Forty years ago today (18 June) Fleetwood Mac released Mirage, the follow up to Tusk, and to celebrate I am looking back at the recording, release and success of the album.
Rumours had sold over 40 million copies worldwide, spent months on the charts in the USA and was a number one in many countries including Australia, Canada and, of course, the UK and USA. The follow up, Tusk, was a complete departure and from the record companies point of view was a flop, despite selling over 15 million copies and reaching the top spot in the UK album charts. It couldn't repeat the success of Rumours in the US where it stalled at #4.
Following the release of Tusk some members of the group had followed their own career paths, releasing solo albums.
Stevie Nicks had written a large number of songs which had not made it onto any Fleetwood Mac release. This was due to having three strong songwriters in the band and the impossible task of picking the best from each of the three for inclusion.
Released in July 1981 her solo debut album, Bella Donna, was a critically acclaimed success reaching number one in the USA and selling more than four million copies.
Lindsey Buckingham's first solo album, Law And Order, could not repeat the success of Bella Donna and only reached #32 while Mick Fleetwood's solo effort, The Visitor, just scrapped into the top 50. In no way is this a reflection of the music, as all three artists would go on to release more solo albums and, in the case of Buckingham and Nicks, have very successful solo career.
No doubt there were songs on their solo albums that could have been held over for the next Fleetwood Mac project. From Bella Donna there was Edge Of Seventeen and Outside The Rain while Law And Order had Trouble and That's How We Do It In La.
When it came time to record a new Fleetwood Mac album the decision was made to travel to France and the Chateau D'Herouville. Located in the village of Herouville near Paris it was built in 1740 from the remains of an earlier 16th-Century chateau. Among its previous occupants was composer Frederic Chopin and it's association with music would continue in the 1960s. The chateau was purchased by film composer Michel Magne to use as his own personal workspace, although the place needed a lot of restoration work. In 1969, with funds available to begin restoration, he decided to incorporate a recording studio into the property. In the 1970s several big names in the pop world recorded at the studio including Elton John, who recorded three albums between 1972 and 1973, Honky Chateau, Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Other artists to use the facilities were David Bowie (Pin Up and Low), Pink Floyd (Obscured By Clouds) and Cat Stevens (Catch Bull At Four).
In an interview Christine McVie talked about the decision to go to France to record the new album, "We decided we wanted to be outside of Los Angeles because we wanted to be without any distractions. We wanted to be just the five of us, and work something out."
Stevie Nicks had good memories of France, as she recalled in the liner notes to the expanded edition of the album, "When I think of Mirage now I think of living in the castle and visiting Paris. I think of white fishnet stockings, red high heels and going to get my hair done and having five different hairdressers working on me." She also talked about the Chateau, "I also remember living in the Chateau, which was romantic, though I remember for some reason there was no ice. And they thought it might be haunted because there were strange sounds in there. So to me, the Mirage sessions were beautiful and insane."
Sessions in France were held between May and June 1981 with all the backing tracks laid down. Lindsey Buckingham produced the sessions which were engineered by Buckingham along with Richard Dashut and Ken Caillat.
Full details about the recordings are not available, and while some vocals may have also been recorded in France, following the sessions the band returned to Los Angeles where, between June and December, they overdubbed their vocals and finished the album at Larabee Sound and The Record Plant.
Released on 18 June 1982, in both America and the United Kingdom, the album saw the group return to the top of the Billboard 200 for the first time since Rumours back in 1977. With five weeks at #1 and 18 weeks in the top ten, it would eventually be certified double platinum for sales of over two million copies. In the UK it peaked at #5 selling more than 300,000 copies and certified platinum.
The album cover featured Lindsey with Christine and Stevie while the back featured Mick and John, taken by George Hurrell. The insert included the lyrics to all the songs, credits and a painting by Mac James.
The album opens with Love In Store, the first of four songs Christine McVie contributed. Others were Only Over You, for which she credits ex-lover Dennis Wilson for the inspiration, Hold Me and the albums closing track Wish You Were Here.
Stevie Nicks wrote three songs, That's Alright, which dated back to her Buckingham Nicks days, Gypsy and Straight Back. Written after her break-up with Jimmy Iovine, Straight Back, can also be seen as a statement on the problems she encountered leaving a successful solo career to rejoin Fleetwood Mac. Gypsy, a typical Nicks song, is definitely the highlight on the album.
The remaining five songs were written by Lindsey Buckingham, three with co-producer Richard Dashut, Book Of Love, Empire State, the 1950s pastiche Oh Diane and two solo efforts, Can't Go Back and Eyes Of The World. The latter was the closest Buckingham gets to the kind of song he contributed to Tusk.
Lindsey Buckingham felt Mirage was a step backwards, "We should have progressed but instead we just reacted against Tusk. It was pleasant but much too safe. Mirage was quite reactionary after Tusk. I think, because forces within the band and without were saying to me 'You went to far on Tusk'. That was kind of hard to deal with, taking the flak over Tusk."
There are some interesting lyrics in his song Can't Go Back which might be his own personal opinion and mixed emotions on the songs they were recording... "Standing in the shadows, The man I used to be, I want to go back" are the opening lyrics and are answered by a mix of male and female voices declaring, "Can't go back."
Looking back on the album he said, "It was hard to know where to go at that moment when you had just gone somewhere in one direction that felt right - then to have to sort of reel it back in a more forced way felt difficult. But I understood that I was only one member of a group so what was I going to do?"
Mick Fleetwood understood his concerns, "I think Mirage was more preconceived as a kind of band record organically representing where we left off with Rumours. So in retrospect it wasn't as daring an album as Tusk which understandably would leave Lindsey with some trepidation."
Several tracks were lifted for single release. Hold Me backed with Eyes Of The World was the first single, released the same month as the album, reaching #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 but failed to chart in the UK.
A video was filmed to promote Hold Me featuring the band in a surreal scenario. They are seen in a desert where John McVie and Mick Fleetwood are dressed as archaeologists, complete with khaki shorts and pith helmets, where they find the desert covered with pieces of broken mirror. Other scenes show Christine McVie, surrounded by paintings, looking through a telescope and searching for Lindsey Buckingham. Stevie Nicks is featured relaxing on a chaise-longue when Buckingham sees her and paints a portrait of her. All very surreal and typical Fleetwood Mac from the time.
Issued in August, Gypsy was coupled with a non-album track, Cool Water, as the second single in both the USA and UK where it charted in both territories at #12 and #46 respectively.
Once again a promo video was filmed which was shot in colour with sepia toned and black and white footage both used to good effect. Directed by Russell Mulcahy, at the time it was the highest-budget music video ever produced. It was also the first 'World Premiere Video' on MTV. Many locations, costumes and dancers were featured in the video. The filming of the video wasn't without its problems, as both Buckingham and Nicks were hardly speaking and in the video they are seen dancing together. Nicks recalled in an interview, "We weren't getting along well then. I didn't want to be anywhere near him. I certainly didn't want to be in his arms." She went on to say, "If you watch the video, you'll see I wasn't happy. And he wasn't a very good dancer." Just another day in the Fleetwood Mac drama.
A third single was issued in November in the USA bringing together Love In Store and Can't Go Back which peaked at #22 on the Billboard Hot 100. Although not issued at the time in the UK Can't Go Back was issued with That's Alright in April 1983 but stalled at #83 in the charts.
The UK had an additional single release when, in December 1982, Oh Diane was coupled with Only Over You and became the bands highest placed single from Mirage when it reached a respectable #9. Whether based on the success of the song in the UK it did finally receive a US release in February 1983 but failed to chart. Interestingly, the picture sleeve featured the Penguin logo for the first time in several years.
The outtakes/early versions included two songs, Goodbye Angel and Teen Beat, which had previously been issued on the 25 Years: The Chain box set. Making their first appearance were alternate and early versions of most of the tracks that made the album along with several that didn't... If You Were My Love, Smile At You, Put A Candle In The Window and a jam on the old Fats Domino classic Blue Monday. A nice addition was the extended version of Gypsy that was used in the video.
There was also a 2-CD expanded edition with just the original album and outtakes discs.
For Record Store Day 2017 an album, Alternate Mirage, was released in a limited run of just 6,500 copies. Featuring twelve tracks, early versions and outtakes, that were originally released on the deluxe edition they were making their first appearance on vinyl.
Following the release of Fleetwood Mac (White Album), Rumours and Tusk the band toured the world promoting the albums. However, with Mirage the band only toured for two months, in September and October 1982, with just twenty-nine concerts in the United States.
Two of the final concerts in Los Angeles were filmed and released on VHS in 1983. The over two hour show was edited to just 80 minutes and the running order was also altered. As mentioned earlier the Deluxe Edition of Mirage included a third CD with live recordings from the concert. In 2021 the Fleetwood Mac Live Deluxe Edition featured three more songs from the concert, Second Hand News, Brown Eyes and Hold Me.
As John Milward wrote in the August issue of Rolling Stone, "Fleetwood Mac have never pretended to be heavy thinkers. But like E.T. or baseball's pennant race, Mirage is another of 1982s sunny entertainments: it sounds great in the morning and fine over a sunset with wine."
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