Mirage: Your favorite songs, grouped by singer

[Villavic]

It's Mirage turn. If you had to choose one group of songs that you like the most, which will you choose? Lindsey’s songs? Stevie’s songs? Christine's songs?

[jbrownsjr]

I love all of Christine's Hold Me, Love In Store, Only Over You and the beautiful Wish You Were Here. (Which we got on the BuckVie tour)

[bwboy]

This is a difficult one for me to decide on. I LOVE Eyes of the World, Book of Love, and Can’t Go Back, but I hate Oh Diane and Empire State. I love Love in Store, but only like Wish You Were Here (a lot) and Hold Me (a little), and really dislike Only Over You. I love Gypsy and really like That’s Alright and Straight Back, even though the last two end weakly. Ultimately, my love for three of Lindsey’s songs cancel out my dislike of his other two, so I go with Lindsey.

[HomerMcvie]

Honestly, Can't Go Back and Book Of Love are PERFECT aural candy. Those two songs make the album for me. I gave Lindsey this one.

[Macfan4life]

Another close one. If Smile At you made Mirage I would give Stevie the win. But because Chris has more songs, that breaks the tie breaker.
I will say that Stevie's contributions are superb. She was still batting 1000. She has 2 fantastic songs with no chorus. Both are pure poetry that goes with the music perfectly. It shows she was at another level. That's Alright is a wonderful polished gem too.
Love In Store has always been dear to my heart and is one of my favs from the album. Chris's other songs are excellent too.
Close again but Chris gets the nod.

[jbrownsjr]

Another close one. If Smile At you made Mirage I would give Stevie the win. But because Chris has more songs, that breaks the tie breaker.
I will say that Stevie's contributions are superb. She was still batting 1000. She has 2 fantastic songs with no chorus. Both are pure poetry that goes with the music perfectly. It shows she was at another level. That's Alright is a wonderful polished gem too.
Love In Store has always been dear to my heart and is one of my favs from the album. Chris's other songs are excellent too.
Close again but Chris gets the nod.

She was always their secret weapon.

[HomerMcvie]

She was always their secret weapon.

Yeah, but 9 out of 10 idiots prefer Stevie.

[jbrownsjr]

Yeah, but 9 out of 10 idiots prefer Stevie.

And I'm the 1 of 10 that adore Christine. So there you have it.

[aleuzzi]

This was tough. Stevie brought two great songs—That’s Alright and Gypsy, both of which are among the best on the record. But I have never dug Straight Back; it bores me. People love it, but I can’t get into it.

Lindsey has a lot of cool fun tunes here.

But I went with Christine. All of her tunes are strong, though I admit I rarely listen to WYWH. I should more often.

[WalkAThinLine.]

Despite the inclusion of "Oh Diane", I still have to go with Lindsey on this one. "Can't Go Back" and "Book of Love" encompass some of Buckingham's most melodic songwriting, and the latter features some of the best harmonies on the entire album. "Empire State" is a very quirky song that works well when not taken seriously. The simplistic vibraphone chimes never fail to make me smile and the lap harp work is rather impressive. "Eyes of the World" probably has the best use of the Pachelbel's Canon chord progression in all of existence and has an amazing guitar solo to boot.

The only dud here is "Oh Diane", but I may have softened a little on this song in recent months. I no longer think it's the worst song Fleetwood Mac has ever done.

[jbrownsjr]

But I went with Christine. All of her tunes are strong, though I admit I rarely listen to WYWH. I should more often.

I'll keep sending it to you if you don't. :xoxo:

[DownOnRodeo]

The only dud here is "Oh Diane", but I may have softened a little on this song in recent months. I no longer think it's the worst song Fleetwood Mac has ever done.

Is there a more divisive track in the Rumours lineup's ouevre?

Oh Diane is a track on the European/Australian version of the Greatest Hits album, as it was a popular single in those countries.

Interestingly I just learnt that Seven Wonders, which was a highlight of my copy of Greatest Hits, was not on the US version of Greatest Hits (which featured Over My Head instead).

[WatchChain]

I LOVE the Mirage album. I don't understand why some consider it average.

"Can't Go Back" and "That's Alright" are pure joy. The playful vocals on "Love in Store" are some of the best three-part harmonies of their career.
"Only Over You" is sublime.
Some of Fleetwood Mac's finest moments are on the "Mirage" album.

Unpopular opinion - Mirage is a better album than Tango in the Night.

[aleuzzi]

Unpopular opinion - Mirage is a better album than Tango in the Night.

Many fans, including I, agree with you. It has heart and warmth. Tango is slicker and more commercial—but it feels distant, cold, by comparison.

[aleuzzi]

I'll keep sending it to you if you don't. :xoxo:

I know you will! And one of your favorite moments of the BuckVie shows was when she sang it…

[HomerMcvie]

Many fans, including I, agree with you. It has heart and warmth. Tango is slicker and more commercial—but it feels distant, cold, by comparison.

I HATE Tango. Cold, sterile, computerized crap.

[jbrownsjr]

I know you will! And one of your favorite moments of the BuckVie shows was when she sang it…

Probably, thee favorite moment. And she was "on" the nights I saw her.

[moon]

For me, it's a tie. From Love In Store to Oh Diane, every song can fit perfectly in a personal mood. This album is fantastic, as every song inside. Even on this one I could say that Stevie Nicks has a good credit, as That's Alright is a "happy" song, Gpysy the "sweet" one and Straight Back the "rocker" one. But every songwriter has a great work here!

[DownOnRodeo]

(Mirage) has heart and warmth. Tango (...) feels distant, cold, by comparison.

That's why I love Tango.:o

Ironic that Mirage, for all its sunny Californian warmth, was recorded in a French chalet over the winter, while Tango, with its chilly europop ambience, was recorded in LA.

[GypsySorcerer]

This is tough. Gypsy is the best song, and I have a soft spot for That's Alright. However, I'm not keen on Straight Back -- Christine's harmonies are really what I like. Speaking of Christine, this is her weakest batch of songs to me. Hold Me is wonderful, but I find both Only Over You and Love in Store bland. Which leaves Lindsey? I like all of his except Empire State.

[jbrownsjr]

This is tough. Gypsy is the best song, and I have a soft spot for That's Alright. However, I'm not keen on Straight Back -- Christine's harmonies are really what I like. Speaking of Christine, this is her weakest batch of songs to me. Hold Me is wonderful, but I find both Only Over You and Love in Store bland. Which leaves Lindsey? I like all of his except Empire State.

I agree this is Christine's weakest album. And still her songs are so good. (Or, become so good - as some folks take time to love them).

I didn't like Love In Store when I first heard it. Now, it's like a little anthem for me that starts the album. Kind of like a kid getting excited about Sesame Street. :p

[Villavic]

I agree this is Christine's weakest album. And still her songs are so good. (Or, become so good - as some folks take time to love them).

I didn't like Love In Store when I first heard it. Now, it's like a little anthem for me that starts the album. Kind of like a kid getting excited about Sesame Street. :p

Love in Store is even my ringtone.

[Macfan4life]

Love in Store is even my ringtone.
Its the song that hooked me in to be a fan watching it on HBO in February 1983. Something about the lyrics have that jr high puppy love/crush feeling where you have butterflies in your stomach. The studio version is almost doo wop. Its easy to sing along with and has a fairly good melody. Its in my top 10 favorite Chris songs of all time.

I cant fight it

[jbrownsjr]

Its the song that hooked me in to be a fan watching it on HBO in February 1983. Something about the lyrics have that jr high puppy love/crush feeling where you have butterflies in your stomach. The studio version is almost doo wop. Its easy to sing along with and has a fairly good melody. Its in my top 10 favorite Chris songs of all time.

I cant fight it

The promos from the HBO hooked me in so hard. I couldn't wait for that show to air.

[Penguin Emeritus]

The promos from the HBO hooked me in so hard. I couldn't wait for that show to air.

OMG I knooowww! I begged my rich friend down the street to record it for me when it came on, because we didn't have HBO in my house!!! :lol:

--Lis

[Wdm6789]

Best songs on Mirage: Hold Me, Gypsy, Only Over You, That’s Alright

But we can all agree that Gypsy is one of the most beautiful songs ever created.

[Macfan4life]

The promos from the HBO hooked me in so hard. I couldn't wait for that show to air.
I was hypnotized and seduced at the same time. These millennials have no idea what we had to do. I remember setting my alarm at 2:45 am on a school night when I was in 7th grade to watch and tape record the show. We had no VCR. So I would hold the tape recorder up to the TV. It was the last night the show aired on HBO so I had to do something. Then I wrote a 3 page hand written letter to HBO demanding they bring the concert back (hey I was desperate). Sure enough they responded with an official typed letter thanking me for my letter and telling me how popular the concert was and that it was possible for it to re-air again someday. Those suckers never aired it again.
Today anyone can just go to youtube. No one understood our struggle to get this concert.

BTW, with the incredible Hold Me, how can you say Mirage is Chris's weakest album?

[BLY]

I couldn’t wait for Mirage to be released. It seemed like forever since Tusk(and it was only 3 years) After getting Lindsey and Stevie’s solo albums (which I loved) but I wanted all three voices together once again. Love in Store was the best way to open up the album. My only wish was that three voices were more prominent on more songs.

[On Ice]

Not surprising to see a near 3-way split for Mirage as each writer has at least one outstanding tune. I went with Stevie because of Gypsy, one of her best ever writings and the best production Lindsey has ever offered one of her songs and that's saying a lot because most of his production of her songs is perfect. Gypsy just knocks it out of the park in every way. That's Alright and Straight Back are also great, when have we since heard Stevie on a Fleetwood Mac album so committed to her craft. Of course Christine's Hold Me gives them their best ever performing chart single and no wonder, it's a genius pop song. However, her other songs are not up to this standard. To qualify though, when has she ever written a bad song. Lindsey brings Book of Love which I think is his best Mirage song, a happier, more accessible What Makes You Think YOu're the One, his shining moment on Tusk. Like Christine, his other songs are weaker. All and all, I love this album and it has a warm sound that was never to be again.