collection of solo leftovers (which is kind of is).
Most of the songs are great in their own way individually, but I dont think it hangs together well as an album.
...just my opinion.

[bwboy]

I like Mirage, but Tango has one huge advantage over Mirage- some of the strongest material from Christine McVie ever. Little Lies, Isn't It Midnight, Everywhere, Mystified, heck even You and I, all great songs and most more memorable than anything on Mirage.

[Wdm6789]

I like Mirage, but Tango has one huge advantage over Mirage- some of the strongest material from Christine McVie ever. Little Lies, Isn't It Midnight, Everywhere, Mystified, heck even You and I, all great songs and most more memorable than anything on Mirage.


Hold Me is better than Everywhere and Little Lies, but Isn't It Midnight is better than Love In Store. Only Over You is better than Mystified. I agree though, Christine had some great songs on Tango. No filler from Christine in Tango. Wish You Were Here was kinda boring. She could have done a better song to close Mirage.

[Macfan4life]

Hold Me is better than Everywhere and Little Lies, but Isn't It Midnight is better than Love In Store. Only Over You is better than Mystified. I agree though, Christine had some great songs on Tango. No filler from Christine in Tango. Wish You Were Here was kinda boring. She could have done a better song to close Mirage.
Boooooooooo!
Wish you were here is the perfect closer for Mirage. Just the opening piano riff with Lindsey's crying guitar grabs my attention immediately. Chris sings the song from the heart. Its one of my favorite Christine songs ever.

[WatchChain]

Boooooooooo!
Wish you were here is the perfect closer for Mirage. Just the opening piano riff with Lindsey's crying guitar grabs my attention immediately. Chris sings the song from the heart. Its one of my favorite Christine songs ever.

I couldn't agree more! "Wish You Were Here" is one of Christine's finest compositions and a fantastic choice to close the "Mirage" album. The opening piano riff of "Wish You Were Here" sounds almost identical to the opening chords of the 1997 live version of "Silver Springs" from "The Dance" album. Did Chris use the same tune?

In fact, all four of Chris' songs from "Mirage" are fantastic. From the playful harmonies of "Love In Store" to the lilting loneliness of "Only Over You", Chris hits a home run! Just several more reasons why "Mirage" is one of the greatest albums in Fleetwood Mac's catalog.

[jbrownsjr]

I couldn't agree more! "Wish You Were Here" is one of Christine's finest compositions and a fantastic choice to close the "Mirage" album. The opening piano riff of "Wish You Were Here" sounds almost identical to the opening chords of the 1997 live version of "Silver Springs" from "The Dance" album. Did Chris use the same tune?

In fact, all four of Chris' songs from "Mirage" are fantastic. From the playful harmonies of "Love In Store" to the lilting loneliness of "Only Over You", Chris hits a home run! Just several more reasons why "Mirage" is one of the greatest albums in Fleetwood Mac's catalog.

The intro is just simply an inversion of the same chord. I think it's Cmaj. She's just simply going down the keyboard, while playing a few pedal tones in the left hand. I think she stole Why's intro for Come A Little Closer in a bootleg.

[pattyfan]

You are spot on. It is an inversion of the same chord. In the sheet music it's a Db major. :)
And it does sound like the live beginning of Silver Springs. The first time I heard the live SS, I actually thought they were doing WYWH live. :)
I wonder why she/they changed the intro to SS? I actually like the studio intro much more.

Kevin

[jbrownsjr]

You are spot on. It is an inversion of the same chord. In the sheet music it's a Db major. :)
And it does sound like the live beginning of Silver Springs. The first time I heard the live SS, I actually thought they were doing WYWH live. :)
I wonder why she/they changed the intro to SS? I actually like the studio intro much more.

Kevin

They slowed down the bps. I think she changed it to be a little more lush.
I'm guessing. But, the studio version sounds faster to me.

[Villavic]

Mick was starting to have some money troubles and he wanted to escape taxes by recording in France.

Right. This is how Mick explained in his first book.
I had asked the band to record outside the United States, so that as a citizen of Monte Carlo I wouldn't be liable for American taxes. I
was beginning to get into dire straits with money, having taken bank loans out at some of the highest interest rates in living memory to pay for real estate. I had to prove this new album was recorded out of the country. I was still thinking of emigrating to Australia and giving up my American green card to live as Lord of the Manor at Wendsley Dale, but at the same time, Lord of the Manor was getting more nervous every day. In the back of my mind, I knew I couldn't operate out of the United States. If I stayed away too long, Fleetwood Mac might drift apart, and I was obsessed with keeping this band together and working no matter what.

There is no other studio mentioned, but the Mirage page at Wikipedia (Don't have an álbum or cd book right now) says:
Recorded 1981–82 at Le Château in Hérouville, France, Larrabee Sound Studios and the Record Plant (both in Los Angeles, California) mixed at George Massenburg Labs in West Los Angeles, California