DISCUSSION: Lindsey's songs from Mirage

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by holidayroad

I love all of Lindsey's songs on Mirage. The whole album is great. I don't get why so many people dislike it. I know it's a lot different than Lindsey's work on Tusk. I'm sure he wanted his songs to be more 'out in left field'. I don't think he was given a lot of choice.

Mirage may be my favorite FM album. Hard to say, but it could be. I was a new fan when it came out and I guess that made me cherish it more. I was also a student then and had more time to listen to music, so I played this thing to death.

I love Lindsey's work on it too -- I just don't think that work is best exemplified on his own songs. Michele

[Stew_Matthews]

Originally Posted by michelej1

Mirage I love Lindsey's work on it too -- I just don't think that work is best exemplified on his own songs. Michele

I tend to agree with this. I remember my brother’s girlfriend bringing ‘round a copy of Bella Donna and friends said FM were much better and I went out and bought Mirage. Since then I was ‘hooked’ on this album and Lindsey in particular. His individual tracks aren’t his best and I have this notion that maybe he spent months working on Christine’s and Stevie’s tracks and his own were then something of a rush at the end. The arrangement of Hold Me, the production of Love in Store (that elevated it above what Christine wrote/demo’d), the guitar playing on Straight Back just seem to represent more effort than he put into his own songs. Having said that ‘Can’t go back’ is wonderful in my opinion.

[PenguinHead]

I was always perplexed by the retro style/approach he took on his Mirage songs. I tend to agree with what another Ledgie said -- that it was Lindsey's response to the backlash he got in the aftermath of Tusk.

That said, his songs have grown on me. Eyes of the World was the immediate standout. Empire State was also interesting.

I've come to appreciate the simplicity of Oh Diane. But I'm still surprised that it was selected to be released as his single...and that it actually sold/charted respectively in certain markets/countries! It's such a light-weight sliver of a song.

Though I didn't intially like the clankity-clank production of "Can't Go Back," it has become one of my favorites. Wish they would have performed it live. It was actually a single in Europe -- I have a picture sleeve single of it.