10 Perfect Soft Rock Music Albums Of The '80s

Forever giants of the soft rock scene, Fleetwood Mac's 13th LP saw them on suitably strong form despite a litany of behind-the-scenes issues going on at the time.

First hitting the stands in June 1982, 'Mirage' was bolstered greatly by the popularity of leading singles such as 'Hold Me' and 'Gypsy'. By the time recording began, many of the group's members had been predominantly pursuing solo success. Steve Nicks in particular had seen her stock rise with the release of 'Bella Donna', her blockbuster solo debut.

Needless to say, recording proved frustratingly long and disorganised by the group's standards. Regardless, the songs, perhaps even because of the real life issues going on, often brim with emotional intensity. Key examples of the album's unexpectedly heated, personal lyricism and atmosphere can be found in tracks such as 'Straight Back', which focuses both on Nicks' difficulty in maintaining a long distance relationship with her boyfriend at the time due to work travel and the difficulty in making time for recordings with the band.

Released to respectable acclaim at the time, 'Mirage' is a fine example of the group hitting on all cylinders in the closing years of the most popular line-up of the band's lengthy history.