Mike and the Mechanics

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Mike and the Mechanics
Mike + The Mechanics in concert in July 2012 L-R: Ben Stone, Andrew Roachford, Tim Howar, Luke Juby, Mike Rutherford and Anthony Drennan
Mike + The Mechanics in concert in July 2012
L-R: Ben Stone, Andrew Roachford, Tim Howar, Luke Juby, Mike Rutherford and Anthony Drennan
Background information
OriginDover, Kent, England
Genres
Years active1985–2004, 2010–present
Labels
Spinoff of
MembersMike Rutherford
Anthony Drennan
Tim Howar
Luke Juby
Andrew Roachford
Gary Wallis
Past membersPaul Carrack
Adrian Lee
Peter Van Hooke
Paul Young
Websitemikeandthemechanics.com

Mike and the Mechanics (stylised as Mike + The Mechanics) are an English rock supergroup formed in Dover in 1985 by Mike Rutherford, initially as a side project during a hiatus period for his other group Genesis. The band are known for the hit singles "Silent Running", "All I Need Is a Miracle", "Taken In", "The Living Years", "Word of Mouth", and "Over My Shoulder".

Initially, the band included Rutherford (the only constant member), vocalists Paul Carrack and Paul Young, keyboardist Adrian Lee, and drummer Peter Van Hooke. After a decade together, Lee and Van Hooke dropped out in 1995 and were not replaced. Following Young's death in 2000, Carrack became the band's sole lead vocalist until 2004 when the band (essentially a duo at this point) dissolved, with Rutherford and Carrack both agreeing the band had "run its course".[1] In 2010, the band was revived with Rutherford headlining a completely new set of musicians, including vocalists Andrew Roachford and Tim Howar.

Biography[edit]

Formation and commercial breakthrough[edit]

During hiatuses from Genesis, Mike Rutherford had been pursuing a solo career, releasing Smallcreep's Day in 1980 and Acting Very Strange in 1982. He found the process of recording a solo album excessively difficult, however, and the results artistically unsatisfying, particularly in regards to singing lead vocals on the latter album. 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] He still felt that working only with Genesis would leave him unfulfilled, however, 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 and 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 line-up of Mike and the Mechanics came together gradually 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 (except in Canada, where "Maxine" from Acting Very Strange reached No. 39); Mike + the Mechanics scored three of them, including two US Top 10s, "Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground)", "All I Need is a Miracle" and an additional No. 32 hit with "Taken In".[3] "Silent Running" was featured in the movie On Dangerous Ground, released in North American cinemas in 1986 as Choke Canyon.[4]

Peak[edit]

The single "The Living Years" (US#1, UK#2) became the band's biggest hit, and featured on the band's second album Living Years. The song was written by Rutherford and Robertson after both of their fathers had recently died, but the lyrics were written solely by Robertson and centered on the unresolved dissension between Robertson and his father. The song was sung by Carrack, who also had an emotional attachment to the song, having lost his own father when he was 11 years old. The album also featured the song "Nobody's Perfect", sung by Young; it served as the background music to a 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. The group's third album, Word of Mouth, followed in 1991. It was less successful than its predecessors, particularly in the US, but scored another trio of charting singles in the UK, with the lead single becoming one of their most popular songs yet.

Their fourth album, Beggar on a Beach of Gold, did not appear until 1995. It yielded both a UK top 40 hit in the title track, and a number 12 hit in "Over My Shoulder". The latter, which was their first hit to be co-written by Carrack, became arguably their most aired song on British radio.

Their run of successes was capped with 1996's Hits, which compiled most of their hit singles with a new reworking of "All I Need is a Miracle" that reached number 27 in the UK, a higher placing than that of the original version. The album was certified platinum in the UK within two months of its release.[5]

Dissolution[edit]

In 1995, the band began to fall apart: Adrian Lee and Peter Van Hooke left (before and after Beggar on a Beach of Gold, respectively), and Christopher Neil's long tenure as songwriter/producer for the group ended. However, Rutherford opted to continue Mike and 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. Its only hit, "Now That You've Gone", peaked at No. 35 in the UK.[6]

Another blow struck the following year: On 15 July 2000, Paul Young died from a heart attack.[7] The band regrouped in 2004 as Mike and the Mechanics featuring Paul Carrack. As implied by the new name, Carrack played a larger role than before, 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. Van Hooke briefly worked with the band again during this time, not as an official member but as a co-producer of Rewired. He also performed drums and percussion on the album and its tour.

Shortly after, Carrack became too involved with solo work to devote time to the group. In a 2007 interview Rutherford stated that Mike and the Mechanics had "run its course."

Second incarnation[edit]

Mike and the Mechanics at Sofia Rocks Fest 2011.

Over several months of 2009 and 2010, Rutherford formed a new band. Despite there being no hope of the original group ever reforming, he opted to again use the Mike and 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. It featured both Roachford and Tim Howar on vocals, Luke Juby on keyboards, Gary Wallis on drums, and Anthony Drennan on guitar and bass. Though it became the first album not to feature B. A. Robertson as a co-writer, the album also marked the return of Christopher Neil as songwriter/producer. The tour included performances across the UK, Germany, and various other European cities.[9]

In April 2017, this incarnation of the band released another album, Let Me Fly. It continues to tour.[10]

In April 2019, Mike and the Mechanics released their ninth studio album Out of the Blue,[11] via BMG.

Reception[edit]

In a 1996 article for Q magazine, critic Peter Kane said that while the band 'fly in the face of fashion', their music has a 'basic decency' and 'unquestionably speaks to more people than many of us are sometimes prepared to accept'. He stressed, 'Mike and the Mechanics: they're quite good, really.'[12]

Discography[edit]

Main article: Mike + The Mechanics discography

Awards and nominations[edit]

Grammy Awards[edit]

Year Awarded Nominee/work Category Result Ref.
1987 "All I Need Is a Miracle" Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals Nominated [13][14]
1990 "The Living Years" Record of the Year (shared with Christopher Neil) Nominated [15][16][17]
Song of the Year (for B. A. Robertson & Mike Rutherford) Nominated
Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals Nominated
Best Music Video, Short Form Nominated

Ivor Novello Awards[edit]

Year Awarded Nominee/work Category Result Ref.
1990 "The Living Years" Best Song Musically and Lyrically (for B. A. Robertson & Mike Rutherford) Won [18]

Personnel[edit]

Members[edit]

Timeline[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Happy Monsters' Studios. "Paul Carrack Interview - 2008 - Mike and The Mechanics". houseofmanyrooms.com. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d Neer, Dan (1985). Mike on Mike [interview LP], Atlantic Recording Corporation.
  3. ^ "Mike + The Mechanics Album & Song Chart History – Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 11 December 2010.
  4. ^ wiac (1 August 1986). "Choke Canyon (1986)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  5. ^ "Certified Awards Search: Mike & The Mechanics". BPI. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
  6. ^ "The Official Charts Company – Mike + The Mechanics". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  7. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Mike + the Mechanics: Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 September 2010.
  8. ^ Greene, Andy (15 December 2009). Genesis' Rutherford and Banks Reflect on Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction, Rolling Stone.
  9. ^ "Genesis News Com / Mike Rutherford / Mike + The Mechanics: "The Road" – album + tour update". genesis-news.com. 27 April 2011. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
  10. ^ Stickler, Jon. "Mike And The Mechanics Announce 2017 UK 'Word Of Mouth' Tour - Stereoboard". Stereoboard.com.
  11. ^ "Mike + The Mechanics 'Out Of The Blue' Featuring New Recordings Of Classic Hits On Deluxe Version". Top40-Charts.com. 6 April 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  12. ^ Kane, Peter (April 1996). "Mike & The Mechanics: Hits". Q: 123.
  13. ^ Hunt, Dennis (9 January 1987). "Grammy Nominations: Highs and Lows". Los Angeles Times. p. 2. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
  14. ^ "Grammy Awards 1987". Awards & shows. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  15. ^ "Annual Grammy Nominations". UPI. United Press International, Inc. 11 January 1990. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  16. ^ "Mike Rutherford - Artist - grammy.com". Grammy Award. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  17. ^ "The Grammys, Round 1 : Pop Music: Rock 'n' roll veterans lead pack of recording industry awards nominees". Los Angeles Times. 12 January 1990. Archived from the original on 2 March 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  18. ^ "The 35th Ivor Novello Awards were presented by BASCA and sponsored by PRS on 2nd April 1990 at the Grosvenor House, London". Ivor Novello Awards. Archived from the original on 18 October 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  19. ^ Out of the Blue (liner notes). Mike + The Mechanics. BMG. 2019. 538472500.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  20. ^ Ewingpublished, Jerry (27 September 2022). "Phil Collins' son Nic signs on for Mike + The Mechanics". loudersound. Retrieved 28 September 2022.

External links[edit]

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