Mirage & Tango In The Night (Remastered & Expanded)?

[James Kirk]

I too hope they eventually release the Mirage and Tango in the Night remastered versions on CD, However, not if they are going to use the same mastering technique used on the other Fleetwood Mac remasters.

With these remasters being done in the early 2000’s they were created right at the time when the Loudness Wars were taking full flight.

Now apparently saner heads are starting to prevail in the mastering world and hopefully we have turned the corner from brick-walling and now back to proper remastering.

Case in point, let’s take a look at Hold Me, on the HD Tracks version it has a really nice DR rating of 13, now compared to the “remastered” version on The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac, that one is at a DR value of 7! That is terrible! They have compressed it is such a way that we have lost almost half of the Dynamic Range, what the Heck?!

I’m sorry but remastering to me means more than turning up the volume, compressing the heck out of it so people can listen to it on their iPhones over the sound of a bus, and then slapping on a “Remastered” sticker.

It’s like if Peter Jackson made sure Lord of the Rings looked really good on an iPhone, then worried about the theatrical presentation later.

If done properly I think a 2 CD edition of Mirage and Tango would be wonderful, I just have doubts that the powers that be will take the time to do it that way, judging from their re-re-re-re-releasing of only 1 album I don’t think quality is foremost on their minds.

I also just wanted to mention one last thing in regards to High Resolution music, HD Tracks do not make these downloads, Qobuz, HDTracks, Pono and Acoustic Sounds are all supplied the audio and artwork files from Warner, so if you have issues with the quality of either, the fault lies with Warner not the different download sites you choose to buy from. In previous threads on this issue the low quality artwork was perceived to be indicative of HDTracks not being a legitimate site, this is simply not true. They do with what they are given.

Now, that all being said, it would be so nice to be able to buy a CD and know that you are going to get the best sound possible, jumping through all these different hoops over he past few years trying to suss out what is the best sound quality is becoming tiring and prohibitively expensive. Look, if Steve Hoffman can be still mastering beautifully remastered CD’s there is no reason the rest of the industry can’t do it too. Heck, we have seen it done beautifully with the recent Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen remasters, both are wonderful and an incredible improvement over the previous versions.

Here is hoping that corner has been turned and we can get some truly wonderful product for our money.

Rant over
Enjoy your Weekend Everyone!!!

[WayOfTheDragon]

Originally Posted by James Kirk

However, not if they are going to use the same mastering technique used on the other Fleetwood Mac remasters.

I wholeheartedly agree. I actually sold my copy of the White Album 2004 remaster, because I was so disappointed with the sound quality. As I recall, it didn't have enough high end and sounded murky and lifeless-- the same with the Tusk remaster. They sounded like "rush jobs" done without much care to preserve the sound quality. These days, when it comes to Fleetwood Mac, I listen to anything but CDs-- if I want digital files, I can listen to vinyl rips or HDtracks downloads, and other than that I can just listen to the original albums on vinyl (or cassette)!

One thing I'd be interested in, if these albums were reissued, is some previously unheard material from the sessions. Given the lack of attention usually paid to Mirage and Tango by the band, I don't see it happening anytime soon. In the current era, there is tons of nostalgia for the 80s and 90s-- so much of the current synth pop is heavily influenced by 80s sounds, it seems like the right time for a reappraisal of Tango in particular.

[James Kirk]

Originally Posted by WayOfTheDragon

In the current era, there is tons of nostalgia for the 80s and 90s-- so much of the current synth pop is heavily influenced by 80s sounds, it seems like the right time for a reappraisal of Tango in particular.

Yes, but you are applying logic and reasoning to what should be done, if we have learned anything from Fleetwood Mac is those to things seldom impact their releasing decisions.

In regards to your comment on the sound of Tusk there is a rumour floating around that the source of the HDTracks release of Tusk is a flat transfer of the aborted DVD-A 5.1 release. If this is the case it is a shame this was never released for that HD version is closest I have ever heard to my 1st LP pressing. Just wonderful quality.

Have a great weekend!

[Andrew Smith]

Originally Posted by James Kirk

Yes, but you are applying logic and reasoning to what should be done, if we have learned anything from Fleetwood Mac is those to things seldom impact their releasing decisions.

In regards to your comment on the sound of Tusk there is a rumour floating around that the source of the HDTracks release of Tusk is a flat transfer of the aborted DVD-A 5.1 release. If this is the case it is a shame this was never released for that HD version is closest I have ever heard to my 1st LP pressing. Just wonderful quality.

Have a great weekend!

You are correct. Tusk was going to be released on DVD-Audio. They even created a new 5.1 surround sound mix of the album from the original multi-tracks. Lindsey was heavily involved with this project.

In an interview a few years ago he was asked why it hasn't been released. He said that although the project was completed Warner were reluctant to put it out. He didn't give a reason as to why Warner ditched the idea of releasing it.

I'm guessing that it was because the DVD-Audio format was fading fast. It's virtually a redundant format now.

[KarmaContestant]

Originally Posted by WayOfTheDragon

In the current era, there is tons of nostalgia for the 80s and 90s-- so much of the current synth pop is heavily influenced by 80s sounds, it seems like the right time for a reappraisal of Tango in particular.

Yes! I hear Lindsey's Mirage sounds all over the place these days.

[Andrew Smith]

I believe strongly that reissues of these albums would sell well, so if the band themselves or Warner are worrying that they won't sell, they shouldn't.

The more people who email Rhino at [email protected] requesting these re-releases the better. Get that suggestion box of theirs overflowing, although it should doing that already.

[PenguinHead]

Originally Posted by Andrew Smith

I believe strongly that reissues of these albums would sell well, so if the band themselves or Warner are worrying that they won't sell, they shouldn't.

The more people who email Rhino at [email protected] requesting these re-releases the better. Get that suggestion box of theirs overflowing, although it should doing that already.

The re-releases are certain to sell well among a world-wide legion of die-hard fans. The albums may not make the charts again, but that isn't the main intention. With minimal expense, the record company will still make a decent margin of profit from a repackaged product.

I suspect these reissues (and their sales numbers) matter little to the band members. They mattered more to them at the time when the albums were initially released.

[Wdm6789]

It would be awesome to have super deluxe editions of Mirage and Tango like they did for Rumours. Outtakes and early cuts and live performances. The only thing I wouldn't like is Lindsey being absent from Tango live versions. He should have done the Tango tour.

[Andrew Smith]

Originally Posted by Wdm6789

It would be awesome to have super deluxe editions of Mirage and Tango like they did for Rumours. Outtakes and early cuts and live performances. The only thing I wouldn't like is Lindsey being absent from Tango live versions. He should have done the Tango tour.

The Tango In The Night tour has already been released on DVD, so I doubt they will include this DVD again on a remastered & expanded edition of Tango In The Night (if that ever happens).

On the DVD the live show features Rick Vito and Billy Burnette in place of Lindsey. It was filmed at San Francisco's Cow Palace in December 1987.

I agree that Lindsey should've done that tour. If he wanted to leave Fleetwood Mac at that time he obviously had the right to do so, although he should've done the Tango In The Night tour first and then quit.