Another album ranking

Villavic · #1 07-14-2025, 11:52 AM

This time a list by BBC Music Magazine. Well, again, no surprise Rumours is at #1 in a list of 17. But since it seems to be a list made by a magazine team (or journalist), not a public poll, finding Tusk at #3, under the 1975 album, kind of surprised me. I thought Tusk had a better critical reception.

Behind The Mask at #14, Say You Will at #13, very close to each other.

https://www.classical-music.com/feat...-albums-ranked

Macfan4life · #2 07-14-2025, 12:57 PM

The only thing that is interesting about this list is how high Mirage is listed (#5). Usually its lower. But the annoying thing is most of the top albums are the ones that went to #1 or top sellers which is why maybe Mirage is so high on the list.
Its impossible to impartially rank them because we all like different things
The one thing I applaud on this list is Mirage is listed higher than Tango. That will annoy many on this board but I say BRAVO!

FuzzyPlum · #3 07-14-2025, 03:06 PM

Mirage higher than Tango? What a ridiculously stupid and inane list. Who are these clueless idiots? Pathetic!

Villavic · #4 07-14-2025, 03:56 PM

Mirage and Tango. Sometimes I like one more than the other, it's been for periods. Looking at the big picture, I think I like both equally, but in very different ways.

Macfan4life · #5 07-14-2025, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Villavic

Mirage and Tango. Sometimes I like one more than the other, it's been for periods. Looking at the big picture, I think I like both equally, but in very different ways.

IMHO Mirage is superior. Stevie has excellent songs on Mirage and her Tango songs suck. Lindsey has a great song on Tango and the others are solo material. Chris has great songs on Tango but she also has great songs on Mirage. Both albums gave Chris 2 charting singles. The music is real and more of a group effort on Mirage. The songs are more heartfelt on Mirage. I can stand Lindsey's quirkiness more on Mirage because at least he's playing real instruments. There are songs on Tango like Caroline that I dont think any band member participated in the music. Its a much more solid album than Tango. But I already mentioned I am in the minority on this board with that opinion. Its rare to see a list that has Mirage above Tango unless its my list

HomerMcvie · #6 07-14-2025, 04:24 PM

I FAAAAARRRRR prefer Mirage to Tango.

Mirage is real. Tango is plastic crap.

bombaysaffires · #7 07-15-2025, 01:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

IMHO Mirage is superior. Stevie has excellent songs on Mirage and her Tango songs suck. Lindsey has a great song on Tango and the others are solo material. Chris has great songs on Tango but she also has great songs on Mirage. Both albums gave Chris 2 charting singles. The music is real and more of a group effort on Mirage. The songs are more heartfelt on Mirage. I can stand Lindsey's quirkiness more on Mirage because at least he's playing real instruments. There are songs on Tango like Caroline that I dont think any band member participated in the music. Its a much more solid album than Tango. But I already mentioned I am in the minority on this board with that opinion. Its rare to see a list that has Mirage above Tango unless its my list

well said, especially regarding Stevie's material.

Macfan4life · #8 07-15-2025, 06:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bombaysaffires

well said, especially regarding Stevie's material.

Stevie still had a vault of amazing songs even after coming post Bella Donna. Smile At You was left on the cutting room floor for a new song Straight Back. I like Straight Back. Its like Gypsy in that it has no chorus. All of her Mac contributions were very good up to that point. Songs like Sleeping Angel, Beauty and the Beast, Smile At You, Silver Springs were all amazing Mac tunes that were left off Mac albums. When Tango was being recorded Stevie was at her peak solo powers yet contributed clunkers. She for the first time contributed a song she never wrote to a Mac album. I guess you can say she brought her solo career to the Mac. For Mirage we were still getting these Epic songs from her. While Chris's songs on Tango are top notch I think her contributions on Mirage are far more passionate. Songs like Only Over You, Wish You Were Here, and Love In Store give me that pit in my stomach emotion that explode from these songs. Mirage is not perfect. But Chris and Stevie songs are. Lindsey has better songs on Mirage too. Tango shines here and there but Mirage is a much more solid album. Very little of Tango sounds like Fleetwood Mac.

Villavic · #9 07-15-2025, 07:00 AM

I think Tango was a good attempt by Lindsey to get into the '80s sound. Although his songs aren't within his top of the creme, I liked them more than those on Go Insane. That's why I'll always miss not hearing Big Love live in the Tango style. Stevie's was definitely the weakest, and Chris's was the strongest. They achieved a good change to fit in the '80s, which made me enjoy that plastic sound of the non real instruments, if you want to call it so. And without going as far as Queen's failed and extreme attempt with Hot Space, for example.

And on both albums there is just one song that I don't usually listen to: Only Over You (yeah, don't hate me) and Caroline.

DownOnRodeo · #10 07-15-2025, 07:27 AM

Seems like an impossible task to rank albums across eras, yet John and Mick were there through it all and they are the brand name, so it's fair game. A fairly solid ranking, I think. I'm squarely in the Tango before Mirage camp but it's good that each album has fans to champion it.

I've come to the conclusion that the release of the GOS demos forever diminished SYW to some extent. (Speaking as a fan here, because the average listener or even average fan wouldn't have heard the demos.) When SYW came out, to some extent I judged it for its songs that weren't from the GOS demos, as if those didn't count. Had those Lindsey GOS tracks been fresh to SYW, it would have been a revelation and necessarily elevated SYW to a near all-time favorite Fleetwood Mac album, Girlie Girls notwithstanding.

Had, for example, Miranda made its first appearance not on the GOS demos but as an (apparent) SYW session track, I would think of it more fully as a Fleetwood Mac song (not a Lindsey solo song, as I always have), and in that context I would put it up there close to Gypsy. It's a knock-out; musically it's Mirage-style Lindsey at his best but lyrically it's Mirage-level Stevie at her best.

Macfan4life · #11 07-15-2025, 07:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Villavic

I think Tango was a good attempt by Lindsey to get into the '80s sound. Although his songs aren't within his top of the creme, I liked them more than those on Go Insane. That's why I'll always miss not hearing Big Love live in the Tango style. Stevie's was definitely the weakest, and Chris's was the strongest. They achieved a good change to fit in the '80s, which made me enjoy that plastic sound of the non real instruments, if you want to call it so. And without going as far as Queen's failed and extreme attempt with Hot Space, for example.

And on both albums there is just one song that I don't usually listen to: Only Over You (yeah, don't hate me) and Caroline.

Very true. One of the few similarities between Stevie and Lindsey in the 80s was by mid decade both were chasing the current sounds of the 80s. That embrace did carry on to Tango. Lindsey was not the only one. Paul McCartney released some horrible solo albums in the mid 80s where he did exactly what Lindsey did. He was experimenting with all these computers and sound machines. Like Lindsey those solo albums did not sell much, had no hits but were critically acclaimed.
What is not being discussed is why Tango sounds like this? Tusk was to be the most anti-corporate sound possible. The blowback made both Mirage and Tango embrace pop radio. Pressure was on Mirage to be more classic Mac. Pressure was on Tango because it had been a half decade without an album and Mick needed to get out of bankruptcy. I think Lindsey appreciates Tango more than Mirage because he was more in control and he worked on it with similar tactics as Tusk.

Mr Scarrott · #12 07-15-2025, 01:19 PM

I'm not sure why this ranking appeared in the BBC classical music magazine, but whatever.

It's better-written than a lot of these atttempts, although I don't know who the writer thought was on Time as he seems to think Christine was absent as well. BTM is higher than it deserves (I'm firmly in the "it is lucky to even make last place" camp). Putting Kiln House above Bare Trees to me at least is a little odd. The former is a bit of a rag-bag (a bit like Mirage, but which at least has a stand-out masterpiece of a song on it); Bare Trees, the differences between Welch, McVie and Kirwan notwithstanding holds together very well thematically and sounds as gorgeously, wistfully and English autumnal as the cover conveys. Tango in the Night despite its obvious flaws has a unifying sheen that for me places it above Mirage. When I'm trying to feel more intellectual and musically aware than I really am, I place Bare Trees fifth. I agree with the top four order: Then Play On might have been higher for me were it not for the Madges.

David · #13 07-15-2025, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Scarrott

BTM is higher than it deserves (I'm firmly in the "it is lucky to even make last place" camp).

Put some compression on it and I’ll warm to it more. There’s way too much reverb on that album. It’s sludgy. Listening to Rick’s guitar and John’s bass is like hearing a ski boat rev its motor under water.

**jbrownsjr** · #14 07-18-2025, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David

Put some compression on it and I’ll warm to it more. There’s way too much reverb on that album. It’s sludgy. Listening to Rick’s guitar and John’s bass is like hearing a ski boat rev its motor under water.

Now you know, I'm going to go back and listen with this thought in mind!!