If Mirage and Tango was one album.....
 

Big Love
Gypsy
Everywhere
Eyes of the World
Seven Wonders
Hold Me
Book of Love
Little Lies
That’s Alright
Tango in the Night
Love in Store
Straight Back
Isn’t it Midnight
You and I pt 1&2
Wish You Were Here

You missed Empire State and Family Man...


Haters gonna hate. :laugh:





Seriously, I love both. Especially Empire State.

I do too. But this is MY best of both as a “single album” release.

Mostly Stevie for Mirage, Christine and Lindsey for Tango.

Empire State almost seems like Tusky left overs which is why many claim the song does not fit or is their least favorite from Mirage.
I wish Smile at You made Mirage and I also wish Sleeping Angel made Mirage but not sure I would sacrifice any songs from the album. Like you, I think Mirage was the last real version of Fleetwood Mac and just want to go back in time and have them milk out every last ounce of music they could have.
That's Alright remake from Buck/Nicks era is so polished and the vocal is so good makes me want to keep the song. 1981/1982 Nicks was at her peak vocal strength. Tusk and Mirage are like book ends. One album plays anything but top 40 pop while the other embraces pop. But while Tango embraces pop, its lost in the mid 80s synth pop of the moment. When talented musicians let computers and drum machines do their playing, you lose me.

This shows the almost embarrassing amount of wonderful material by Christine. I even really enjoy Mystified and would be ok if that song were on here, too. Stevie’s selections were the easiest, as Seven Wonders is her only good song on Tango. Lindsey has more of a good selection than Stevie, but many of his songs don’t sound like the rest of Fleetwood Mac played on them. Family Man I hate, and Empire State and Oh Diane are not far from the bottom, either. I love your selections!

To further cloud the discussion, you should consider which outtakes or demos you would have liked to have seen on the actual Tango album. For example, Down Endless Street is one of my favorites, and I’m amazed Lindsey chose that song over Family Man for Tango. I know you mentioned That’s Alright, and I agree that take is great.

I agree with you about Mystified for sure should be included.

I really don't have any Lindsey songs I hate(like Storms or OH DADDY:lol:). Empire State is typical Lindsey quirkiness. I love it. If I had a worst Lindsey song, I suppose it might be Family Man, but I find the guitar solos redeeming of the Popeye chorus.

Mirage was the peak of their voices, looks, and energy. Why cheap bastard Mick has never managed to get the Mirage video released in it's entirety is criminal.

And yes, Tango blows goats. HORRIBLY dated by the computers taking over. None of it sounds like a band playing.

BLY- I agree with you in the main, though albums of the era only generally had 12 tracks.

In that regard:

Big Love
Gypsy
Everywhere
Seven Wonders
Hold Me
Cant Go Back
Little Lies
Tango in the Night
Straight Back
Isn’t it Midnight
You and I pt 2
Wish You Were Here

...though it pains me to leave off That's Alright, Mystified and Caroline.


Tango in the Night is brilliant... warts and all.

Good call and I couldn’t agree more except it must be You and I pt 1 & 2

Good sequence, tho replace Straight Back with That's Alright, as Tango and IIM are both rockers as is Straight Back

I could never try to cut and combine these records. Each one is very much its own album with its own sound and its own aesthetic. Unlike most rock-pop bands, the non-hits are as important as the hits. The less commercial “filler” strengthens the key tracks. So, I need “Can’t Go Back” and “That’s Alright” after “Love in Store” and I need “Book of Love” preceding “Gypsy.” Songs like “Only Over You” and “Eyes of the World” are important time pieces, showing us where the band was in 1982.

Tango is such an intentional album, each track carefully placed in the sequence. I couldn’t imagine any of them falling out of the running order (with the exception of “Welcome” which is like a fart that will not clear out of the room.)

I've been saying that about $tevie being in FM for the past decade!

It does sound dated. But the one exception about a band truly playing together is “Little Lies.” The way the bass surges through that, the three voices, the delicate guitar harmonics. It is classic Mac a la “Say You Love Me” only with synths and fairlight rather than acoustic piano.

The title tune, “Seven Wonders,” and “Midnight” also SUGGEST band interaction, though not as unified.

You should win a Nobel for writing with that sentence; you're brilliant.

However, Welcome to the Room is actually my favorite song. I love all of the sounds on that song and I think that song actually matches the album cover. It's like a Rainforest Cafe song!

The instrumental during the "Oooh downstairs where the big old house is mine" is purfect!

I absolutely love that song...
The drawn out 'Welcome to the room Sara' line after the 'Ooh downstairs...' section is so powerful. Hits the spot.
It stands out as a proper, earthy rock song.

I guess I get point of this post but the band's output over the 40+ years is already minimal enough. They should have at least twice as much work completed. Plus, the production on Mirage and Tango is so completely different all the songs would need to be produced again to sound consistent with each other.

Yes, the point of the post is the best tracks of the two albums period.

Absolutely. 100%. And I believe the non-hits on each album are essential to each record’s identity.

I love Can't Go Back and Book Of Love as much as any hits!

They set the tone of Mirage. Aka Buck Vie Mk I.

I don't think Tango sounds dated. It sounds fresh to me. I think there are parts that sound dated and Stevie sticks out like a sore thumb on this album. However, it works for me.

I'll do my running list later, but I would kick it off with Hold Me. I love how it punches the speakers after the piano riff.

Go back on all the previous Mac albums.....listen to all that piano and keyboards. Tango barely has any Christine playing. For just that reason alone, I think BTM is a better album. Its a group effort and you can hear Christine play again. Besides Isnt It Midnight, you dont hear John play his typical storm of bass playing either. No computer programming and drum machines either. IMHO, Everywhere would have been a bigger hit without the programmed timing and computerized bass. Just imagine it being a bit like it is live with real instruments. While the studio cut is fine especially for 1987/88, they sacrificed their sound. Finally on Isnt It Midnight we hear Christine play keyboards, John's pounding, thumping bass, and Lindsey's guitar. Songs like Caroline were better left for Lindsey's solo album. But I get it, Lindsey had his hands partly tied while making the album and we should be thankful it even happened.
Sadly, cocaine addiction gave us crappy Stevie Tango songs and klonopin addiction gave us crappy BTM songs. The funny part and irony is Christine stated she was the only one that really enjoyed making Tango. Lindsey had Mick and Stevie's substance issues to deal with. John had to get his groove back to play. Apparently Christine just loves making music no matter what :)

Hold Me
Big Love
Gypsy
Everywhere
Eyes of the World
Seven Wonders
Book of Love
Little Lies
That’s Alright
Tango in the Night
Mystified
Straight Back
Isn’t it Midnight
You and I pt 1&2
Wish You Were Here

Her singles seem to be that of a happy singer.

I don't understand why on Mirage, If you were my love wasn't used instead of one of Lindsey's songs. And why Stevie isn't singing background vocals on more songs. Is it because Lindsey didn't want her to have more or because Stevie wasn't in the studio enough to be a part of a lot of the recording? She would say in interviews she needed more than just 3 songs on a record. She could have certainly pushed for more fairness.

That's alright
Gypsy
If you were my love
Seven Wonders
Smile at you.

All good enough songs she could have had on a mashed album of Mirage and Tango.

Hmmmm, I feel this has been pointed out and discussed many times...it was always down to 'share of album time'. She always had less songs, but because her songs were long she always ended up with more 'air time' on the albums. They were always fair- if she wanted more songs, she'd have to cut down her song length. She couldn't have her cake and eat it.
They were never unfair in this regard, no matter what she thought.

If Mirage and Tango In The Night were trimmed to one LP:

Side One (21:13)
Hold Me
Book Of Love
Little Lies
Can't Go Back
Gypsy
Love In Store

Side Two (21:13)
Big Love
That's Alright
Everywhere
Seven Wonders
Isn't It Midnight
You And I, Pt. II

God I love this! :wavey:

I don't want to lose ANY Mirage songs. I lurve them all. It may not be as arty as Tusk, but I love it nonetheless.

Then make your own damn list, and change that stupid f*** shirt. :laugh:

Don't make me slap you and chuck my glass of wine in your face, biotch!!!!:lol:

I'll throw my B3 Hammond at you while it's still attached to the bass pedals.

Okay. You win! :xoxo:

Haha! You know I could never lift it. Christine probably could.

She probably could!

Have you ever lifted a B3? It's a 4 man job!