Mirage

After the experimental sound of Tusk, for their thirteenth studio album, released in June 1982, Fleetwood Mac went back to the more commercial soft rock sound that sells records. It's the fourth album of the same line-up (Buckingham, Nicks, C. McVie, J. McVie and Fleetwood), although Stevie and Lindsey had both released their debut solo albums the previous year as they were feeling restricted within the band.

What of Mirage though? Despite being criticized by many there is much to love here. The opening track, Love in store, is an infectious, upbeat love song written by Christine McVie and Jim Recor and was a hit single in the U.S.. Already you can hear a return to the Californian rock sound of Rumours and it's welcome here. Lindsey Buckingham provides us with the poppy Can't go back, a single in the U.K. which didn't do too well despite being as catchy as they come and rather brilliant.

Now I have to admit to absolutely adoring That's alright, an irresistible country flavoured pop song that Stevie Nicks originally wrote and demoed during the Buckingham Nicks era in 1974. It was called Designs of love then, but I'm so glad she finally got round to releasing it properly in some form as it's a belter. Book of love, written by Lindsey and his friend Richard Dashut, is also insanely catchy and another corker.

We then come to the wonderful Gypsy, a Stevie Nicks standard now that is simply one of her best ever songs. Her friend Robin Anderson had died of leukemia and this was apparantly included as a tribute. It's a hauntingly beautiful song that never ages, and was a much bigger hit in the U.S. than it was in the U.K., although it's since become one of their most well known songs over here. Only over you finishes side one on a dreamy, catchy note that is another strong Christine McVie composition.

The most radical song on here had to be Empire state, another Buckingham/Dashut composition that shows Lindsey isn't ready to be pinned down to one musical style. This tribute to New York has fans divided but that's probably the point and I absolutely love it for its differences. It's also good that the band allowed him a little bit of freedom or I think he would have left before Tango in the night, and that doesn't bear thinking about now.

Stevie's third and final offering on here is Straight back, quite a heart-rending ballad that refers to her leaving her newfound solo success to make another Fleetwood Mac album. Then we come to Hold me, the first single to be taken from this project. It reached #4 in the U.S. but flopped in the U.K., although it still featured on their '88 Greatest Hits and gained a not much more successful re-release. Christine wrote this with Robbie Patton and this is her at her most vulnerable and needy, but cleverly disguised as a very catchy and brilliant pop song.

Oh Diane was the biggest hit in the U.K., reaching the top ten. Lindsey again teamed up with Richard Dashut to write this irresitibly catchy little pop ditty, which seems to be almost universally hated amongst fans for some reason. I freely admit to loving it though, despite not having a clue who Diane is - wasn't he still with Carol Ann Harris at this time?

Eyes of the world was written solely by Lindsey and is a sadder song of heartbreak, yet simple and melodic but remaining catchy. The guitar work on this one is also great. Christine gives us one of her best ever ballads on the album closer, Wish you were here. Co-written with Colin Allen it is a dreamy, heartbreaking and stunningly beautiful track that is definitely one of my favourites from Mirage.

Really then there's not much to not love here. Obviously you're going to get the comparisons to Rumours, but I honestly think that is a success that they could never repeat. I applaud Lindsey's decision to go more experimental on Tusk, because that is a truly great album that proved they could do more than just soft rock. Mirage was an obvious attempt to return to the glory days of Rumours, but they lacked the passion and hurtful break-ups within the band to make this happen. What we have are warmer pop/rock songs that make for a first-class album by most bands' standards, although Lindsey's heart obviously isn't really in it and I think the rest of the band were just going through the motions to get an album out too. What I am trying to say is, if they can come up with something this good without the drive and passion, then imagine what they could have produced if they'd really wanted to. All in all, it's still a great album though.