Mirage: Side 1 or Side 2?
 

Side one
1. "Love in Store"
2. "Can't Go Back"
3. "That's Alright"
4. "Book of Love"
5. "Gypsy"
6. "Only Over You"

Side two
1. "Empire State"
2. "Straight Back"
3. "Hold Me"
4. "Oh Diane"
5. "Eyes of the World"
6. "Wish You Were Here"

Like Tango, I have to pick the side that doesn't have the best song- Hold Me. Side one has great running order and flows to the wondrous Gypsy- second best song and a career high for Stevie. IMO Lindsey's best production on any of her songs including all of Rumours and Tusk. I like Lindsey's songs better on side one and Love in Store, while not Christine's best song, starts the album off just fine. That's Alright features one of the 3 stellar vocals from Stevie as well. She really knocks it out of the part vocally.

Side one for me. But, if you dropped Only Over You and replaced it with Hold Me, I'd be even more fore side one!

I love them all, but side one is a knockout. Perfect sequencing of candy.

I would have to go with side one too. It pains me because Straight Back and Wish you were here and Hold me are on side 2. But side one is better overall IMHO

I can’t decide. Overall side one? But “Eyes” and “Hold Me” are essential to the success of the record. “Straight Back” is strong, and “Empire State” is so aggressively stupid I cannot not laugh and listen along. But I couldn’t imagine being without “Gypsy” or “Love in Store” either, so...no vote here.

Side one ..like Tango it kind of falls apart a bit on side two but not as badly. Those two Stevie songs should have never seen a major release.

For me, Can't Go Back and Book of Love are the standout gems on the album. They're what makes side one the best. It flows perfectly because of them.

I would surrender Book of Love and Diane for the cut Smile At You.

Straight back should have been the album opener or first track on side two. No way after Bella Donna stardom were they going to let that happen. Its funny because the song is actually about her having to return to Fleetwood Mac so quickly. "The dream is not over, the dream has just begun" IMHO sounds like her reality of having to shelve her successful solo career for a contract obligation with the Mac. But she did go "Straight Back" to the Mac. The song is also about breaking up with Jimmy. I love Mirage but it needed some rawness and some anger, and more rock. The album is very good but a few tweaks, it could have been sensational.

Never understood why Hold Me was put where it was, but I love side 2 because of it.

I think it was strategic. They knew it’d be a hit and its placement on side two therefore would familiarize casual (“hit”-based) fans with album tracks around it. How many people, beyond fans, would have even tried to listened, for example, to “Straight Back” if it were buried in the sequencing among other non-hits?

For the same reason the lovely opening to “Only Over You” is more widely known because it followed “Gypsy.” Whether one stayed tune or not...well, I can’t say. But they were aware of it unless they bolted to the tuning arm.

I agree, maybe Judy Wong did the track list.

And I'm sick of Gypsy and not sick of Hold Me (which shows how they held up) I actually sometimes skip Gypsy when listening to Mirage. Great song, I'm just done with it.

Love In Store is such a snoozer to open the album with. Sounds totally unfinished to me.. just too many spaces where there's just nothing going on. Too bare.

My dream Mirage track list would be (sorry I would scrap Oh Diane for Smile at You)

Straight Back
Cant Go Back
Love In Store
Gypsy
Eyes of the World
Only Over You

Hold Me
Empire State
Smile At You
Book of Love
Thats alright
Wish You Were Here

I think so too. It could be so much more. It needs a bridge.

I felt like they were trying to do a Second Hand News in the style of Everly Bros.