It may not be recognised as an integral part of their varied discography, but in my opinion, the album is in desperate need of reappraisal as being at least comparable to "Tango in the Night" in terms of merit, i.e. Since its release, "Mirage" has become unfairly maligned by critics, and although the soft rock aspects of Fleetwood Mac's conventional approach are more pronounced and intentional, the album is far too expertly crafted to deserve to be viewed in contrast to the intense mastery of what had gone before. Each composition registers aurally as sheer bliss, and the amplified, cascading sounds throughout the album are so expansive and melodic that, as with "Rumours" and "Tango In the Night", it is entirely addictive to simply extract and isolate the extensive sonic minutia, individual instrument tracks and lilting harmonies operating in the background. Lindsey Buckingham's comprehensive, elaborate distillation of pop may have lost its off-kilter tension, but there is no reduction in his virtuoso musical prowess without question, the album is a tour de force on every conceivable level. "Mirage" is an outstanding collection of songs, imbued with raw emotion and meticulousness, and although it cannot compare with its predecessors, therein lies the point: it isn't either of those albums, and it should not be judged for its shortcomings in that respect. Lindsey Buckingham's glossy production and intricate guitar, bass and drums layering is endemic, even the remarkable Stevie Nicks cuts "That's Alright", "Straight Back" and "Gypsy" are sonically and lyrically cohesive with the rest of the album, despite the newfound solo star confidence. In the wake of Buckingham’s departure in 2018, the group enlisted Crowded House singer Neil Finn and Tom Petty sideman Mike Campbell-big-name replacements that prove, after 50 years of smash hits and broken relationships, Fleetwood Mac still won’t stop thinking about tomorrow.Fleetwood Mac explored musical innovation on their previous album, "Tusk", but "Mirage" is a return to the traditional pop rock song structures of "Rumours", albeit with country leanings and perceived lack of substance. And even as more streamlined ‘80s efforts like Mirage and Tango in the Night reasserted their pop panache, Fleetwood Mac have remained a cauldron of drama and intra-band acrimony, the principal members seemingly coming and going without warning. On 1977’s Rumours, Fleetwood Mac dressed up the bitterest break-up songs in the smoothest, sultriest arrangements to the tune of over 40 million copies sold the album’s appeal is so universal that it’s been both cited by Courtney Love as an influence and used to soundtrack Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign.īut the band were eager to play against pop-star type-1979’s double-album colossus Tusk betrayed Buckingham’s affinity for post-punk, and though it was deemed a commercial disappointment at the time, it has since been embraced as a cult classic by discerning indie rockers. But Nicks’ star turns on “Rhiannon” and “Landslide” revealed a darker mystique at the core of their easy-breezy sound and, as sudden success caused the long-term relationships within the band to disintegrate, their next release effectively invented a new genre: rock album as couples therapy. After a relocation to L.A., they welcomed singer/songwriter Lindsey Buckingham and his musical/romantic partner Stevie Nicks into the fold, heralding Fleetwood Mac’s transition into soft-rock hitmakers on their 1975 self-titled effort. Since the band’s formation in London in 1967, drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie have served as both the rhythmic and spiritual anchors for a group that has hosted a revolving-door procession of outsized personalities, starting with Peter Green, the budding guitar god responsible for early hits like “Black Magic Woman” (famously covered by Santana) and the tranquil instrumental “Albatross” (which The Beatles admittedly aped on their Abbey Road track “Sun King”).Īfter Green quit in 1970, the band cycled through different frontmen-Danny Kirwan and Bob Welch among them-while their keyboardist, McVie’s wife Christine, emerged as a female vocal foil.
#Fleetwood mac mirage series#
Tension can be a great motivator for a band, and no group has put that maxim to the test quite like Fleetwood Mac, a ’60s British blues-rock outfit that-through a series of lineup changes, stylistic shifts, and rocky internal romances-became the paragons of ‘70s Californian pop.
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