Review Summary: Fleetwood Mac finally pay the price of the past.
Creating your most ambitious record after the album that completely drained you as a band doesn’t seem like the smartest idea. And yet, that is exactly what Fleetwood Mac did with
Tusk. The follow-up to the classic
Rumours didn’t feel unified; it was more like the work of three solo artists, and on top of that, the writing wasn’t nearly as good as it had been on Mac’s previous two albums. The group were getting close to getting stuck in a rut. 1982’s
Mirage proves to be just that happening.
The album was, like its predecessor, nothing more than an inevitable tread further down a path. The band was tired, and as a result, the songs sound tired, with the exception of a couple of highlights. Much hasn’t changed in style since the days of ‘75’s
Fleetwood Mac: the group still performs the same flavour of pop rock. It makes all the difference that while the former material could be described as inspired, emotional and therefore meaningful,
Mirage just doesn’t have any of these qualities for most of its duration. The first four tracks immediately sound forced, and prove this formation is losing its initially unique appeal. In all instances since the quintet formed, you could heard a Fleetwood Mac song was distinctly a Fleetwood Mac song. On
Mirage, you cannot.
There are even actual rather annoying moments, such as Buckingham’s
Empire State, and that obviously doesn’t help. There are a few decent songs spread throughout the album, such as
Only Over You, but the only real highlights here are Nicks’
Gypsy (which was originally written for her solo career but is now a fan favourite for Fleetwood Mac) and McVie’s
Hold Me, with its irresistible bouncy rhythm. While Nicks has proven to be the most impressive songwriter in this period of the band, even she disappoints apart from
Gypsy, moments such as
It’s Alright being far below her normal level of performance.
Mirage was the necessary album for Fleetwood Mac to realise that they were tired and uninspired, which they did. A break namely followed, and the band would resurface only 5 years later with
Tango in the Night, which would prove to be much of a step up. This album is clearly left for the more devoted of fans, and should be left on the shelves in favour of some of the fantastic other records this band made.
Mac Classics:
Gypsy
Hold Me
