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The 1982 Fleetwood Mac album Christine McVie had no memory of recording
Fleetwood Mac’s 1982 album *Mirage* was one of the band’s commercial successes, but Christine McVie later said she had very few memories of making it. The article places this in the aftermath of the group’s highly strained late-1970s period, when personal break-ups and heavy substance use had contributed to conflict within the band.
Mick Fleetwood had intended *Mirage* to recreate the more contained, collaborative atmosphere of the *Rumours* sessions, with the aim of producing a more commercial record. McVie told *Mojo* in 2017 that she was unsure the approach had worked, calling the album “strange”; she recalled drinking Courvoisier with producer Ken Caillat while waiting for signs that her studio room, allegedly haunted by author George Sand, was haunted.
In short
- Christine McVie barely remembered recording Fleetwood Mac’s *Mirage*.
- The album followed years of personal and professional turmoil.
- *Mirage* remained commercially successful despite the difficult atmosphere.
Explained simply
Fleetwood Mac were one of the biggest rock bands of the 1970s, known for their intricate harmonies and complex personal dynamics. The band had gone through an extraordinarily troubled period in the late 1970s, marked by members' break-ups and significant substance use that created tension within the group.
By 1982, Mick Fleetwood, the band's drummer, wanted to try a fresh approach. He aimed to recreate the focused, collaborative atmosphere of their hugely successful 1977 album Rumours, hoping this would help the band produce a commercially strong new record called Mirage.
However, Christine McVie, the band's keyboardist and vocalist, later recalled having surprisingly few memories of actually making the album. She described it as "strange" and expressed doubt that Fleetwood's approach had succeeded, even mentioning drinking brandy with the record's producer whilst waiting for signs of supernatural activity in what she believed was a haunted studio room.