If you had to choose: MIRAGE vs. TANGO IN THE NIGHT

[MacShadowsBall]

Tough decision for me here. I like the overall sound/theme on Tango in the Night. Mirage seems to come off as a collection of songs.

From what I read especially in the new FM book, the band wanted to get back to that Rumours album sound and away from Tusk.

[McTrouble]

Hells Teeth - that was a hard one!

Had to go with Mirage though (but it only just edged ahead of Tango) because I fell in love with LB because of it and that was that!

[poetinmyheart]

I went with Mirage. It was touch and go though. Gypsy tipped the scale for me.

[Blueletter18]

Mirage, because you can still hear that Fleetwood Mac magic, the simple melodies and great harmonies. The songs have a more desperate tone to them, and there is more genuine emotion in the vocals. Tango is a beautiful, atmospheric work in it's own right, however each song is almost completely an individual project, and there wasn't much of a "team effort" on the album, albeit for obvious reasons.

[Christopher]

Both flawed, But I agree with Blueletter18, "Mirage" feels & sounds much more like a "band" record! I also enjoy Christine's & Stevie's songs on Mirage by far than Tango. For me, esp. Christine songs are poppy & generic on Tango. I know the popular opinion is that that Christine really shines on Tango, but I disagree & find her Lyrics to be hallmark dreck embellished with studio 80's shimmer...which btw was why they & Tango in general were so popular on the radio in 87-88', in the states and the UK, the poppier the better unfortunately. The only good thing about Tango from a FM big picture perspective, is it resulted in the 2nd coming of FM internationally & their biggest hit album since Rumours. However, I rarely ever listen to Little Lies or Everywhere (ick!) or Tango as a whole. Mirage edges Tango out by a mile for me.

[markolas]

I'm going against the grain. Tango is far more preferable to me. Stevie is the weak link, but CM & LB did some of their best work on this album, IMO. Tango also hangs together as an album much better than Mirage, in spite of whatever was going on with the band at the time. Mirage is sort of like the '75 FM album for me - it has a couple of classic tracks, but as an album, it's just sort of "there," and not especially memorable to me.

[GypsySorcerer]

I've grown to appreciate and enjoy both albums. I slightly prefer Tango. Stevie's material is quite weak (I don't even like Seven Wonders that much), but I really enjoy Chris and Lindsey on the album. "Isn't it Midnight" and "Tango in the Night" are two of my favorite FM songs ever.

[moon]

Hi! There's a lot of crossed comments, but I agree with both groups...

- Tango In The Night has the amazing Big Love, and other songs that I really like, Everywhere, Little Lies, Family Man, the title song, and You & I.
- The album was released in 1987 and, lot of bands released albums, many of them very commercial, or interesting "robotic" albums, but sometimes leaving their classic styles. Is Tango an example of that?
- Is it a failed Lindsey's solo project?
- Stevie's work is very poor, Christine's voice, as always, sweet and well complemented with Lindsey's voice.
- I think You & I, part I Should have been in the album, as other singles or demos. The title song, has a short but amazing solo at the end...

But Mirage has also songs that are very special to me, like Gypsy (definitely my favourite song) and Oh Diane, and other I like, Love in Store and Hold Me.
With recent solo works, the band could put together their talent in the studio, with Christine's harmonies, Stevie's strong vocals, and the Turner's sound. Is maybe the last work with the FM's "magic"!

I vote for Tango, but it's just a challenge!! Regards

[On Ice]

Although there's parts of Tango (the title track, all of McVie's vocals) that are simply outstanding, Mirage gets my vote because it is the last album to have the "real" mac sound, as many have pointed out. I hate that the band let those embarrassing Stevie performances (on Tango in the Night) become public and part of me thinks it was purposeful No amount of stellar work could distract from that in my opinion. Mirage also has some of the sweetest vocals ever recorded. But in usual mac fashion, they miss stepped and should not have abandoned the brilliant, awesome and artsy tusk sound. It showed promise for the band, but they fell short and went the middle of the road route and lost their creativity.

[KarmaContestant]

TANGO. Mirage has the better Stevie tracks, but Tango is all-around the better album from start to finish. It's cohesive, unified and sounds like a band.

And it sounds freaking awesome on vinyl. I've been playing it a lot of late.

[WildHearted]

I voted for Mirage for reasons already listed. Overall, Tango is a great album - and there are some real gems on there - but Mirage feels like more of a Fleetwood Mac album to me, thus it got my vote.

[gypsysoul]

Tango by a mile even though Gypsy is my second favourite Stevie song ever and I love Hold me and Oh Diane.

[Johnny Stew]

'Tango' was the first new Mac album to be released after I became a fan, and it's the Mac album I still listen to most. The production is high gloss, but the emotions are raw & real -- running the gamut from lusty ("Big Love," the title track) to wistful ("Everywhere," "Mystified"); despondent ("When I See You Again") to hopeful ("You & I, Part II").

Whether you want to get into someone's pants or can't get them out of your head, 'Tango's' got you covered.

[louielouie2000]

I think on a song by song basis, the overall quality of Tango is every bit as good as Rumours. As an album, it's cohesive, flows extremely well, and the album as a whole tells a story. I think Tango is the last really great studio album Fleetwood Mac released.

Mirage on the other hand is a lot more jagged. There are songs on Mirage which are far superior to almost any Mac songs of any era (Gypsy, Hold Me, Eyes of the World); but as an album, Mirage is not so great. The song quality is so highly varied, the majority of Lindsey's songs seem like snarky afterthoughts, and there is no real cohesive theme bridging the 3 songwriters.

I've always felt the extreme turmoil brewing during the making of Tango (which I argue was probably even worse than the Rumours turmoil) fueled incredible music. On the other hand, you can practically hear how disinterested the band is on Mirage... they seem to be just going through the motions so they can get back to focusing on their solo efforts.

[markolas]

Originally Posted by louielouie2000

I think on a song by song basis, the overall quality of Tango is every bit as good as Rumours. As an album, it's cohesive, flows extremely well, and the album as a whole tells a story. I think Tango is the last really great studio album Fleetwood Mac released.

Mirage on the other hand is a lot more jagged. There are songs on Mirage which are far superior to almost any Mac songs of any era (Gypsy, Hold Me, Eyes of the World); but as an album, Mirage is not so great. The song quality is so highly varied, the majority of Lindsey's songs seem like snarky afterthoughts, and there is no real cohesive theme bridging the 3 songwriters.

I've always felt the extreme turmoil brewing during the making of Tango (which I argue was probably even worse than the Rumours turmoil) fueled incredible music. On the other hand, you can practically hear how disinterested the band is on Mirage... they seem to be just going through the motions so they can get back to focusing on their solo efforts.

I mostly agree. I like LB's songs on Mirage well enough, but they're not his best work and I don't think he meant for them to be. CM and SN had one great song each on Mirage (Hold Me and Gypsy). It's just a lackluster album to me. CM & LB were at the top of their game on Tango. SN's material is way below par, but Seven Wonders is a decent song and Welcome to the Room...Sara isn't that bad.