Fleetwood Mac – Mirage (1982)

Fleetwood Mac retreated from the insular strangeness of Tusk and returned to straightforward pop songcraft for Mirage. Boasting a glossy, friendly production that makes even the lesser numbers pleasant and ingratiating, Mirage nonetheless suffers from a lack of substance. Rumours had raw emotion to give it a core, and Tusk had Lindsey Buckingham's runaway ambition. For its part, Mirage sounds as if its sole goal is to sustain Fleetwood Mac's popularity, and while there may be a handful of terrific songs -- notably the hit singles "Gypsy," "Love in Store," and "Hold Me" -- it simply isn't as compelling as the group's previous three albums.