Fleetwood Mac unveil details of new live album
A new Fleetwood Mac live album is set for release, featuring recordings captured during one of the band’s most tumultuous yet creative periods. Including six previously unheard recordings, Mirage Tour ‘82, brings fans into one of their classic tours.
The Mirage tour has gone down in history for Fleetwood Mac fans. As a band, the rock troupe were always surrounded by drama, but in the 1970s and ‘80s especially, it was a miracle the band ever managed to get any work done or create the hits that they did under the weight of their personal circumstances. Tarnished by in-fighting, affairs, breakups and fallouts, the members all brought their fair share of chaos into the mix.
However, in the early ’80s, it seemed like the band had discovered a renewed energy. Following the release of Tusk and all the difficult interpersonal issues that had plagued their earlier album, Rumours, they took a year-long hiatus. Some of the members took flight on solo careers for a time, but overwhelmingly the break was an attempt to try and get back on track, shift some worsening drug habits and attempt to come back refreshed. By the time they made Mirage in 1982, the group were back at their best.
Nevertheless, making an album and going on tour are two very different things. When they hit the road, tensions spiked once again as drug issues returned, personal drama came back to the forefront, and Nicks suffered a deep personal loss as her best friend died while she was on the road. The result was further cracks in the band’s build but was a series of incredibly powerful and emotive performances.
The musical quality of the tour has become as infamous as the tour itself, with many of the live recordings being considered the gold standard, capturing the band at their best. Now, a new live recording allows fans to take a seat in the venue and listen to the tour as if they were there.
The album features recordings from two sold-out shows at The Forum in California. For two nights in October, the band delivered sets full of old and new hits during a period of impassioned creativity. Featuring tracks like ‘Songbird’, ‘Oh Well’, ‘Love In Store’, ‘Go Your Own Way’ and more, the real standout is a fiercely emotional version of ‘Landside’ sung by Nicks.
The new 22-track live collection features six previously unheard live recordings from the tour, allowing fans to hear these moving performances for the first time when it’s released on September 20th.
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