Mirage at 40

[aleuzzi]

Originally Posted by moon

Come on, the whole Mirage, with demos and rarities, is GOLD!!!! You won't find that kind of songs in any other FM album. I mean, Empire State, Oh Diane, Goodbye Angel, Smile At You, Teen Beat, Blue Monday, Can't Go Back...
Lot of people have very mixed thoughts about them, but come on, you can't forget them! Even for something bad, you will remember them as "that crazy FM song", or "that song which needed to be included on...". Am I wrong??
Probably this album was not the most successful of the band, but has more rare and different songs than any other album. Rumours, Tusk and TITN had a very unique style. Mirage isn't.

I love Mirage and agree the reissue gives us so many delights. I will disagree about Mirage not having a “unique style.” Regardless of the very different songs being thrown together all is unified through the production. The sound on Mirage is pure pop, generally major-key songs with catchy melodies and youthful lyrics. There’s a bubbly ebullience—and warmth. (Tango has all but the warmth.)

The production on each FM record since 1975 is distinct, so that each album sounds like an intentional album rather than a storehouse of songs. Even the White Album has a different sound than Rumours, though these two records are closest in style to one another.