Mirage | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 2 July 1982 | |||
Recorded | Spring 1981 – March 1982 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 42:52 | |||
Label | Warner Bros. | |||
Producer |
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Fleetwood Mac chronology | ||||
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Singles from Mirage | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
Blender | [3] |
Classic Rock | [4] |
The Guardian | [5] |
The Philadelphia Inquirer | [6] |
Pitchfork | 8.5/10 [7] |
Rolling Stone | [8] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [9] |
Uncut | 7/10 [10] |
The Village Voice | B+ [11] |
Mirage is the thirteenth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 2 July 1982 by Warner Bros. Records. [12] This studio effort's soft rock sound stood in stark contrast to its more experimental predecessor, 1979's Tusk . Mirage yielded several singles: "Hold Me" (which peaked at number four on the US Billboard Pop Chart, remaining there for seven weeks), "Gypsy" (number 12 US Pop Chart), "Love in Store" (number 22 US Pop Chart), "Oh Diane" (number nine in the UK), and "Can't Go Back" (number 83 in the UK).
After the completion of the worldwide Tusk Tour, the band took a year-long hiatus. During this time, Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood, and Lindsey Buckingham had each started solo careers, Nicks to multi-platinum, number-one success with 1981's Bella Donna . [13] Unlike the band's previous four albums, Fleetwood wanted the band to record Mirage outside of Los Angeles; he also sought to eschew the experimentation found on Tusk and instead replicate the commercial appeal of Rumours . [14] To achieve this, producer Ken Caillat scouted for potential studios and came across Le Château in Hérouville, France. The band agreed to record at the facility, although Caillat said that certain members, particularly Nicks and Buckingham, were difficult to work with. The band hired a chef that cooked whatever the band wanted, but Caillat believed that both Buckingham and Nicks were unappreciative of the experience as the two would complain about the food and the lack of television. In an attempt to appease them, Caillat brought the two video machines with baseball games taped by one of his friends in Los Angeles. [15]
In a 1981 interview with BAM magazine, Nicks reported that her original three submissions for Mirage were "That's Alright" (with the working title "It's Alright"), "If You Were My Love", and "Smile at You", although she said that Buckingham encouraged her to replace the latter song with a different composition. Nicks agreed with Buckingham, stating that "It's kind of a bitter song and that's really not where any of us are at right now, even thought it's a wonderful song. My songs don't take long to record, so it shouldn't be a problem." [16] "Smile at You" later appeared on Fleetwood Mac's 2003 album, Say You Will . [17]
The Nicks-penned "Gypsy" (number 12 Pop, number four Rock, and number 16 in Canada) was the second single from the album and was accompanied by a video directed by Russell Mulcahy. The edited version of "Gypsy" that appears on the album and single releases runs for only 4:24, but a 5½-minute version had been originally recorded. The latter version was (initially) used in the video, and was not available on CD until the release of 1992's retrospective box set 25 Years – The Chain .
Of the other two compositions from Nicks on the album, "That's Alright", which was one of the three songs she originally submitted for inclusion on Mirage, dated back to the Buckingham Nicks days of 1974, while "Straight Back" was written in the winter of 1981 and referred to her separation from then-lover, producer Jimmy Iovine, and the disruption she experienced to her newly established and highly successful solo career in order to rejoin Fleetwood Mac for the 1982 project (Nicks refers to this on the DVD commentary to her 2008 retrospective Crystal Visions – The Very Best of Stevie Nicks ). "Straight Back" was also a US rock radio hit in late 1982. [13]
Of Christine McVie's four compositions, three were written in collaboration with other writers: "Love in Store" with Jim Recor, ex-husband of Nicks' friend Sara Recor who later married Mick Fleetwood, "Hold Me" with singer-songwriter Robbie Patton whose second album she had recently produced and "Wish You Were Here" with lyrics from erstwhile John Mayall drummer Colin Allen. The other, "Only Over You", was credited "With thanks to Dennis Wilson for inspiration." [18] McVie had recently ended her relationship with Wilson, a member of the Beach Boys, who would die by drowning the following year. [19]
Three of Lindsey Buckingham's five contributions were written with co-producer Richard Dashut including the UK top-10 single "Oh Diane". Buckingham came into the studio with "Can't Go Back and "Eyes of the World", while his other three songs on the album were written shortly after his arrival in France. [20] On "Empire State", Buckingham played a 19th century lap harp gifted to him by Mick Fleetwood. [21]
The album returned the group to the top of the US Billboard charts for the first time since their 1977 album Rumours , spending five weeks at number one. It spent a total of 18 weeks in the US top ten and has been certified double platinum for shipments in excess of two million copies in the US. It also reached number five in the UK where it has been certified platinum for shipping 300,000 copies, and number two in Australia. [22]
A deluxe edition of Mirage was released on 23 September 2016. This expanded reissue features a remaster of the original album, 13 live tracks, B-sides, outtakes, plus other songs that did not make the final cut. Some of these songs include "Goodbye Angel" and "Teen Beat", which were both released on 25 Years: The Chain , and "Smile at You", later released on Say You Will . [23] and "If You Were My Love" later released on Stevie Nicks' solo album 24 Karat Gold: Songs From The Vault . The DVD-Audio disc contains both the 5.1 Surround and 24/96 Stereo Audio mixes of the original album. Reviews of the deluxe edition were very favorable, but several[ who? ] noted the absence of a re-release of the "Mirage Live" 1982 concert video release, which to date has not been released on DVD in the United States and United Kingdom.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Love in Store" |
| C. McVie | 3:14 |
2. | "Can't Go Back" | Lindsey Buckingham | Buckingham | 2:42 |
3. | "That's Alright" | Stevie Nicks | Nicks | 3:09 |
4. | "Book of Love" |
| Buckingham | 3:21 |
5. | "Gypsy" | Nicks | Nicks | 4:24 |
6. | "Only Over You" | C. McVie | C. McVie | 4:08 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Empire State" |
| Buckingham | 2:51 |
2. | "Straight Back" | Nicks | Nicks | 4:17 |
3. | "Hold Me" |
|
| 3:44 |
4. | "Oh Diane" |
| Buckingham | 2:36 |
5. | "Eyes of the World" | Buckingham | Buckingham | 3:44 |
6. | "Wish You Were Here" |
| C. McVie | 4:45 |
Fleetwood Mac
Additional musician
Production
Two of the final shows of the Mirage tour were filmed in Los Angeles in 1982. Originally released on VHS and CED videodisc in 1983, many tracks were edited out, with the loss of "Second Hand News", "Don't Stop", "Dreams", "Brown Eyes", "Oh Well", "Never Going Back Again", "Landslide", "Sara", and "Hold Me", reducing the 135 minute show to just 80 minutes on cassette. Three of these tracks, "Second Hand News," "Brown Eyes," and "Hold Me" would later be officially released on the expanded 1980 Fleetwood Mac Live album in 2021. The running order was also completely rearranged so that Nicks' "Gypsy" followed "The Chain", whilst "You Make Loving Fun" and "Blue Letter" were moved to the first half of the edited show.
The performance also includes what is often referred to as the "speaking in tongues" version of "Sisters of the Moon", in which Nicks delivers the song's coda in such intense gravelly vibratos that her words are rendered mysteriously indecipherable.
The concert was not released on DVD until 2003, but this was limited to Brazil on the Studio Gaba label and featured an unmastered soundtrack.
In 2006 a good quality release was issued in Australia, with an added special feature comprising six Stevie Nicks solo promotional videos for some of her singles released between 1981 and 1986. This collection had previously been issued separately on VHS in 1986 under the title Stevie Nicks – I Can't Wait, and exclusively includes a live solo version of her top ten hit "Leather and Lace" (a duet with Don Henley), which was recorded on the final night of Nicks' 1981 Bella Donna tour. The clip was not included in the 9-track edit of Nicks' "White Wing Dove" live concert VHS release in 1982, and neither was it included in the DVD supplement to her 2008 retrospective Crystal Visions – The Very Best of Stevie Nicks . To date, this is the only DVD availability of this live performance.
In 2009, another DVD incarnation of the Mirage concert was released under the title Fleetwood Mac – In Performance by the Showline label on a region-free disc.
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [51] | 2× Platinum | 140,000^ |
Canada (Music Canada) [52] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
France (SNEP) [53] | Gold | 100,000* |
Germany (BVMI) [54] | Gold | 250,000^ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [55] | Gold | 50,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [56] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [57] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Lindsey Adams Buckingham is an American musician, record producer, and the lead guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Fleetwood Mac from 1975 to 1987 and 1997 to 2018. In addition to his tenure with Fleetwood Mac, Buckingham has released seven solo studio albums and three live albums. As a member of Fleetwood Mac, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Buckingham was ranked 100th in Rolling Stone's 2011 list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Buckingham is known for his fingerpicking guitar style.
Stephanie Lynn Nicks is an American singer-songwriter known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist.
Tusk is the twelfth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released as a double album on 12 October 1979 in the United States and on 19 October 1979 in the United Kingdom by Warner Bros. Records. It is considered more experimental than their previous albums, partly as a consequence of Lindsey Buckingham's sparser songwriting arrangements and the influence of post-punk. The production costs were initially estimated to be about $1 million but many years later were revealed to be about $1.4 million, making it the most expensive rock album recorded to that date.
Rumours is the eleventh studio album by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 4 February 1977 in the United States and on 11 February 1977 in the United Kingdom by Warner Bros. Records. Largely recorded in California in 1976, it was produced by the band with Ken Caillat and Richard Dashut. The recording sessions took place as band members dealt with breakups and struggled with heavy drug usage, both of which shaped the album's direction and lyrics.
Fleetwood Mac is the tenth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 11 July 1975 in the United States and on 1 August 1975 in the United Kingdom by Reprise Records. It is the band's second eponymous album after their 1968 debut album and is sometimes referred to by fans as the White Album. It is the first Fleetwood Mac album with Lindsey Buckingham as guitarist and Stevie Nicks as a vocalist, after Bob Welch departed the band in late 1974. It is also the band's last album to be released on the Reprise label until 1997's The Dance; the band's subsequent albums until then were released through Warner Bros. Records, Reprise's parent company.
Say You Will is the seventeenth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 15 April 2003. It followed 1995's Time and was their first album since 1970 without vocalist/keyboardist Christine McVie as a full member following her departure in 1998, although she participated in some songs as a guest musician; it would be her last time being involved with the band in a studio capacity before her death in 2022. Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks shared keyboard duties throughout the album.
Tango in the Night is the fourteenth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 13 April 1987. As a result of Lindsey Buckingham's departure later that year, it is the fifth and final studio album with the band's most successful lineup of Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, John McVie, and Stevie Nicks, though Christine McVie would make guest appearances on the band's 2003 album, Say You Will. This lineup was not seen again until 1997's live album The Dance.
The Dance is a live album by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 19 August 1997. It hailed the return of the band's most successful lineup of Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, John McVie, and Stevie Nicks, who had not released an album together since 1987's Tango in the Night, a decade earlier. It was the first Fleetwood Mac release to top the U.S. album charts since 1982's Mirage.
Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 21 November 1988 by Warner Bros. Records. It covers the period of the band's greatest commercial success, from the mid-1970s to the late-1980s.
Bella Donna is the debut solo studio album by American singer and songwriter Stevie Nicks. Released on July 27, 1981, the album reached number one on the US Billboard 200 in September of that year. Bella Donna was awarded platinum status by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on October 7, 1981, less than three months after its release, and in 1990 was certified quadruple-platinum for four million copies shipped. Bella Donna spent nearly three years on the Billboard 200, from July 1981 to June 1984.
"Gypsy" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac. The song was written by Stevie Nicks around 1979; the earliest demo recordings were made in early 1980 with Tom Moncrieff for possible inclusion on her debut solo album Bella Donna. When Nicks' close friend Robin Anderson died of leukemia, the song took on a new significance and Nicks dedicated the song to her in future performances. "Gypsy" was the second single release and second biggest hit from the Mirage album, following "Hold Me", reaching a peak of No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks.
Law and Order is the first solo album by Fleetwood Mac guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Lindsey Buckingham, released in 1981. "Trouble", featuring drumming by Fleetwood Mac bandmate Mick Fleetwood, reached No. 9 on the U.S. charts; the album itself reached No. 32 on the Billboard 200. Lindsey appeared on Saturday Night Live on February 6, 1982 and performed "Trouble" and "Bwana" with Mick Fleetwood's Zoo.
"The Chain" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on their 1977 album Rumours. It is the only song from the album with writing credits for all five members.
"Tusk" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac from the 1979 double LP of the same name. The song peaked at number eight in the United States for three weeks, reached number six in the United Kingdom, number five in Canada, and number three in Australia. Lindsey Buckingham wrote the song and is the lead singer on the track.
"Rhiannon" (released as a single under the title "Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win)") is a song written by Stevie Nicks and originally recorded by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac on their eponymous album in 1975; it was issued as a single the following year. The song's U.S. chart peak was in June 1976, when it hit no. 11. The song peaked at no. 46 in the UK singles chart for three weeks after re-release in February 1978.
Live is a double live album released by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac on 5 December 1980. It was the first live album from the then-current line-up of the band, and the next would be The Dance from 1997. The album was certified gold by the RIAA in November 1981. A deluxe edition of the album was released on 9 April 2021.
"Hold Me" is a 1982 song by the British-American rock group Fleetwood Mac. It was the first track to be released as a single from the band's thirteenth album Mirage. Written by Christine McVie and Robbie Patton, McVie and Lindsey Buckingham shared lead vocals on the song. The single reached #4 on the US Billboard Hot 100, the band's first to break the top five since 1977.
"Family Man" is a song by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac from their 1987 studio album Tango in the Night. The song was written by Lindsey Buckingham and producer Richard Dashut. In the US, the song was released as the fifth single from the album as the follow-up to "Everywhere". It charted in April 1988, and reached No. 90 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
"Love in Store" is a song by British-American rock group Fleetwood Mac. The song is the opening track on the 1982 album Mirage, the fourth album by the band with Lindsey Buckingham acting as main producer with Richard Dashut and Ken Caillat. "Love in Store" was written by Christine McVie and Jim Recor and it became the album's third single in the US. Released in November 1982, it went on to peak at No. 22 for three weeks as the follow-up to Top 20 hits "Hold Me" and "Gypsy". It also peaked at number 11 on the Adult Contemporary chart. The song features lead vocals by Christine McVie with prominent vocal harmonies by Stevie Nicks and background vocals by Lindsey Buckingham.
Lindsey Buckingham Christine McVie is a studio album by Fleetwood Mac vocalists Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie, released on June 9, 2017. Four of the five "classic members" of Fleetwood Mac are featured on the album; vocalist Stevie Nicks is the sole member absent. The album sold over 22,000 units in the United States in its first week and debuted within the top 20. It proved to be even more successful in the United Kingdom, where it debuted at No. 5. In November 2017, the album was also certified silver with sales exceeding 60,000 units.