TS: Fleetwood Mac's "Mirage" vs "Tango in the Night"

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Midcareer bestsellers. The former is a conscious return to the vaguely weird LA studio pop of "Rumours"; the latter a synth-tastic record featuring their biggest post-Rumours hits.

Before yesterday my vote would have been for Tango. Then I relistened to Mirage, and realized its album tracks trumped Tango's; I'm thinking specifically of "Oh, Diane," "Eyes of the World" and the lovely "Can't Go Back." On the minus side, it's got two of Christine's worst ballads ever ("Only Over You" and "Wish You Were Here") to balance the genius of "Hold Me."

What say you?

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Monday, 1 August 2005 16:26 (twenty years ago)

"Hold Me" had a great Dali-inspired video.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 1 August 2005 16:42 (twenty years ago)

judging by singles anyway, Stevie >>>>> Fleets in the 80s

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Monday, 1 August 2005 16:47 (twenty years ago)

TS: "Stand Back" vs "Seven Wonders"

(an impossible choice. Solomon to thread!)

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Monday, 1 August 2005 16:55 (twenty years ago)

i can't bear "oh diane", i think it's the worst song LB committed to a fleetwood mac record.

― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Monday, 1 August 2005 22:14 (twenty years ago)

Isn't the video for 'Hold Me' more inspired by Magritte?

Oh and anyway, Mirage for 'Gypsy' alone!

― J (Jay), Monday, 1 August 2005 23:06 (twenty years ago)

No love for "Seven Wonders"?

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 00:41 (twenty years ago)

All the Tango singles are great.

― edward o (edwardo), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 00:49 (twenty years ago)

"Everywhere" especially (so good even those potentially horrible dance versions of it work), but "Seven Wonders" is, yeah, fantastic, an AM radio staple when I was about six so I was pretty much programmed to adore it.

― edward o (edwardo), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 00:51 (twenty years ago)

Further evidence for the greatness of "Tango In The Night":

The bass and banjo-ish guitar bits on "Big Love" plus the UH/AH bits.
The galloping of "Caroline" - if "Tusk" had structure?
"Isn't It Midnight" - FM go 80s indie! (Well, kind of)

― edward o (edwardo), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 01:14 (twenty years ago)

I think Mirage is weak. I always have and probably always will. Tango in the Night is its own greatest hits album, though.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 01:17 (twenty years ago)

"Gypsy" is the best thing on either album, but Tango In The Night is the strongest album. Agree with Edward - "Everywhere" is great.

I wanted to write a critique of the recent filter-house version but found that I couldn't really; my main problem with it was that as I had previously imagined doing the exact same thing and so wasn't surprised by it at all. Although a song that straightforwardly joyful works better with a distinctive vocalist like Christine than with a smoothly anonymous Fragma style model-as-singer. Also the clip was awful as you would expect.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 01:51 (twenty years ago)

Also also also, as regards Christine she's easily the most distinctive songwriter in FM - Buckingham and Nicks may have written all the "iconic" songs, but Christine is great, and the dance versions of "Everywhere" suffer a BIT because really, things like "Everywhere" just sound like only she could do them, as if something in the melody is inherently hers alone. By contrast, lots of B/N songs can (and have) worked really well when covered.

― edward o (edwardo), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 01:54 (twenty years ago)

I think this is right although I think it's kinda complicated. Something like "Stand Back" might seem distinctively Nicks-ish, but it's a Nicksishness that anyone can do or at least approximate if they try hard enough (so the Linus Loves/Sam Obernik cover doesn't lose anything in translation). Whereas McVie's songs, precisely because they usually appear to be so universal, can't easily be replicated without simply becoming formulaic sounding. It's like, the differential quality of McVie as a singer and performer is more discrete than for Nicks, but it's also more elusive, intangible, harder to pin down.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 02:11 (twenty years ago)

ed & tim otm

― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 02:12 (twenty years ago)

There are unconfirmed rumours that Prince helped Nicks with "Stand Back" (supposedly it's his synth line playing the hook, even though the credits stay otherwise).

All three songwriters have their strengths, but as I get older it's Christine's tunes which get under my skin, and ESPECIALLY her voice.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 10:50 (twenty years ago)

Little Lies, anyone? The drum fills on this one (particularly those in the third verse) are among the most clumsy-yet-just-right moments in song. I always look forward to hearing them whenever LL comes on the radio.
UH/AH in Big Love seconded. The version of this in "The Dance" will blow your head off, just Lindsey freaking out over his own acoustic guitar.
It's close, cos I love the eyes-wide-open mania of Eyes Of The World, Oh Diane (the world needs more Ricky Nelson pastiches!) and Gypsy ("So I'm back to the Velvet Underground" being among the best opening lines ever). But, gosh, "I wanna be with you everywhere", what a wonderful sentiment. Tango In The Night it is.

― harvey.w (harvey.w), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 11:03 (twenty years ago)

"Big love" is so good that even an Arthur Baker remix didn't make it better, and indeed quite possibly made it worse.

― brittle-lemon (brittle-lemon), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 11:56 (twenty years ago)

"Eyes of The World" is brilliant. I was surprised Lindsey tackled it on that last Mac live album.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 18:02 (twenty years ago)

UH/AH in Big Love seconded. The version of this in "The Dance" will blow your head off, just Lindsey freaking out over his own acoustic guitar.

Aye.

― PB, Wednesday, 3 August 2005 03:10 (twenty years ago)

Bought Mirage (on cassette!) in the summer of 87 due to the huge Mac hype that was taking place around Tango and the 10th anniversary of Rumours. Didn't know anything about music then and my collection ran to about 6 albums but I did like Mirage as a whole over Tango. Think was probably due to my dislike of the synthy airy production on some of the Tango tracks. Of course years later I realised this was the dreaded mid 80s chart sound!

― David Gunnip (David Gunnip), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 10:26 (twenty years ago)

I was then massively disappointed when Buckingham pulled out of their Tango tour to be replaced by 2 mullet heads from the Bob Segar band. Saw them in Dublin in August 88 but it might as well have been Starship witht he amount of hairspray and soft metal guitar solos.

― David Gunnip (David Gunnip), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 10:30 (twenty years ago)

Well, Mirage has that dreaded early '80s SoCal studio-rock sound.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 12:02 (twenty years ago)

six months pass...

Just heard "Everywhere." My day is complete.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 17:03 (nineteen years ago)

I'm waiting for Mirage to get the Rhino re-issue treatment, then I'll be buying it for sure. I still really love a lot of the tracks from that album, but I've always liked LB's weirdo shit.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 17:22 (nineteen years ago)

Do we know it's getting reissued?

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 17:42 (nineteen years ago)

I consider "Tango In The Night" their best and still cannot figure why it does at least as well as "Rumours" and the self titled one in those best-albums-of-all-time surveys.

I mean, "Little Lies" is obviously the best song they ever wrote.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 22:21 (nineteen years ago)

two months pass...

Tango is such a good album. "Caroline" is brilliant, shoulda been a single. "Isn't It Midnight" is even more Christine-goes-cool-new-wave than "Little Lies", and I love how the Christine on this album is Christine on any other FM album. On the other hand, WTF was Stevie thinking with "Welcome to the Room... Sara"? You can tell Lindsay is trying so hard to rescue it via over-production, but it just ain't gonna happen.

I'm actually leaning towards saying that Say You Will is their best album however!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Friday, 21 April 2006 11:36 (nineteen years ago)

"Isn't It Midnight" sounds like what the songwriting credits say it is: a collaboration between Christine and Lindsey, only not as good as, say, the eponymous album's "World Turning." It rocks rather awkwardly. The solo's great, but it belongs on another song.

OTM on "Welcome to the Room...Sara" (nice Christine harmonies though), but, hey, what about "Seven Wonders"?

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Friday, 21 April 2006 11:58 (nineteen years ago)

I love "Seven Wonders", but not as much as "Gypsy" which it reminds me of. Buckingham and McVie are the stars of Tango In The Night for me.

And there are so many Nicks songs on Say You Will which I reckon are among the best she's done - e.g. "Smile At You", "Running Through The Garden", "Destiny Rules".

In the message above I meant to say "I love how the Christine on this album is different from Christine on any other album."

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Saturday, 22 April 2006 00:20 (nineteen years ago)

I was pretty happy with Tango when it came out, but I find that it hasn't aged well (for me, anyway). Although I did find Big Love somewhat annoying -- all that grunting -- and it's gotter better with time.

Mirage is classic.

― someone let this mitya out! (mitya), Saturday, 22 April 2006 00:29 (nineteen years ago)

The live "Big Love" on The Dance is one of the most astonishing things ever, but even bigger on the grunting.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Saturday, 22 April 2006 00:35 (nineteen years ago)

the grunting is urgent and key!

― stockholm cindy: comedy vigilante (Jody Beth Rosen), Saturday, 22 April 2006 00:36 (nineteen years ago)

But "Little Lies" is still the most beautiful thing they've ever made.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Saturday, 22 April 2006 07:40 (nineteen years ago)

"the grunting is urgent and key! "

I know!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Saturday, 22 April 2006 07:48 (nineteen years ago)

ten years pass...

"Isn't It Midnight" sounds like what the songwriting credits say it is: a collaboration between Christine and Lindsey, only not as good as, say, the eponymous album's "World Turning." It rocks rather awkwardly. The solo's great, but it belongs on another song.

Crazy talk - rediscovered it the other day. What a gem. Another evidence for FM as proto-goth (not really)

― licorice oratorio (baaderonixx), Friday, 3 March 2017 11:06 (eight years ago)

It is crazy. Fuck that guy!

― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 3 March 2017 11:25 (eight years ago)

Never listen to Alfred. "Isn't It Midnight" is amazing, stupendous, marvelous, exciting (damn).

― Tim F, Friday, 3 March 2017 12:41 (eight years ago)

I think it's a great song specifically because it does not start out great. The first bit is imo generic "bad guy picks fight in bad '80s movie." But the chorus is sublime, and knowing the chorus and its details are always in wait more than makes up for the first section.

― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 3 March 2017 12:48 (eight years ago)

the face of a pretty girl

― the raindrops and drop tops of lived, earned experience (BradNelson), Friday, 3 March 2017 12:49 (eight years ago)

The live "Big Love" on The Dance is one of the most astonishing things ever, but even bigger on the grunting.
― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Friday, April 21, 2006 5:35 PM (ten years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

the grunting is urgent and key!
― stockholm cindy: comedy vigilante (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, April 21, 2006 5:36 PM (ten years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

tim and jody in 2006 are also me when i first discovered the dance at age 15

― the raindrops and drop tops of lived, earned experience (BradNelson), Friday, 3 March 2017 12:57 (eight years ago)

I love "Isn't it Midnight" now.

― the Rain Man of nationalism. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 3 March 2017 13:02 (eight years ago)

I think Mirage is weak. I always have and probably always will. Tango in the Night is its own greatest hits album, though.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Monday, August 1, 2005

Mirage really opened up for me two or three years ago, and now I kinda love it. I'd move it above Tusk's place in the B/N era discography.

― Ⓓⓡ. (Johnny Fever), Friday, 3 March 2017 13:16 (eight years ago)

tim and jody in 2006 are also me when i first discovered the dance at age 15

― the raindrops and drop tops of lived, earned experience (BradNelson), Friday, March 3, 2017 12:57 PM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

seeing Lindsay do this version of "Big Love" in the flesh last year is probably the best thing that has ever happened to me.

― Tim F, Friday, 3 March 2017 14:41 (eight years ago)

I initially thought Tango was one of their lesser albums so was v surprised when I encountered the hype, still don't enjoy it half as much as Mirage, but ofc I've come around and any album that has Everywhere = class

― niels, Friday, 3 March 2017 14:47 (eight years ago)

"Isn't it Midnight" is a serious contender for Fleetwood Mac's best single ever

― beamish13, Friday, 3 March 2017 15:32 (eight years ago)

it wasn't a single, alas

― the Rain Man of nationalism. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 3 March 2017 15:32 (eight years ago)

it's a great song but uh

lot of competition there

xpost

― the raindrops and drop tops of lived, earned experience (BradNelson), Friday, 3 March 2017 15:33 (eight years ago)

it was a single in the uk

― the raindrops and drop tops of lived, earned experience (BradNelson), Friday, 3 March 2017 15:33 (eight years ago)

(i had to look it up immediately ofc)

― the raindrops and drop tops of lived, earned experience (BradNelson), Friday, 3 March 2017 15:34 (eight years ago)

oh wow – I guess they got IIM and we got "Family Man."

― the Rain Man of nationalism. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 3 March 2017 15:35 (eight years ago)

(which is lame)

― the Rain Man of nationalism. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 3 March 2017 15:36 (eight years ago)

three years pass...

Not sure if this is old hat to some here: very cool and mostly stripped down demos for Tango, and just about all of them different from the demos on the recent deluxe edition

https://archive.org/details/fleetwoodmactheothertangointhenightremastereddemosfromthe19861987sessions

― SQUIRREL MEAT!! (Capitaine Jay Vee), Tuesday, 18 August 2020 15:36 (four years ago)

three years pass...

Listening to Tango tonight and I thought to myself that "Big Love" is possibly the most brilliant knockoff of "Running Up That Hill" ever. Love this album.

― SQUIRREL MEAT!! (Capitaine Jay Vee), Saturday, 26 August 2023 20:55 (one year ago)

No love for Family Man?

― ionjusit (P. Flick), Saturday, 26 August 2023 22:14 (one year ago)

MOTHA
FATHAH

― the dreaded dependent claus (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 26 August 2023 22:28 (one year ago)

No love for Family Man?

Thought this was that recent discussion about The Wailers for a second.

― The Thin, Wild Mercury Rising (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 26 August 2023 22:42 (one year ago)

Big Love is Balearic sweetness of the highest order

BbbBUT Buckingham's solo acoustic versions my oh my how I love those

― you can see me from westbury white horse, Saturday, 26 August 2023 22:50 (one year ago)

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