- Mike + The Mechanics
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Mike + The Mechanics 
Mike + The Mechanics in 1999.
L-R: Paul Young, Mike Rutherford and Paul Carrack.Background information Origin London, United Kingdom Genres Rock, New Wave, adult contemporary, pop rock Years active 1985–present Labels Virgin, Atlantic, Rhino Website mike-and-the-mechanics.co.uk Members Mike Rutherford
Gary Wallis
Andrew Roachford
Tim Howar
Anthony Drennan
Luke JubyPast members Paul Carrack
B. A. Robertson
Paul Young
Peter Van Hooke
Adrian Lee
Tim Renwick
Jamie MosesMike + The Mechanics are an English rock/pop supergroup formed in 1985 as a side project of Mike Rutherford, one of the founding members of the band Genesis. The band is known for their hit singles "Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground)", "All I Need Is a Miracle", "Word of Mouth", "Over My Shoulder", and "The Living Years".
The initial line-up for the band was Rutherford, vocalists Paul Carrack and Paul Young, keyboardist Adrian Lee and drummer Peter Van Hooke. Carrack was generally assigned to ballads and more pop-oriented numbers, while Young sang the band's heavier work.[1] Following Young's death Paul Carrack became the band's sole lead vocalist until the band drifted apart in 2004. The band reformed in 2010 with new vocalists Andrew Roachford and Tim Howar.
Contents
Biography
Formation and commercial breakthrough
During hiatuses from Genesis, Mike Rutherford had been pursuing a solo career, releasing Smallcreep's Day in 1980 and Acting Very Strange in 1982. However, he found the process of recording a solo album excessively difficult, and the results artistically unsatisfying. He recalled, "I had a revelation, too, in this time period... that I'm not complete on my own. ...I'm much more creative and inspired when there are other people around me and I'm bouncing ideas off."[2] However, he still felt that working only with Genesis would leave him unfulfilled, and to satisfy both his desire to create music outside the format of Genesis and his desire to collaborate with other musicians, he set about forming his own band.[2]
Rutherford had already started a songwriting partnership with Scottish singer/writer/composer B. A. Robertson, and for the band's self-titled debut album he enlisted the services of producer Christopher Neil. Besides producing, Neil co-wrote most of the songs, selected the material for inclusion, and performed backing vocals. He would continue to play a key role in the band's albums for their first decade of existence.
Similarly to Steely Dan, in the studio Mike + the Mechanics were not a tight-knit band but a vehicle for the songwriting of Rutherford, Robertson, and Neil, and session keyboardists, drummers, guitarists, and even lead vocalists often performed on the songs in place of the official band members. Indeed, the lineup of Mike + the Mechanics only came together over the course of recording their first album; Paul Young, who was recommended for the group by Neil and his manager, said that by the time he joined, all the backing tracks for the album had been recorded.[2]
Rutherford was more than satisfied with the resulting album and decided to continue the band indefinitely, rather than leaving it as a one-off project.[2] When the album was released in 1985, his decision was further bolstered by its immense commercial success. While Rutherford's solo albums had been moderately successful, he had never managed a Top 40 hit; Mike + the Mechanics scored three of them, including two Top 10s in the USA, "Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground)" and "All I Need is a Miracle".[3] "Silent Running" was featured in the movie On Dangerous Ground, released in North American cinemas in 1986 as Choke Canyon.[4]
Glory years
The song "The Living Years" (US No.1 single) featured on the band's second album Living Years. The lyrics were written by Robertson and centered on the unresolved dissension between Robertson and his father.[5] The song was sung by Carrack, who had lost his own father when he was only eleven years old. The album also featured the song "Nobody's Perfect," which was sung by Young and which had received considerable airtime as the music to a successful television advertising campaign for Tennent's bitter.
At this point Carrack began to take a much larger role in the band, joining their stable of songwriters and adding keyboards to his repertoire. The group's third album, Word of Mouth, followed in 1991 and scored another trio of hits, with the lead single becoming one of their most popular songs yet. Despite long hiatuses due to Rutherford's work with Genesis, there seemed no end to the band's success.
Their fourth album, Beggar on a Beach of Gold, did not appear until 1995. When it did, however, it was met with resounding critical acclaim and yielded both the hit title track and the smash single "Over My Shoulder".
Dissolution
In 1995, the band began to fall apart: Adrian Lee and Peter Van Hooke left, and Christopher Neil's long tenure as songwriter/producer for the group ended. However, Rutherford opted to continue Mike + the Mechanics as a singer/songwriter trio. The group's fifth studio album was released in 1999, Mike & The Mechanics. It is generally known as M6, the "Hits" album being their fifth release. As the band no longer had a distribution deal with an American record label, M6 was available to the American market as an import only. Moreover, its only hit, "Now That You've Gone", barely cracked the UK Top 40.[6]
Another blow struck the following year: On July 15, 2000, Paul Young died from a heart attack.[7] The band regrouped in 2004 as "Mike + The Mechanics featuring Paul Carrack", with Van Hooke returning to the fold, not as an official member, but as co-producer and occasional drummer. As implied by the new name, Carrack played a larger role than ever, performing all the band's lead vocals and keyboards and co-writing all the songs. They released the album Rewired, which became their first album to lack a hit.
Shortly after, Carrack became too involved with solo work to devote time to the group. In 2007, interviewed during the Genesis Turn It On Again Tour, Rutherford stated that Mike + The Mechanics had "run its course."
Second incarnation
Over several months of 2009 and 2010, Mike Rutherford formed a new band. Since there was no hope of the original group ever reforming, he opted to again use the Mike + the Mechanics name. In a December 2009 interview, Rutherford stated that "I'm actually doing a new Mike and the Mechanics album. I kind of thought I had put it to bed, but I still enjoy songwriting. Working with a few new co-writers and a couple of new faces for the band. Paul Carrack is doing some solo stuff, so we have a guy called Andrew Roachford, an R&B kind of singer. It's a little different, but the soul seems to be there."[8]
A new album, The Road, and the 'Hit the Road Tour 2011' were announced in November 2010. The album was released in April 2011 featured both Andrew Roachford and Tim Howar on vocals, Luke Juby on Keyboards, Gary Wallis on drums, and Anthony Drennan on guitar and bass. The tour included performances across the UK, Germany, and various other European cities.[9]
Discography
Studio albums
Title Details Peak chart
positionsCertifications
(sales threshold)UK
[6]US
[3]CAN
[10]GER AUS
[11]Mike + The Mechanics 78 26 10 9 — Living Years 2 13 12 16 10 Word of Mouth 11 107 24 — — Beggar on a Beach of Gold 9 — — 21 — Mike & The Mechanics - Release date: 31 May 1999
- Label: Virgin
- Formats: CD
14 — — 9 — Rewired - Release date: 7 June 2004
- Label: Rhino / Virgin
- Formats: CD
61 — — 39 — The Road - Release date: 18 April 2011
- Label: Sony Music
- Formats: CD
42 — — — — Compilation albums
Title Details Peak chart
positionsCertifications
(sales threshold)UK
[6]GER Hits 3 6 Favourites/The Very Best Of — — Rewired + Hits – The Latest + The Greatest - Release date: 6 September 2004
- Label: Virgin
- Formats: CD
42 — Singles
Year Song UK
[6]US
[3]CAN GER AUS
[11]NZ NL Album 1985 "Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground)" 21 6 8 8 23 — 39 Mike + The Mechanics 1986 "All I Need is a Miracle" 53 5 10 26 8 31 — "Taken In" — 32 39 — — — — 1988 "Nobody's Perfect" 80 63 — — 29 — — The Living Years 1989 "The Living Years" 2 1 1 13 1 11 20 "Seeing is Believing" — 62 46 — 91 — — "Nobody Knows" 81 — — — — — — 1991 "Word of Mouth" 13 78 36 27 33 — 13 Word of Mouth "A Time and Place" 58 — — — — — — "Everybody Gets a Second Chance" 56 — 21 51 — — — 1995 "Over My Shoulder" 12 — 22 44 — — — Beggar on a Beach of Gold "A Beggar on a Beach of Gold" 33 — — 64 — — — "Mea Culpa" — — 45 — — — — "Another Cup of Coffee" 51 — 53 61 — — — 1996 "All I Need is a Miracle '96" 27 — — 81 — — — Hits "Silent Running '96" 61 — — — — — — 1999 "Now That You've Gone" 35 — — 64 — — — M6 "Whenever I Stop" 73 — — — — — — 2011 "Reach Out (Touch The Sun)" — — — — — — — The Road "Try To Save Me" — — — — — — — Promotional singles
Year Song CAN Album 1989 "Revolution" 82 Rude Awakening Soundtrack Band
First incarnation (1985-2004)
- Mike Rutherford – guitar, bass, songwriter
- Paul Carrack – vocals, keyboards, songwriter
- Paul Young – vocals (1985–2000)
- Peter Van Hooke – drums (1985–1995)
- Adrian Lee – keyboards (1985–1995)
- Gary Wallis – drums (1995–2000)
Second incarnation (2010-present)
- Mike Rutherford – guitar, bass, songwriter
- Andrew Roachford – vocals, keyboards, songwriter
- Tim Howar – vocals
- Anthony Drennan – guitar
- Gary Wallis – drums
- Luke Juby – keyboards, backing vocals
References
- ^ Mike + The Mechanics: The Videos. Channel 4. 1998. No. 1/1. 15 minutes in. (Rutherford)
- ^ a b c d Neer, Dan (1985). Mike on Mike [interview LP], Atlantic Recording Corporation.
- ^ a b c "Mike + The Mechanics Album & Song Chart History – Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/mike-the-mechanics/chart-history/11296. Retrieved 11 December 2010.
- ^ imdb.com
- ^ Rothstein, Simon (18 June 2004). "The Mechanics fix it for Us". London: The Sun. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/webchats/article208406.ece. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
- ^ a b c d "Chart Stats – Mike + The Mechanics". Chart Stats. http://www.chartstats.com/artistinfo.php?id=4507. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Mike + the Mechanics: Biography". allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p13677/biography. Retrieved 25 September 2010.
- ^ Greene, Andy (December 15, 2009). Genesis' Rutherford and Banks Reflect on Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction, Rolling Stone.
- ^ "Genesis News Com / Mike Rutherford / Mike + The Mechanics: "The Road" - album + tour update". www.genesis-news.com. 2011-04-27. http://www.genesis-news.com/news-Mike-The-Mechanics-The-Road-album-tour-update-n217.html. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
- ^ "Results – RPM – Library and Archives Canada – Top Albums & CD's". RPM. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-110.01-e.php?PHPSESSID=h6ue7t86c7cvqbhrj2kihi4fs5&q1=mike+mechanics&q2=Top+Albums%2FCDs&interval=20. Retrieved 11 December 2010.
- ^ a b "australian-charts.com – Australian charts portal". Hung Medien. http://australian-charts.com/search.asp?search=Mike+Mechanics&cat=a. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
External links
Categories:- Mike & The Mechanics
- Musical groups established in 1985
- English pop music groups
- English rock music groups
- Genesis (band)
- Supergroups
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