Fleetwood Mac – Mirage, C/D?

sigh, I was only able to appreciate “don’t stop” when some poster (m bison?) pointed out that it works better if you imagine Lindsey *extremely on cocaine*

― brimstead, Tuesday, August 18, 2020 5:53 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

this sounds like some shit i said, m bison otm

terrified that my urge to hear Book Of Love after a dramatic day means I have the emotional maturity of Lindsey Buckingham

whoa oh oh ohhhhhhohhhhhhh

just center yourself on the rock solid emotional maturity of john mcvie, be the penguin

interesting "that's alright" goes all the way back to buckingham/nicks

an all time tune for me, enjoy the alternate version too

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngO6-a6NAIc

One of the last times Nicks could hit those high notes before her nose surrendered to coke.

Love Mirage! That's Alright is a really strong song, after hearing the coffee plant demo and realizing how old it is I'm surprised they waited until the 80s before using it. Maybe it was too C/W for the prior albums? I dunno. Better song to me than I Don't Want to Know or Blue Letter, both older tunes dusted off and repurposed for FM.

"That's Alright" is the only non-single on here that's memorable to me.
I was pretty surprised, hearing this record years after their 70s run, how traditional the sound palette was, and especially knowing how completely they'd give in to sampling and programming on the follow-up. I guess 1982 was just on the cusp of these superstar acts still recording with piano, organ, "organic"-sounding harmonies, etc. Also probably the conservatism reflects Lindsey being a good boy after Tusk.

I don't find this album particularly traditional-sounding, especially given the much-vaunted experimentalism of Tusk is largely confined to a handful of tracks (that's not a criticism: a tune like "Over and Over" is not terribly experimental but is still absolutely gorgeous-sounding).

On Mirage the interplay of competing elements - both between various instruments and then between lead versus backing vocals - is incredibly intense, even as formally there is more of an investment in "classic" pop manoeuvres (e.g. the harmonies having a slight barbershop vibe at times).

This culminates on "Hold Me" which is like an intricately wrought musical box, but also elsewhere and more subtly, like on "Only Over You": the complex but unthreatening interweaving of distant sighing backing vocals, churning bass, whining or droning organ, rat a tat drum rolls and a twinkling King Sunny Ade guitar solo from another room (notice how this song immediately repeats the trick from "Gypsy" of fading out on what might have been a much longer solo).

And of course "Eyes of the World" is just nuts, the intro to the guitar solo where it's like a serrated knife cutting through the rest of the arrangement in order to take over the track feels like peak Buckingham to me.

A close listen reveals the importance of Mirage as a bridge between Tusk and Tango rather than as a retrenchment.

My ears always fix on the gated/prominent reverb of this album. The eighties!

Mirage sounds conservative only next to Tusk.

I've realized that Halfway there but for you just about never agree on music.

* Halfway there but for you and I

My ears always fix on the gated/prominent reverb of this album. The eighties!

― Reeves Gabrels' Funko Pop (majorairbro),

This album doesn't sound '80s. The ethos is still post-punk.

just about never agree on music.

We like some of the same things, just different parts. That's one of the things I like to learn on this site.