Let's Show Some love For... "Straight Back"!
 

Well, we've shown our love for "Brown Eyes". We've shown our love for the album Tango In The Night. We've shown our love for The Beatles (on the now aptly titled thread "FM is just so good"). Now it's time for "Straight Back"!
Mirage is probably best described as a mixed bag for most fans. Personally I love Mirage, although I wouldn't care to play any of Lindsey's songs from it to friends being introduced to FM. But I think that Christine's and Stevie's songs on this album are lovable, and I wouldn't hesitate to play them for anyone new to FM!
So, let's hear it for "Straight Back"! :woohoo:

I love Straight Back. I think it is a really strong vocal, I love Stevie's voice from this era. I also love the demo of this song with Stevie and Christine working out the harmony, you can totally hear Stevie's voice ready to fly, she sang effortlessly. Great, great song.:thumbsup:

I've always liked "Straight Back" however I would have preferred that the the song it replaced been left where it was. Back when the "Mirage" album was being recorded Stevie was asked what she had on the new album. She said "I have three songs, one called "Gypsy", one called "That's Alright" that goes back to the Buckingham Nicks days and another called "Smile At You"."
"Smile At You" was dropped when Lindsey decided that the song was too angry and that wasn't the direction they wanted to take the album. Too bad, because the version of "Smile At You" recorded then is vastly superior to the "Say You Will" version. I think too much time had passed and the anger was gone.

I like all of Stevie's songs on Mirage. She was in great form vocally. "Straight Back" is probably my least favorite of the three, but it's still quite good. I like the Stevie/Christine harmony. Too bad we didn't get more of that on other albums.

I can totally see Lindsey's point. However, Smile At You is a much stronger song than Straight Back. But I love Straight Back too, albeit, as predictable as it sounds. I think I liked the demo a little better too.

But are we talking about the version of SB on the first pressing of the vinyl LP or the version on the subsequent CD release with all of the extra guitar overdubs? I much preferred the LP version- I think all that extra guitar noodling only detracted from the spooky sparseness of the original. :mad: Why did they feel the need to do this? From what I've read, it's not even Lindsey playing the guitar- it's Ray!

Is there an LP version out there?

Isn't there less vocals from Stevie on the LP version as well? It's been a while since I've listened to it but it's a lot more spacey and sparse from what I can remember.

Yeah it's on the LP. I don't think that version has ever been issued on CD though. I know when I got the Mirage CD (which has THE worst sound of all of the Mac albums!!! It needs to be remastered NOW!) I was very surprised to hear the mix of "Straight Back" that is on there.

Straight Back has really stupid words, but it's kind of a cool track. The band gave it kind of a funk quality -- John's bass, I think. The one recording we have of it being run down live in rehearsal is super-cool, too. Would have been killer on the '82 tour.

I think this is the song about which Christine said that some of the parts that sound like keyboard work are actually guitar work. (I essentially hear only the Yamaha CP-30 being played on a single track on this one. Is there also a phat synth pad?) Typical of Lindsey: To employ his own voice & the voicings of his guitars to simulate other voices or other instruments. Once again, it's all part of the Mac's experiments in confounding listener expectations, in getting us as listeners to think outside the box (the box being the typical pop song on the radio).

I meant to say rehearsal not demo. Anyway here is a copy of what I meant. http://www.sendspace.com/file/uqzdxh

The lyrics actually remind me of Daedalus and Icarus a bit.

But my favorite part of the song is the "hours and hours of waiting". Waiting is as heartbreaking and compelling a component of unfulfilled love as loss is, but I don't think it gets the same representation in poems, music or literature. There's something about this song that captures both the hope and emptiness of waiting. Anticipation can buoy you one minute and then turn around and stab you in the chest, when nothing comes of it. Yet, you'd do it again, open yourself up for the same disappointment. You'll continue to wait.

I love the feelings this song stirs up. Love Christine on it. Loved the way this song preceded Hold Me on the album. Stevie talked about a rumpled ball of tuskness, but Mirage is like a rumpled ball of yearning. It's like a wound you don't feel yet, because you're still drugged. So, you're drifting in a dreamlike state, floating in gauze, anesthetic and pretty orchestration. Feels really good now, but you know the pain is coming down the line.



Michele

Oh, one of my favorite things that Mick ever said was that it was like pulling teeth just to get Lindsey to play the GUITAR sometimes, because he would spend hours trying to make his guitar sound like a violin, for instance.

Michele

Yes I love this song! I dunno what it is, but it just counds really cool to me.:cool:

I used to have the LP but don't anymore... would love to hear the difference... I should have stored all my LP's digitally...

I can hear a piano track too on occasion..

Come to think of it, yes! During the "she remembers how good it can be..." bridge, they added a kind of "dueling Stevies," where Stevie adds an extra wail or a couple of "hours and hours..." here and there. Personally, I liked it better without all the extra production. It was like painting a mustache on the Mona Lisa.

I've always loved Straight Back. I can still remember vividly the first time I heard it. I was on a plane bound for Las Vegas in July '01, and was listening to the two albums I had just received for my birthday: Tango and Mirage. Straight Back came on as we were flying over the Grand Canyon and Lake Mead... it was almost a spiritual thing. It was such a beautiful way to be introduced to such a beautiful song. I've had a soft spot for Straight Back ever since.

I agree it's no Gold Dust Woman or Sisters Of The Moon, but Straight Back is still a classic textbook Stevie Nicks song. I love the spooky, haunting sound it oozes. The backing vocals are sheer perfection. The production may come across as a bit busy with John's thumping bass, the lush vocals, and Lindsey's keyboard-mocking guitarwork... but I think Stevie's very out-in-front vocal helps balance it out. The way the song slowly winds up to an instrumental crescendo at the end is very cool.

This song marks the last time she recorded anything great within the confines of the Mac until Illume and Destiny Rules... a 21 year span. I've always kind of found it odd, yet fitting the song was about how her solo career revived her musical passion... yet the song was recorded for a Mac album. Kinda a foreshadowing of trouble to come.

I remember posting about this, years ago.... Indeed, there were two versions of this released. I bought the cassette version, the day Mirage was released. Cut to a couple of years later, and I bought the CD, and SB is a different version.....

Why was this done, especially with no explanation? Is it not unheard of, to release an album, then go back and change a track, then keep releasing it? I wonder if the first pressing was rushed, to make a release date, or something....

Or, they thought SB had potential as a single, if they reworked it....

Straight Back
 

I loved the first 2/3rds of the song. I was not fond of the ending.

Here's the LP version.

Straight Back - LP Version
http://www.mediafire.com/?iyyjfndytmw

I've always loved Straight Back, I'd even go as far to say it's my favourite song on Mirage (Yes, I even prefer it to Gypsy!)

It reminds me a lot of Gold Dust Woman fused with Sisters of The Moon, two of my all-time favourite Stevie songs. I think her voice sounds amazing on the song, and I love the harmonies with Christine.

I just adore everything about it. :laugh:

And a huge thank you for posting the live version! I LOVE it!

HQ version of Straight Back (LP version)
 

Looks like somebody already beat me to posting it...
But if anyone's interested, here's an excellent quality vinyl rip of "Straight Back" (original LP version)
(listed under January 13, 2010):

http://songsoftheday.synthasite.com

Enjoy!

If you scroll down this page you can also snag Saddest Victory and I Pretend from Sandy Stewart. :thumbsup:

:eek:

:shocked:

;)

the LP version is definitely crisper, i didn't think the song could get any better:thumbsup:

Why thank you very much!

Ok, I'll bite...

...YOUR OPINION that the Mirage outtake is "vastly superior"...MY OPINION, the Say You Will version blows ANY other version of the song I've heard out of the water. Basically, what even MAKES the song for me is McVie's bass line...only the SYW version has it. Out-of-control, over-the-top vocals by Stevie on those earlier versions, to me, suck eggs.


Anyway, regards to "Straight Back"....never appreciated the song until the CD came out....I longed for the LP version mix. And, I agree that the Mirage CD has one of the most horrid mastering jobs of any Fleetwood Mac album. Why the "alternate mixes"?

The same was when the Tusk CD came out and they'd used an alternate mix of "I Know I'm Not Wrong", when the LP version was, TO ME, vastly superior to the CD version.

I agree. I never knew Stevie had spoken about her contributions to Mirage prior to it's release, but her comments would indicate that a finished version of Smile At You from that period exists. Of all the versions I have heard, from 1976 to 2003, the Mirage sessions were definitely the best. Nothing matches the power of her vocals at that time - as ragrsrocalot says, they just sounded effortless.

It's also a shame the band didn't wish to pursue this direction for the album - I think a little anger would have humanised the sterility of proceedings. There are good to great songs aplenty but overall, it's all too subdued and ultimately, not satisfying.

This discussion just makes me pine all the more for a remastered reissue of the Mirage album. If it followed the style of the three reissues from 2004 and had a second disc of alternate versions and outtakes, it would most certainly have to include both Smile At You and the original version of Straight Back.

Why oh why won't Mick milk this opportunity that is right under his nose? The same goes for the 1980 Live album and Tango In The Night. For very little outlay, these reissues could easily recoup whatever costs were involved. Even in this digital, illegal downloading age, these could sell well, especially given the correct marketing strategy. The group's apathy concerning this matter truly mystifies me.

Michele, I love your posting - the sense of yearning contained within Mirage is apparent but could have been better exploited with a little more fire and energy.

I also always liked Christine's harmony vocal on Straight Back (particularly the "like a wolf on the run" line) and the way her piano wove around Stevie during the second verse. I agree, the sequencing from Straight Back to Hold Me was quite inspired.

By the way, I would not have omitted Straight Back, I simply would have included Smile At You as well. If the vinyl time constraints had made it necessary to ditch one track, I would have opted for either Only Over You or Oh Diane (both rubbish in my opinion).

Come to think of it, why was Stevie only relegated three songs again for this album? She was at the peak of her powers, both creatively and commercially (on the back of Bella Donna) yet she only garnered a quarter of the songs? From what I understand, she was present during the entire recording sessions, unlike what was to occur with Tango, so was she simply being punished for having made a successful solo record?

The same thing happened with I Know I'm Not Wrong when the Tusk album was first issued on cd - different version and no explanation (I actually prefer the cd version with more prominent vocals from Stevie - it almost becomes a duet).

Of course, the single edit of Sara was also included on the first cd version but this was obviously done to conserve space and at least we already knew it existed as the single version.

Just noticed your post chiliD after I'd submitted mine. Hahaha - we seem to disagree about which particular version is the best!

Mirage sterile??? To me, Tango is the STERILE album! I know Mirage doesn't get much respect, but I much prefer it to Tango! Tango sounds to me, like Lindsey tinkering with digital recording and editing, for years, until every note is perfect. Tango doesn't sound like a BAND, playing! I think Tango stands the test of time, less than ALL the other albums.
I love me some Mirage. Why they don't remaster it, only shows how bad FM's business sense truly is!

[QUOTE=michelej1;865014]The lyrics actually remind me of Daedalus and Icarus a bit.

But my favorite part of the song is the "hours and hours of waiting". Waiting is as heartbreaking and compelling a component of unfulfilled love as loss is, but I don't think it gets the same representation in poems, music or literature. There's something about this song that captures both the hope and emptiness of waiting. Anticipation can buoy you one minute and then turn around and stab you in the chest, when nothing comes of it. Yet, you'd do it again, open yourself up for the same disappointment. You'll continue to wait.
Michele

Whoa! This is brilliant writing. Thank You, Michelej1.
27 and a half years later, I think I finally understand why this track was, hands down, my favorite song on 'Mirage'. And I definitely prefer the first, sparse version, with the spaces left unfilled in the 'remembers how good it can be', 'remembers a melody' segment(s).

I love this song from Mirage more than any other on the album.

HomerMcVie,

Please don't misunderstand me - I am fond of Mirage and I agree that Tango is definitely the most sterile, synthetic offering this quintet ever issued but that said, Mirage lacks the soul of Tusk, which of course preceded it.

That was my reaction upon first hearing Mirage and as unfair as it was to do, I guess I compared the two. Nothing could ever eclipse Tusk for me because it is my all time favourite album and of course, the styles of the albums are distinctly different but in my opinion, Mirage definitely didn't match it for quality.

I happen to adore all three of Stevie's tracks on Mirage and like most of the remaining tracks but don't consider them to be amongst the greatest of Lindsey's and Christine's output. Much of the album sounds half-hearted to these ears and yet Stevie's impassioned vocals and intense compositions lend an air of authenticity to proceedings.

[QUOTE=Nikolaj;865140 And I definitely prefer the first, sparse version, with the spaces left unfilled in the 'remembers how good it can be', 'remembers a melody' segment(s).[/QUOTE]

Oh, that's another line I love. She switches a pronoun the second time she says it, from "she" to "he" and it just gives me the impression of both of them remembering, appreciating and missing the exact same things, but maybe at different stages in their lives. Beautiful.

Michele

She said of the upcoming album:

I agree with everything you said. To me, Mirage is just sterile, formulaic, and soulless. I even prefer Tango to Mirage, simply because it's a better album, and because Lindsey and Christine's songs on Tango are exceedingly high quality. Lindsey's Mirage songs just plain stink in my opinion (sans Eyes Of The World), and Christine's aren't much better (sans Hold Me). Stevie's songs were good... but don't quite match the emotion of her songs on Tusk, or even Tango for that matter. People may blast Stevie's Tango contributions, but she was staggeringly raw and honest in her lyrics for Welcome To The Room... Sara, and When I See You Again. As a whole, Mirage just comes across to me as disingenuous. The kids were at the top of all of their respective games (just watch videos from the Mirage tour!!), but the album was just a phoned in middle of the road effort by burned out, spoiled rockers.

ARGGGHHHH! I love Can't Go Back, and Book of Love, and EVEN Empire State!!!

I'll give you, that Love in Store is fairly bland, even though I like it.......I blame Lindsey's production!!!:laugh:

Okay, I'm willing to admit, that my love for Mirage, probably has more to do with the fact that I was a kid, when it came out. I LOVED Mirage! I still have vivid memories, of making my friends listen to it!

When I make a FM "MY hits" cd, Can't Go Back, That's Alright, and Book of Love, must ALWAYS be sequential!

To be honest, I can't see why many FM fans don't like "Empire State". It bewilders me. :shrug: That said, I wouldn't say I love it like most other LB songs.
I must say I don't like "Can't Go Back" or "Book Of Love" as much as I used to, at least at the moment... I still quite like them though...
I also quite like "Oh Diane", except if anyone else is listening to it with me - all I want to do then is die! :laugh: I mean, it's not as if I can skip the track, because it feels like too much of a concession, seeing as their my favourite band! And if I don't, then it probably tarnishes their view of FM anyway! :laugh: I remember listening to "Mirage" one time, and Dad just happened to come in, hand me dinner, sit down next to me with his own, and start listening to the end of "Hold Me"... which proceeded to the beginning of "Oh Diane"! :distress: I would've preferred Dad to have never had to endure that during his lifetime. That said, he didn't say anything, but I'm confident that he would've thought it was rubbish. Also unfortunately, I played the first disc of (Selections from) 25 Years - The Chain in the car during a trip in New Zealand, which contains "Oh Diane"... someone should've slapped Lindsey across the face when he decided to include it in the compilation (assuming it was his fault)! (Sorry Lindsey! :sorry:)
As for "Eyes Of The World"... well, I don't like it as much as I used to, because I recently listened to it with headphones, and I heard all these extra annoying vocal noises at the start, which seemed silly to me. :shrug:
(That reminds me - I listened to "Tango In The Night" two nights back, and what I originally thought was merely a long pause in the song was actually filled with similarly annoying noises... except these ones didn't annoy me! :laugh:)
Having said all this, I actually still love his Mirage songs! :nod: Just not as much as his other ones, of course!
And I think all of Christine's and Stevie's songs are excellent on this album! I really don't understand why some people don't like "Only Over You". :confused: It's got me mystified...

Empire State is probably in my top 5 Lindsey songs >_>

I wish they would re-release Mirage and put in Smile At You and If You Were My Love, then it would be a really really amazing album. It annoys me how Stevie's songs are (in my opinion) the best on the album, yet she only gets three, while Lindsey gets more songs and most of them are horrific (Oh Diane, anyone? Awful song)

Smile At You is best in the Mirage-era demos. I think it's totally, utterly, ruined in Say You Will. I like to pretend it never happened >_>

Edit - Woo, just as I posted this, I get Mirage and Street Angel through my letter box. Huzzah for ebay! =D

Homer,
I really like Can't Go Back and Empire State but I'm not so convinced of his other contributions to Mirage. Christine's songs are generally good but suffer from uninspired production - for example, imagine the demo of Little Lies before Lindsey wove his magic around it - that was a beautifully produced track that made an average song actually sparkle - that's what her tracks needed. The simplicity of Stevie's tracks rang true - they thankfully didn't need any comprehensive production because they certainly didn't get it!