Quote:
Originally Posted by aleuzzi
Two questions posed:
If you had to chose Mirage or Tango...
and
Which one is the better album...
Song for song, I think Tango is a better album. It has a more unified sound and only two certifiable duds (Stevie's songs). Little Lies is also one of the band's best songs. By contrast Mirage is far more uneven.
But...what works on Mirage is truly magical in a way that 95% of Tango lacks. There's an energy, a fire in "Gypsy," "Hold Me," "Love in Store," "Eyes of the World," and "Wish You Were Here" that the band has only intermittently captured in the studio since. Those Mirage songs I mentioned, especially the two big hits, stand up to any of the band's best songs and always trigger in me a genuine enthusiasm (as opposed to mere admiration) for FM as a band.
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Funny: 12 years ago when I wrote this, I had no idea a TANGO demo called “Where We Belong” existed. This collaboration between Christine and Lindsey is so warm and charming and catchy as hell. It sounds like the best moments on MIRAGE. They should have put it (as is!) on the album and removed one of the solo-sounding Lindsey tunes. (I mean, all of Lindsey’s songs are better than Stevie’s here, but leaving her with only two songs wasn’t really an option).
In recent years, I’ve listened to “Everywhere” a lot more than I used to. The first three songs really do land.
But MIRAGE still feels more genuine and authentic. The deluxe alternative version of “Only Over You,” plus “Teen Beat” and “Goodbye Angel” are gems.