Mike + The Mechanics
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2008-07-16T16:32:24Z
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'''Mike + The Mechanics''' are an [[England|English]] [[rock (music)|rock]]/[[pop music|pop]] band formed in [[1985 in music|1985]] as a [[side project]] of [[Mike Rutherford]], a founding member of [[Genesis (band)|Genesis]], that became a successful band in its own right. They are best known for their hit singles "Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground)", "All I Need Is a Miracle", "Over My Shoulder", "[[The Living Years (song)|The Living Years]]" and "Word of Mouth".
The main lineup for the band were Rutherford, vocalists [[Paul Carrack]] and the late [[Paul Young (Sad Café)|Paul Young]] (formerly of chart band [[Sad Café (band)|Sad Café]]), [[keyboardist]] [[Adrian Lee]] and [[drummer]] [[Peter Van Hooke]]. By their 1995 album ''Beggar on a Beach of Gold'' only Rutherford, Carrack and Young were permanent members of the line-up until Young's death in 2000.
== Biography ==
Mike + The Mechanics made their début with their eponymous album in 1985. This highlighted Rutherford's innovative guitar work and the vocal talents of the two Pauls, amongst other guest vocalists.
Initially, the group's albums were released between Genesis albums. This ended with the temporary disbanding of Genesis in 1998.
Printed on the single Silent Running was a notation that it was from the movie "On Dangerous Ground". This was confusing as the 1986 movie it was used in was the little known movie "[[Choke Canyon]]" released in the UK as "On Dangerous Ground".[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090836/] This has also been open for debate considering there is not a character named Tommy in the movie, yet in the music video the father addresses his son as Tommy. Also, the actors in "Choke Canyon" do not resemble anyone in the movie clips that are featured in the music video.
The song "The Living Years" from the album of the same name was to be the height of their critical success to date; the US #1 single was written by both [[Mike Rutherford]] and the successful Scottish singer/writer/composer [[B. A. Robertson]] about the deaths of both their fathers. It was written about the dissension between Rutherford and his father, a situation that was never rectified prior to the death of his father. Robertson's father died just 12 weeks before the birth of his son. The song was sung with great passion 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 received considerable airtime as the music to a successful television advertising campaign for Tennent's bitter.
The group's third album, ''[[Word of Mouth (Mike + The Mechanics album)|Word of Mouth]]'', followed in 1991 with less commercial and critical success although the lead single, with vocals by Paul Young, reached Number 13 in the UK.
The fourth album, ''[[Beggar on a Beach of Gold]]'', was a high-water mark in the quality of their material, with both the album and first single "Over My Shoulder" charting well with many considering the album the band's best work.
Their fifth studio album was released in 1999 and was the band's [[List of musicians with multiple self-titled albums|second eponymous album]], ''[[Mike + The Mechanics (1999 album)|Mike + The Mechanics]]''. It is generally known as the ''M6'' album, the "Hits" album being their fifth release. As the band no longer had a distribution deal with an American record label, ''M6'' was available as an import only.
After a hiatus following Young's death from a heart attack on [[July 15]], [[2000]], the band reformed in [[2004]] as '''Mike + The Mechanics featuring Paul Carrack''', releasing the album ''[[Rewired]]''.
In 2007, interviewed during the Genesis reunion tour, Rutherford stated that Mike + The Mechanics had "run its course."
==Discography==
===Studio albums===
* 1985 ''[[Mike + The Mechanics (1985 album)|Mike + The Mechanics]]'' : #78 UK, #26 US, #10 CAN, #9 [[Germany]]
* 1988 ''[[The Living Years]]'' : #2 UK, #1 US, #12 CAN, #16 Germany.
* 1991 ''[[Word of Mouth (Mike + The Mechanics album)|Word of Mouth]]'' : #11 UK, #107 US, #24 CAN
* 1995 ''[[Beggar on a Beach of Gold]]'' : #9 UK, #21 Germany
* 1996 ''[[The Living Years]]'' (re-issue): #67 UK
* 1999 ''[[Mike + The Mechanics (1999 album)|Mike + The Mechanics]]'' (aka ''M6'') : #14 UK, #9 Germany
* 2004 ''[[Rewired]]'' : #61 UK, #39 Germany
===Compilations===
* 1996 ''[[Hits (Mike + The Mechanics album)|Hits]]'' : #3 UK, #6 Germany
* 2004 ''[[Rewired]]'' + ''[[Hits (Mike + The Mechanics album)|Hits]]'' - The Latest + The Greatest : #42 UK
==Singles==
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Song
! <small>[[UK singles chart|UK singles]]</small>
! <small>[[Billboard Hot 100|US Hot 100]]</small>
! <small>[[Canadian Singles Chart|Canada singles]]</small>
! <small>[[German Singles Chart|German singles]]</small>
! Album
|-
| [[1985 in music|1985]]
| "Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground)"
| 21
| 6
| 8
| 8
| rowspan=3|''[[Mike + the Mechanics (1985 album)|Mike + The Mechanics]]''
|-
| rowspan=2| [[1986 in music|1986]]
| "All I Need Is a Miracle"
| 53
| 5
| 10
| 26
|-
| "Taken In"
| -
| 32
| 39
| -
|-
| [[1988 in music|1988]]
| "Nobody's Perfect"
| 80
| 63
| -
| -
| rowspan=4| ''[[Living Years]]''
|-
| [[1988 in music|1988]]
| "[[The Living Years (song)|The Living Years]]"
| 2
| 1
| 1
| 13
|-
| rowspan=3| [[1989 in music|1989]]
| "Seeing Is Believing"
| -
| 62
| 46
| -
|-
| "Nobody Knows"
| 81
| -
| -
| -
|-
| "Revolution"
| -
| -
| 82
| -
| ''Rude Awakening Soundtrack''
|-
| rowspan=3| [[1991 in music|1991]]
| "Word of Mouth"
| 13
| 78
| 36
| 27
| rowspan=3|''[[Word of Mouth (Mike + The Mechanics album)|Word of Mouth]]''
|-
| "A Time and Place"
| 58
| -
| -
| -
|-
| "Everybody Gets a Second Chance"
| 56
| -
| 21
| 51
|-
| rowspan=4| [[1995 in music|1995]]
| "[[Over My Shoulder (disambiguation)|Over My Shoulder]]"
| 12
| -
| 22
| 44
| rowspan=4| ''[[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
|-
| rowspan=2| [[1996 in music|1996]]
| "All I Need Is a Miracle '96"
| 27
| -
| -
| 81
| rowspan=2| ''[[Hits (Mike + The Mechanics album)|Hits]]''
|-
| "Silent Running '96"
| 61
| -
| -
| -
|-
| rowspan=2| [[1999 in music|1999]]
| "Now That You've Gone"
| 35
| -
| -
| 64
| rowspan=2| ''M6''
|-
| "Whenever I Stop"
| 73
| -
| -
| -
|-
|}
== Band ==
==== Mike + The Mechanics ====
* [[Mike Rutherford]] - [[guitar]], [[bass guitar|bass]] & [[vocals]]
* [[Paul Carrack]] - [[vocals]], [[keyboard instrument|keyboards]] & guitar (1985 -)
* [[Adrian Lee]] - keyboards (1985 - 1995)
* [[Jamie Moses]] - guitar (1999 -)
* [[Tim Renwick]] - guitar (1989 - 1991, 1995 - 1996)
* [[B. A. Robertson]] - keyboards, [[songwriting]]
* [[Peter Van Hooke]] - [[drums]] & [[percussion instrument|percussion]] (1985 - 1995, 2004 -)
* [[Gary Wallis]] - drums (1995 -)
* [[Paul Young (Sad Café)|Paul Young]] - vocals & percussion (1985 - 2000)
==== Session and guest musicians ====
* [[Dereck Austin]] - keyboards
* [[Ray Beavis]] - saxophone
* [[Alan Carvel]] - backing vocals
* [[Katie Cassoon]] - backing vocals
* [[Clem Clempson]] - guitar
* [[Rupert Cobb]] - keyboards, programming & trumpet
* [[Martin Ditcham]] - percussion
* [[John Earlexxx|John Earle]] - saxophone
* [[Sal Gallina]] - Yamaha WX7
* [[Paul McGee (musician)|Paul McGee]] - backing vocals
* [[Louis Jardin]] - percussion
* [[John Kirbyxxx|John Kirby]] - vocals
* Robbie McIntosh - guitars
* [[Alan Murphy]] - guitar
* [[Christopher Neil]] - backing vocals
* [[Andy Newmark]] - drums
* [[Tessa Niles]] - backing vocals
* [[Abbie Osmon]] - backing vocals
* [[Pino Palladino]] - bass
* [[Steve Piggot]] - keyboards
* [[Gene Stashuck]] - vocals
* [[Linda Taylor]] - backing vocals
* [[Ian Wherry]] - keyboards
* [[Paul Wickens|Paul "Wix" Wickens]] - keyboards
* [[Sharon Woolf]] - backing vocals
== Pop culture references ==
* In the BBC television series ''[[The Office (UK TV series)|The Office]]'', Tim identifies Gareth's favourite band as Mike + The Mechanics (which is not meant to be a compliment).
* "All I Need Is A Miracle" is the theme song to [[The Edwin J. Hill Social Club]].
* The lyrics for "Silent Running" are used in an issue of the comic book ''[[Supreme Power]]''.
==External links==
* [http://www.houseofmanyrooms.com/ A House of Many Rooms - Fully Featured Mike & The Mechanics Fan Site]
* [http://www4.tripnet.se/~bot/mm/lyr_song.htm Lyrics]
* [http://www4.tripnet.se/~bot/mm/videos.htm Video Clip Samples]
* [http://www.genesis-music.com Mike Rutherford]
* [http://www.carrack-uk.com Paul Carrack]
* [http://www.paul-young.org Paul Young]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1985]]
[[Category:English musical groups]]
[[Category:Genesis (band)]]
[[Category:Supergroups]]
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